October 27, 2013

Happy Birthday today to Elder Jacob Henry, who is serving in the Argentina Bahia Branca Mission and has just been called to be a zone leader.  Time has flown—he will be home in the middle of January, just a little over a month after we end our mission.

We enjoyed some heavy rainstorms this week, but have had some nice sunshine for the past two days.  We are expecting more rain tomorrow and then more sunshine.  It is always nice to get the rain, clear the air and provide water for those living things which need it so badly.

Our week at the office was busier than we expected.  Elder Henry gave a wonderful inspirational message at our devotional on Monday morning.  It was very well received by the co-workers and Elder Moreira, the Area Seventy who works out of our office, said that he is going to use at his next Stake Conference.  Elder Henry had many new loan interviews to do and I was kept busy with birthdays, thanks for payments, and searching for participants on Facebook. 

Elder Henry helped Elder Bascom and Elder Barnhart move into a new apartment in Monte de Caparica  in the middle of the week.  They got everything moved except their beds.  They have been sleeping on the couch since then, but Simon Diaz is going to help them get their beds this week.

We had Stake Conference this weekend.  On Saturday afternoon and evening the meetings were held nearby in Miratejo.  Elder Henry was in meetings from 4:00 PM until 8:30 PM and I was there from 5:30 on.  The stake leaders don’t work on a strict schedule like we are accustomed to at home.  Our meeting today was at the Jean Piaget Institute in Monte de Caparica and the place was packed.  Elder Henry was the first speaker and gave a wonderful talk on missionary work and especially serving couple missions.  There were six speakers besides the stake presidency and the meeting went a little overtime.  The meetings were good, but at times a little difficult to understand.

We went to Caparica this afternoon for three baptisms, one of our best yet.  We had three adults baptized—Adilia Januario, Paulo de Oliveira and Margarida de Cunha.  We waited a while for a new convert to show up and give a talk on baptism.  Elder Henry had mentioned to the bishop that if he didn’t show up, he could give a short talk.  He did show up, but the bishop still called on Elder Henry to talk also.  He did a wonderful job.  I took Chocolate Crinkles and banana bread, as they always have food for their baptisms.

We are looking forward to another wonderful week in the mission field.  So sad, though, that Elder and Sister Johnson will be flying home on the 31^st.  We send our love to all.

From L to R-Elder Shumway, Vitor, Margarida, Paulo, Adilia, Elder Baker

Paula Tavares (recent convert) with Sister and Elder Henry

Our bishop's son, Dinis, with a plate of my Chocolate Crinkles.  He had a really full plate at one point and kept reaching for more.  

October 20, 2013

For family and friends who knew my home growing up in Gridley, California, the home and property have been sold to Dale Leishman.  Myrna and Jerry will be moving to Yuba City soon and sharing a large home with their daughter Kim and her husband and family.  It will be much easier for Myrna to be rid of the worry of the upkeep of the home and property.  As we get older, sometimes this type of change is necessary.  They are considering building a small home on Drew and Sarah’s property in Oroville.

We had two PEF participants pay off their loans this week.  This is always exciting for us, as we know the sense of freedom it brings to pay off our debts.  Our prophets continue to council us to avoid debt and when we have debt, to pay it off as quickly as possible. We also had a participant who needed some consoling, and others who needed interviews with a new school year starting.   We seem to have plenty to keep us busy.

Tuesday we had a meeting with the owner of one of our missionary apartments.  The missionaries are moving to a better location and we needed to go over a list of items that had been furnished with the apartment when it was rented five years ago.  The lady was insisting on seeing the same towels, etc., that she provided when the apartment was rented.  It was an interesting experience.

On Wednesday we had an appointment in Lisbon to renew our residency papers.  We left home at 7:30 and didn’t arrive at the mission office until 9:15.  This trip usually takes us one- half hour.  The traffic was so heavy in one spot that we must have waited through at least 20 green lights, moving forward just a little at a time.  Fortunately we arrived in time to meet Pres. and Sis. Fluckiger, who were also renewing their residency, and to travel to another location where we completed the necessary paperwork.  It seems a shame to have to renew with less than two months to go.

We had a video conference with leaders from SLC and other parts of the world on Friday afternoon.  They gave us some training on the new Self Reliance/Perpetual Education Program that will be implemented here sometime next year.  They will be giving training the third week of each month. 

We spent Friday evening cleaning our apartment, so we could use our P-Day on Saturday to visit another city.  We traveled to Mafra and enjoyed a beautiful drive plus enjoyed our visit to one more unique palace.  I will post some pictures later on Facebook.

I will conclude with a quote from Elder Richard G. Scott:  “Be certain that every decision you make, whether temporal or spiritual, is conditioned on what the Savior would have you do.  When He is the center of your home, there is peace and serenity.  There is a spirit of assurance that pervades the home, and it is felt by all who dwell there.”

“As you center your home on the Savior, it will naturally become a refuge not only to your own family but also to friends who live in more difficult circumstances.  They will be drawn to the serenity they feel there.  Welcome such friends into your home.  They will blossom in that Christ-centered environment.”

National Palace of Mafra (It is so large that it is difficult to get a picture of the entire edifice.)

The Music Room--One of my favorites.

The Hunting Room--There were antlers and heads everywhere!

The Library-with over 36,000 volumes.

