January 8th!

Hey family,

Well this week was really cool but kind of unexpected. So I went to Praia alone with the intention of coming back here with my new companion but that didnt actually work out... The Conference was amazing and was one of the most spiritual ones yet and then at the end President Oliveira told me that I wasn't actually going to receive a new comp until the end of the transfer (dec 8) and until then I would be serving with a mini missionary. I now have my mini missionary (djony my recent convert from

Santa Maria) and things are going very = good! I love djony and we just have a good time all day long and at the same time teach txeu lessons. 

Also the other good news I got is that my flight was bought and I am now set up to go home January 7th and my flight to slc arrives at 10:35 january 8th. Wahoo!!!

 I was thinking that you guys might like to come back and visit CV during the summer or spring time. Praia isnt all that interesting but I think you guys would really like to see Mindelo (mini Brazil) and Sal. There is a lot of cool history stuff there and after visiting the old salt plant today that was founded by the Portuguese I decided that one day I need to take you guys there. 

 Love you all a ton!

Just 5 weeks! Keep waiting but dont get too trunky.

Elder Edwards

Last Transfer!

Dear Family,

   I'm glad you guys liked the d&c count down. Wow this week came with lots of changes! Saturday night I got a phone that informed me I was being transfer. I left Elder Dos Santos and now I am serving in Sal with Elder Camargo (also from south Brazil) and we are the zone leaders on this island. I was way surprised when I got the call because it was the middle of the transfer but it was for sure inspired and me and Elder Camargo are going to be the dream team out here. Our area is call Santa Maria and is the newest area in the mission. Our plan here is to baptize enough people to officially become a branch. This area is the nicest part of all of Cape Verde and our area is set up way legit. On the side is a huge beach with tons of Europeans then right inside is a kinda like a tourist mall with surf shops, ice cream stands, Hawaii inspired restaurants and then the city part where the Cape Verdians live is set up and looks and feels just like St. George. This place does not feel or look like Cape Verde at all!! I am way stoked with the change and they made it sound like I am suppose to finish my mission here and go out with a boom leaving my legacy forever! I accept. It's gonna be awesome. 

  Also this Friday we have zone leaders council so I am going to fly all the way to Praia, go to a conference and then fly back the next day. Because I'm on this island and zone leader I am going to fly at least one sometimes twice a month! 

  The only problem here is that everything is way expense! Everything costs about double from the rest of Cape Verde. Also the mission president told me I need to invest in some new shirts because they are all yellow and really gross.

Emails And A Reading Challenge.

August 4th:
Well once again another transfer has come and gone. For the next transfer I am going to be staying in my same area with my companion. I'm pretty excited to stay. This last transfer we were basically just getting everything set up and now we just need to baptize! This week here should be awesome. This week is Elder Hutber's (my friend from England) last week. In the last 12 transfers of my mission I have spend 10 and a half transfers with him on the same island, most of the time in the district and 2 different times in the same house. Our plan for this week is to have a wedding for Branco and Rosa (translation white and pink) on thursday, birthday/ going home/ early thanksgiving dinner for Elder Hutber on Friday, And then Baptisms on Saturday! It's gonna be a way good week. 


August 9th:
family I also forgot to tell you about the updates with Relva. I talked to one of my recent converts today and I learned that things there are still really good. All of my converts are still really strong and they are all working really hard to grow the branch there. Also in my last few weeks there I taught the branch president what branch missionaries are and told him to call some and I'd train them all. Well he called them all and we trained them and then today I heard that they are all still really strong and they are helping out with the recent converts and they are bringing investigators to church.  It's crazy how much of a snow ball effect this work has. I also met up with the couple we married before I went to Relva. He is now a high priest in the stake and is doing work. The missionaries there said he's the strongest member in the whole ward! It's crazy how this work never stops and ours fruits  seem to just keep going and going


August 19th:
Dear Everybody,
This week went by pretty good. We have started doing divisions everyday with a bunch of young men that are preparing to serve missions so we have been teaching like 40 lessons a week. We should be baptizing a bunch this transfer. Also I have an invitation for the whole family. I meant to tell y'all last week but I forgot. So when everyone gets to 138 days left in the mission they start on d&c 138 and read one section a day until they go home. I started this last friday and want to invite all of you to read one section a day with me and then you can count how many days I have left! TRUNKY!... Dont worry I'm still working my hardest! Today read 135 and tomorrow 134 etc etc..

A Kiss For A Missionary.

These are excerpts from two different emails home. One to the Edwards' and one to the Wagstaff's. Both sent on March 3, 2013.

