Cape Verde

CAPE VERDE Jan. 1, 2012: Est. population, 429,000; Members, 8,029; Mission, 1; Districts, 3; Branches, 18; percent LDS, 1.6 or one in 62; Europe Area.
The Republic ofCape Verde iscomposed of10main islands intwo volcanic archipelagos located 385miles westof Senegal offthe African Coast Most ofthe indigenous peoples are descendants ofAfrican slaves brought there by Portuguese tradersin the 1400s. They speakCrioulo and Portuguese, and mostare associated withthe Roman Catholic or Church ofthe Nazarene faiths.
Spain Las Palmas Mission President Marion K. Hamblin visited Cape Verde inNovember 1988 toexplore thepossibilities Deseret News 2013 Qiurch News Almanac 453
ofsending missionaries there. He sentChristopher Lee and Kenneth C. Margetts there inJanuary 1989. They began their labors on Santiago Island. The first convert baptized was Lino Paulo. The Praia Branch in the capital city of Praia was organized on27June 1989. At thetime, there were approximately 25 members. Lee and Margetts were forced to leave the country in July 1989 because the government refused to renew theirvisas. Missionaries were allowed to return within a few months.
The Cape Verde ambassador to the United States attended the Christmas lighting ceremony of the Washington D.C. Temple in1993. InSeptember 1994, Elder Dallin H. Oaks oftheQuorum oftheTwelve visited theislands. While there, he was invited to see the president of the Republic of Cape Verde Antonio Mascarenhas and Praia Mayor Jacinto Santos. He describedthe missionary programand explained Church's doctrines.
By September 1994, there were 50 Cape Verdeans who had been called to serve full-time missions, mostworking in Portugal, and48missionaries from thePortugal Lisbon South Mission wereworking inCape Verde.
On a return trip from Afiica, President Gordon B. Hinckley stopped in Cape Verde on 22 February 1998 where he spoke to 780 members. Atthat time Cape Verde included three districtsand 18 branches.
The FirstPresidency on 9 March 2002 announced creation of the Cape Verde Praia Mission from the Portugal Lisbon South Mission. Atthe time ofthe creation, it included the Fogo Cape Verde, Mindelo Cape Verde, and PraiaCape Verde districts.
InJanuary 2004, President Hinckley stopped onCape Verde's Sal Island forrefueling. While there, hemetwithmembers ofthe Sal Branch.
Membership in 2003 was5,975. By 2011, membership hadgrown to 7,456, paving the way forthe creation ofthe Praia Cape Verde Stake on 30 April 2012, the first stake in Cape Verde. Roseveltt Teixeira was called as president, with Adilson Monteir and Jose Pires as counselors.

Missions

Cape Verde Praia Mission

Temples

Praia Cabo Verde Temple
Av. Cidade de Lisboa Praia