NTM

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.     Isaiah 26:3

As our move to Mozambique- exciting but looming- approaches, I am starting to feel that bit of nervousness that comes with moving your family with three small boys to a foreign country with poor healthcare.I know that there is nowhere safer than the center of God’s will, but sometimes His will isn’t mine. There is no promise that we will all remain healthy or even survive the flight there! But, there is the promise that whatever He does, He will be glorified and that is what will bring meaning to our existence.

Still, I am fearful. What if one of my babies gets cerebral malaria? Steps on a land mine? Falls in a well? Abducted? Attacked by a lion? I realize that the examples get more far-fetched as I continue, yet I confess that I still fear these things (yes, even the lion). This brings me to the realization that I haven’t yet entrusted my children to the Lord and felt His peace about allowing whatever circumstances He chooses to bring our way. Could there really be so much to learn, this close to our final destination?

I write this for two reasons. The first is for you to see that missionaries don’t have some special faith that isn’t available to the general population. I struggle with fears, selfishness, pride, doubt and “fairness issues”. These are areas that the Lord is continually teaching me in. I am learning to walk closer, and as I do, I hope to see these things grow fuzzy as He becomes clear.

The second reason I write this is so that you will remember to pray for me. Pray for God to strengthen my faith. Pray that my response in the challenges is one of trust. Pray that I will rest in Him and be peaceful. Pray that God, in His goodness, will be glorified through our lives.

We went to Lisbon to submit our paperwork for visas to travel to Mozambique. It started out like most days in our house, children crying, whining, asking for their food immediately (we think) in unintelligible grunts and squeaks (some by Jackson, others by the ones that can speak but don’t feel like it; no that does not include Jon). We set the alarm and actually got up when it went off. Of course getting out the door was another story.

We didn’t really get going, in the car we had borrowed from our friend, Artur Alfaiate, until around 10 am. The drive down went smoothly and we only had to circle a couple a roundabouts twice. We found the Mozambican consulate and went around the block a couple times. As were looking for a spot I downshifted and felt that terrible feeling… a burnt out clutch. I was able to keep it in third gear and gently limp it along to find the only parking spot left in Lisbon. May I add that parallel parking without the help a motor is fun for those watching, but gets tiring when you’re the one pushing the car. We sent an SMS-SOS to Artur and when we had finally set in motion a plan of what to do next we set out for the embassy.

We arrived to the non air-conditioned, “welcome-to-Mozambican-weather-and-wait-‘til-you-feel-the-summer” room a half hour after the consulate section is closed. Fortunately, the bureaucracy of Mozambique does not run as deep as that of Portugal and they were pleased to help. Of course the first order of business was a potty break for everyone and diaper changes (which is hard when you leave the diaper bag that has the diaper’s in it at home!!!!) Add to the fact that Asa had practically OD’d on peanuts the day before and was not happy about a staying in a dirty diaper (who is?). The next fun part was we had printed out all of the visa forms on a full sheet of paper (which was a lot of work formatting that thing, may I add!) and they wanted them done on their little, tiny double sided ones. So while Angie filled out the forms, since her handwriting is somewhat legible, I tried to keep the little monkeys from breaking things and running away. They looked over the paperwork and said it all looked good, except we hadn’t gotten our Criminal Background checks translated yet. So we went to pay for everything. You would think that the Mozambican Embassy would have the capacity to take other credit cards than just the Portuguese Multibanco. Oh no. We had to go to the bank down the street and ask for a deposit to be made into their account. Angie took to the task. When she arrived… you guessed it, the bank was closed! But she’s a fighter and began to explain the course of events of the day, not forgetting the detail that we live 2 hours away, and before her sob story was even finished, they let her in (good thing I didn’t go as I’m too proud to beg). Back at the Embassy, they said they would begin processing our visas and asked us to send our criminal background checks to them once we get them translated. That was the easy part…

Meanwhile, we finally, at 4:00, took a lunch break (and bought some diapers). While savoring the half sandwiches we got to eat while the monkeys devoured the rest (of course they normally don’t eat this much), we received a call from the tow truck driver. He was not very impressed with our Portuguese, to say the least! I guess he never had to try to understand a grumpy man driving a loud truck and give directions to a place he didn’t know, over the phone, in a second language! By the third attempt, I passed the phone to Angie, who isn’t so good at directions, who immediately found a stranger on the street to explain where the car was parked. She had to pick a man missing his two front teeth, whom she feared might sound worse to Nelson (the tow truck driver), but what he lacked it dental capacity he made up for in an excellent summary, all details included, of where to find our car.

