News from Portu"GAL"

Sincerest apologies

2009-07-20T22:58:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone. For those of you who read my blog as your only way of keeping up with me, I'm so very sorry. I've actually been home for almost two months now. Posting a final update has been on my list of things to do for quite some time, as you can imagine. But instead of making excuses, I'm just going to plunge right into a rather abbreviated update.

May was very busy, as it always is no matter where I am. On top of being the last month of school and my last month in Portugal, there were a few special events that happened. One of these was a visit from a choral group from my cousin's supporting church in Toledo. They were with us for 8 days and sang over 20 concerts! And somehow they still found time to go sightseeing and shopping, and to attend a bull fight (to which we were invited as well...yay!) We had a wonderful time with them and - from what they tell me :-) - vice versa.

The last time doing things was a little sad, of course. My last time seeing the kids at the English Club, my last Sunday at the church in Samora, my last day with Noah at the apartment, my last day at the school, etc. God had placed me in Portugal for those five months, and they were wonderful. Now He was preparing me to return home. So while I was sad to leave, and while there are still many things I miss about life there, I am glad to be back in the States. I actually even went through a slight culture shock for a week or so if you can believe it! For example, I kept on expecting to hear the water heater "tick, tick, tick, tick, *fwoom*" when I turned on the hot water...and it never did!

As for what's next in my life: I don't know. For now, I'm taking that to mean that God wants me here in Chicagoland until further notice. I don't feel that He is leading me into full time missions right now, but I'm open to the option. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next!

Chocolate - the answer to all of life's ills

2009-05-23T21:50:00.003+01:00

On Thursday and Friday last week I watched Noah + two 5 year old missionary girls ALL DAY. These girls are wonderful, funny, loving little girls and I was happy to watch them so their parents could go to the training seminar. They are also both strong-willed and opinionated so while they start out excited to be together, they are more than ready to part company by the end of a day.

Thursday went well - no impossible-to-resolve arguments, for the most part they played nicely together. Friday wasn't so good. For a number of reasons, two days in a row seemed to be one day too many for Emma and Maddie to get along smoothly. From the get-go, they were arguing...over everything. Even after a "rest" in front of a movie (they don't really take naps) and lunch. HOWEVER, Emma's mom packed chocolate cupcakes and a frosting recipe, and I was reminded that there's nothing like chocolate to soothe the temper and bring girls together in happy harmony...even at the innocent age of 5. :-) After frosting and eating the cupcakes, not another argument erupted for the rest of the day.

Thank God for chocolate!

April "happenin's"

2009-05-02T15:28:00.003+01:00

Wow. April really flew by! Hard to believe I went an entire month without posting anything here. Truthfully, I haven't felt "inspired" about anything lately, lol, but that doesn't mean things weren't happening. So here goes: a quick overview of last month.

On Easter Sunday our tiny church group in Samora joined forces with the church group in Cartaxo. Some members from Arruda came as well. So we had a record Sunday - almost 40 people! It was such a great feeling to have a large group. Tell you what, it's a lot more fun to play congregational songs for 40 than it is for 10. :-) Someday, Lord willing, the church here will get off the ground and that will be a normal Sunday. Easter was also special for me because I got to "visit" home that day. My mom and I connected on Skype and she walked me around to see some of the children whom I have taught through the years. They were thrilled to show me their Easter outfits and sing for me! In between classrooms we bumped into several of my church family as well. It was a really nice Easter gift.

At Lisbon Training Center I have finished organizing both the elementary library and the high school library. Now I'm working on the GDL library (pastor resources in Portugese). It has been organized and entered into the computer 2 or 3 times before, but each time something has happened and the information has been lost. So my main goal is to get everything re-entered, and I'm taking extra precautions to make sure it stays that way! It's slow going though since most of the books and all of the categories are in Portugese. Plus, I keep getting distracted by other fun things to help out with. For example, the students recently took the yearly achievement tests. The majority of the testing for 1 and 2 grade has to be dictated, so I lent a hand to Laurie and took one grade while she took the other. Talk about confusing if she had to do both at the same time!

The English Club at Miriam's house is going well. There are 6 boys who are faithful every week, and 3 who come when they can. They're full of energy and excitement, so even though we can't fully understand each other we have a fun time together. We've made cookies, painted a gift for Mother's Day, and made a Mother's Day card. Sounds like girl stuff, doesn't it? These boys have had a blast! And they're learning new words in the process. Ana Carolina doesn't come very regularly anymore; she's beyond this level. However, she came this week and the two of us spent an hour working on her conversational English. She wants to converse better, and I want to build a relationship with her. So it's a win-win!

Noah and I are getting along "swimmingly". :-) He's always happy to see me, and I him. When he first arrives we go into the kitchen so I can do the dishes and he plays with measuring cups/spoons and tupperware. Who needs toys when you have a kitchen? We play or read happily for a little while until he gets tired and then I turn on his favorite music and rock him to sleep. The great thing is...he no longer wakes up screaming! He wakes up slowly and talking, and if I get to him quickly enough he stays happy and we cuddle some more. It's been so fun to watch him grow and have a tiny part in training him. Poor guy had surgery this week to remove a cyst on his head, but he's doing well. Quite the little trooper!

