Then Sings My Soul

WOW It has been a long time!

2010-11-05T13:19:00.000Z

I have been so busy that I have not taken the time to blog. Many things have been happening.

I finished the translation on Passion and Purity, and have comenced on another translation project. Sunday School material for Marc Pereira.

I went to two camps this year. I enjoyed both of them, but was so tired when I got home (there was only a week seprating the two). I was able to see some friends from last year and make some new friends. The Thursday Night bonfire was a special time of thinking over the week and all the decisions that had been made.

At the end of August, my paternal grandmother passed away. She was an influence in my life that will be sorely missed. She and I got

along very well. She had grown up a third culture kid just like me. Only her parents lived in China before World War 2.

My dad contacted malaria around the end of September. I was worried about him but he recovered and is back on his feet. You know it is bad when he doesn't eat. I am thankful to God that he is back to normal.

In October I made some puppets to start a puppet ministry. When

I can I will post pictures of them here on the blog. This is a new phase of ministry, something I have never done. The lady who is presenting the puppet plays has had a lot of experience however so it is in good hands.

That is all for now but I will try to keep up with the blog better.
Until next time, Sing unto the Lord a new song.

A Really Super Church Service!

2010-04-10T10:58:00.000+01:00

The last Sunday of March, our Junior Church (we call it Super Church) had a special outreach service for friends of our kids. The children were to invite their friends to church and each visitor received a special gift. We had lots of fun learning about forbidden fruit (chocolate candies that the snake said gave you super powers) and Adam and Eve. We also learned that death came into the world because of Adam's disobedience. Then the teacher taught us about another person, Jesus, who obeyed God. Through His obedience, we can have Life.
We had three visitors and one of the workers brought along her boyfriend.

Easter Sunday the choral group I direct sang. They did an excellent job and all their hard work paid off. We sang 'O Sacred Head Now Wounded' acapela and 'Christ the Lord is Risen Today' with a bit of the 'Halleluiah Chorus' thrown in (all in Portuguese of course). We added some Scripture reading about Jesus' death and resurrection. The whole service was very moving.

I have been keeping busy lately (which is one reason I have not been bloging a lot). I am in the middle of translating 'Passion and Purity' by Elizabeth Elliot. This has been a good project not only because I think it will be of great use here but also because it is teaching me as I translate. Both spiritually and linguistically. It is stretching my language and I think I should have the translations for overwhelm tatooed on my forehead, maybe then I would remember them. The challenge is there is more than one word you can use for overwhelm in Portuguese and I have to discern which would best express the author's meaning and I look them up every time. Another challenge is when you speak another language it is a wholly different mentality. Much of a person's culture is wrapped up in their language. For example, the American dialect of the English language uses a lot of scientific or technical words that the Portuguese simply do not use. Trying to convey the meaning without translating directly is sometimes mind bending. It does keep your mind sharp and on it's toes, however. I like the challenge of finding just the right word to use for translation. I even find myself translating TV shows and other books in English as well as people who speak English around me. Oh well, I guess that is the price to pay for my work.

That is all I have for now, but I will try to keep you more up to date on what is going on over here.

What the young people are up to

2010-02-06T13:19:00.000Z

I thought that I would share this lovely picture with you. I received these marks playing a game at a young people's meeting. The game was based on alertness. Guess who was caught sleeping? Oh well I had a good time and the person who gave me the mustache got caught in his turn.

Baptism and Super Church

2010-01-30T11:54:00.000Z

Last Sunday, we had a service in conjuction with all the other congregations that make up the church with which we work. Two men were baptized and an offering for missions was taken up. The pastor preached on GO from Matthew 28 and two ladies were saved. One of them was the wife of one of the men baptized. We had a great service!

I am also involved in something we call Super Church. It is church for children. This is something new we are starting up and will take place during the main service for adults. We are very excited about this new venture and have been working hard on special themes, getting songs together, coordinating the people involved, and planning a special service for March. This special service will allow the children to invite their friends and family to a service where the Gospel will be preached. Please pray for us as we go forward that we will follow the Lord's leading and reach many children for Him.

The Holidays

2010-01-02T11:52:00.000Z

The Christmas Program went amazingly well. The children had memorized their lines very well and even the smallest person did an excellent job. We had lots of visitors and a guest speaker. He is a missionary here and living by faith. So the congregation took up a food offering for him and his family. We also bought presents for his two sons. We had a food fellowship afterwards. It was a great time of fellowship.

We are moving to a new building. The old one is very small and the children's classroom is right next to the auditorium. It is very hard to keep kids quite so they don't interrupt the services. The new building has an upstairs and a downstairs. This allows the children to be downstairs and the adults upstairs and I have tried it out, very little noise is heard upstairs even when the basement is full of adults not trying to be quiet. YES!!

When I get pictures. I will post them here on the blog.

