Brr, its Cold!
Rain, Rain, and More Rain!
Most days, the temperature ranges from the low 40s to low 50s. And rain, lots of rain. Not the slow and steady Seattle-type rain. Here, we do it North-Atlantic style: cloudbursts and gusty winds; the rain comes down in sheets, then moderates, then comes again with a vengeance. We've experienced several hail storms too - one day there was upwards of an inch of hail on the road!
The locals say that we have had more rain than in any in the past 30 years. There has been widespread flooding. One storm brought high winds - over 100 miles per hour! The wind and rain has caused widespread damage to houses, especially in the middle of the country,
Oh, and just so you know, most homes don't have central heating. Some people use portable electric heaters to slightly warm one room at a time, but most don't heat their home at all. We almost always remain in our heavy coats during our visits.
We are very fortunate to have heat pumps in our apartment. Nearly everyone comments on how warm it is (about 72 degrees fahrenheit) when they step into our home!
The photos below attempt to capture just a bit of what we have experienced.
On this day after a heavy rain, we hesitated, then successfully drove through a street that had over a foot of water running over it!
It's hard to capture in a photo the feeling at the beach near Viana do Castelo, but I've never seen such an angry sea - big, wild waves!
The hurricane-force winds in central Portugal broke thousands and thousands trees, literally snapped them in half!
Quiet streams have become roaring rivers!
Water everywhere on this mountainous area - hail, mixed with heavy rains!
River levels are all at or near historic highs.
Warm Hearts
Notwithstanding the cold and wet weather, we are just loving our service here. So many wonderful experiences with people we have grown to deeply love. Below, I will try to give you just a small taste of what we are experiencing.
Olinda Suares, an expert in family history, has a very interesting back story. Raised in Barcelos in a very poor family, she was sent away at age seven to a Catholic charity school. She hated it (was treated very poorly) so at age 14 she set off on her own. She's had a variety of challenging experiences, which seems to have softened rather than embittering her. A lovely person!
Ana Barra's husband also works outside Portugal - in Belgium. Her oldest son is autistic. And her younger son is kinda crazy/active too. So when we hold family home evenings with them, we do get the boys involved in very active ways. Ana so appreciates the support - she has a challenging job for sure. We really enjoy being with and encouraging this lovely family.
We regularly Morgana and her family, but this visit was special. Her husband, Charles, was home for the holidays. Like many fathers in Portugal, he works in Spain where he can make more than double what he earns in Portugal. (It's quite challenging for emigrants to support a family on Portugal wages (Substantially all emigrants are paid minimum wage - €900 per month, and rent for a two-bedroom apartment is €800- €900.)
Maria Zua, a recent convert, recently completed massage school. We stopped in at her beautiful new massage parlor - her grand opening will be held in the next week or two.
Gilmar is the High Counselor to the Viana banch. They invited us to a lovely dinner at their home - a beautiful family!
Marco and Mariana have are full of life, as are their two children. They feel comfortable dropping in on a moments notice - which we love!
Marisol joined the church a couple years ago and was recently called to serve as the Primary president in the Viana. She invited us to visit her flower shop, where we bought a silk flowers arrangement for our apartment.
Vinicius and Alice emigrated from Brazil in December. Vinicius is very talented - he speaks English fluently - but is still looking for work. It's stressful for them, as the money they saved is running out. But we have confidence that things will come together for them.
França and her family are very dear to us. Her husband, Diego, works in Spain. They live far from the church and do not have a car. Another member is sometimes able to offer them a ride. Perhaps because they are so isolated, they really appreciate our visits. We normally hold family home evening and then play board games - they especially love Qwix!
Francisco (red jacket) has recently been joining Porfirio (new member) at our weekly lunches, followed by scripture reading. Porfirio is a karate instructor and judge - he's built like a rock! Someday I would love to see him in the ring.
We normally host the weekly district meeting for the six missionaries serving in Barcelos and Viana. These are hard-working, fun-loving, humble missionaries. Our meetings are focused and practical - and we love to share nuggets of inspiration from the scriptures.
Carlos, a new member, appreciates our weekly visits to read in the Book of Mormon. He's an avid gardener, and lately has been giving us more lemons, clementines, and oranges than we can eat - so we give some away to others!
On Monday night, we normally drive an hour to the north to attend a family home evening with two LDS families and their friends in Moncao. There is always a positive vibe; we come uplifted, feeling God's love.
This is a photo from one or our Sunday School classes in Barcelos for new members and friends. Our discussion leader, Ceica, is the woman in red.
New Branch Presidency - Viana do Castelo
From time to time, we have the opportunity to welcome new leaders of our congregations. Rank-and-file members have are asked to serve by our regional church leaders. During a sunday meeting, we raise our hands to "sustain" the new leaders, meaning that we will help them to be successful. We were very happy to support the new branch presidency of the Viana branch. Below are photos of two of the three new members of the new branch presidency.