Nelson arrived 10 minutes later (4:30), but there was no transportation service for us yet. He couldn’t leave until they arrived. So we waited. And waited. Then waited some more. Numerous phone calls were made to Artur, the towing company, taxis, the insurance company, Nelson’s grandma… everybody! (Nelson, by the way, was a very tough looking guy who was blasting Celine Dion shamelessly throughout the streets of Lisbon).

At 6:50, Angie suggested I take Nelson to get a coffee at the café behind us. He eagerly agreed and off we went. This was the signal for the taxi to show up. We gulped down our one-sip bicas and said our farewells to Nelson. I think he’s going to miss us (well, except for that every time he was talking on the phone, he was explaining how we are foreigners who don’t know anything except that we were in Lisbon and now he couldn’t go home because the taxi wasn’t coming, also because we didn’t know anything).

The taxi took us to the airport where they dropped us off at the car rental place. We went to the return counter where the taxi driver directed us. The employee directed us to his colega at the pick-up counter, a five minute walk down the terminal. She finished our paperwork and asked for my license and passport. My passport? Didn’t I just come to Lisbon to GIVE my passport to the Mozambican Embassy so I could get my visa? Now this presents a problem. As she insisted that she couldn’t give us the car without the passport, she by chance asked if I had any other form of ID that they could accept. I pulled out my resident card and a relieved look came across her face (would you want to be the one to tell a desperate man and woman with 3 nap-deprived children that they had to sleep on the street?). When offered the 11 euro insurance, we decided to opt out, as we were going home with little traffic and turning the car in ASAP. We then made the 5 minute trip back to the pick-up counter, waited a little more, walked to where the cars were parked, checked for scratches and drove off.

It was a nice drive home as we rode off into the sunset. The kids all fell asleep. We only needed one more scare to end the night. Do any of you like traffic circles? Well, I finally got informed on which lane I need to be in, after almost learning the hard way (trying to do what I see everyone else doing). I was wishing for that insurance for about 2 seconds, as we swerved out of danger. 

We hope the adventure when we go pick up the visas is, well, less adventurous!

It seems like just yesterday we were holding our brand new little baby Jackson. Named after my grandpa Jackson, he was the perfect baby- so sweet, peaceful and quiet. Just what we needed in a home with two big brothers! He is still a very sweet, smiley and a happy baby. What a wonderful addition he has made and what a blessing he has been to our family.

He was a wee little three months when we boarded an airplane and brought him to his new home in Portugal. Now he’s like a little man, walking all over the house and voicing his opinions in his own little language. You could say he is tri-lingual, as we have heard him babble on in baby talk, say "mama", "dada" and "ball" in English, and accompany a wave with "olá" and "tchau-tchau" in Portuguese. His favorite word is "no-no", but just because he’s heard it often when he tries to play with electrical cords, and has needed it when his older brothers have tried to take a toy he really wanted to play with.

To celebrate his Birthday, we had our babysitter and her boyfriend, our landlords, and two of their grown childrens’ families over for a BBQ. We have really gotten close to these couples and their children, and enjoyed getting to spend some time together.  

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Jon:

The southernmost region of Portugal is named the Algarve which comes from the Arabic word for the west. It is known for it’s numerous beaches and luxury resorts. Many Europeans spend their vacations there and you’ll find that almost everyone speaks at least some English. Having lived in Portugal since October, we have heard a lot about the Algarve.

Angie convinced me that we should visit it after our Portuguese course ended in the beginning of June. I was reluctant to go, as a vacation didn’t seem like it would equal rest for us (three kids under four, no car, etc.). Add on to that driving for the first time in Portugal and borrowing or renting a car, and I was not looking forward to it. But as usual, Angie was right.

Once we got there a few days into it, I was pleased to be there and enjoyed the time. It had been so long since we had taken more than a day to rest and just enjoy each other. It was great to spend time with the boys and Angie- just playing and being together. In spite of the work in getting there, it was worth it and I would recommend it to everyone.

I think it is important to take time to rest and reflect on the many blessings that God has given us. I feel like we were able to recharge for the next phase of life that is already upon us. 

Angie:

Our first real family vacation- no computer, no homework, nothing to do but enjoy each other and the beautiful sunny beaches. Sure, we have traveled a lot, but it is usually very tiresome as we spend weeks in the car, traveling coast-to-coast, doing presentations and making short visits to friends and family along the way before we set off to the next destination. That’s work with a few hours to delight in our loved ones. This was different. We concentrated on each other and not everyone and everything else. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in my adult life!

The kids had a great time building sand castles with Jon, splashing in the ocean, “swimming” in the pool, playing on the playgrounds and having our focus be family. It’s funny how when they are our focus, the interruptions they bring to our day-to-day life of work are no longer disruptions. It was important for us to realize, again, that these precious children are our primary responsibility and first ministry and we need to communicate that to them, even when we are busy. The blessings and joy we receive from them is inexpressible.