As far as my knitting goes I have started a new blog with my knitting projects. So if you want to see what is on my needles you can go to the new blog. It is called Knit and Learn.

Christmas is just around the corner

2009-10-30T16:57:00.000Z

Yes I know. It isn't even November yet and I have talked about Christmas at least twice. I just wanted to update you on what we are doing. In Barcelos, we are using Bible verses as a kind of play. The big plus is after the play all the kids will have memorized a lot of verses.

In Povoa, we will be doing a play with the teenagers about the women in the family of Jesus. This has always facinated me how God used women that others would shun to bring the perfect Son of God into this world.

In Braga, we are having an international Christmas and singing Silent Night in 6 different laguages, English, French, German, Romanian, Spanish and finally, Portuguese. We have representatives of these cultures and more in this congregation.

I have also been busy translating 'Passion and Purity' by Elizabeth Elliot, the Satan's Traps notes, and a set of trivia questions from a Bible Trivia game. The Game is for the teenagers to help them learn more about the Bible.

I would really like to hear what you are doing for Christmas.

Wow Where does the time go?

2009-10-06T13:39:00.003+01:00

The last two weeks have been a bit challenging. The last full week of September I attended a Fundamentals of the Faith conference in Southern Portgual. It was a great time of fellowship, singing and preaching. The theme was 'If God is for it then I am too!' There was preaching on music, doctrinal separation, life, marriage, and many more. Each pastor that preached did a great job. I was able to see friends I had not seen in some time and meet more friends that I did not know I had.

On the way to catch a ride to the conference, my car engine stopped in the middle of the highway. I was able to get to the side of the road without incident but it was very scary. I attended the conference and put the matter of my car in God's hands. When I came back, I talked with the mechanic and he told me that the car was just so much junk and that I would be better off getting a new car. SOO to make a long story even longer, I now have a new car. I thank God that no one was hurt when my engine stopped working and that I have a new car so quickly.

On a more personal level, I am busy with translation, knitting for Christmas and Christmas play practice. I am also busy training my kitties. They are such wonderful company but also a lot of work. Oh well, that is the way most worthwhile things are. Hope you all are enjoying God's blessings!

Well the flu came, then it went

2009-08-27T12:26:00.002+01:00

Thank you for all your prayers for the campers and I. We were quarentined for about a week and had to take the awfullest medicine I have ever put in my mouth. It was like chewing up asprin, then putting it in water and swallowing the mixture. As I said absolutly gross. (shudder, shudder)

Anyway, I am happy to report that all of us are doing well. We made it through the quarentine with our health intact. So thank you for praying for us.

Camp and The Aftermath

2009-08-19T10:44:00.003+01:00

Camp was great this year. We took 36 campers to camp with about half of them unsaved, when we came back from camp that was no longer true. Just out of our group 8 had received Jesus as their personal Savior and many more from our group dedicated their lives to the Lord. That has been the highlight of camp. The lowest point came after camp when several of our campers were diagnosed with Gripe A (Swine Flu). Many of us including myself have been confined to quarters and medicated for the next 5 days. I personally do not have the disease but they are taking no chances that I may develope it because I was in contact with it. Please pray for us as we go through this time of testing.

And now for what you have been waiting for... Pictures!!

Christmas Already!?!?!?

2009-07-29T14:04:00.004+01:00

Nina teases me about thinking about Christmas already but as a knitter you have to think ahead especially if you have a big family. This year I have been working on Christmas presents since April. (Yes I realize that these are last year's presents but you didn't think I would tell you what I was doing did you?)
I am also starting to think about what we will do this year for our Christmas program. Usually I would start the process in September, but as I may also have to translate or even write our program, I am starting now. Yes, I know that is funny but hey you have to do what you have to do. So ... any suggestions on what I could do for Christmas. I really like to add the Gospel into what we do. It may be the only time that some people will hear the Gospel.
I would like to show you my favorite of the new pictures of my niece. She just turned a year and is soooo sweet (no, I am not prejudiced). She looks a lot like the other three. Espcially the baby on the end. Can you guess who they are?

My Babies

2009-07-08T12:46:00.002+01:00

Yes I know I have not blogged in a while. I have been busy with the work here. But I just could not help but post about my new babies. My coworker's cat had kittens on June 1 and as they were haveing trouble finding homes for them I offered to take two. I have only had dogs growing up but I think that cats would fit in better with my schedule. No WALKIES!! These two were soooo cute that I just can't resist them. The light one with black on the ears and paws is Smokey and the striped one with the white belly is Lyra. Aren't they cute!!

Proud of My Brother

2009-04-16T11:59:00.003+01:00

At the end of March, my brother graduated from UTI in Houston with a degree in Auto Mechanics, Diesel engines and Ford FACT (this means he is Ford certified). He did an excelent job and I am certainly proud of my brother. Here are some of the pics from his graduation. He was awarded an award from UTI's military counsel. He is currently serving in the Army National Guard.