April was a month of traveling for me. Spring break was the first week of the month, so we (Tammy, Laurie, Laurie's brother Johnny, Craig, Craig's friend Dan, and I) did a lot of sightseeing. We all had a good time hanging out together all over Portugal. Then last weekend I flew to Switzerland with Miriam (the lady who I help with English club) for a few days. We made her cousin's house in Tramelan our base of operations and took day trips from there. The train system makes travel really easy! It's a wonderful country - quaint houses, picturesque countryside, friendly people (even though I couldn't understand them), excellent food, and more. Best of all, the Swiss Alps!

So I think that's April in a nutshell. Also happened in April: 1. The ladies finished our Beth Moore book study and I'm thankful for the many blessings I received from it. 2. The GLCA high school banquet to honor the seniors. We (the singles) helped out in the kitchen and got to enjoy the festivities as well! 3. The GLCA Spring Program. The 1-2 and 3-5 classes each learned a large portion of Scripture and recited them, complete with hand motions. They also sang some songs and played one with recorders and boom-whackers. Very cute! The 11-12 class performed a short play called Mountaintop about Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Good script, good performance; I was impressed and moved.

As always, thank for your prayers! I'm looking forward to seeing what God will do in my last month here.

Lonely?

2009-04-04T00:02:00.004+01:00

In her Bible Study "Stepping Up", Beth Moore said (and I'm paraphrasing), "With the modern convenience of texting, IMing, and even email, we easily and often 'keep in touch' with people through short notes, but we're still left feeling hungry for something real."

How true! If we were to take a poll, the large majority would say that they often feel lonely. Yet they would also answer that they have a lot of friends. It sounds almost oxymoronic. So why is this? Well we all know the Bible verse, "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly." But what does "friendly" mean? Being friendly, like Beth Moore said, means more than a quick text or a wall post on facebook. It means phone calls and written notes and coffee dates if one wants to build relationships and make real, deep, true friendships instead of casual acquaintanceships.

However, in my experience, that isn't enough. The problem is, it takes two. One can call and write and try to plan coffee dates, but if the effort isn't reciprocated then it becomes frustrating to both parties. So would you like to know what I think? I think people have given up. No one makes the effort because they're tired of the rejection, so no one else feels wanted and therefore they don't make an effort either.

So what would happen if, all of a sudden, everyone just decided to put themselves out there and make themselves a little vulnerable, and to sacrifice a little bit of time out of their day for the benefit of someone else? Maybe the loneliness would stop! Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? I recently read "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exubery and in it he paints a pictures of how something trivial becomes special because of the effort and care one puts into it; whether a drink of water, a sunset, or a relationship.

I know: this has nothing to do with my ministry here in Portugal. But first the Bible study and then the children's book in less than a week really got me thinking. For about a week these thoughts have been bouncing around inside my head, and I had to get them out. :-) So here's my blog; a convenient way to share my musings!

duck or pato?

2009-04-02T13:13:00.002+01:00

Last week, Noah started repeating words. Lasagna = "ana", Wow = "ooow", Dog = "doug", etc. But on Tuesday he surprised me. While we played with his rubber duck I told him "That's a duck. Can you say duck?". As expected, Noah just looked at me and kept playing. When I said "or pato" (slowly but surely I'm learning Portugese words! lol), he said "duck!" I told him that's right it's a duck, at which point he ignored me again. But when I said "pato"...out he came with "duck" again. What a little stinker!

I know, I know...probably coincidence. Translating words at 11 months? Lol, not likely. :-) But it gave me a fun story to tell!

The center of God's will

2009-03-30T19:53:00.002+01:00

All my life I've heard preachers say that "the best place to be is smack in the middle of God's will". My reaction to hearing this was always the same: "What a vague statement to make!" For one thing, how exactly does one know God's will? We're always told to find it and do it, but rarely are we given suggestions on how to find it. Also, what if God's will is somewhere that we, with our human nature, really would rather not be either physically or spiritually? It's one thing to say it's the best place to be, it's another thing to feel that way when you're there.

Now I know all of the answers. I grew up hearing it and I could list every reason both scriptural and non, but hearing isn't understanding. Experiencing - that's different. I can now honestly say that I finally understand what people mean when they say that the center of God's will is the best place to be. Because now I know how it feels.

The trepidation I felt leading up to my time in Portugal can't even be explained. However, with the emotional support of those who loved me I kept walking through the open door, no matter how anxious I felt or how much I secretly hoped that God would close the door. And now I'm so very glad that He didn't. I am happier, more content, and more confident here in Portugal than I have been in a long time. Are there slight discomforts? Sure. Do I miss home? Definitely. But not enough to remove the certainty I have that God has led me to this place and is blessing my time here.

So when the door started opening for me to stay a little while longer, it was with considerably less hesitation that I walked toward it. It didn't take long before God swung the door wide open and things fell into place so that there was no doubt in my mind that it was His plan for me to stay until the end of May.

"What's next? What will you do after May?" is what most people have asked. At this point I don't feel like God is pointing me towards becoming a career missionary; admittedly, the idea scares me some, but hopefully if He does direct that way I'll be more open to that option after having had this wonderful experience. Until such a time that He makes His will clear though, I'll return to life and work in Illinois having grown in more ways than one.