Jon and I didn’t realize how long it had been since we set out to enjoy each other, either. It was fun to watch the kids playing together while we looked on and joined in. Since there was no computer, we found ourselves with more time to talk and connect. We aren’t in that phase of life where we get to sleep on the beach or read a book- we are outnumbered by dependant kids- but, we still managed to relax. I came away feeling full and so satisfied with the blessings and life God has given me. A sweet husband. Three wonderful children. A life of adventure before me.

Take a family vacation.

At the end of July, we will finally be on our way to Mozambique! We are so excited to land in the country where we plan to do our official ministry: church-planting. There is so much to do as we anticipate our departure- pack our immediate necessities, ship the rest of our belongings, get vaccinations and other preventative medications, say our goodbyes to another group of wonderful friends we have made, and, yet again, more paperwork for visas, only this time they are for Mozambique.

One thing we find extra exciting about our intended arrival is that we will be paired with a Mozambican host family. It is through this family that we will learn what life in Africa is like and try to model their way of going about things. For instance, where should we do our shopping? How should we get around the city? How should we relate to people? What is the proper way to greet and take our leave? What are the dangers that we should avoid?

In the past, a fellow missionary was the one to show the new missionary around, but this insider view is meant to help the new missionary assimilate to the culture with more ease, get practical and appropriate help in everyday living, give more language practice and get the missionary introduced and accepted into the community.

Please be praying with us as a host family is being selected before our arrival and for the relationship we will bond as our families come together.

The following are things that keep our sense of humor alive in our house. Jonathan (almost 4) and Asa (2 1/2) are regular comedians! Enjoy!!

One of Asa’s favorite dinnertime activities, aside from eating, is re-naming his food to be more exotic than what he finds in his bowl. Tonight he held up a piece of pork from his fried rice and said, Dolphin, this is a dolphin." Out of curiosity, I asked Jon, "What is dolphin meat called anyway, scrod?" Of course Jonathan had the answer…"It’s called hot-dog, mommy!"

Today I rode the bus with Jonathan. A very cute and trendy boy, maybe 6, got off with his dad. Jonathan asked, "Who’s that?" I replied, "I don’t know but he sure is cool, isn’t he?" Without hesitation, he came back with, "Yeah, but I’m cooler!" I guess he’s got cool down and now we know to just work on humility.

During communion today, Jonathan said, "I like the blood of Jesus." We knew he just saying this because he wanted to try the juice… which was actually port wine here in Portugal. Nice try.

Jon and the kids were sitting at the table finishing up dinner. I went out to get the rest of the drying laundry. Asa said, "Mommy leave. No mommy leave." Jon was joking with him, saying, "Mommy’s leaving us. She’s going home.” Out of curiosity, he asked, “Hey Jonathan, when I say ‘Mommy’s going home’, what do you think I mean? Where is she going?" Jonathan said, "It means she’s going to the mall." (Disclaimer: I almost NEVER go to the mall!!!)

We were at the doctor today, and Jonathan was thirsty. I was holding Jackson with one hand and needed Jonathan’s assistance to get water from the water jug. I held the cup and he pushed down on the button for me. He started to go for the hot button and when I told him not to, he asked, "Why not? Does it have chocolate milk?"

Jonathan was pushing in his stool in after dinner and knocked it over. He said, "Sorry, Mommy!" I said, "I forgive you. I love you and I’ll always love you. I wouldn’t trade you for anything." He responded, "Oh, that’s nice, but how about Asa?"

Little Asa has a fever and stuffy nose. When we went to use the nasal aspirator on him, he quickly volunteered his teddy bear, then his dolly, then his brother, then his blankie. When he realized he ran out of "volunteers", he insisted his dolly’s eyes, ears, belly button, etc… go first. He never did willingly give us his nose, but he sure is smart!

First you will need the following vocabulary: “Two” is “dois”. “Dog” in Portuguese is “cão”, pronounced like “cow”. “Goodbye” is “tchau”, pronounced like “chow”.
Our neighbors brought home a puppy. Jonathan asked what his name was. They said he didn’t have a name and asked what Jonathan thought would be a good name. “How about Jonathan dois?” he asked. As they went back inside their house, Asa called out, “Tchau cão!” 

Daddy: Jonathan, you need to obey.

Jonathan: Do you always obey?

Daddy: Not always. .

Jonathan: How come?

Daddy: Because sometimes I don’t listen to God. I don’t always walk in the Spirit?

Jonathan: You mean the horsey spirit? 