I also recently received some new pics of my niece. Please forgive me as I am a proud aunt and show off my niece.

A heart ache that benefits another

2009-03-23T22:17:00.002Z

I received word on Sunday morning before church that Otilia had passed on to glory on Saturday. This, of course, caused heart ache on my part, but I kept thinking all day that now she can walk without pain, take a deep breath, has no more pain, does not have to worry about eating, and can talk to Jesus and ask Him her many questions. However, she left us behind to finish the work she started with her family. I was not able to be with the family at this time but I did contact them and tell them they are in my prayers. During, my last visit with Otilia, she was in a hospital bed in a lot of pain. Now I sit here and with tears in my eyes I can picture her in Heaven serving her Lord to the best of her ability. This helps some with the pain of losing a cherished member of my extended 'family' and while I may have heart ache here because I miss her I know that God has wiped all her tears away and she is at peace. Now I pray for her family. They have no such hope.

Father's Day? In March

2009-03-16T09:16:00.003Z

That's right. Father's day in Portugal is in March, on the 19th to be exact. So last night in church we honored our fathers with a little gift. A card and a bookmark. Just a little something so that they know that we love them and are thinking of them on this day. Here are some of the pictures from our fellowship afterwards.

Catch up Time!

2009-03-03T09:54:00.006Z

There have been many wonderful things going on in the last couple of weeks but I have been busy with other things so haven't written about them.
First, Sunday February 22, we had such a big blessing in our services. Almost all of the unsaved family members of our congregation were present!!! It was such a blessing!! The sad thing was watching Otilia struggle to walk into services. She has cancer and it is affecting her whole body. She can barely walk at all and has to use two cane-type crutches to get around, but she was there and she brought her husband, son and grandson with her. (her daughter-in-law is also one of the members of the church) Her daughter and family were the only ones missing but we will get them there yet. Bro. Mike preached a great message on salvation and the song service went so well with the message.

Second, I finished Nina's sweater and as soon as I can get a picture I will post it. It turned out great. It fits just right. She even likes it. That is the most important part. It was a lot of work but taught me so much about the craft of knitting. It was fun but I am glad I am done with it. Now I have time to work on another project. This one is also a gift and I don't want to say too much but will post pictures when I am done.

Third, I finished translation on one of the books that I am working on. (the smallest but it is a book) I have also finished two chapters of 'Satan's Traps.' This is a college course set of notes written by one of my professors in college. It is a good study on how to avoid the traps Satan sets in our way. I am using it as part of a study on modesty and purity for Christian young ladies. They are the two largest chapters so maybe it will get faster as I go.

Fourthly, we started practice for the ladies group. I have three ladies with the will to sing and good voices but hardly any musical training. So I started off with a round. A ROUND???? what is that you ask? It is a song that one person starts to sing and as they reach a certain part of the song the next person starts, and it just keeps going around and around like the Energizer Bunny.

Lastly, I thought I would throw in a picture of my niece. She is growing so fast and is already starting to eat solid foods. Her mom says that she loves peas and I say like mother like daughter. My sister has always loved veggies.

Well you are all caught up on what is going on around my house. I will try to be better about posting. I love all your comments and I read every one.

Silly Isrealites

2009-02-11T07:51:00.003Z

As I said I have been reading in Exodus. Yesterday I read the chapters following Moses' descent from Mount Sinai. God was telling him what to do next after the golden calf incident (foolish, untrusting Israelites). I came across a verse that interested me. God was telling Moses to go up and inhabit the land that was promised to them. And then the verse God said, Exodus 33:1-2 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:" I never realized this part of the exodus story. God had told them that He would send His angel before them into the land and drive out the enemy. Ok if that is true (and of course it is God said it) than why the conflicting reports of the spies. HELLO! they all should have come back like Joshua and Caleb. Yes there are giants but our God is bigger than they are!!!!! Anyway it was a lesson to me about the consequences of not trustin Our Lord when He has told us we could trust Him.

In other news, I finished translating the book 'Stay in the Castle' by Jerry Ross. This is such an excellent book on personal purity. It is told in a 'fairy tale' way but has soo much truth in it. It was required reading at college and I think it will help young people here to realize the importance of abstainance before marriage and waiting for the one the Lord has for you instead of going your own way.

This seems to be a catch up blog post. I have completed about 3/4 of Nina's sweater and it is turning out very cool. I had to change the cuffs of it because they were not turning out right, but they look good now. I will post some pictures when I am finished.

What an AWESOME God we serve!!

