8.01.2016

Week 75: Baptism and Some of My Favorite People

Well, i'm kinda going to be a bit of a fubeca and my email is gonna be a bit short... BUT!!! this week was amazing! We continued our streak of family nights and we ended the transfer (6 weeks) with 38 family nights! woot woot! I'd say that was pretty successful. So... I do have a story of the baptism, but its FOREVER long and i don't think i have time to write it all, but i'll try. So here goes nothing. 
Baptism of (from left to right) Ani, Sonia, and Albertina.
Font ankle deep, full of sand.
Saturday morning we woke up put on our exercise clothes and we headed to a service project to clean up the city, it was supposed to start at 7, we showed up at 7.15 and no one was there... no one showed up till 8. and we didn't start until 8.30- welcome to the timing of cabo verdians mixed with members. everything always starts an hour late... at least. so we headed back to prepare for the baptism at 10.30 and headed to the baptism which was supposed to start at 11... well... we arrived. the baptisms were there, and the ward mission leader.... and that was it. and the font had water ankle deep. So we organized things and called people and we ended up heading to the beach at 12.30... and the baptism started at 1.30 .... and then we got home at 2.30. Never would have thought that that would have been my last baptism but it was good. not to mention that we didn't have enough baptismal clothes, but luckily my companion was in a white skirt and we had a white shirt at home so Ani was baptized in our clothes. But it turned out so beautiful! And thus my companions first baptism and my last was in the ocean. It was like a fairytale, a lot more similar than i had planned, villain and all.

Me, Sister B Santos, Rosi (convert), their mom, Anilton (convert), grandma and brother who was visiting for the weekend. One of the families that I was closest to. Love them!
Then it became the last day that I would be teaching in porto novo, and i was doing so good. I didn't cry in church, nothing... till I got to Anilton (recent convert from the beginning of the mission)´s house and we shared a message with him and his mom. We were reading a lovely scripture and i began to explain and bear testimony and I looked over at Anilton who was just sobbing, and I couldn't help but cry too, so all of us began crying for a good 10 minutes, but we had it through. It's amazing to see the changes on the mission. I would have never imagined the mission would be like this. You don't understand it until you pass through it. You see the gospel touch the lives of these people and you can see it in their eyes that they are converted. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to know these people. They are amazing. I have never met a people so loving and so accepting. I know that this work is the work of our Savior. I can see His hand in the lives of these people.
Love ya´ll!
Sister Kohlert


Antonia (recent covert from the very beginning of my mission, and two of her children. Ricardo was baptized a few weeks back, so you might already recognize him. She is such a strong and amazing woman.