Boa Vista Cape Verde, West Africa

     We finally found them. Since stepping off the plane into this different West African country, where Taxis are clean and yellow and women wear pants, we had been looking hard to see any semblance of the West Africa we find familiar. We found it in Boa Vista.  Probably the most visited island by tourist, Boa Vista holds many beautiful spectacles. But because of the recent influx of tourism, many native Cape Verdeans have left the island and been replaced by West Africans from the continent seeking a better life. They can all be found in a ten block by ten block neighborhood off the main strip in Sal Rei. As we approached the neighborhood, it was like stepping back into Conakry. Little kids ran up to us immediately and put their hands out, expecting something from the white women. People shouted their greetings to us; we begin to shout greetings in French again. There are no cute potted plants out front of these buildings. They are all half-finished, grey, trash in the streets, and everyone is sitting outside on their stoops. I can see people cooking over their little coal burners, probably pepper soup, yes this is West Africa!

     Our first morning is Boa Vista, we head out to the only evangelical church in the city. It is several blocks from out hotel. We walk around the building and can see that the lights are out and it is closed for the day. We talk to bystanders, “oo est Nazareno Pastora maison?” Puzzled looks. Then a boy passing by is motioned to, chattered at, and we are soon following this young man around. “Nazareno Pastora?” we ask quizzically to the woman whose door we are brought too. More chattering, pointing, gesturing.  Soon we are again following this young man down side streets, past shops and to a building clearly marked, “Nazarene Pastor Counseling” I look down one more door and there is the sign for our hotel. We literally made a circle from our hotel around the entire town and back, if we had turned left instead of right, we would have been at his door in two steps.

     Inside we met with a young pastor anxious to bring the truth to Cape Verdeans as well as immigrants into his country. Pastor Ivan played the voice of Jesus in the recent production of the Jesus Film in Cape Verdean Creole. Ivan tells us the West African community we walked into is called Bash Proenza but is better known by the name “Barraca” meaning shanty or shack.  Ivan’s congregation is doing what it can to reach out to this community by holding small groups within this West Africa n community. Please pray for the people of Bash Proenza, both for their living conditions and the conditions of their hearts. Pray that believers will reach out to this predominantly Muslim neighborhood with the truth found in God’s son.