THE MOSTELLER STORY
INSTALMENT #10

In our last communication about starting the work on the island of Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands, we mentioned Eudo, an outstanding soccer player who became an outstanding preacher. Well, it seemed only natural to use soccer, the national sport and passion, to our advantage in our evangelistic efforts.

Years later while on furlough in the USA, I heard General Superintendent Dr. Samuel Young relate, at the South Dakota District Assembly, the story of his trip to the Cape Verde Islands. 


I'll share with you what he told the South Dakota folks about the soccer game he attended in Sao Vicente: 
He said that at a given juncture during the game, "big Earl" leaned over and said to him, "Dr. Young, do you know what pleases me more than anything else about this game? Six months ago none [I had actually said "only two"] of these boys were Christians. Today all 22 boys on the playing field are." He revelled in the victory of 22 boys becoming Christians in such a short time, and made the most of this victory that on a large scale could be duplicated anywhere if God's people would put their minds and hearts to it.

By the way, travel in Cape Verde was by sailboat, and during his visit around the islands, Dr. Young almost lost his life in the wild ocean waves as he jumped from a little rowboat that had brought him in from the sailing vessel on to the rocky ledge used as a landing pier on the island of Maio.

On another occasion, Dr. Young and I found ourselves out at sea on a motorless sailboat--in a calm. Suddenly a seasick woman came up out of her chair, and her false teeth fell into a "chummie" (chamber pot) nearby. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Supposedly no one was. She dipped down into the "chummie," pulled out her false teeth, and put them back into her mouth. Dr. Young was a good sailor until then!

It meant a lot to us to be able to have such a "fabulastic" (fabulous/fantastic) dignitary as Dr. Young visit the islands and stay in our home. In addition to his tremendous messages and encouragement, his sharp bookkeeping skills were invaluable in helping set up the mission treasurer's books, which fell my wife's chore.

I'll close with just another little unrelated tidbit from those days in Sao Vicente: Our 10-year-old daughter Kathleen Joy was fast becoming an enterprising young lady. So fearful that we would have no Christmas tree in our home, she arranged for the mission station's guard to hire a truck to bring in a "tree"--or rather, limbs, since trees of any kind were very scarce on the island. The result of her efforts was a large truckload of "Christmas limbs" that literally filled our living and dining area with a green look unknown to those islands. What a Christmas that was!

In Christ's love,
Earl E. Mosteller
P.S. From daughter Ginny: 

Dad/Earl is still at the skilled nursing and rehabilitation center on IV's for his bone infection andrecuperation from foot surgery. Next week (mid-April) he will be seen by both the foot surgeon and the infection specialist, and we will have a better idea of how much longer he will remain at the rehab.

In March we had to take Mom/Gladys by ambulance to the emergency room for IV's to rehydrate her after a bout with thrush. (The pain caused her to refuse food and drink.) She is improving and on April 1 celebrated her 98th birthday by taking a wheelchair van ride to the rehab for a birthday party with Dad and some of her friends. She was so thrilled with the beautiful flowers from "The Seekers," as well as the many cards from her LINKS friends in Canada. While her memory is failing, she definitely knows, when I show her the cards from Canada, that, oh yes, they are from her LINKS family! That is such a joy! Thank you so much!
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