Cup'a Tang

9/24/2018

Fam, what a week!

So Monday night we had a Family Night, which are like my favorite things ever, even if I never know what anyone is saying. But at the end of the night me and Sister Pendelton were offered a strange orange flavored drink.  We tried to decline, insisting that the water here will make us sick, but they were persistent so we took the drink, said a prayer and downed the questionable liquid inside. Well, Sister Pendelton has a stomach of steel. I, on the other hand, spent the next four days unable to eat anything but baby food. Fortunately, if I was going to be sick and stuck in an apartment with anyone for a week, I’m happy it was Sister Pendleton. She kept me well entertained and was patient with my inability to do anything but vomit and whine. Luckily, I've gotten much better and feel all the more eager to get out and preach. The Lord blesses us in strange and mysterious ways. Yesterday while running down the main road in La Pinha from a small dog, who I'm almost certain is possessed by a demon, I found myself feeling only mildly afraid, unphased by my circumstances and feeling an overwhelming amount gratitude for the fact that I could actually run.

Bigfoot & Green Mashed Potatoes

9/17/2018

Dearest Family, Friends and Miscellaneous Other Citizens

What a week! Time here flies by and I find myself panicking as I realize that this transfer is more than half way through.  Now that's just utterly ridiculous! This week we went on a division with the Sisters in Mosteiros. My temporary comp Sister Rocha was from Brazil and didn't speak english, so that was a bit tricky, but we were able to bond over our mutual love of the strawberry soda here and Bigfoot. It is also EXTREMELY HOT in Mosteiros and it makes me fear the day I leave Covo Figueira. On the other hand, I now have a very nice watch and sandal tan line.

Fruit Bleaching, Zombie Dogs & The Devil's Cabbage

Or, alternatively, Blessings In Disguise

9/11/2018

Dear Family, Friends, miscellaneous others,

I’m a little late with the letter home, as you may have noticed.  I swear it’s at no fault of my own, things have just been a little crazy here in Covo Figueira this past week!  I’m beginning to think I may have blessed the rains here a little too much because it’s been pouring! But nothing we can’t survive.  Unfortunately, there was also this huge windstorm that ended up blowing over a cell tower or something because we’ve been without cell service and wifi since, not even at the library.  So, hopefully that gets fixed and I’ll be able to send emails as normal soon. (Lia took photos of this handwritten letter to be typed up later and posted for you all, so please excuse any mistakes.)  Anyway, the mission is great!  Not always easy- sometimes the wifi is blown away by gale force winds- but it’s always worth it.  When coming out into the field, it seems like your life becomes a series of trials and tender mercies, but the Lord never gives you trials you cannot bear or that won’t ultimately better you as a person.  So upon further reflection, I like to think of those as blessings and blessings in disguise. Here's a list of some of those blessings I’ve seen in my brief time in the field thus far…

A "Make Your Own Sidewalk" Kinda Country

9/3/2018

Oh my goodness, so much has happened and I have so little time!!!

We flew to Cape Verde and it took like 32 hours, I got motion sick for the first time in my life, and I discovered I have the ability to nap in essentially any public place- including the Lisbon Portugal airport. It was kinda awful and the lack of sleep has made the jet lag a billion times worse, but it was so exciting to get here and all things considered we had a really safe and relatively uneventful journey.

She Has Arrived!

On August 30, the family received an email from Lia’s Mission President!

"Dear Family,

Hope this letter finds you well!  Just to inform you, Sister Bradley has arrived safely and has been assigned to a new area on Fogo Island! She is a great Sister! We talked a little and I could feel her determination and strong will to serve the Lord. Thanks for sending and supporting her!

Best regards,

Pres. Amo"

We also received a picture of them together! We're happy she's finally in Cape Verde safe and sound.