Branch President
The Slater family moved to Portugal from Utah in August. They decided that they wanted to have a foreign experience with their family in a place where they could help to strengthen the church. They found it!! And we are thrilled that they did. Within a month, Anna was called to serve as Young Women President and Brandon to be the Ward Executive Secretary/Clerk. And now Brandon willingly accepted the call to serve as Branch President. (He is fluent in Spanish, but still learning Portuguese, so he has his work cut out for him!)
Brandon oversees a Utah-based property management business. Anna home schools their six children living at home (they have two older children - one at college and another serving a mission).
Theirs is a "yours, mine, and ours" family: Brandon's has four boys and Anna has two girls and a boy from previous marriages. They had one child together - six-year-old Lilly.
Their entire family is absolutely wonderful - they all serve willingly and kindly!
Counselor to the Branch President
This photo Cassio Garcia and his family perhaps captures just a bit of the spirit we feel in their home. Really a special family - all very gentle and kind. Their oldest son, Arthur, is an outstanding leader - composed, thoughtful, and an excellent speaker (I sense he will be a future leader in the church).
But back to Cassio's calling to serve in the branch presidency. For the past six months, he has been working in Spain, where he can earn more than double what he earns in Portugal. But he was only able to come home every other weekend - for a day and a half. His wife and children sorely missed him, so he decided to give up the better paying job to spend more time with his family. Right after he made that decision, he was called to serve in the Branch Presidency. Even though he has been looking for a job now for over a month, he's trusting that everything will work out - and we're confident that it will!
Christmas Nativity Scene
I didn't see this nativity display in the Barcelos Civic Center until early January - thus it missed the cut for my last blog update. But I wanted to share it now, even though Christmas has come and gone. The photos don't really capture the grandeur of the display nor the beauty and variety of each handmade sculpture - all made by local artisans.
Sports Day!
I love sports! And I especially enjoy sporting events when I know some of the players (eg, grandchildren) or when it's a new sport or new setting. One Saturday in January, we experience two unique events!
Women's Professional Soccer
Soon after our mission call to Portugal, my younger brother Larry shared that the daughter of his high school colleague plays on the Valadares womens soccer team in Porto. I recently learned that a Latter-day Saint is also a member of the team. It took some time, but we were finally able to find a game that we could work into our schedule.
What a delight! These are very talented soccer players. Turns out, the two of them (McKenna Martinez and Jennie Lapkip) are both strikers and great friends. We were thrilled that Kenna scored the second Valadares goal to secure the victory.
Afterwards we hung out with Jennie's beautiful family. Jennie played on the BYU soccer team with Loren Anderson, a former member of the Alamo, CA ward. Jennie's husband also played college soccer. It was fun to hear of all their adventures - the life of a professional athlete is not easy, but if you have a passion for the sport, it's living the dream!
Women's Professional Basketball
We arrived home in Barcelos just in time to attend a game of the Barcelos women's basketball team. They play in a school gymnasium. About 100 fans were in attendance - a similar number to the fans attending the soccer game earlier in the day. Loved watching some very good basketball! I attended with our dear friends Anax, Mariana, and Marcos.
Sevices
I have found the public services and medical service here in Portugal to be very good. Here are a couple examples.
Sadly, I have had a hard time understanding the street signage here - which has resulted in several parking tickets. Thus, I'm a regular at the local police station. In the process, Officer Dias (who takes my money) has become a friend. Indeed, I have spoken with many officers on the street and none of them display the macho attitude that is often part-and-parcel with law enforcement.
Doubly sadly, my Achilles tendon has been giving me fits again. But the good news is that we found a wonderful physical therapist. Iris is a member of the nearby Braga ward and is as good as any PT I have engaged - and believe me, I have seen a lot of them!
We Love Visitors: Rachel, Brad, and Family
What a joy to have four-days with our daughter Rachel and her lovely (and active!) family! Here are some highlights:
Being with my grandchildrens brings back fond memories of my childhood - could it be that I was even more active than them?
My grandkids are every bit as brave and strong as the first king of Portugal. Dom Alfonso Henriques.
At the Livraria Lello, billed as "the most visited bookstore in the world".
Above: Castle in Guimeraes.
Right: "Our" missionaries stopped in on Sunday night to share some tricks (and eat popcorn)!
Looking back at the palace from the castle in Guimeraes.
Concluding Remarks
We feel a range of emotions that we feel on our mission:
Quite frankly, we often arrive home exhausted, well past Chris' normal bedtime!
But most of the time, our hearts are overflowing with love!
It feels good to have the trust of local leaders, to be asked to provide input and coaching.
It feels good to provide encouragement and counsel to new members of the church, many of whom sense the power of the gospel to transform their lives.
It feels good to support recent emigrants, many of whom struggle to make ends meet.
We appreciate everyone here who invites us into their lives and provides us with opportunities to share powerful principles - principles found in the scriptures and taught by inspired leaders - that lead to happiness.
While on our mission, the scriptures have taken on added depth and meaning, perhaps because our entire focus is on living into and teaching gospel principles.
We think of our US friends and family often. We hope you are well. We look forward to renewing relationships upon our return. But for now, we are happy focusing 100% of our energies on the wonderful people here in Portugal!
Sending Love from Portugal,
Elder David and Sister Chris Longhurst
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