We were thrilled to receive visits from our siblings during the best time of year to come to Portugal - in the spring!
Darla and Dan
We loved our time in early April with my sister and son-in-law, right before Easter. I haven't spent this much undivided time with my sister since we were children. Darla was a wonderful mentor to me in my youth, and a voice of wisdom and perspective in my adult life. So it was a very special time for me!
On the way home from the Porto airport, we stopped at a festival in Povoa de Varzim, celebrating the arrival of spring. Gorgeous!
The tile work at the Porto Cathedral. is simply gorgeous!
Courtyard of the Porto Cathedral. We especially enjoyed Dan's perspective on the architecture, including learning about the history of arches and the relative strength of different types of arches.
Inside the Porto Cathedral, workers were decorating for upcoming Holy Week services, with beautiful, massive bouquets.
On the gondola in Guia - across the river from Porto.
I never tire of this gorgeous spot overlooking the Duro River and the Dom Luis I double-deck bridge. The upper deck is used by the metro; the bottom by cars.
Later, we enjoyed a dinner with our dear friends Anax, Ideolinda, and Deborah.
More beautiful tile work. This is outside the cathedral Sao Bento de Porta Aberta in the Geres National Park.
While traveling through Geres, we stopped at a lovely Roman-style bridge built in the 14th century. This bridge was used by automobiles until recently.
Odds and Ends
We love França's family. Maria Clara plans to serve a mission next year.
Chris gave up Coke for lent (literally!). I was impressed that she could go 40 days without! Here she is celebrating the end of lent, the day after Easter!
Raul (a new member) and Joaquina are VERY Portuguese - and we love being with them!
April 25 is "Liberty Day" in Portugal, when the celebrate the bloodless revolution that overthrew the Salazar dictatorship in 1974. We happened upon this ceremony, honoring two men who courageously participated in the revolution.
New Branch President in Viana do Castelo
You may recall the story I shared earlier about the Slater family, who moved from Utah to Portugal last year. Brandon was called to be the branch president in January. Then, out of the blue in March, he received an offer to work in the Europe Area Office of the church in a real estate role. We were super sad when they left in April - as were others in the branch. This family became very beloved in a very short time, due to their kindness, humility, and service ethic.
Our new branch President, Cassio Garcia, is a very good man, and we love his family too. The photo of both families below was taken at the Sacrament Meeting when the change occurred.
Lots of love for the Slater family.
Anna Slater with Linda Marinho.
Tod/Cindy and Craig/Jo
The day after Darla and Dan left, Chris sister and brother (and their spouses) arrived! We loved our time with Cindy/Tod and Craig/Jo.
Outside the "Vila dos Condes" in Barcelos.
In Viana do Castelo with our friend Gabriel
Outside the Guimeraes castle.
Dinner and board games with our friend Mariana (photographer), her husband Marcos (center), Bishop Rafael and Luiza (on the left), and Gabriel (standing in the back).
Outside the city gate to Braga (with França and her family.
With our artist friend Jose de Faria.
Baptisms
Kamaraj grew up in a very poor family in India. At age 14, his father died and worked as a courier before and after school to help support his family. His Christian mother was kind and gentle - but was handicapped and therefore not able to work. The family often went without food. One desparate day, he prayed not that he would have more food, but that that God would take away his hunger. The next day the owner of a restaurant befriended him and offered to feed him before and after school every day! He felt very blessed to receive this generosity.
Since arriving in Portugal in September, two employers have failed to pay him after his service. So he's had a rough go of it. But his kind and generous spirit still shines bright. He reached out to missionaries in February via social media, and has faithfully attended our meetings ever since. Not exactly sure why, but he and I have a special connection.
The weather is finally warm enough that Johana was willing to brave the cool water in river here in Barcelos. A beautiful experience for all.
Blast from the Past
With the help of a member who recently moved from Santos, Brazil, I was thrilled to connect with the Gonzalez family. As a young missionary, I deeply appreciated their love and support of this wonderful family. I didn't previously have a photo of their family, so the photo above is priceless to me.
Larry and Maren
My brother Larry and his wife Maren were the final sibling visit in a string of three. So wonderful to be with them! They find delight in just about everything!
Porto City Hall in the background.
Love the traditional black and white cobblestone sidewalk of this lovely, old street.
Avenida da Liberdade in Braga.
Gorgeous tile on the Raio Palace exterior in Braga.
We loved smelling the gorgeous roses in the Braga public gardens....and speaking with this very friendly gardener!
Outside the Guimeraes castle.
The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança in Guimeraes features more than 50 fireplace chimneys!
The chapel inside the Palace.
Larry and Maren arrived right in the middle of the week-long celebration here in Barcelos, the Festa das Cruzes (Festival of the Crosses). This festival originated in 1504, when a cobbler discovered a miraculous black cross on the ground. Soon thereafter, a small chapel was built on the site. Two hundred years later, the sanctuary pictured above - Bom Jesus da Cruz - was built. The festival still draws many pilgrims from northern portugal, in addition to the thousands of tourists!
They know how to light up a city here in northern Portugal!
Loved the folk dancing!