2009-02-08T12:58:00.003Z

I have challenged myself this year to read through the Bible. So I have been reading in Exodus and the building of the Tabernacle, and it struck me how detailed God really is. He gave the Israelites specific instructions on how to build the Tabernacle. If you read it you can see the incredible detail that He gives. It hit me that God cares about not just the big things but the tiny things as well. I knew this of course but it struck me in a diferent way this time. God wants us to be like Him so I must be detail oriented but also keep the big picture in mind when I look at the details. Kind of like a combination of Mary and Martha. Yes, be concerned with the little day to day details of our Christian lives but set those aside if it will interfer with what is truly important, our relationship with Jesus Christ. This tells me it is ok to be detail oriented but don't focas so much on the details that you forget the big things too. They all have their importance. Reading about the Tabernacle, I also see that big things are made up of small details. The Tabernacle as a whole was the place to worship God, but God gave the children of Israel the specifics. The interesting part is that all the details had to be right or the priest could not come before God. I am going to have to think some more on this subject and see what other wonders God has in this book. Isn't God GREAT!!

What in the World!!

2009-02-07T00:47:00.002Z

Do you know how dangerous home improvement shows are? NO!! Well I'll tell you how dangerous they are. They give you IDEAS!!!!!
So this is what you do at 12 midnight when you have an IDEA. You move furniture. So now my piano and a comfy chair are in my craft room and I put up the knitting machine for a little while. I now have my laptop on the craft table so I can spread out to translate without my dining room table having books all over it. (It was starting to bug me.) I also switched my dining room and my living room (two ends of a big room) so that the living room is next to the fireplace. Now I have a BIG empty wall that needs filling and NO IDEAS. So back to the home improvement show. Oh well it is a viscious cycle!! If you can save me from this terrible cycle with some IDEAS, PLEASE help.

Work, Work, Work

2009-01-28T13:46:00.002Z

That sounds like a complaint but really it isn't. I would like to tell you of some of the projects on which I am working. Nina's blog really hit me hard, you know the one on transparency. You see I am one of Trinity's Sunday School teachers. In fact, I am the only one who speaks both languages. So as her SS teacher I should also be helping her learn about God. Yikes! So I am working on a special set of lessons entitled 'Discoverers of Truth'. We are starting with the wordless book and then moving on from there. You have to start with salvation because that is where the Christian life starts. That is one of my projects.

Next, I was recently asked to head up a ladies choral group in one of the other congregations with whom we work. So I am gathering special music for us to sing. This is hader than it needs to be as everytime I think of a song, ... Wait i can't use that one it is in English ... this thought pops up in my mind. I have been working on gathering PORTUGUESE songs together so that we can sing them. I may have to write some.

I am also continuing to work on the translations. So I am busy, which I prefer to being not busy. I will keep you updated on the progress of these projects and if you have any ideas I would sure appreciate them. I love to bounce ideas off others. (don't worry this does not hurt even though it sounds like it would.) I love getting ideas from all over. My mother recently told me about Martha Stewart.com. While I don't like her ethics, she has a lot of good ideas that can be transformed into SS crafts or object lessons. The great thing is that all of her stuff is usually made from scratch, which is good for a missionary.

Hospital Hassle

2009-01-21T21:58:00.002Z

Today I visited one of our ladies who is in the hospital. I went with the niece of the woman in the hospital. I thought getting in to see someone would be fairly easy, wow was I wrong. There is a line you have to wait in to get a visitors pass. The patient can only have two visitors at a time. We waited half an hour until the current visitors left and then had to leave our Portuguese tax id number card with the receptionist so we could get a pass to see the patient. Talk about complicated. Once we got in, we were able to visit for quite a while and had a good visit. Getting out was much simpler. Just a sample of life here in Portugal. Not your normal American hospital experience. Next time, I will be prepared for the hassle.

Interesting week

2009-01-17T12:04:00.009Z

This week has been very interesting. I started it off by watching the children of a missionary here in Portugal. That was fun. They have 8 children and I watched 6 of them. I even got some translating done, WOW!
Then I got news from my parents that they have finally gotten all the paperwork done and can stay in Moçambique for another year.
After that I had a big blessing in the form of my computer. WHAT a blessing in a computer? Aren't they tools of the devil and when ever you need one It does not work right? Though at times it seems that is true, I got a BIG blessing from my computer. I recently had to buy a new laptop as my old one was not keeping up with the work I am doing here on the field. So I had a new laptop with a version of Microsoft Office in Portuguese. (Big blessing there as I am translating and the program catches my errors) Well, it was only a trial version and required a key to keep running. AAHHH where am I going to get a key for Office??? My version is in English. Deep Breath. So I put in what I had and guess what ... wait for it ... It kept the portuguese version and went on working. YEAHHHHHH! This is a blessing because as I said I am translating and it is sooooo much easier when I use a Portuguese program for a Portuguese book.
(Now if I could just remember how to talk in either language that would help.)
Finally, last night I watched Nina's girls and boy while she and her husband went to that place ... you know the dentist. I can certainly empathise with Nina. I have had a lot of work done on my mouth and it is not fun to sit in a dentist's chair. Then on top of that to get a dentist who does not speak the same language. Yikes!! I would be running for the door right behind her.
My week is almost over so maybe next week will be a bit less hectic ... or maybe not. Is that the theme to Jaws I am hearing?

