Serving with Young Missionaries
We love attending zone conferences and mission leader council meetings. Sister Leal is all heart - and we all feel here deep love and goodness. President Leal is an exceptional teacher and trainer. He speaks with clarity and power - I can listen to him for hours on end and never tire - he speaks in such a thoughtful, balanced, and compelling way. He teaches missionaries to work hard and work smart. And they rise to his high expectations. Because of their diligence and faith, they exude a goodness that is palpable. A few of "favorite" missionaries are shown below - but there are many more!
Elders Batista (Brazil) and Carvalho (Cape Verde). Elder Carvalho, soft spoken and very intelligent, was our district leader.
Elder Bruse (Utah) and Durado (Canada). They are both wearing ties that gave them - a wonderful missionary tradition! Elder Durado is our zone leader - he speaks 4+ languages!
Elders Christiansen (Utah) and Beck (Texas). Elder Beck is our current district leader. I love that he thinks outside of the box - and very sharp!
Cris and Julie Salik Visit
Cris Salik is Chris's dear friend from high school. Here's a quick summary of why Cris feels "like family": In 1977, Chris older brother Craig was serving a mission in Austria. His mission president, Gustav Salik, was from Brazil. Pres Salik's daughter, Cris, had always wanted to study in America. When Craig learned this, he asked his parents if Cris could live with his family for one year - his bedroom was vacant and she could use it while he served as a missionary! It all worked out and Chris and Cris became fast friends - sisters at heart.
After we received our mission call to Portugal, we asked Cris if she would be open to tutering us in the Portuguese language, and she graciously agreed. She has been awesome - both of us speak better portuguese than we would otherwise! We were thrilled that she and her youngest daughter Julie could get away from their homes in Brazil to come visit us here in Portugal!
The builders of the exquisite Guimeraes Castle used existing boulders as part of the castle walls.
A view of the Paco dos Duques (Palace of the Dukes) from the castle. This gorgeous 15th-century palace has over 50 chimneys - a fireplace in every room (a real luxury during the cold winters of northern Portugal)!
One large room of the palace is a small chapel, with gorgeous stained glass windows!
Courtyard of the palace. The 2nd-level arched entrance leads to the chapel.
One of the many rooms, many with gorgeous tapestries from the 15th and 16th centuries.
We happened across this solemn procession of Corpus Cristi while in Guimeraes. (Corpus Cristi commemorates the institution of the Eucharist.) A large crowd (maybe 250 people?) followed the short procession singing at the top of their lungs. I love that the Portuguese have retained their religious traditions, including publicly declaring their faith.
A tender moment with mom and daughter.
Looking over a small chapel from what remains of the city wall toward the lovely Santos Passos Church.
Julie and I walked up the stairs to the dome of the Sanctuary of Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo. It was a beautiful clear day with quite a strong breeze!
We introduced our dear friends Anax, Ideolina, Sara, and Pedro over dinner.
And another dinner with Gabriel and the Santos family - França, Maria Clara, and Diogo.
Santos Family
Speaking of the Santos family, I love this photo series, with Maria Clara (who is outgoing) and Diogo (who is definitely an introvert). They are so fun! Both plan to serve a mission - Maria Clara after she graduates from high school next year. We are excited for them to have this experience.
The Santos family invited us to accompany them when they received their patriarchal blessings from the stake patriarch, José Lages.
Mamuela's Baptism
Manuela attended church with the Vital family about two months ago. After her first visit, she wanted to attend every week because, she said, "It feels good." And she indeed attends virtually every week. Her parent recognized how much she enjoys attending and are very supportive.
Luca Vital (new member and counselor in the EQ Presidency) performed the baptism and Mayara Vital (Young Women President) gave a wonderful talk.
The baptism was very well attended by Viana do Castelo branch members, even though the baptism was in Moncão, an hour's drive from Viana!
Our dear friend Nadja was excited to show us her "new" car - a big upgrade from her very old one. Now she will be able to drive her four grandchildren from Moncão to Viana to attend church regularly!
Birthday Celebration
Our friends in the Barcelos Ward held a combined birthday celebration for Anax and me at the local park. Feeling the love!
Misc. Photos - Our Life as Member/Leader Support (MLS) Missionaries
I love helping with cooking. This evening it was with Quenia at Morgana's home, cooking a Brazilian meal.