Dia do Pai

2009-03-23T19:43:00.006Z

Thursday, March 19 was Dia do Pai here (Father's Day). So on Sunday the children did a special presentation for their parents. They've been working on their verse and song since the beginning of February - Genesis 1:1, and a song about God creating the fish, the birds, you and me, etc (it's in Portugese...I don't know any more than that, lol). And of course, like all children, they got shy when it came time to actually perform. Poor Daniel was half asleep, but eventually Maria started saying a word or two and Marcio started "growling" the words. :-)

Then they all had a gift for their dads: a photo of them in a popsicle stick frame. Marcio was so excited that he wanted to keep his, lol. But we finally convinced him to give it to his dad, which he did in a flash and was on to the next thing! They're all very active children....

Please pray for the church in Samora. Currently, there are three families that attend. But in April, Pedro is moving his family to Angola, so we'll lose the four of them. It's hard to get a new church going anyway; losing one of your regular families doesn't make it any easier. We'll definitely miss them!

Here's the whole church as we are right now. :-)

2009-03-21T13:56:00.003Z

There is a Chili's in Portugal! A taste of home from thousands of miles away. In the past 5 Fridays, we've been there 3 times. :-) It doesn't really excite me as much as it does others, but I'm quite happy to tag along and enjoy the good old American food.

Last week we got even more of a taste of home. While our group of 8 was eating and chatting and having a great time, ANOTHER group of 8 or 9 North Americans came up the stairs, said hello to us (yes, it's easy to tell who's North American), and were seated just a few tables away. That was it! Our curiosity was piqued. As soon as we finished and stood up to leave, there was no stopping Cal. Over to their table he went and introduced himself, and upon doing so discovered that it was another group of new missionaries. This made the introductions even more fun because now everyone could compare notes about culture shock, learning the language, school for the children, etc. It's always fun to meet other missionaries regardless of what country, mission board, or denomination they're from; it's a reminder that we aren't alone in our endeavors.

English Club

2009-03-16T13:48:00.005Z

When I first arrived here in Portugal, Miriam asked if I could help with her English club and I gladly agreed. I've come here with the purpose to be a blessing and help in any area where I am needed. Due to this, that, and the other thing, we didn't get started with the club until the first Wednesday in March. Part of Miriam's ministry for some time has been giving free English lessons in her home or at local schools. So all of the children who have come to the club so far can speak a little English; some better than others.

On the first week we had Ana Carolina who is 13 and her brother Marcus who is 10 I think, and Melissa who is also 12 or 13 and her sister Marta who is 8 or so. Miriam previously knew all of them, which was nice because then the only awkwardness was the children and I getting to know each other. Ana Carolina and I talked for some time at the end of the "class" and I discovered that she speaks English very well already, which made the second week a lot easier for both of us.

We only had Ana Carolina and Marcus on the second week, and they had a great time teaching me Portugese while we taught them English! :-) Right now, Miriam is reviewing with them basic words: father and mother, colors, fruits, etc. Last week we only did the English words, but THIS week they taught me the English words as well. So while Marcus learned "top, middle, bottom, left, right, line, column" I learned "cima, meio, baixo, esquerda, direita, linha, coluna". We played tic-tac-toe on the board and I had to play in Portugese while Marcus played in English. It was fun! They are really sweet kids; I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. The whole idea of this is to build relationships with people and ultimately (hopefully) lead them to Christ.

It's time

2009-03-10T13:50:00.003Z

It's the second week of March already! Where has time gone?! I'm afraid I've been quite negligent in updating lately. The thing is, it seems that every time I want to post something specific, our internet isn't working. Then when it starts to work again, either I'm too busy or I can't remember what it is I wanted to say! Figures, doesn't it? :-)

Anyway..... Joyce and I were talking about language yesterday and she told me "A person who speaks 3 languages is considered a tri-linguist, a person who speaks 2 languages is a bi-linguist. And someone who speaks 1 language? is an American." A witticism that I had never heard before but, as we all know, is so true! For over two months I've been unable to communicate freely in public without help. Sure I know a few words, but I think it's high time I knew more. I certainly won't become fluent in the next few months, but taking lessons every week can only help. So at the first opportunity I'll ask Matilde if we can schedule a time. I might as well learn as much as I can while I'm here, right? (Oh I suppose I should explain who Matilde is. She's a sweet and patient Portugese Christian lady who has taught English to many a missionary in the past years.)

What do I do?

2009-02-28T18:09:00.002Z

A very dear friend mentioned to me recently that they would like to read more about what my ministry is here. This reminder actually came at a very good time, as I've been pondering this topic lately myself. What exactly IS my ministry here? I find myself with quite a bit of free time, and I've done quite a bit of sight-seeing. If that was all I did, then I should refund all of my support money and return home because this is not supposed to be just a vacation for me, and I certainly don't want it to be.