The Christmas Gifts

2009-01-13T14:48:00.002Z

I told you that I would put up a picture of the gifts I made for Christmas. Well here they are. I used a combination of my knitting machine and hand knitting to make each sweater. The patterns came from the Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. I came up with the variations. I hope you like the pictures of them. I had fun making them even though I finished on Christmas Eve. (I know that was cutting it a bit close there.) The other picture is a photo of the sweater i am making for Nina. She knows it is coming and I am knitting it as fast as possible.

Last friday, we had a shocking thing happen, it snowed. In all the years I have lived in Portugal, this is only the second time I have seen it do that. I had so much fun watching it come down, but I didn't like the cold it brought with it. It was so cold that I could see my breath in the house. That was sure fun, NOT! All you sceptics require proof I bet. Well check out Nina's Blog at Portugal Bound. She has some lovely pictures of the snow. I know it wasn't for Christmas but it was close enough to count. (especially as we don't see it very often here in this part of the world.

Christmas

2008-12-27T00:45:00.006Z

The Christmas play went without a hitch and all our hard work paid off. I am so thankful it is over and I can breath a sigh of relief. All of the children did an awesome job. We had many people there who do not normally come to church. Even some of the unsaved spouses were there. Thank the Lord! This is a direct answer to our prayers. Hopefully, this we increase the work here.
Afterward, we were good Baptists and had a food fellowship. That is one thing that Baptists in the US have in common with the Baptists here, we all like to eat. I made Bro. Mike's favorite cake (for his birthday) and the congregation loved it. They had never seen a RED cake before. (his favorite is Red Velvet Cake) Trying to explain that one in Portuguese took some doing. (how does it get red anyway) We all had a great time and good fellowship.
The kids loved the gift that I had made of a Bible coloring or activity book. (depending on the age of the child) Some got started on the activities right away. I am so thankful that God gave me the talent and ability to serve Him in this way. Only the experiences through which He has led me would have brought me to this place and this time to serve Him in this way. He has led me "for such a time as this" and I thank and praise Him for His leadership and guidance. More about how Christmas was this year later.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-12-17T00:05:00.002Z

Today, I completed the gift our congregation is giving to the children this year. It looks pretty good. I made a coloring/activity book for our kids. Coming up with the activities was something of a challenge, but also a lot of fun. I used Braille, Morse code and the Alberti cipher and came up with some nifty activities. For the younger children, I put together some coloring sheets and dot to dot activities.
They are doing so well in learning their parts. I think that the program will go well. Course this is the Christmas play we are talking about, you know the one where something always seems to go wrong. However, we are not doing this play for our glory but for the glory of God the Father. Pray that He will use it to reach someone that normally would not be reached. Our congregation has asked many people to attend, so this is an opportunity to reach some new people.
I have been very busy finishing Christmas projects and rehearsing our play. It is better to be busy for the Lord than stuck in a corner wasting talents, so I don't mind the business. Even serving God in "small" areas is better than no service at all. I am thankful that I am able to do the things that I can for my Lord.

Lots of Happenings

2008-12-07T20:25:00.005Z

Since my last post a lot of things have happened so let's see if I can catch you all up on the news from this part of the globe.
First, our Thanksgiving meal was great, the fellowship awesome and the food delicious. We had so many leftovers. (I still have bread in my freezer from the meal.) The next day, the ladies from our congregation had their Christmas get together. It was a lot of fun and the food was really good. (no leftovers though) the waiter was patient with us and even took some pictures for us.
Next, the play for Christmas is coming along. The children are learning their parts and they are doing a great job. I am directing the same play in two different churches so there are two groups of children. (Now if only I could remember what I was doing.) I was able to use my new piano and make recordings of all the songs so I don't have to be in two places at once. (Not an easy thing to do as all you moms know.) I am working on a special present for the kids. I can't say what because some of them read my blog. (Sorry you will just have to wait till Christmas.)
Lastly, do you remember my blog from September that mentioned my veranda had flooded. Weeeeelllll, it happened again, but because we had so much rain it came in my house through the drain spouts. I had water all over the kitchen and flowing down the front steps to my front door. I am so thankful that the Portuguese manner of construction calls for tile in every room. Can you imagine if it had been carpet. I am so thankful that nothing was ruined and only needed time to correct. (that and an unblocked drain so the veranda could go back to being a veranda and not a lake.) Oh well, ain't life fun. (Sorry mom for the ain't. I know you raised me to talk better than that, but it just seemed to fit. So please forgive me.) So that was how my week went. How was yours?

