We left portugal about four weeks ago - and it has been a whirlwind! So many wonderful experiences with family and dear friends.
London
We flew from Porto to England to spend a week with our son Adam and his partner Paolo. They were amazing hosts! We spent four days in London and three days in Exeter.
We stayed at a hotel right on the Thames, just upstream from the Parlament.
We went on a guided tour of the Parlament - this is in Westminster Hall. Built in 1097, it is the oldest surviving part of the complex. Loved learning about the English system of governance.
Gotta love the gorgeous flowers decorating the pubs in London!
While Paolo was working from home, Adam took us to the Tower of London. This is looking back at the iconic Tower Bridge.
Adam bought tickets to the musical "Mama Mia" - arguably Chris's favorite musical!
We met up with Adam and Paolo at Borough Market - the oldest street market in London (existing since the 11th century).
We drove south, visiting briefly the London Latter-day Saint temple (which is, as Adam characterized it, "out in the middle of nowhere!").
And we also drove through Sussex where several of my Longhurst and other ancestors originated. This is one of several roads in England with our namesake. (Fun fact: there are 5x more Longhurst's in England than in the US.)
In the small town of Angmering in Sussex, we came across this display in a small city park. It took a bit to realize what the decorations were all about: 100 years ago, the English author AA Milne created Winnie the Poo, inspired by places in East Sussex. So cute!
Relaxing on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean in Littlehampton.
Exeter
After four days in London, Adam and Paolo drove us to their hometown of Exeter. Located in Southwest England about a 4-hour drive from London, it has over 100,000 inhabitants. Still, it felt like a small town after being in London.
We loved the medieval wall, built by the Romans in 200 AD. It is perhaps the best-preserved city wall in England, with over 70% of the original structure surviving.
But the most impressive structure is the Exeter Cathedral, situated in the town center. The Gothic archecture is stunning.
And the interior - wow! Love the ceiling arches! The Exeter cathedral has one of the longest, continuous inner spans of any cathedral in Europe.
The astronomical clock in the cathedral is a working model of the solar system as understood in the 15th century. Earth is at the center, circled by the moon (black disk) and sun (fleur de lys). The sun points to the hour of the day (noon at the top and midnight at the bottom). The moon disc is a sphere, with half of its surface black and half silver, which rotates to reflect phases of the moon. Impressive!
The highlight of our time in Exeter was a visit to Adam's lab at the University of Exeter. We were thrilled when Adam landed post-doc role last year working under a former colleague at UC San Francisco. Dr. Longhurst is studying the characteristics of a certain mold that is often fatal to immunocompromised persons. His associates were very complimentary, saying Adam brings positivity and energy to the lab!
Arrival in California
We were surprised and thrilled when Annie, Sav, Jarom, and Christian met us at the airport in San Francisco to welcome us home!
One we arrived home, my first order of business after unpacking was planting some winter veggies in the empty planter boxes!
The first Sunday back we attended picnic of the local interfaith council
We also were pleased that our dear friends Phil/Janie Nelson and Deb Milota (Andy was in Iowa) joined us a dinner, sporting a tablecloth from Portugal.
Later that week, we celebrated Chris's birthday. The festive wrapping paper made by Sav made the gifts special (jigsaw puzzles and Chris's favorite pens)!
Family Gathering
We were very pleased that all of our children (other than Adam) came to spend a few days with us and attend our "Welcome Home" talks at church. So wonderful to be together after our 18-month absence!
Rachel and Brad took the Remington family boating in Folsom Lake.
The weather was perfect for many dinners in our back yard!
Bowling with Amber, Jarom, and Jacob.
And storytelling and laughter around the fire.
Jarom, Jacob, and Annie just loving each other around the kitchen table.
Homecoming Talks
The last formal action associated with our mission was to share mission reflections at the Alamo Ward sacrament meeting.
Attending our home ward in Alamo, where the median age of adults is probably in the 60s or 70s was a cultural shock - very different from the wards in Portgual, where the median age of adults is in the 30s.
We were pleased that several of our interfaith friends came to hear our talks, including our dear friends Terri Moss and Peter Buford.
Our wonderful family on the front steps of the chapel after Sacrament Meeting.
Family Picnic at Rock City
With support from Annie, our grandkids loved climbing up Elephant Rock at Rock City, which is located halfway up nearby Mr. Diablo.
Among the many climbing feats, these grandkids were very proud that they were able to climb to this cave, carved out by wind and rain.
Chris's Family Gathering
Last week we traveled to Dallas to celebrate Chris's sister's 65th birthday, together with her brother and mother (and spouses). So good to be with them!
Cindy and Tod love this Mexican restaurant!
We sorted through a bunch of scrapbooks kept by Chris's mom, each of us pulling out photos and notes we wanted to keep. This note is a real treasure!
Closing Thoughts
We are very happy to be home, especially to be with our family again. Just being in their physical presence and feeling their love is rejuvenating. They are such a wonderful blessing!
That said, we sorely miss our dear friends in Portugal. A part of us longs to be back with them. We are trying to "make do" with text and voice message, and an occasional video call. But it is not the same. We pray for them; they will always be in our hearts.
We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve in Portugal. It far exceeded my expectations. I'm thankful that Chris was has the spirit of adventure - willing to venture to Portugal even though she didn't speak the language. I'm thankful for your interest and encouragement. I'm thankful to God for imparting his love into our hearts.
In my "welcome home" talk, I shared the biggest takeaway from our mission, which is this: Love has the power to transform. It can open up hearts to change. Deep down, people generally know what they need to do to flourish. Feeling our love can awaken what's already inside them. And it can awaken us to see the world in a new and more beautiful way.
Our mission changed us in all the best ways. We are still far from perfect, but we learned that a heart filled with love makes life so much better, so much richer. We pray that this love, the love of God that has filled our hearts, will abide with us as we move into the next chapter of our lives.
With a desire to continue to spreading love,
Dave and Chris Longhurst
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