So. My ministry. Well, it's pretty much exactly that: ministering wherever I can and to whomever I can. From what I'm told, my most important ministry here is watching Noah in the afternoons. It doesn't sound like much and it's only about 2.5 hours every day, but it's a huge blessing to Nick and Krista. It gives them peace of mind so that they can concentrate on language class. I wrote a post specifically about Noah some time ago; it's past time to write another one. So a post about Noah will be shortly forthcoming, I promise.

In the mornings, I go with my roommates to the school. Last week, I helped Tammy get caught up on her grading, but that was the first time I've done that. About three weeks ago, I subbed for Laurie in her 1st-2nd grade class, but that was the only time I've done that. :-) For the most part, I'm working on organizing the school libraries. Looking at it, one would never think that there was a need for that. However, upon closer inspection I discovered this to be the case. Don't get me wrong; it was very well organized. Several books were just categorized too generally. For example, the elementary library had 50-75 books categorized under Biology. Perhaps 40% of these were mammals, 20% were fish, 20% were birds, 20% were insects. These all have their own category under the Dewey Decimal System. In fact, the system gets even more specific than that. Therefore, it has taken me A LOT longer to organize the elementary library than I thought it would.

Weekends are spent with Jon and Marilyn Rust (my cousins) at their home in Samora. On Sunday, I play the piano for their church. On Saturday, I help out with whatever I can. One week, Marilyn needed some help with a wallpaper border. Often, we just spend quality time together. This too, though, is ministering. Jon and Marilyn are empty-nesters and miss their children. I'm in a foreign country away from my parents. So spending family time together, simply doing the dishes or bowling on the Wii, is a way for me to be a blessing to them and vica versa.

Lastly, there is a single lady missionary here named Miriam. She has many, many ministries and has had her hand in helping start many churches. One of the things she does is teach English from her home in the form of an English Club. It's free unlike so many other English classes, which makes it appealing to parents. And it's a way for her to make contacts and build relationships and introduce Christ. When I first arrived, Miriam asked if I would be willing to help her with this and I said yes. Due to one reason after another, the first day of this particular club will be next Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen, though I'm not sure how much help I'll be since I don't know nearly enough Portugese.

So there you have it: my ministry here. Nothing very exciting. But it's enough to keep me busy for the most part. Like I said, I do sometimes have quite a bit of free time, but sometimes I have no free time at all!

Of a spider

2009-02-26T15:06:00.001Z

I am not a morning person. Many of you probably just chuckled and nodded your head knowingly. It isn't that I wake up crabby, I just wake up slowly so please don't expect too much of me at the ungodly hour of 6:30. Let me go about my business in peace and quiet, and then when I'm fully awake I'll happily hold a conversation with you. Now that you know this about me, you'll understand the following tale a lot better. :-)

Yesterday morning, after hitting the snooze a couple of times I finally submitted to the inevitable and forced myself out of bed. The weather has gotten warm enough now that I can handle the temperature of the floors with socks instead of slippers, so wearing my socks I lazily stepped out of my room into the hallway. Upon entering said hallway I felt a small pebble or button or some such thing under my toes, so I stepped lightly. Then I turned around and saw him: large, motionless, and ominous. Some spiders look threatening no matter what they're doing, as though at a moments notice they'll charge or pounce. This was one of those. *shiver* Believe me, now I was awake!

Stepping gingerly around him, I re-entered my room, noiselessly and deliberately picked up a shoe, and then creeped back. *Bang* went the shoe and he curled up into a ball, mortally wounded! Now that my enemy was debilitated I could gather several tissues. A thick wad of tissues and a soft crunching sound finished the battle. Phew! Victory! Into the trash he went!

My philosophy is: bugs don't belong inside. Outside, I won't bother them because that's their domain. They enter my domain at their own risk. Now I know, we have spiders in the States too. In fact, I've probably killed this guy's distant relations at home in Illinois before. But the story was too good to not tell it! :-)

2009-02-20T16:08:00.002Z

Oh no! I don't have time to write a full update! I did too many things this week, and I'm shortly heading into a weekend of no internet. My roommates and I are going north for a few days with no internet access and no pressing responsibilities. We're all looking forward to the relaxation. When I get back I'll try to post some witty highlights from my mini-vacation last week. For now though, I'll at least sum up a little.

Marilyn's sister, brother-in-law, and niece came to visit so they invited me to spend the week with them. It was a LOT of fun! But not relaxing in the least, like most mini-vacations. Their plane arrived on Saturday morning and they wanted to hit the ground running. So after a very, very short nap we headed into Belem to see the Monument to the Discoveries and to eat dinner at Portvgalia (this makes my third visit to both of these places and I'm still not tired of them!). On Sunday we had church in Samora, lunch, shopping, church in Miratejo, dinner, shopping! lol. When you're only here for a week you have to squeeze in as much activity as you can!

Monday morning we drove down to the Algarve, which is the southwestern tip of the European continent. The Algarve is to Europe what Florida is to America. So much of our time was spent in the sun and the sand, and yes I did get a slight sunburn of course. Fair skin can be a curse! We stopped at a castle or two on the way down and took lots and lots of pictures which I will post a link to later. Then on Tuesday we drove the hour or so into Spain for more pictures and more shopping! I guess Monday through Wednesday can be summed up in castles, beaches, shopping, traditional dinners, and pictures galore!