2008-11-28T11:48:00.005Z

Happy Thanksgiving, I know I am a day late. However, some of the American missionaries here in Portugal are getting together today. Most of us have church on Thursday and we wanted a lot of time to fellowship. So, we are eating today and I am saying Happy Thanksgiving a day late. All of the ladies are bringing something to eat so no one person has the burden of cooking for all of us. There are about 22 people that are going to be there and that is a lot of food to make, and being Thanksgiving there are a lot of special things to make. I am making pies, bread, and stuffing. I am looking forward to the fellowship and good food. The pictures are blurry because it is so cold outside and the oven heated up the kitchen thus creating fog on the windows. I even did the dishes. My mom would be so proud. (see blog from September 26, 2008)
This year I have many things for which to be thankful. I thank God for my parents, who taught me to follow God. The fact that I am sitting in my kitchen in Portugal, for a little while there it felt as if I would never get to Portugal. I am glad that God does not go on our feelings but on His own time schedule. I am also thankful for my new niece. She is such a cutie. Also, I am thankful for the work God has given to me here. Most of all, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am thankful that He saved me when I don't deserve it and keeps me in His hand guiding me through this life.
On a lighter note, I am also thankful that I am living in a country that does not have Black Friday. I used to work retail and I am so thankful that I don't have to be in the stores. For all you that braved the traffic and crowds, my hat goes off to you. I am just glad that I don't have to deal with it.
Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family and thankfulness.

A Service for Children

2008-11-25T14:45:00.000Z

This Sunday, I taught a flannel graph lesson to the congregation. The Pastor then preached about the same story. This was to show the parents what their children have been learning and what we do in class every Sunday. We also sang some of the songs that we sing in Sunday School and memorized a verse that went along with our lesson. I taught on Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego. Our memory verse was Daniel 3:18. Of course, it is in Portuguese but you get the idea. The English speakers had trouble with King Nebuchadnezzer's name in Portuguese. If you thought it was hard in English it is twice as hard in Portuguese. Nebucodonosor. We finally just called him Nab. This was much easier to say. I guess that will be one of the names I will be praciting a lot this next week. I want to be able to say it next time with no problems. As my mom says, "Practice makes good because only God is perfect." After services, several came and told me how they had enjoyed seeing what the children do in Sunday School. I just had fun teaching. I love the flannel graph set that my mom left for me and have put it to good use here. When I get pictures of the service, I will post them here. (I forgot my camera at home so have to get them from someone else.)

Christmas is coming!!

2008-11-17T21:47:00.000Z

I know I mentioned this just recently, but Christmas is rushing up on me this year. Maybe it is all the projects I have to complete or just me getting older (mom no laughing), but time is flying. Or am I just having fun and that is why it is flying? Anyway here are some pictures of what I have been up to. The children and I have been hard at work practicing a play for Christmas that is based on the story The Three Trees. This story has a clear presentation of the Gospel so I am praying that we can touch at least one person this Christmas.
Since Portugal does not celebrate Thanksgiving the Christmas decorations are already up in the stores and the Christmas merchandise and specials are showing up as well. They traditionally eat cod fish and potatoes on Christmas Eve right before midnight Mass. On Christmas day they eat suckling pig. I mention this because I want to know what they do where you are at. Please leave me a comment.

What God does He does well

2008-11-08T16:33:00.000Z

The horse is prepared against the day of battle but safety is of the Lord. I know this seems a weird verse to quote but I see it as we can do all we can to keep safe but our safety does not depend on us. The same applies to who is President of the United States. Still I have to agree with the guest blogger at Portugal bound, We have a knucklehead for a President and we live in a post-logical society. (It is too logical for those who are like the people in Romans 1) While I love living in Portugal and enjoy the culture here, I disagree with their President. He said that having Obama for a President was the best thing the United States could do. They just mean that Obama would fit in better with the rest of the world leaders. I don't think he is right. Yes, Obama will fit in better with the world's leaders but who wants that, most of them hate the United States and that for which she stands. What I don't agrees with is that Obama was the best thing for the United States. However, I do know of Someone who is in control of everything and is working everything out according to His perfect plan (sometimes in spite of ourselves). If I did not believe that God controled the universe, I would just give up and find a small corner of the world in which to curl up and die. Since God is in control, I will just have to trust that My Heavenly Father knows everything. Though I can't see His design, I will walk each day as if I did trusting God to guide me all the way. President Obama, enjoy your time in office, just know that God is watching all you do and you must answer to Him.

Knitting

2008-10-31T18:20:00.000Z

Tori asked to see my knitting machine. Well, here it is without a project on it. (you won't get clues for my Christmas projects that easily) It has the capacity to knit up to 130 stitches in one row. I could add on more needles but I would have to buy the units. It is from Bond and is a really good machine. I use it for straight knitting to make my job a little easier. Wait till you see the results. You will have to wait till after Christmas though to see them.

