Rooster of Barcelos
Our hometown of Barcelos is famous for its rooster (aka Galo de Barcelos). Here is a quick rundown of the legend that makes the "galo" famous throughout Portugal:
In 1500s, inhabitants of Barcelos were very disturbed by a crime who’s author had not been discovered. One day a man from Galicia passed through Barcelos on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to fulfill a vow. He was suspected of having committed the crime and was arrested. Ignoring his claims of innocence, he was condemned to be hanged.
Before being executed, he asked to be taken to the presence of the judge, who was dining with some friends, and once again protested his innocence. Still, no one believed him. So he pointed to a roasted chicken on the table and exclaimed: "As surely as I am innocent, that rooster will crow when I am hanged!"
What seemed impossible happened! When the pilgrim was being hanged, the rooster stood up on the table and crowed. The judged rushed to the gallows. Fortunately, the knot of the rope around the Galacian's neck came untied, thus preventing him from being strangled. He was released and sent on his way in peace.
Years later, he returned to the town and built the monument to São Tiago and to the Virgin (see the sculpture in the photo to the right). You can see a rooster beneath the representation Jesus on top, followed by a man being hanged, but rescued by St James (holding up his feet).
Over the years, the rooster has become the symbol of Barcelos - representations of the rooster are everywhere! In the photo gallery below, I provide few of my favorites. Aren't they wonderful?
The sculpture above is in the center of a roundabout at the entrance to Barcelos. Love it!
The sculpture to the left proudly sits in our dining/living room. I purchased it from a wonderful artist at a local craft fair.
Another Visitor!
We were thrilled that Janice, our next door neighbor from back in Walnut Creek, scheduled a tour of Northern Spain and Portugal so that she could spend a few days with us at the end of her tour. She loved the Basque country/people on the border between Spain and France. And we have a wonderful three days - we walked around Barcelos and visited a friend, but spent most of our time relaxing and sharing our experiences.
Sour-dough Bread
A few months before arriving in Portugal, I learned how to bake sourdough bread. So I was delighted when a friend offered up her sourdough starter for me to use here in Portugal. And so far, so good! We have found that offering up a half-loaf of bread is a great way to strengthen relationships.
Teaching others
Once I learn a new skill, there is nothing I love teaching others. These four members of our faith community in Barcelos (Angelo, Emilin, Luiza, and Mariana) all wanted to learn how to make sourdough bread. So on a Saturday afternoon. I demonstrated the beginning process of mixing and "stretch and fold". The we ate fresh-baked sour-dough bread. So good! It's my new favorite thing to do bake!!
More People to Love
Game Night
We enjoyed playing board games with our many friends from the Viana do Castelo branch, including Val (counselor in the Branch Presidency) and his wife Caro (standing holding her son), Debora (Relief Society President - with two children on her lap), Matilde (recently baptised - in the other chair) and their friend Miriam. Miriam is bright and wonderful - she was a dentist in Brazil, but because her licensing is not accepted in Portugal, she works long hours at a factory. Oh, the life of an emigrant!
Dinner with Claudia
Loved being with Claudia, her two daughters, and the missionaries from Viana do Castelo (Elders Batista and Godfrey).
Claudia joined the church at age 14 in Lisbon. When reflecting on her conversion, she commented that everything the missionaries shared with her was something she already knew deep inside (ie, the concepts didn't feel new).
God communicates to each of us in different ways. Claudia's experience resonates with me. But we can all receive "answers" from God. That is, we can receive God's direction in our lives. I believe the key is to stay open hearted and to "listen" (ie, really pay attention what's going on inside our heart). Meditation and prayer puts us in a frame of mind to really listen.
Bruno & Raine
We love visiting with Bruno and Raine. Both served missions in Brazil (she joined the church at age 20 in Brazil). Bruno recently finished Barber School and began his new career, which is going well. Their two girls couldn't be more different: one is high strung/dramatic, and the other is chill/calm. Can you detect which is which in their eyes/faces?
On this visit, we enjoyed playing board games, followed by discussing the uplifting idea penned by the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon: "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...". I have found that doing simple things - like daily prayer/meditation, expressing gratitude, and reading scriptures or other uplifting literature - yields big results over time.