Thursday was more shopping at the market at Boca do Inferno. Small market, all of the traditionally Portugese souvenirs, and great prices; set up next to one of the wildest and prettiest ocean locations I've ever seen. And since we were so close to Sintra we drove up to Palacio de Pena (another castle) for more touristy sightseeing and pictures.

Wow, for a "sum-up" that's a lot of information...and it barely scratches the surface! Just wait till you see how many pictures we took! :-)

Like watching a movie

2009-02-16T09:12:00.004Z

On Saturday afternoon I sat down to read by the window in the Rust's house. Instead, I spent an hour watching the square below and the people who frequented it. A man and his dog hung around for a good 30 minutes just watching and sniffing respectively. A family of four strolled through twice talking and laughing, the baby running and playing. Two or three boys started a futeball game that eventually moved into a side street. Then those same boys came back out in the square to pet and play with a dog. A young couple walked through with a baby stroller, and an elderly couple meandered through holding hands.

On the street, a woman opened her window and scrubbed the windowsill. Another shook the crumbs out of a tablecloth. Still another just stood outside her open door and watched the world go by; she was eventually joined by a man. Several windows had laundry hanging down. And with my window open, I could hear the children playing and the people at the corner cafe talking. Of course, I didn't understand a word. :-)

It felt like something out of a book or a movie. Maybe I just haven't lived in a small enough town, but I know of nowhere in America that is like this. People stop on the street and talk, they stroll around town on a Saturday morning, they play in the square, they meet at the cafe, they stand in the door of their shop and hold conversations with their friends who walk by. The other day, my roommate and I were parked in a long line of traffic, and ahead of us the man rolled down the window of his car to talk to his friend who was walking by. It isn't just that everyone knows everyone, and everything is at a slower pace. There's a certain atmosphere about it that I'm having a hard time explaining in words. Suffice to say, it's different and it's beautiful...and I LOVE it!

A night of firsts

2009-02-07T23:00:00.004Z

Several weeks ago, we bought tickets to go see - and hear :) - the Philadelphia Orchestra perform in Lisbon. The night finally arrived on Wednesday! Hurray! So this was a first of course; hearing a famous American orchestra play in a foreign country. Certainly something I never expected to experience! And it lived up to my expectations completely.

There's nothing quite like a live orchestra, especially when they're one of the best. Most of the line-up was early 20th century which, I have to admit, is not my favorite period. However, they played Beethoven's Egmont Overture - one of my favorites - and I really enjoyed the rest of the music as well! The violin concerto was amazing! The audience loved it so much and clapped so long that the violinist had to take 3 bows and then finally gave an encore...before the intermission, which is almost unheard of. The encore was probably the most impressive piece all night; I didn't know it was possible to play a violin that fast! If it had been on a CD, I would've assumed that it was two separate instruments.

We ate dinner at a great little Portugese restaurant a few doors down from the theatre, where I had another first. I like fish...they cook excellent fish here...so I ordered the sea bass. And I did something I thought I would never do: I ate a fish cooked whole. It tasted great! Plus, it was fun, lol. The only thing I didn't eat was the eyes and the cheeks, though I know in some cultures they are considered a delicacy. I just couldn't.

Last but not least, the other "first" was riding the Metro into Lisbon. No, I didn't take any pictures because it's basically the same as riding the Metra or the subway or anything else the world over. But it was the first time in Portugal, and I'm sure it won't be the last! :-)

Coffee, my new addiction

2009-02-05T22:05:00.002Z

As most of you know, I've never much liked coffee; partly because it doesn't like me. :-) However, the coffee here in Portugal is wonderful! Every morning (almost) my roommate and go to the cafe to have a "meia de leite e pastel de nata". The pastry is a yummy custard, which Tammy says she justifies eating because the cream is made with egg so it's protein. And the drink is half coffee, half steamed milk. It doesn't sound like much...but it tastes marvelous!

I think I discovered a problem today though, and it makes me very sad. I've started waking up with a headache again lately. When I'm at home that just means it's time for a trip to the chiropractor or that I need more sleep, and it eventually goes away. But this is the second time in a week that it didn't go away; both times were days that I didn't get my coffee. So the logical conclusion is: oh no! I'm going through caffiene withdrawal! I've joined the ranks of addicted coffee drinkers!

So now the question I must pose to myself is this: do I want to begin to slowly wean myself off the coffee now before it gets worse? While that would certainly be wise, can I give up the yummy taste? Plus, it does help me stay more awake and alert during the day. So is that a fair trade-off? After all, when I can't get coffee, Ibuprofen is a wonderful thing too! :-D

Church in Samora

2009-02-04T14:57:00.007Z

Since I got here, I've been attending different churches in the area; partly this was to experience as many as I could, and partly because the church in Samora wasn't meeting on Sundays yet. However, as of last Sunday, the Samora church is officially having public Sunday services! For a while now, they've been meeting on Thursday nights at the Rust's house, but no more; now they have a public place to meet! It's so exciting!

