Sewing in Prison

Dear family, 

I'm writing earlier this weekend, because the weekend and all next week will be tied up with guests--our Area Directors from Frankfurt, Germany are coming for a week.  We are excited to meet them and show them Cape Verde.  Since their hotel here does not have Internet access, they will be using ours to do their computer work, so we won't have much computer time. 

Another exciting happening is the visit of the General Young Men president and the General Sunday School president this Sunday.  They, along with all the other leaders of this district and the mission presidency, will have dinner at our home after Church.  We'll take some photos and send them next letter.  The menu is simple, prescribed by the district president:  sandwiches of our choice made ahead, desserts, and drinks.  No veggies or fruits, because they do not want ANY CHANCE of anyone getting sick on the food!  And they will all be here for only one hour before they head back to the church for an afternoon of training meetings.  There will be about 20 people.

Last Tuesday we began our sewing project at the prison with the ladies.  It was a very good experience.  They were polite, kind, helpful to one another, and there did not seem to be any animosity among them.  They looked just like anyone else.  We taught them how to use the sewing machines that we bought through the Church, and how to sew pillowcases.  The finished cases will then be donated to the old folks' home that we are helping through the Red Cross.  We like the idea of combining projects to get the people to help each other. The prison director sent his van to pick us up at our house so we did not have to take a taxi.  For this we are grateful, but it was a little humbling to be riding through the city in a prison guard van.  I wonder if any of our friends saw us!  Makes a good and funny memory, anyway!

The second-hand clothing store that we are helping furnished the fitted sheets and afghans, lap robes and blankets for us to give to the old folks' home.  In this hot country, no one but the elderly is cold enough for such items.  The Church Welfare sends whatever items are donated to them, and so we get all kinds of winter clothing and stuff that the people here cannot use, so the clothing store was more than glad to get the afghans, etc. out of their inventory.

When our guests are here from Germany, we will be going to the next island to the west, Santo Antao, for a day--ride on the ferry, hire a taxi van to drive us around the mountains and beaches, much like we have done previously when visiting there with the missionaries on activities.

We are having lots of fun with the Young Adults in Outreach--tonight is an activity of karioke which they all love!  Baptisms are frequent among this age group.  There are also 3 prospective missionaries in the group--3  of the finest young men you could ever meet.  They are our Outreach planning committee, so we'll miss them when they go.

Our garden is growing well, the summer squash has blossomed and hopefully will produce fruit.  Wouldn't that be nice for all year round?

This month is one year from the time we will return home, so tell the grandkids that we will see them in a year!

We love you all, and hope that your lives are going well and that you are all well and happy.  We pray for you all every day.

Love, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Elder and Sister