Canine Synchronicity
We had a wonderful dinner this family. Cecelia is French and João is Portuguese. Cecilia was baptized in February, and they have a goal to be sealed in the Lisbon Latter-day Saint temple next spring.
In addition to falling in love with the family (they also have a 9 year old son), I immediately fell in love with their black lab, which reminded me of the dog we had in the late 70s or early 80s that I named “Preto”, which means “Black” in Portuguese. So when them call their dog “Black”, I immediately perked up! “How wonderful”, I thought, “Our family in America named our dog the Portuguese word for ‘Black’ (ie, ‘Preto’), and this Portuguese family named their dog the English word for ‘Preto’. (ie, 'Black').
Perhaps the world is aligned in more ways than meets the eye?
Élcida and Family
We love being with this family of four from Angola. They are all energetic/full of life - just a delight to be with.
Chris taught the three girls how to make her chocolate chip cookies that everyone here adores!
The mom (Élcida) then taught Chris how to make carrot cake, Angolan style. It was delicious.
Benjamin Wood
Élcida and the oldest were first baptise....
Benjamin Wood
....and two weeks later, the younger two were baptised. (The man pictured with them is a cousin.)
Amazing American Family
The Slater family recently moved into the Viana do Castelo branch from Heber, Utah. It's a "yours, mine, and ours" family - and they all seem to get along amazingly well!
Soon after they married eight years ago, Brandon and Ana Slater decided that when the right time arrived, they wanted to raise their family in another country, somewhere where they were needed.
They prayed and felt prompted to move to Portugal. So in February, they flew to southern Portugal, rented a car, and drove through many towns/cities, waiting for confirmation as to where God wanted them to live. On last day of their search, as they were approaching Viana do Castelo, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the city. It was a Saturday evening, so decided to stay overnight and attend church the next day. When they arrived at the chapel the next morning......
....they bumped into Young Women President (Sophia) in the parking lot, who just happens to speak fluent English. When Ana shared that they were looking for a ward/branch where they were needed, Sophia exclaimed that they found the right place. And in less than a minute, they were hugging and crying together. This indeed was the place they were looking for - the place they are needed!
It didn't take long for them to jump right in. Two weeks later, Ana was called to be the Young Women's President (Sophia is now the Relief Society President). A couple weeks later, Brandon became the branch Executive Secretary.
Ana home-schools her kids. They are very bright and engaging - she is clearly doing a wonderful job! Brandon runs a property management company in the US remotely.
They hosted the baptism of Simone recently - a wonderful woman from Brazil. The water in the pool was cold, but the spirit at the meeting was incredibly warm and uplifting.
I thought you might enjoy a few random photos/experiences.
Fado
This is a distinctive Portuguese music style. It's generally meloncholy, but really lovely. Check it out! This was dinner concert in celebration of the service of Elder & Sister Lovell, our office couple, that recently completed their one-year mission.
Unity
There is a great spirit in our Barcelos branch. Members care for/play with each others' children. I took this photo while two families with young children were cleaning the church building on a Saturday morning.
Harry Potter
We bumped into this student in Porto a while back. It reminded me of the Hogwarts school uniforms in the Harry Potter movies. Later I learned that during the early 90s, J.K. Rowling lived in Porto, where she taught English. Coincidence or inspiration?
Weekly Outdoor Market
The food is relatively inexpensive compated to the US - we purchased this entire collection of fruits an vegetables for less than EUR 30!
The largest outdoor market I have ever seen occurs every Thursday in the huge parking lot just across the street from our apartment. You can buy clothing and shoes, housewares and plants, ceramics and paintings, and food, including vegetables, fruit, cured meats, and cheese. You can even buy a live chicken that they kill and pluck on the spot! This market is purportedly the longest-running open market in Portugal, and has been held weekly for over 500 years!
Sadly, one of our members taking young men on a fishing outing was in a car accident recently. We happened to be near, and came to help where needed. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. The three young men to the right were all happy to see us.
Weekly Family Home Evenings in Moncão
Every Monday, we drive about 70 miles north to Moncão, a city right just inside the northern border of Portugal. We have the most wonderful family home evenings, normally hosted by Nadja (in the photo below, she is in the center, standing). She recently was appointed custodian of her four grandchildren, ages 3-10. She is literally an angel. At age 63, she has the energy, patience, and loving spirit to teach and bless her grandchildren (who have been through some trauma). Often one or two of her friends and their children join the meeting - this week two of her friends and their children joined us. Our discussion was focused what each member of the family can do to strengthen their family. It was really wonderful.
