Arrival
Our Delta flight arrived in Porto on Saturday, April 19. We immediately felt loved and welcomed by our Mission Leaders - President and Sister Leal, both from Sao Paulo, Brazil (where I served my mission as a young man). They are wonderful, powerful leaders!
History of the Church in Portugal
The first Latter-day Saint congregation was established in 1975 - so the Church is relatively new in Portugal. The country was governed by a dictator (Alberto Salazar) for most of the 20th Century. On 1974, the military, with the support of the people, overthrew the dictatorship. This "carnation revolution" opened the way for our church to be established here.
At our first Sunday worship service, we met the first member of the church in Porto. Ermelinda was baptized in 1975. Turns out, she was recently interviewed for our church historical records by Evelyn and Stuart, members of our Alamo Ward in California, when they served as missionaries in Portugal/Spain. Small world!
New Member
Immediately following our worship service in Porto, three new members of the Church were baptized, including this lovely lady on the left, supported by her older sister. It was a simple but beautiful ceremony where the new member is immersed in water, signifying burial and arising to a new (and richer) life.
Barcelos
Two days after our arrival, the couple serving in the mission office (the Lovells) drove us to Barcelos. We will live here for the duration of our mission. Barcelos is about 30 miles north of Porto. It's a beautiful city, with a population of 120,000.
Barcelos was originally a Roman settlement. In the 15th century, it was the seat of the First Duke of Braganca, a powerful noble family that reigned from 1640 to 1910. Pictured to the left is the Medieval Bridge, completed in 1328. It spans the Cavado River, connecting Barcelos with Barcelinhos ("Little Barcelos"). The bridge is on the Caminho de Santiago, a well-traveled pilgrimage route. We hope to hike sections of the route while were are here.
Our first walk in the city center
Lovely walking street with upscale shops.
The Igreja de Bom Jesus da Cruz (The Church of Good Jesus of the Cross) is the main city plaza. It is small but gorgeous.
Barcelos is famous for the legend of rooster. You see figurines all over town. It's a wonderful legend that I'll share in a later post.
First Baptism
We attended our first baptism here in Barcelos - in the Cavado River! First time I had ever seen a baptism in a river - normally these events take place inside a church building in a baptismal font. But because we don't have a baptismal font here in Barcelos, these two committed gentlemen braved the cold water on a chilly day!
Wedding Anniversary
On April 25, we celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary at in a lovely restaurant. We arrived at 7 pm, when they opened for dinner. We were the only people in the customers in the restaurant until at least 7:30. At 8 pm, people started to arrive, and by 8:30, the restaurant was full! And we thought a 7 pm dinner was late!
When we told the waiter that it was our anniversary, he offered us a cocktail. We thanked him, but declined, indicating that we don't drink alcohol. A few moments later the owner came out and insisted on providing us a virgin cocktail. It was heavenly! Because he was so thoughtful (he came out several times afterwards to make sure we were satisfied), we invited him to join our photo.
Power Outage
We were at an all-mission gathering when the lights went out at about 11 am. Fortunately, we had good natural lighting, so it really wasn't that disruptive to our meeting. After a light lunch (only 1/3 of the pizzas ordered were delivered as the power went out before the order was filled), we just chilled as our mission leaders coordinated with area and local leaders to determine the best course of action.
The challenge was getting all the missionaries back to their apartments, given that the trains weren't running and traffic lights were out. We were grateful that local members rallied and brought us in a simple dinner - sandwiches with cold cuts (tasted great!). At 8 pm, the mission leaders instructed all of us with cars to go home - and local members/missionaries with extra space would house the rest. We arrived home at 9:30 pm - traffic was very sane - and were delighted when the lights came on soon thereafter.
Young Missionaries - Light and Joy
We love working with the young missionaries here in Barcelos. Pictured to the left are Elder Bezerra (from Brazil) and Elder Gamboa (from Argentina). Both are wonderful young men and faithful disciples. They bring light and joy wherever they go. I've also seen this light and joy in the faces of many members of our small congregation (about 60 attend Sunday services) here in Barcelos. You can't create this feeling of light and love out of nothing - I believe this joy and light come from God to those who trust Him and seek to follow His loving guidance.
As a young man, I thought that following God's commandments was how I earned my way into heaven. Now, I view them as loving counsel from God. He's telling us something like this: If you live in the way I command, as exemplified in the life of Jesus, your life will be more fulfilling and happy than following any other path.
Spreading love in Portugal,
Elder & Sister Longhurst
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This touches my heart so! Thank you so much for serving the Portuguese people. My people!
Dinner is so late there. When Joe and I were there 2 years ago, we could not get a reservation before 8:00pm because most restaurants were not open yet. Crazy! Love to you both -Cathy Tyrrell
Great to hear from you both, David! It sounds like you are really enjoying yourselves, and perhaps the field is even "white and ready to harvest". I was interested to note that Joseph Smith said that friendship was an important trait of "Mormonism". He apparently didn't mind the word.
Spence
You found the rooster! Do you remember the little one I showed you before you left, but I couldn't remember the legend? What a beautiful place Barcelos is. I know they feel they have two missionary angels among them.
We're so glad you finally got to Portugal! Your city is beautiful! We're so happy for you! I'm sure everyone is very friendly and you are going to have great experiences. We miss you very much and are grateful to hear from you. Take care. Margo and Roger
What a beautiful place and such wonderful history. Everyone looks happy and filled with joy. Miss you both keep up the good work.