2008-10-27T10:17:00.000Z

This last Saturday we had a ladies fellowship for the ladies in the church in which we work. I just wanted to share some of the pictures with you as we had a blast. We ate at a small restaurant that serves Brazilian food. It was very good. We are going to be starting a ladies Bible study in January after all the holidays. A lot of our ladies are wives of unsaved husbands, so please pray for the salvation of their husbands. Nina will be teaching the study and I get the privilege of translating. In a way "I can't wait" is said tongue in cheek but in another it is said with all seriousness. I really am looking forward to having the opportunity of translating materials. Being able to share Christ and the victorious Christian life with someone else is like no other feeling on earth.

Christmas

2008-10-22T21:19:00.000+01:00

For those of you in craft world, you probably are already deep into your Christmas projects. I am knitting most of mine (I am very thankful I have a knitting machine to speed up the process). I will be taking pictures as I go along and then after Christmas I will share them with you. (Some of you are the recipients of these gifts so NO I will not give you a hint.)
Christmas will be interesting this year. I am completely away from family this year. The Lord is so gracious to provide for us in the way of friends that are like family when no family is near. If you have a friend or maybe are away from family for the holidays this year yourself, think about who you can share your holiday with and whose life you can touch instead of dwelling on the fact that you are not near family. It helps your holidays to be brighter and will brighten some other person's holidays too. May your holidays be filled with the love of God.

2008-10-18T23:37:00.000+01:00

We have had such a busy week here in Portugal that I haven't shared my news. Last Saturday, (in fact right after I had posted my last blog) I heard the doorbell. My piano had arrived. I was soo excited that I just had to sit right down and play it right then. Here are pictures of it. Let me know what you think. As soon as I can I will try to get some music on the blog of me playing.

2008-10-11T11:28:00.000+01:00

Wednesday night I had my first fire in my fireplace. The nights have been cooler and before real cold gets here I wanted to get some experience under my belt so to speak. So, I lit a fire and it went pretty well, as you can see. I didn't realize thought that it would leave a smell in my living room of fireplace. which isn't too bad since I burned eucalyptus wood. Now if I could find some pine, that would really leave a nice smell. If you have some pointers on building fires and keeping them going, please leave a comment as I would really appreciate the advice. Enjoy the fire, I sure did.

Sophia

2008-10-07T10:12:00.000+01:00

I have the cutest niece in the whole world. Of course, I am a wee bit prejudiced. My sister recently sent me some new photos of Sophia so I wanted to
share them with y'all. As you can see from the family photo, she looks like her daddy. I'm betting she will be a daddy's girl when she grows up (and a mommy's girl.) See if you agree with me that she is CUTE!!

She also has the long fingers of a musician (which would make me happy) or an artist(in which case she takes after her mom.) My sister is a good artist if you look at the family portrait you can see one of her paintings in the background.
Can't you tell that I love my family!!

Prayerletter September 2008

2008-10-02T15:45:00.001+01:00

September 2008

Dear Praying Friends,

It's a Girl! My niece was born early in the morning of July 27^th. Her name is Sophia Ann Evans Bunch and she is a cutie. Of course, I may be a bit prejudiced, but my parents agree with me. The delivery went smoothly with no major problems. Thank you for all your prayers for her safe arrival.

My parents made it safely to Mozambique and are off and running. My mom led a ladies meeting soon after arriving and my father is busy with the institute classes. They have 15 students. They are in good health, but be in prayer for their water pump. It is broken and they have to carry their own water up three flights of steps.

In August, I was able to give the devotion at a baby shower. One of the members of the church I am working at had a baby boy. This was an exciting opportunity to teach in Portuguese. I have also been teaching Sunday school and playing for worship services. We have been studying through Genesis and have started on the life of Abraham. The hardest part for me is to remember the translated names of familiar Bible characters. For example, Isaac in Portuguese is Isaque. (I is said like our long E in English.) Not a large difference but enough for the children to be confused if I say it wrong. I am now getting ready for Christmas. I am directing the children's Christmas program so please pray that all will go well and that we will touch lives with the gospel.

My coworkers are doing well. Mike has been able to preach at least 5 times and has been involved in the mid-week services. Nina is doing better on her language studies. The three oldest girls are in school now and seem to be doing well. The girls have been learning Portuguese over the summer and are now putting it to the test. Pray for them, it is not easy to go to school in a language not your own.