The long drive from Moncão to church meetings in Viana do Castelo normally takes 75 minutes. For folks with limited means, this is challenging. So the two active families living in Moncão attend church meetings in person twice a month, and attend the other two Sundays via video.
Because of the remoteness of their location, they seem to really appreciate our support.
Wonderful Family
Luca and Mayara were married about two years ago. Mayara is long-time member with two children from a prior marriage.
After some deeply spiritual experiences, Luca was baptised in April. Pictured above was the first time he performed baptism by proxy in the temple. They are maintaining a record of all the Latter-day Saint "haps" in Moncão, as they believe we are at the start of something big. With their leadership, I agree!
Moncao
It's a beautiful little city, surrounded by a HUGE wall, 5 km in circumference, built it the middle ages. The wall is entirely intact - the city has done a great job maintaining it!
Spain - Just across the River
Spain is just across the river from Moncao. They have their own fortifications on the other side. And apparently, the fact that both sides were so well fortified resulted in not a single major battle between the two counties at this location. The closest they came to a battle was a siege during the Ferdinand Wars in the late 1300s (see the "Fun Story" below).
Fun Story about Moncão:
In the late 1300s, the town of Monção was besieged by Spanish forces. The defenders, including Deu-la-Deu Martins, were running low on food and morale. Rather than surrender, Deu-la-Deu devised a bold psychological tactic.
She took the last remaining flour, baked a few loaves of bread, and threw them over the town walls toward the enemy. As she did, she reportedly shouted:
"To you, who, unable to conquer us by force of arms, have wanted to surrender us by hunger, we, more humane, and because, thanks be to God, we find ourselves well provided for, seeing that you are not satisfied, we send you this help, and we will give you more, if you ask for it."
This clever bluff convinced the Castilian army that Monção was still well-stocked with provisions. Discouraged and misled, they lifted the siege and retreated, sparing the town from conquest.
Closing Comments
This past weekend, we watched, via video, all the the five sessions of our Church's general conference. We always look forward to this semi-annual event when leader of our worldwide church provide counsel and encouragement. Since our role also is to provide counsel and encouragement, the talks seemed even richer and more meaningful than normal. For example, we loved the talk by Elder Patrick Kearon entitled Jesus Christ and Your New Beginning". - all of us can have as many, many new beginnings - we don't have to be imprisoned by our past. I also loved this talk by Sister Annette Dennis entitled "Cheering Each Other On".
I appreciate the opportunity to receive counsel and consider how I can more fully align my life with the principles of happiness. One of the beauties of General Conference is that we hear from about 30 different speakers. Many, but not all, of these talks resonate deeply with me. In discussing my "favorite talks" with others, I discover that my least-favorites are EXACTLY what the other person needs. I'm confident that everyone can find something beneficial in this smorgasbord of talks.
We are healthy and happy. Our family at home is doing well. Our oldest son Adam recently accepted an opportunity to work in a post-doctorate research role at the University of Exeter in England, using his talents in bio-chemestry. We thrilled for him!
We are also very proud of our youngest daughter, Annie, who recently began her Masters in Social Work coursework at the University of California at Berkeley.
This confluence of these two events is a tender mercy: Adam (and his partner Paolo) have been caring for our home while we are away. After being accepted to UC Berkeley, Annie (and her partner Sav) moved from Utah to our home, just in time to assume the caretaker role when Adam leaves for England at the end of October.
Life is good. Continue to learn and grow - it's the process of growth that brings fulfilment, not the achievement. And please listen to what God wants to tell you - that's where your will find peace and alignment.
Sending our love and blessing to all!
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Dear Dave and Chris
Have thought so lovingly of you both and was delighted to receive your blog. I love the culture of the towns of Portugal. Your life radiates with curiosity, love, sharing with new friends and making deep ties with all you meet. It is always wonderful to see how the simplest of things can bring people together. Your life is our example. I look forward to your return - what an amazing spiritual global trip, uniting you with people in another country. We are all the same - humans and God's children.
Another wonderful email! Thank you souch for sharing the details of your mission! It is truly inspiring. We miss you very much, but are so happy for your great experiences! ❤️ Margo and Roger