Wow, we absolutely loved the holiday season here in Portugal! It was a filled with beauty, love and laughter. So let's start with our Thanksgiving celebrations....
Thanksgiving
Even though this is exclusively a US holiday, 16 of our friends in Portugal seemed genuinely excited when we invited them to join us to formally give thanks for our many blessings.
A week before Thanksgiving, I ordered a whole turkey - an anomoly here: they usually come cut up in small pieces. The roasted turkey turned out great! So did the other traditional dishes - mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, stuffing, sweet potato salad, and pumpkin pie (which Chris made).
Our living space was wall-to-wall tables. As per tradition, we all shared something we are grateful for. There is so much!!
Some of our guests enjoying their meal.
On the next day, we were invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at our dear American friends in Ponte da Lima - the Slaters. Loved it!
Christmas Decorations
The Portuguese really know how to decorate for Christmas. And Barcelos is well known for it's beautiful lights. We walked through this area many times in the center of the city - just a block away from our home. It was magical.
I love the Barcelos Rooster at the top of the massive Christmas tree. And the angel on the tower wall was simply gorgeous.
In mid-December, a convoy of tractors drove through the city - right in front of our apartment. Apparently, the farmers in the surrounding area have been doing this for many years - another way to share enthusiasm for the Christmas season!
Christmas Celebrations
On the Saturday before Christmas, we attended three church parties - in Barcelos, Moncao, and Viana do Castelo.
First, we attended a luncheon in the Barcelos chapel. Primary children acted out the nativity scene while our Branch President and Young Women President sang the children's hymn "Picture a Christmas".
To the left are the two children who played Mary and Joseph.
Then we were off to Moncao, located right on the northern border of Portugal. We regularly hold family home evening with this geographically isolated group (it's more than an hours drive to the Viana chapel). Approximately half are members and half are their wonderful friends.
Nadja hosted in her outdoor living area. The place settings were lovely and the food delicious. It delightful to be with all of our wonderful friends up north!
In his role as Santa, Luca surprised his wife Mayara with a birthday cake - we all loved singing the birthday song "Para bens para voce" ("Congrations to you"), sung to the same tune as our "Happy Birthday".
The kids all seemed to really enjoy each other, as well as the surprise visit from Santa! And they really gawked when they saw "Mommy Kissin Santa Clause"!
Afterwards we were off to Viana do Castelo!
Two beautiful people.
We had a very nice program, followed by a wonderful pot luck dinner!
Christmas Dinner
On Christmas day, I prepared a meal for friends without family in the area, including six young missionaries. I wanted to prepare a traditional portuguese Christmas dinner, so I asked for help from the manager in the corner meat store. She gave these instructions: first, I boil the cod (with onion and garlic in the water), followed by boiling potatoes and then cabbage in the same water - which infuses the potatoes and cabbage with a fish flavor. Then prepare an oil and vinegar sauce to be used as a dressing to pour over the entire meal.
Boiled fish and cabbage, really? But surprisingly, I loved it! Most of the others did too. Chris, not so much!
After the meal, we assembled gingerbread houses - many had never done this before and really got into it. Impressive, huh?
Dinner at the Mission Home
Our mission leaders, President and Sister Leal, invited all of the senior couple missionaries to their home during the week between Christmas and New Years. The Grimes (closest to the camera) serve in the office. The Johnsons (farthest from the camera) care for the mission apartments and cars.
It was a very lovely time together - the Leal's are very gracious hosts. We have grown to love these wonderful couples!
New Year's Eve
Our dear friends Marco and Mariana invited us to a New Year's Eve party at their home. They prepared a Brazilian barbeque that was amazing - beef, chicken, sausage, and pork. Enough meat to feed twice as many people as the 14 of us that attended the party.
To the right is an image of several of us manning the homemade grill (a barrel cut in half lengthwise).
New Year's Day
Another lunch at our home! This time we invited young men ages 16-19 to join with four of the young missionaries serving in the Barcelos Branch - plus Jhonathan (white t-shirt), who thinks of himself as in his early 20s even though he's in his mid 30s!
After dinner, we played board games until night time - our favorites were Splendor, Cover Your Assets, and Bang! Super fun!
Temple Trip
In late November, we joined our stake caravan, riding a bus to the Lisbon Temple. It was a day never to be forgotten.
Several of our dear friends participated in the sacred rituals of our temple for the first time - Luca (next to me) and Cecilia (pink sweater) participated in baptisms. Marco (turtleneck) and Mariana participated in the endowment ceremony, in preparation for their upcoming sealing (ie, eternal marriage covenant). I baptised Ideolind (next to Chris), a new member, on behalf of her grandmother.
A very special spirit accompanied these ceremonies, connecting us more deeply to God and to each other.
A highlight was the sealing of Adriana and Carlos. Adriana joined the church 18 months ago - and her strong faith resulted in Carlos renewing his. They were glowing!