Yours for the hearts of Portugal,

Dawne Hart

2008-09-28T12:56:00.000+01:00

Driving home from church this morning, I was nearly run down by a motorcycle. How can a car be run down by a motorcycle? When you are going at 120 kph and he flies by you going about 250 kph. That's how. My dad calls motorcyclists "organ donors" because there is so little protection on a motorcycle in case of accident. I, however, would call motorcyclists like the one I encountered this morning, "road kill looking for a place to happen." At that speed, there would be no organs left to donate. Why is it that people get so impatient when driving? In their normal day to day lives they are patient, but put them at the control of a motor vehicle and the impatience factor goes up. This seems to be a morbid topic but it is part of life here in Portugal. The drivers are so fast and careless that Portugal is one of the countries with the most deaths per Kilometer in the world. (For those of you who don't know a Kilometer is a little over half a mile.) I thought Houston was bad, but the drive from my house to Aveiro (about an hour and a half trip) on the highway is like driving in Houston traffic on roads like the highways in West Virginia, hilly and curvy. Portugal has some very lovely things about it but the traffic is not one of those.

2008-09-26T09:18:00.000+01:00

My least favorite chore in the house is doing dishes. When I was younger, I put it off as long as I could. (Mom, stop laughing.) This last week was particularly bad as I was sick all week and put off some of my chores until I felt better. (Notice I did my laundry but the dishes got left. I would rather clean toilets than do dishes.) So I have made a deal with myself. I would run the dishwasher at least 2 times a week whether it was full or not. That way I don't get caught with a sink full and I don't have to be ashamed of myself. I do have proof that I did do the dishes but my camera has no battery at the moment. So, as soon as I can get them charged, I will proudly display proof for all you skeptics. ;)

2008-09-23T18:49:00.000+01:00

I went out to hang my laundry yesterday and this greeted my eyes. What is that around your feet, Aurora? Well, we have had rain for the last two days and my veranda had a blocked drain. Oh Yummy! An inch of water on the front veranda.

So I unplugged the drain and here is the water running out.

My plants sure loved the rain. They were happy as two bugs in a rug. (I always wanted to say that.)

This is the view off my front veranda. This veranda is where my laundry lines are. There is nothing like "airing your clean laundry" in full view of the town. Happily, I have a little rack on which I put my underclothes, so at least those are not in full view of everyone.

Finally got my laundry up. The veranda dried out and today was lovely, so my laundry dried. Yea! Clean clothes. Just what every one wants right?

Now I just have to do all the other housework. Rats, I was looking forward to some downtime. Oh well, that's life, right? On to the next project.

Wow What a party?

2008-09-23T10:21:00.001+01:00

Have you ever seen a town practically shut down for a religious festival? The village I live in just had their yearly festival for their patron saint, Our Lady of Relief. The town was full of people lining the streets to see the parade of saints. In front of each saint was a group of children or adults dressed like the saint's statue that would follow. For example, in front of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima would be little girls dressed to look like the statue.

would be little girls dressed to look like the statue.

The Portuguese take their festas seriously, as you can see. The road that is blocked off is one of the main connecting roads between Barcelos and Esposende. It is the equivalent of a state route. The children in the procession were at youngest 2-3 years old. It is sad to see the dedication given to such festas and know that they are starting to use more and more women in this parocial because not enough men attend church regularly. It is heart rending to also see the devotion given to ordinary people and carved blocks of wood and not to where it rightfully belongs, Jesus Christ. The Portuguese remind me of the Athenians who worshiped so many gods and dared not offend even one that they had an altar to the Unknown God. "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry." Acts 17: 16 It is when we are faced with this display that we are reminded of why we are here in Portugal. As Paul said in Acts 17:23 "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." These festas are repeated through out Portugal several times a year. My prayer is this that we might "be all things to all men that we might by all means save some." We have been placed in this village for a reason. It is our hope and goal that we might be able to touch these peoples lives with the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.

My First Ever Post

2008-09-22T12:50:00.000+01:00

Wow, my first ever post. I am new to blogging. I have seen others and thought it was a good idea. This way I can share my thoughts with others and also events that happen in my day. In the following blogs I will try to share with you what Portugal is like and what it is like to back in the country in which you grew up.
This is a picture of me leaving for the field. I have since lost about 20 lbs. and I feel a lot healthier. Of course living in an apartment with 45 stairs leading to your door and no elevator will do that to you. Also, I eat a lot healthier here as well.
I have been busy with a local church my coworkers and I have been attending. They needed musicians and children's workers, so I have been helping out.
I have also been able to quiet some of the cravings I had for Portuguese delicacies while in school and on Deputation. There are only a few Portuguese communities in the States and I was near none of them. I have now had Farturas(kind of like a Portuguese churro for those familiar with Hispanic culture), and also a Bifana(a Portuguese sandwich with pork or beef) very yummy. You can only get these delicious item during a Festa. (And now all my family not in Portugal is drooling. Oh well.)
For those of you who know me as Dawne, Aurora is the name I use in Portugal. The Portuguese alphabet does not have a W in it and the sound that AW makes in English is not in thier language either, so we translated it when I was a teenager.