Bom dia,

   Well I have officially finished my first week here in Mindelo. It has definitely been a weird transition. I came Relva, the most third world part of all of Cape Verde to São Vicente, which may be the most developed and modernized part of all Cape Verde. The work here is definitely different than Relva but things are already starting to pick up. This area was supposed to turn into a stake this next week but the church decided that it's not quite ready yet. Our goal now is to work our butts off and hopefully in the next couple months we will be able to make the change. 

  A weird thing that happened this week was that a full grown man walked past me very slow and creepy like and then kissed me on the shoulder... I think he had been drinking.. I was for sure a little bit weirded out.

I love the mission and the work here is on fire! I don't have time to think about everything else. These last couple weeks on top off normal mission work I have been teaching relief society, a mission prep class, training the 4 new ward missionaries and yesterday I gave a 10 minute talk in sacrament meeting! I don't have time to even think about what's going on! ha. Well I hope all is well with you. Love you all. Elder Edwards

Secret Trip.

Hello my family,
  This last week lots of things have happened. Last week after using email I heard a secret that came from headquarters that I had 2 plane tickets that were going to take me out of Fogo over to Praia and then up to Mindelo. The strange thing was when I got on the plane and did the math my first flight was set to leave at 4:50 to Praia. The second set to go at 5:35. It's a 35 minute flight.. that doesn't leave a lot of time for a lay-over. I was kind of nervous about how it was all going to work out. The first flight took off late and we landed in Praia at about 5:40. There aren't any other planes out in the hanger. I figured I missed it. I ask the service lady, she tells me to run out and check back in real quick and we are running, (me and the sister I was with It definitely looked like a date). We go through security to discover that we are back on the exact same plane haha. And by security I mean they looked at my ID and then I walked through the metal detecter that is clearly unplugged for everyone to see. I got to Midelo, São Vicente to discover that I am now serving in the second best area. Second to and only Relva.
  I am now officially settled in and am serving with Elder Vicente. A guy from Fogo who I met while I was there and he is serving here until he gets his visa to go to Brazil. He's a boss and we are going to baptize like crazy!
Love you all.
Elder Edwards

To Assomada And Back Again.

Ola. This week was a little bit crazy, a little bit bumpy and a lot a bit rainy but when it was all said and done we finished off this week with three baptisms. One of them was definitely the biggest successes I have all all of my mission. In my first transfer of my mission we meet an awesome college student who was close to finishing his senoir year. We was really converted and knew that this church was true but he would never take the next step to being baptized because his girl friend would break up with him and he needed her computer for college. We didnt know what to do with him and he basically was at a stand still. After 5 months of missionaries working with him and 7 different missionaries we finally helped him to take that next step and to be baptized and he asked for me to baptize him. Me going back to Assomada was a very rare thing to have happen in the mission. Now that all is said and done I know that he was the reason I had to go back there and it was great to have that experience! 
Love Elder Edwards

Late.

This email was from two weeks ago and I forgot to post it. Sorry!

 I did get a new companion this transfer. I actually got two. Their names are Elder Parkinson from Layton and Elder Olsen from Boise. They both are pretty cool guys but they're sticks in the mud... anyways..  This next week is going to be CRAZY! Tomorrow morning I'm going back to my old area (assomada) to help out a missionary whose companion has to come have an interview with the President. Then Wednesday we have Zone conference in Praia and then Thursday I'm going back up to Assomada for Zone conference there and then on Friday our investigators are getting married!!! On saturday they, with two other people, are going to get baptized. I don't actually think that we are going to have a lot of time to teach this week but none the less it should be awesome!!  I hope that all is going well. Love you tons. Elder Edwards.

PS go to the Church website, LDS.org and watch the Cape Verde movie I think it's called terra de luz. Land of light in english but most of the movie is filmed in the area I am in right now and it shows where we baptized in the ocean its way sweet

AP

This week was crazy! This last week was the last week of the Transfer and to finish it up we went and baptized in the ocean. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had! Now that all is said and done we finished the transfer with 10 baptisms and have 4 set up for next week... Sadly though I have been transferred. Last night I got a call from the Mission president and I am going to serve as AP (presidents assistant) I was pretty bummed to leave this area but this next transfer should be sweet. I found out that I get to drive the Church's Hiace ( Type of car) That is brand new and cost 70K! I get the feeling like the president is really pushing me. He told me this transfer I have to work my can off and get ready to become a trainer.  Hope all is well. With much love, Elder Edwards.