I regularly frequent a local organic foods store owned and operated by lovely identical twins. But for a few weeks, we were "twins" - both of us have an orthotic boot on our left foot - mine for stubborn achilles tendonitis and hers for a broken bone.
A family home evening with the Tenório family. Luudicéia loved her experience as a youth in the church, but stopped attending after her first marriage fell apart. She hopes for a similar experience for her two sons, who were baptised about six months ago.
We are trying to help them integrate into the ward, and the young missionaries are doing a great job connecting with them. If Luudicéia and Felipi ever decide to marry, I think Felipi would like to be baptised too.
We spent a wonderful evening at Marco and Mariana's home. Jared and Soraya (on the right) also joined us. Soraya was recently called as the Relief Society president and is doing a wonderful job! After dinner, we went on a short walk behind their home, which the kids loved!
We had a lovely dinner at our home with Ildo and Rosangela and their two children. Ildo has a full-time job at a factory (2-10pm). He also owns a cleaning business - they clean two MacDonalds restaurants from 3am to 7am. He works with his crew most nights. Thus, he has a very busy schedule. But he works very hard with the hope that he can grow the cleaning business enough to eventually quit the factory job.
Such cute kids! Their daughter is confident and bright - and she loves to dance!
A temporary eating area, set up during the Roman Festival in Barcelos. I love the community feel - people are friendly and seem to enjoy interacting with us.
One of the many people in Roman atire - this man was going on-stage shorly.
This "giant" wandered around the city center acting like he was going to capture children - but his "handlers" always stepped in to stop him. Most children loved this theatrical game!
This woman was the best of a very good medieval dance team performing for free.
And this dancer brought a Moor perspective (the Moors controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula from approx 750 to 1250).
Ponte da Lima (Literal translation: Bridge over the Lima River)
Built first by the Romans and then strengthened during the middle ages, this bridge ("ponte") is a gem.
One of several towers that were integrated into the medieval city wall.
The wood in the door to the tower (and the hinges) look old enough to be from the middle ages!
Lovely fountain, with a picturesque backdrop. Notice the Moor influence in the window shapes.
Carlos Marinho (Viana EQ Pres) and his son Thomas led us on a tour.
Restaurants here are generally closed on Monday. If this one had been open, I would have eaten there, just for the lovely flowers!
The city has its own tradition of a "bull run". On the eve of Corpus Cristi, a bull is guided by ropes to the parish church, where it must circle the church exactly three times. Afterwards, the bull is drenched with local wine and then set free on the beach, where spectators can run freely with the bull.
This sculpture illustrates the agrarian roots of the area. It also depicts farming as a family enterprise, requiring men, women, and children to work alongside each other.
I love this sculpture of a traditional marriage, capturing traditional musical instruments, dance style, and dress.
This exhibit celebrates a fun Roman legend. According to the legend, the Limia River caused anyone who crossed it to lose their memories. In 138 BC, general Decimus Junius Brutus wanted to dispel this myth. He rode his horse across the stream and then called his terrified soldiers by name from the opposite shore.
When the soldiers saw that their general remembered his way across and knew all of their names, their fears vanished, and the entire Roman army crossed without hesitation.
This story made me reflect on the irrational fears that hold me back!
Love and Diversity
It's hard to put into words how much we are enjoying the people here. Even though we have been here only about 15 months, it feels like home. We have made some dear friends that will be friends for life. We love serving these people, looking for ways we can be a blessing in their lives. It's easy to love them. And rewardingly, they love us back. Many feel like family.
Also, as you can tell from my blog, it's been a treat to learn so much about the history of Portugal and to experience the culture here. Learning some of the history and appreciating the culture is not only super interesting, it also gives depth and breath to relationships.
And in addition to Portuguese culture, we have also been exposed to Brazilian, Columbian, Venezuelan, Angolan, Cape Verdian, and Indian cultures, among others. Such a rich variety!
God clearly loves diversity - just take a look at nature! And it's the diversity that makes nature so beautiful. Who would want a world where every flower looked the same? Chris often wonders why I "have to" stop and look closely at every flower? "Well," I respond, "it's because every flower is beautiful in it's own way." The same is true of people.
Blessings to you all. Amidst the challenges of day-to-day living, may we all humbly invite God's love to fill our hearts, so that we can see more clearly and love more fully the person in front of us.
Elder and Sister Longhurst
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