Such a bustle of activity went on at the house Sunday morning, making sure that we had everything we needed. And we arrived at the hotel early (I think Jon was a little nervous :-) ). They've rented a nice little meeting room, with plenty of space for growth. It didn't take too long to set up, and then people started to arrive! It was a small group this week - the regular 2 families that have been coming on Thursdays, and a family visiting from another church to show their support - but we all have high hopes of visitors in the future!

Several months ago Jon and Marilyn asked if I could play the piano for the congregational songs, which I agreed to though I was certainly nervous about it. Thankfully though, I only made a few mistakes. :-) It helped that, for such a small group, they sang louder than I expected.

Marilyn and Tammy took the children to another room for their own class. This is the first time the kids have had a structured class time while their parents are in church. That considered, they sat still as well as could be expected for the verse and story. Only Daniel did the motions for the songs, but the other two at least paid attention! They were pretty happy when they could commence with playing though.

It was a short service - 2 hours including set-up and tear-down - but everyone was encouraged. Discussing it over dinner at the Rust's, we're all excited for next week!

I posted additional pictures of the church service here if you want to see more.

Capela dos Ossos (and the rest of Evora)

2009-02-01T21:01:00.013Z

Translation: The Chapel of Bones, which is exactly what it sounds like; a chapel built out of human bones! The chapel was built in the 16th century by the Franciscan monks as a place for prayer and meditation on the human condition. The inside is completely made by human bones that the monks dug up from graves in the area. Over the entrance is a marble slab that says "We bones that are here, we are waiting for yours." Creepy, huh? And one couldn't help but notice the size of all of the bones (skulls especially). I know people were smaller in the past, but some of these are really small!

The walls of the vestibule outside the chapel are decorated with tiles telling the story of the crucifixion. No burial, no resurrection, just the crucifixion. That, combined with my visit to the cathedral in town reminded me once again how depressing Catholicism is. Everything is focused on the crucifixion; preoccupied with death. The chapels and cathedrals have rich furnishings, elaborate architecture, and beautiful art; but they are dark, cold, dismal, and oppressive. How grateful I am that we have more hope than they give!

On to cheerier subjects! :-) Evora has a taste of Rome with the ruins of the Temple of Diana. Though I hope to see Roman ruins in Italy some day, there is no guarantee that will happen, so this was a nice treat. Another treat was the main square of town, Praca do Giraldo. After lunch we rested on benches, soaking in the sun, watching the pigeons, smelling the roasted chestnuts from the cart close by, and snapping picturesque photos of the square. It all felt so wonderfully European!

There are more pictures of the sites in Evora here if you would like to see them.

A different way of thinking

2009-01-27T16:25:00.004Z

Now we all know that each culture is different from the next. But even knowing that, I've still been struck with the many small differences in the way people do things here. One of the most difficult things for me to get used to (though admittedly, I never forget it) is the fact that when you're paying for something, you better have exact change. If you hand the cashier a large bill, he will look at you as though you're crazy and ask if you have the exact amount. Sometimes the cashier actually appears irritated if you don't have it! My question is...how, then, am I supposed to get change for the next time?

Portugese people (like the rest of the world, lol) are a lot less hurried than Americans are. In fact, they will stand 10 deep or so in line at the grocery store and wait patiently for exact change to be counted out and given to the cashier. No grumbles or rolling eyes, much less outward shows of impatience. Similarly, I have seen 5-7 couples standing in line outside a restaurant waiting to be seated, when open tables can clearly be seen and no hostess or waitress is in sight. Again, not a grumble to be heard.

And on the whole, they are an extremely polite and friendly race. People driving by wave at you from their car, and when passing by everyone exchanges "good day"s. More than once on my walk home I have passed a group of people in conversation and one or more of them has broken off to look at me and say "Bon Dia". And then there is beijinhos ("little kisses"). I've visited several churches, and at each one someone who is just meeting me gives "little kisses" on each cheek. It's one of their greetings; thankfully one that I already knew about and actually rather like! :-)

My favorite thing is the clothes. Like other European countries, most people dress nicely to do anything. It isn't too common to see people at the mall in jeans, let alone pajama pants like we see in Ameria. One doesn't see a lot of sweatshirts or t-shirts either, even on the racks at stores. That's too casual for most people...I love it! What IS on the racks at stores is adorable; I've already bought more than one article of clothing and pulled myself away from several more. :-) Hopefully it will all fit in my suitcases on the way home....

Sightseeing!

2009-01-20T13:01:00.003Z

I guess this weekend would be the first time I did any "sightseeing", unless you count going to the mall (more than once, lol). We've been so busy up till now that there hasn't been much free time; even this weekend we had a memorial service to attend. That wasn't until the evening though, so in the morning Marilyn and I walked and window shopped around Samora (the town where the Rusts live). It's a nice little town! There's something so appealing about a small town where one can walk everywhere, and there are quaint little shops lining the main streets. And yes, I did more than window shop. :-)

Marilyn was concerned about my not wearing a coat, but I only brought my winter coat and it's just not always cold enough for that. I would rather be a little chilled than sweating in my coat. So, partly to make her feel better (and partly because I was a little cold) I looked at the stores for a nice jacket. Sure enough...I found one! And it's adorable! A nice red, which is fast becoming my favorite color, in a fitted cut...I can't describe it really but maybe at some point I'll take a decent picture of it. The best thing; it was only 7 euro!

