We be different

This is Elder Delgado, among the new additions to the missionary contingent here in Quelimane.  He is unique among us eight assigned here in that he is African and black (the term negro is used here).  Elder Delgado is from Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) which is a group of islands that sits off the coast of Senegal in northwest Africa.  He is a very fine man but I was wondering how our investigators would respond to having an African missionary.  They absolutely love it. 

First, he speaks so much better than most of the rest  of us.  It is a pleasure for them to listen to the melody of his speech rather than the cacophony of ours (actually he also speaks much better than Mozambicans so it is also a pleasure for me to listen to him too). 

Second, he is African and there is a bit of African pride in everyone here. There exists no cultural divide with Elder Delgado.   Everyone is immensely pleased to have "one of theirs" among those spreading the gospel and leading the charge in the church.  It is not that any investigator resents the predominantly white north Americans--but they just wish that they were better represented.  We are often asked, "when will we have Africans leading the church"  and we assure them that we will get there as quickly as we are able.  A number of times now, we have had only Africans giving talks in our sacrament service.  There are some who are particularly impressed on those days.  Along the same line, I have heard now twice a certain fact spoken of with pride--that Jesus came to Africa when he was but two years old--coming here for protection from wicked king Herod and spending some number of years in the warm embrace of mother Africa.  That story resonates here and pleases people to hear.

As an interesting side story: we have four Africans working here in our northern zone (the three northern cities over which we have some responsibility).  They are all from Cabo Verde--and for the most part, very very impressive men.  I will try and persuade Debbie to choose that for the site of our next mission--but I hear that it needs to be a boring English speaking one (like Zimbabwe she likely means).  I think having Elder Delgado and Elder Rios here who are native Portuguese speakers is a great thing for Debbie's language skills.  She is picking up so much more these days--understanding so much more of the conversations and discussions--and speaking alot more as well.  Fluent she is not--but making great strides.