Our Last Week in Portugal

As our time here in Portugal comes to an end, our weeks seem to fill up at warp speed. I have a hunch that this next week is going to go by much faster than I would like it to. It is my goal to soak up every last bit of Portugal that I possibly can before I get on that airplane on Monday. A lot of this upcoming week will be focused on packing up and cleaning up our apartment. It is amazing how much stuff we have accumulated over the last 7 1/2 months. Where did it all come from? We will also be spending a good chunk of time finishing up work projects, namely the Annexo renos and soaking up time with people we have come to love while being here. Last week, we occupied our time with a lot of these same things as well. 


Heidi and I were given the task of creating a backdrop for the Massama VBS this summer. Since we won't be here for the actual VBS, we were asked if we could possibly have something done by the time we leave. Heidi and I were up for the challenge. Now, for those who are aware of my artistic skills, you will know that drawing and crafting is not a forte of mine. However, the Spirit must have been guiding my fingers because I drew a back drop like I have never done before. Heidi and I were amazed at what we created.

The animals I drew were the giraffes, the hippos, the middle lion and the pigs.

After we stepped back and admired our beautiful handiwork, we took a big bite of humble pie :)




In the 7 1/2 months that we have been here, we had not been very intentional about doing something "fun" with Otto, Marjorie, Doug and Myra, until last Thursday. The 10 of us all went bowling followed by a delicious dinner of homemade hamburgers at Doug and Myra's. I'm not sure why we never made time to do this prior to 10 days before we were leaving Portugal because we all had a lot of fun together. Man, I'm going to miss these lovely people!

The Blazers

vs. The Strikers

Intensity at its finest!

Due to the lack of time until our departure, we were running out of time and opportunity to spend time with some of the people here, so us girls decided to invite all the ladies in the Massama church over last Friday night for dessert and coffee. It was a wonderful evening full of encouragement and an opportunity for the ladies to ask us what our plans are for the future and about our experience here in Portugal. Again, I wish we would have been more intentional about having these ladies over more often than we did.

Saturday evening, us girls had a night out with our dear friend Paula. Paula is one of those incredible ladies who is so giving of her time and herself to the church. She is genuine and someone whom anyone would trust. Paula is incredibly gifted musically and she really likes Fado. Fado, for those who do not know is a genre of music that is very much Portuguese. The word Fado means fate, and as such, the lyrics of the songs are very much centered on the fate of a person's heart - their love, their sorrow, their tragedy and also the fate of the country. The music is incredibly moving and Fado singers can do amazing things with their voices. There are 3 "F's" of Portugal: Futebol, Fatima and Fado. We had experienced the first 2 and only had Fado to experience yet before we left and we wanted to do it with Paula - someone who really loves and appreciates the music. As it happened, there was a show going on at one of the casinos called "Fado, A People's History". It was a musical of sorts as it depicted the history of how Fado began and how it has evolved over the years. The show was awesome! I loved every minute of it. Sadly, we could not take any pictures inside the casino or during the show.

Here is a youtube link of a well known Fado singer if you want to check out what Fado is all about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm4GdfaMA8Q

Last night after church, Otto and Marjorie hosted us, along with the youth from Massama over at their place for supper as kind of a last horrah with them. All in all, there were about 25 people or so crammed into the living room, which was tight, but it was nice to have all the youth present. The youth asked us some questions about what will be next for each of us and about what we experienced here in Portugal. I was hugely blessed and moved to hear how we had also impacted some of the youth. Often, you wonder what sort of impact you have on people as you serve them and often, you never find out. As we listened to some of the youth share how we had impacted them, I was moved and honored to have had the opportunity to share in part of their lives. I came to realization that saying goodbye to these youth and our friends here in Portugal is going to be a lot harder than I ever imagined. 

Aleah, Heidi and Jordan

Mila and Celma

Paulino and Celso

Myself, Debora, Damaras, Celma and Mila

Last night was also a night of goodbyes. Our dear Doug and Myra are en route to Italy today for a little holiday before they head home to California in July. Because they will not be around for when we leave on Monday, we had to say our goodbyes at church last night. These 2 amazing people have made a huge impression in my life. 2 years ago, they retired from their jobs and decided to commit themselves to serving through MB Mission as global servants. I have learned so much from them these past months. I think it is so cool to see 2 people, who could be living the "comfortable" retired life somewhere in North America, use their time and their gifts for serving others. It is my hope, that when I get to that age, I will do something along the same lines. Their term in Portugal is coming to an end, but I know God has great things in store for this couple. He is far from finished with them yet! Much love to you Doug and Myra. It has been an honor serving with you guys and learning from you.

Here's to our final week, a week full of more lasts and final goodbyes. It is a bittersweet moment.