Many families bring their children on the caravan. They play while their parents and older brothers and sisters participate in temple ceremonies. I loved hanging out/playing with several kids for a while.
Random (but special) Photos
Elder Gamboa completed his 2-year mission soon after we arrived in Portugal, returning to Argentina. He decided to come back to Portugal! So delightful to be with him again.
New members Mel and La came to our home one afternoon to make cookies, and they mentioned that they like ties.
Laila is the Barcelos Relief Society president . She is pictured here with her two beautiful kids after the annual Primary Program. She is wonderful!
My ties look pretty good on them, don't you think?
We have become dear friends with Kevin and Claudia. Kevin recently cooked a delicious cod dish (cod with cream) for us. Then a couple weeks later we had them over for a pot roast dinner. They love board games. We introduced them to two of our favorites - Azul and Splendor - and they are hooked! Kevin really wants to move to the US - we'll see if he can make it happen!
A feeling of love is palpable in the Garcia family home. The boys eagerly help out with cooking and clearing the table!
We loved the ceramic candy cane that Diana made for us!
Another wonderful dinner with Joao, Cecilia, and their son Leandro.
Leandro presented us with these lovely portraits of Elder and Sister Longhurst! Perfect, don't you think?
Ideolinda (white turtleneck) and Lene (red sweater) are sisters. They are married to Anax (English teacher) and Helio (college engineering professor). Ideolinda is a new member - she is rock solid (she LOVES family history)!
We enjoyed celebrating Hamilton's 40th birthday - just a week after he baptised his wife Eliane. Elder Carvalho is our district leader. Elder Ribeiro (on the right) is from Lisbon, waiting for his visa to serve in Brazil.
Pedros (Helio's son) was recently baptised. He comes to church on his own each week. He's the cutest boy - kind hearted, with a smile that melts your heart. Here he is hugging his cousin Deborah, who celebrated her 13th birthday.
Dinner at the Echeverri home. These Columbianans are very proud of their son Jacobo - he is a star high school student and his English is impeccable!
Gifts to New Members
A wonderful member (Mayara) helped up purchase digital images of Jesus and then framed them. Shown are two of the many we delivered to new members and others we are ministering to. They were well received - and hopefully something that will enduring meaning, supporting them on their path of discipleship.
University of Coimbra
After doing missionary apartment inspections in Coimbra, we spent a few hours with Guilherme, a young adult who is a freshman at the University of Coimbra.
The University, founded in 1290, is the oldest university in Portugal and the seventh-oldest in the world. The campus is perched on the top of a hill and is marvelously old/traditional.
Tradition is very strong at Coimbra, with students often dressing in formal attire for special events - famously said to have inspired J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts uniforms.
Guilherme led us on a tour of campus, including the science building where he is studying biology. Love the arches and tiled walls!
Monsanto
On our apartment inspection journey, we also stopped at Monsanto. It's a beautiful village perched on the top of "Holy Mountain". As you can see, houses are built between, under, and around enormous boulders. It is named "the most Portuguese village in Portugal". Really magical!
The village was conquered by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. He granted it to the Knights Templar, who built a castle on the summit.
Livraria Lello
Known as "the most visited bookstore in the world", this bookstore was constructed in 1906 and was a gathering place for writers, artists, and intellectuals. The bookstore is also said to have inspired JK Rowling when she lived in Porto in the 1990s. It really is stunning! We walked away with a handful of wonderful books celebrating the culture of Portugal.
Christmas Present
It's cold here in northern Portugal - many days in the high 30s or low 40s. And often rainy. But the worst is that many houses do not have heaters - we crank up the heat in our car after most of our visits!
Chris did not bring a warm coat, so my Christmas gift to her was this new wool coat. The Portuguese lady that helped us with our purchase at a store in Porto was lovely! Chris loves her new coat - and I do too.
(As an aside, most men have to talk their wives out of spending money on quality clothing - I have to do the opposite!)
Concluding Remarks
We are happy and very engaged. Of course we miss our family - especially during this time of year when our hearts turn to our loved ones. That said, we have many dear friends here in Portugal.
We are more than half-way through our mission. It's hard to think of leaving - we really love being here among these lovely people. I've been thinking about why we are so happy here. Maybe it's because Chis and I are 100% focused on serving others. Or maybe it's because this role fits our personalities so well. Or maybe it's because we have been forced to learn to work together on the same project - and we are indeed more united than ever before! Or maybe it's because this role requires less administrative work than other responsibilities. Or maybe it's because were are striving to connect deeply with God. Or maybe it's a little of all of the above.
All I can say is that our hearts are full of love. What more could we want?
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I am feeling many saudades for Portugal reading your blog and seeing the beautiful pictures! I cried when we left in May! Thank you for you're inspiring words. 😊
What a great review of your current adventures. Keep sending our these updates.
So touching to hear about all the friends you've made and lives you've touched. And so inspiring to hear your focus and emphasis on being of service to God and the people in your lives.