Jon and Marilyn (my cousins) have a friend visiting for a few weeks to help with re-painting the school. He was actually the one who painted it originally 10 years ago when he and his wife came before. Well after the memorial service, the four of us drove into the Belem district of Lisbon for dinner at Portvgalia. Mmmm...wonderful food! It's high quality, traditional Portugese dishes. I ate here last time I came and have been looking forward to it ever since.

Outside Portvgalia and facing across the Tejo River is the Monument to the Discoveries, which is a "statue" of sundry explorers, financers, etc led by Prince Henry the Navigator at the front. On the ground in front of it is a marble map of the world, given to Portugal by China. Being here brought back all kinds of hilarious memories from my last visit. :-) Unfortunately it was dark so it wasn't easy to take good pictures, but I managed to get a few.

It's easier to just link you to the pictures. I added more to the first album, so I'm posting a link to that one again. As before, just click on one of the links and it should take you there. If not, let me know. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60814&l=5e6b0&id=616731727 or http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57513&l=2b8af&id=616731727

Babysitting Noah

2009-01-14T21:29:00.002Z

I've mentioned that one of the things I get to do while I'm here is watch a baby while his parents are in language class. Since this is really my biggest responsibility, I thought I might elaborate a little bit. :-)

Nick and Krista are a young couple who are in their first year here as full-time missionaries. As with all who come full-time, the first thing that must be done is to get a handle on the language. Up until now, Nick hasn't been able to take a class because he's been filling a need elsewhere and Krista has been able to go only seldom because there has been no one to watch Noah. But God has perfect timing! At the same time that I'm here and can take care of Noah, someone else is able to help with the need that Nick has been filling.

Noah is about 8 months old and has almost never been away from Krista. She warned me of this right away. I'm glad she did! I would have been sadly unprepared otherwise. Poor Noah...he and I had a rough time those first few days. It had to have been traumatic for him - new house, new person, away from Mom for 3 hours, messed up schedule - and he let me know it. :-) It was hard for me because I can usually figure out what's wrong with a baby and comfort him somehow, but Noah was absolutely inconsolable. Nick and Krista and I discussed it and kept our hopes high that once Noah got used to the new routine, he would be ok.

Yesterday was...wonderful!! At least, comparatively. Sure Noah still cried some, but what baby doesn't? For the most part I was able to keep him distracted if not happy. I'm certain that this is almost entirely due to the huge amount of praying I did all morning. Monday had been the hardest day so far and I was at my wits end. So thank God that He answers prayer!

Please do pray about this for me. Patience isn't something that I have a huge supply of, and I feel almost frantic when I can't seem to help Noah. I really, really want our time together to be pleasant...for both our sakes as well as for the sake of whoever will end up watching him when I leave in April.

The second week draws to a close....

2009-01-10T20:40:00.006Z

Wow it's been a week since I posted something! Good intentions....

I'm finally on a schedule, which makes me feel a lot more settled. I spend my mornings at the school and then head home to watch Noah for 2 hours while his parents are in language school. I hope to walk home most days (it only takes 20 min), as it is a beautiful walk and I can use the exercise! Weather permitting of course. My current project at the school is the elementary library; making sure everything is organized and in it's place, fixing old books that are falling apart. It shouldn't take me too long to finish, as long as I don't get too distracted by all of the good books I'm finding :-) or by the view out the window. I easily lose track of time while watching the "goings-on" outside.

I visited the Lourdes church last Sunday morning and, though I didn't understand anything that was said, I really liked it. The people are very friendly and there's a good spirit at the church; and the pastor is a good speaker. I'll most likely visit a few other of the churches too though before I settle in one.

The fog finally lifted, and when it left the temperature dropped. That's ok with me though because now the sun is shining, the sky is clear, and the air is crisp and invigorating. One can see for miles from our apartment on top of a hill; towns, farmlands, pastures. And the cloudless sunrises have been glorious to see!

I got quite a blessing the other day from "Jesus Loves Me". I was singing it to Noah putting him down for a nap and rather than repeating the same verse over and over I tried to remember the other verses as well. The third verse ends with "Thou hast bled and died for me; I will henceforth live for thee" and the strength of that phrase really struck me, especially being in a child's song. Parts of "Amazing Grace" stood out to me more than usual as well. In thinking about it I've concluded that we become so familiar with songs that we cease to notice the words, especially since we have the convenience of glancing at the songbook. Because I didn't have a hymnal accessible I had to concentrate on the words in order to remember them, which made me actually think about what it was I was singing. Anyway, it was a blessing.

The missionaries here are a wonderful, warm, and welcoming group of people. Every one of them is so excited to be here doing what they're doing. They love the people, love the country, love each other, and obviously love God. It's refreshing, and convicting, to be surrounded by people who are completely sold out to God and so clearly walk with Him. One can't help but be infected by it.

That feels too abrupt for a closing but I don't really have much more news! And this is already too long as it is. So...again, please keep me in your prayers . I'm having a wonderful time and enjoying every new experience that comes my way, and that's partly due to all of the support from back home.