Perhaps the event we enjoyed most during the festival was the Batalha das Flores (Battle of the Flowers). This parade has its roots in an agricultural tradition - local farmworkers gathering fresh flowers from the fields and bring them into the city center, scattering them through the streets to joyously celebrate the arrival of spring. The celebration is more organizede - colorful floats follow a planned route and marchers playfully scatter flowers on onlookers. It's really a delight!
Don't know why I happened to catch the attention of this group, but for a moment I was the center of attention in our little corner of the parade.
Maren , with one of the flower scatterers, dressed in gorgeous traditional attire.
Love this float, taken from our balcony, featuring the Barcelos rooster!
Another gorgeous float.
We were delighted that the Gaia women's soccer team had a game during the week of Larry and Maren's visit. We sat with the Jennie Lakip's family. Jenny played soccer at BYU with our former Bishop's daughter, Lauren Anderson.
Larry was super excited to see McKenna Martinez play. "Kenna" is the daughter of his high school classmate, Laura Landoni.
Jennie's darling family. Her husband Rui played college soccer at the University of Hawaii, so they are indeed a soccer family!
Barcelos Ward
Sunday School class for new members and friends in Barcelos.
The Primary children singing to their mothers on Mother's Day.
This boy literally ran to hug his mother after singing to her!
And these three older boys in the Primary are delightful. Pedro (on the right) joined the church about 8 months ago, and faithfully attends with his aunt.
Local Pottery
Barcelos has a long-standing reputation for outstanding pottery. Here are just a few examples - all except the first one from the local pottery museum.
We visited a local sculptor, Carlos Dias, who makes gorgeous religious art - all monochrome because he is color blind.
A wonderfully active and colorful nativity scene.
This nativity scene is my absolute favorite!
I can't quite figure out why this piece is so compelling to me....
Andrade Family
We love Ana, her daughter Renata, her granddaughter, and the little girl she cares for during the day. To make ends meet and support the family, Renata needed to take a job in Belgium. They were super sad to be separated. We regularly stop in to share our love and friendship.
Sibling Love
We love spending time with these two beautiful girls and their mother, who recently divorced. These times of transition are challenging, so we try to bring a little light and love on each of our regular visits.
Newborn
We've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Val and Carol's baby - their third. On a Friday night, Carol started having contractions. They were in no hurry to leave for the hospital, as her prior labors had lasted 12+ hours. But things progressed quickly! They rushed to wake up a neighbor to care for their two sleeping children. Then Val drove very fast - but to no avail!
When they were 10 minutes from the hospital, he glanced over to his screaming wife and saw a baby's head poking out! So he pulled over, dialed the hospital, and with their guidance, delivered the baby! An ambulance took mom and baby the rest of the way to the hospital. Fortunately, mom and baby are well!
Amazonas Family
How Lene and Helio got together is a wonderful story. Lene's sister (Ideolinda) was dear friends with Helio's first wife (Maria), who had terminal cancer. Because Ideolinda couldn't be with her dear friend as she was dying, she asked Lene (a nurse) if should would move from Brazil to Portugal temporarily to care for Maria.
Three months later, after Maria lost the battle with cancer, Lene was preparing to return home to Brazil. But the day before her flight, Helio took her by the hands and asked her to stay. And the rest is history!
We regularly invite the missionaries from the Barcelos district over to lunch on Preparation Day, followed by board games. Their favorite is "Bang". We love these young men, who are humble, dedicated, and very fun!!
Closing Thoughts
As I have been assembling this blog, I'm reminded of the great blessing of family. Each of our siblings has their strengths - and their quirks. And actually, it's their quirks that make each of them so special. Each has a flavor, so to speak, which adds color and variety to life. So please continue bless our lives with your quirky self!
I'm also reminded of what a blessed life I have had. Sure, I have had some moments that were quite challenging, difficult. But all told, my life has been pretty darn good. I was born of goodly parents that loved and nurtured me. I attended quality schools and received a quality education. I grew up in a safe environment. My parents provided for my necessities. They shared their love of the gospel with me, and since my late teens, I have felt God's love in my heart.
I have a vibrant and energetic wife, whom I deeply love. We have seven children who are talented and confident (sometimes overly so!), and 12 beautiful grandchildren. I had and an enjoyable career and was able to retire before my body has completely gone to pot. And we now have the resources to serve others - and we are loving our service here in Portugal!
So many here come from more challenging circumstances - broken homes, abuse, poverty, limited access to quality education, serious health problems, etc. Yet those who put their trust in God are able to leave their difficult past behind and move forward with confidence. They embrace God's love and goodness rather than getting bogged down in bitterness and disappointment. This is very inspiring!
From time to time, all of us need a little extra love. This is what community is all about. When in need of love, someone is there for us. And when others are in need, we are there for them. And community is strengthened when we are grateful for the slightest bit of goodness another shares, never having a spirit of desert or quid pro quo.
We feel blessed to be part of this web of caring for each other. I believe this is what God wants from each of us - to be open to both giving and receiving, always with a grateful heart.
Spreading Love in Portugal,
Elder David and Sister Chris Longhurst
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