Some of our experiences here are likely going to be once in a lifetime. One of those was attending the midnight serenade that kicked off the week long celebration called the “Quiema das Fitas” It is translated “the burning of the ribbons” in English and signifies the beginning of the end of the school year. Every day of the week hosts a different event and a concert at night. 

Serenata

Everyone gathers hours before the start to establish their spot in the square outside an old church. The musicians sing from the steps which create wonderful acoustics that echo across the square. They sing and play the traditional music of Coimbra: “Fado”. Strong male voices and gentle guitar rifts with building climaxes sung in melancholy tones and lyrics induce a sense of longing, nostalgia and wonder. We appreciated our friend bringing us and showing us a back alley so that we could all view and hear better. It was inspiring and I think we have a greater appreciation for the music of Coimbra now.

Corteja 

The other event we observed was the University Parade. Each major constructs their float, or series of floats, that represent their specific colors and usually a political or social theme. It was on a Sunday this year, so after church we walked up to university where it starts, as we had heard that things tend to be a little more calm at that stage. With almost every float giving out beer and some food item, the parade ends up in drunken revelry. We didn’t really have much interest in seeing this or trying to push our way through the crowds, so we only stayed around until car number 40 out of 110. Instead we left and headed to the park with some friends so the kids could get burn off some energy.

We are thankful for our experiences here and have enjoyed studying another culture. Even though things are not all that different, the pros and cons help us to evaluate our own beliefs and measure them in light of God’s Word. We are learning not to measure our own culture by comparing it to another culture, or visa versa, but rather against God’s Word.

During our one year language course the University offers two class trips. The first one was guided by a professor of geology.

Students in the higher level language courses take classes in other subjects and this trip was a traveling classroom for them . For the rest of us, it was a chance to see more of Portugal and practice Portuguese. If any of you has ever been on a guided tour before, you know what it is like to try and gather around the guide and try and listen to what he is explaining. Now imagine what it was like for me with only 4 months of Portuguese under my belt- trying to listen to someone explain things like, placas tectônicas, litósfera, altiplano, and cordilheiras marginais.

I most likely do not understand these terms in English, so I had to laugh to myself whenever we stopped at a wonderful view or interesting rock and our guide would start to explain what we were looking at.

Please keep us in prayer as we make relationships and come in contact with many people here who do not believe in God. The professor made several references to evolution  and was quite aggressively agnostic. One evening as we were having dinner, he went around the table, asking each person if they believe in God. Of course I said yes. He went on to ask, without giving me a chance to respond, how could a rock that is 382 million years old that was dated using "actual" scientific methods could be explained. Of course, his "actual" scientific methods are based on a dating system that can’t be measured since we weren’t there. The following day he made a comment about some rock formations that “were definitely not made by God” (he just happened to switch to English to make this comment, just to make sure everyone understood).

These were good reminders that the people around me don’t know God and I have the opportunity to be His ambassador to them while I here. I have the amazing advantage of having relationships where I can share God’s Word and His plan for mankind. Please pray for us.

One setback to renting a furnished apartment in Portugal is the lack of certain modern conveniences I used to take for granted. The microwave. The dishwasher. The DRYER! I never knew how much I could miss a dryer! Most Portuguese don’t have a dryer. It is all line dried. This makes doing laundry an even more loathly chore, as there are now two extra steps of hanging it all up and taking it all down… and sometimes I even have to rearrange them to fit more on the line or get the sleeves dry! I know, some of you ladies are thinking, “Well, when I was first married we didn’t have…,” but I happen to like less work so I can do other things… like more work (there’s lots to do with three little ones)! Not to mention I’m supposed to learn a language on top of it all! The worst part of line drying has been that our clothes sometimes they don’t dry for days! I sometimes feel like I am under a huge pile of clean, dirty, wet and dry laundry.

This has been the coldest winter on record in 30 years! The good news is that the sunshine and warmth have finally returned to Portugal! Now my laundry will at least be dry at the end of each day. We took this picture one morning about two minutes after hanging these clothes up. You can see the steam evaporating right off. I look forward to these warmer days ahead when this sight will be ordinary once more! Pretty cool, huh?

Anyone who has lived in a country other than the USA knows that the the sport we call soccer is actually Football (So what do they call American football then? Yep you guessed it, American Football!). I had the opportunity to go to a game here at the stadium in Coimbra. The game was Académica the local team versus Benficá one of the better teams in the league. Because Portugal is not a very big country, everyone pretty much chooses their home team or one of the other three teams. The game I went to was not a very close match and had more fans from the visiting team than our home team. I went to the game with my friend Ben from England and another classmate from Canada. Who knows if I’ll go again, but I am glad to say I’ve now been to a real futebol game.