2009-01-06T23:11:00.003Z

Just a quick note:

I posted several pictures on my facebook the other day, so rather than putting up lots and lots of the same pics here on the blog, I'll give you a link to the album. Now before you email me to tell me that you don't have facebook so you can't see the album...let me say that shouldn't be a problem. If you click on the link you should be able to see the pictures (though you won't be able to see anything else on my account).

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57513&l=2b8af&id=616731727

I'll post an update on "happenins" shortly.

In the meantime, love to all! Thanks for the continued prayer!

FAQs :-)

2009-01-03T01:07:00.009Z

In case you haven't heard, I'm here! Safe and sound! Total travel time ended up being 23 hours, but I and my luggage made it. Phew! What a relief!

Q1: Are you settled in yet?
A: Yep! It didn't take long at all to unpack. While packing I thought, "this is so much stuff!" While unpacking I thought, "sure wish I could've fit more stuff." It was not easy leaving some of my cutest outfits at home! But I was already wrestling with two suitcases in the airport; I don't think I could've handled another one.
Also, we went grocery shopping today, so now I have food too (notice how full my basket is)! No, I'm still not sure what my schedule will be. We have to hammer a few things out first.

Q2: Have you adjusted to the time difference?
A: Not at all. Jet lag stinks! I'm told it usually takes about 1 week. I sure hope that's right. The rooster outside doesn't help matters, lol. Oh and to answer another question, the difference is 6 hours.

Q3: How's the weather?
A: Wet! The temp is mid 50s with 100% humidity, so it chills you to the bone. And the temp inside isn't much better. Up until now there has been a wall of fog everywhere the eye can see, but this afternoon it finally broke. Now that I can see, there's a lovely view from my window. Before then, this was the view from our veranda.

Q4: Have you met the other missionaries?
A: Between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day I have met almost everyone. Now I know faces, but names might take a little longer.

Q5: How's your European apartment?
A: Pretty cool! I also mean that quite literally. We're in the basement of a lovely house, but being in the basement means it's a tad bit colder down here. Thank God for space heaters! It's a nice apartment. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I don't have many pics of it yet, but this is the view upon entering the door. I love the tiled wall! I'll post more pics when I take them.

Did I miss any questions?

Today's the day

2008-12-30T17:17:00.002Z

It's here at last...my departure date. I've had nervous moments throughout this whole process, but it's never really sunk in that I'm leaving. I'm still not sure it has sunk in entirely. Maybe once I get to the airport....

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go" (at least, I hope I didn't forget anything, lol) Now I'm off to a long flight and a long layover, and I'll be in Portugal tomorrow afternoon. I still don't know for sure what my schedule will be like or exactly what kind of things I'll be doing, but I'll write about them as they come up! :-)

Merry Christmas time

2008-12-24T19:08:00.003Z

It's Christmas Eve!!!!! Probably my favorite day of the entire year. There's nothing quite like the glow of the Christmas season; busily buying and wrapping presents, baking cookies, drinking eggnog and listening to Christmas carols watching the tree while sitting by the fireplace, and of course spending time with family and friends who feel like family ( you know who you are :-) ).

My last day at work was yesterday. No one cried, because everyone is excited for me, but there was some threat of tears just below the surface. It's nice to know I'll be missed. And hopefully they won't miss me too much; I will be back after all.

6 more days!! I still haven't started packing (Mrs C), but I don't think it should be too hard. Just throw all of my clothes in a suitcase, right? :-) After Christmas it will be easier to settle into packing mode...I hope.

Merry Christmas to all!

My wonderful church family

2008-12-18T05:44:00.003Z

My church family surprised me on Sunday night. I really didn't expect (or want) a "going away" party or some such thing, yet they threw me one. It was very thoughtful of them. And apparently they collected an offering for me as well, and were quite generous. I didn't expect or ask for that either. I don't deserve the love that my church family has shown me; I hope I never disappoint them. Did I mention that this whole surprise was orchestrated without my parents' knowledge either? I don't know how Mrs Rocque did it, but somehow she planned it all and managed to surprise my family also.

I still can't believe they did this. I'm so very grateful, but I feel undeserving...and oh so loved!

A full week

2008-12-12T23:44:00.002Z

I had a really great birthday Tuesday...I'm so blessed! On top of all of my friends and their warm birthday wishes, it snowed! Yay!! It snows every year for my birthday and I would be so sad if it didn't.

My financial clearance from ABWE is official; I got the email earlier this week. And my flight itinerary is safely filed with my other important documents. Today I finally found time to go to Target and get some important things to take with me, so now I can start packing!

There's still so much to do though. What was I thinking? December is so busy anyway, and I throw this into the middle of it! lol, that's alright. Somehow I'll get it all done. Hey it keeps me from getting bored, right? :-)

22 more days!!!

2008-12-09T03:17:00.000Z

Only 22 more days, and oh so much still to do! But this is one thing I can check off the list now, lol. Now that I've finally gotten around to starting it, I plan to keep up on it...promise!

My co-workers threw me a surprise party today for my birthday. It was so sweet of them! I'm so blessed with my job and I'll miss them while I'm gone. Thank goodness for the age of computers!

Ok, on to the next thing on my list....