October 13, 2013

This past Monday we spent a few hours at the office and then went to the mission office to get Mike’s insurance papers and on to the hospital where he had two tests scheduled for his leg.  When we arrived at the hospital they said one test he could have soon, but we would have a 3-hour delay for the other.  As it turned out, we were only there for an hour and 15 minutes and the sonogram and x-ray were done.  We had to wait a few hours for his doctor consultation and it wasn’t worthwhile to return home, so we had lunch at the mall close-by and had some photos made for members and missionaries.  He didn’t get in to see the doctor until 6:30 PM.  The doctor said that his problem is arthritis and there is not much that can be done until he can’t live with the pain.  The good news is that he is doing quite well and has been walking much more than he was able to do for a while.

We had a busy week at the office making our PEF contacts. Mike made lots of phone calls and did some interviews for new loans.  I have texted everyone except those students who live in Spain and made a few phone calls and emails.  This week my main task will be to send text messages to Spain.

We had a surprise in the middle of the week.  Olinda Silva, who was transferred from our office to Germany, came to help with some interviews.  It was nice to see her, but she was only there a part of two days.  She brought us a wonderfully delicious chocolate bar from Germany.

The Oversons who were in SLC waiting for their visas to Brazil for 10 months finally received them and are in Brazil now.  The other couple, the Markhams, will be coming to Portugal as soon as they receive their visas.  They haven’t been waiting quite as long, but I am sure it has required patience on their part.  They have been helping to train other couples for the new PEF-Self Reliance program.

After working part day at the office, Elder and Sister Johnson picked us up about 2:00 PM on Friday and we traveled to Evora, a city we had wanted to visit for some time.  We stopped by Montemor on the way to see a castle and chapel there.  We checked in to our hotel in Evora and then went for a drive to see the walled city and drive through it for a while.  We met up with Elder and Sister Sommers who traveled from a different area to spend some time with us.  We ate at a very nice little restaurant we found on one of the little side streets and found out that it was supposed to have the best food in town.  It should be good, because the prices were quite high.  It did have some of the best appetizers we have had to this point.  In Portugal the waiters always bring little dishes of appetizers and you pay extra for whatever you eat.  It can add quite a bit to your bill.  In most places even the bread and butter cost extra.  But the good part is that you are not obligated to eat anything you don’t want, and you can tell them to take the items away.

On Saturday we ate breakfast at our hotel and then walked over to the walled city of Evora to meet the Sommers, who had a hotel there.  We spent several hours walking the streets of this quaint little city and visiting cathedrals, shopping and visiting.  They even have a Chapel of the Bones which has human bones on the walls.  (Quite an unusual concept, if you ask me.)  We ate lunch outside of a small restaurant and enjoyed the pleasant coolness of the day.  It was a cloudy day.  All of the women decided to have a sandwich called “Crazy Cheese Panini”, which was quite good.

We left Evora about 3:30 PM and started for Arraiolos, but decided to take a side trip to see the Portuguese version of Stone Henge at Cromeleque dos Almendres.  They have 92 stones in this location. Next we drove to Arraiolos to see the castle there.  It was a small town and Elder Johnson stopped and bought some bottled water for 12 cents each.   We also visited a little tapestry shop and enjoyed seeing the beautiful creations.  There was a small one I loved, but it cost 53 euros.

The Johnsons finish their mission on the 23^rd of this month and then are spending a few days in Spain before returning home at the end of the month.  We will miss having them close by, as we have enjoyed their friendship.  Hopefully we will see them again before they leave.

We did receive some flight plans this week.  If they stay the same, we will fly from here to London, then to Los Angeles and on to Sacramento.  With the time change, we will leave here in the morning and arrive home late in the evening of the same day—December 10--but it will be a looooooong day.  And this is without any delays.  I already know it is going to be a sad-glad day.  It is difficult to leave a country and people you have grown to love so much, but a very happy occasion to return home to family and friends.  We send our love to all!

Castle at Montemor

A section of the wall around Evora.

Roman Ruins at Evora

Sisters Johnson, Henry and Sommers

Elders Johnson, Sommers and Henry

October 6, 2013

What a glorious opportunity to have access to General Conference in the comfort of our homes and to be able to listen to the inspired discourses of our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, the twelve apostles, and other chosen servants of the Lord.  The talks have all been great thus far and we can only expect them to continue to be so.  There was a strong emphasis on missionary work and I especially enjoyed David A. Bednar’s talk on tithing (my favorite commandment) and Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk on depression with his usual compassionate perspective.  We are so blessed to be members of Jesus Christ’s true church and to have these semi-annual conferences to encourage and uplift us in our efforts to live more righteously.  It was a thrill to see that Braden, our 6-year-old grandson, had taken some great notes as he watched conference with his family.  What a blessing to see our grandchildren taught in the ways of the Lord.  I really liked Boyd K. Packer’s comment that we have a safe place to raise children in this troubled world—it is in a gospel-centered home.

Mike had an appointment on Monday with a doctor in Lisbon to see if there is anything which can be done to alleviate the pain he has had in his leg.  The doctor sent him to get an X-ray, but the lab was too busy to do it.  So, we are returning to the hospital tomorrow about mid-day and then he is to see the doctor about 6:00 PM.  His leg has actually been feeling better and he has been walking more, but that is usually the case when you finally get an appointment.

We started a new month of PEF contacts.  I spent a good part of my time this week texting the participants and reminding them to watch conference this weekend.  It was well worth it if even one watched who wouldn’t have otherwise.  Fabio, who recently moved to Portugal from the UK and has been inactive, responded by asking where and when the conference would be broadcast.  His stake president happens to work in the church offices with us, so he was going to call and give him the information.

Elder and Sister Johnson have less than three weeks remaining on their mission.  We took them out to the churrascaria in Charneca on Friday night where we ate with the Adrianos a few months ago.  We really enjoyed the evening with them.  We came back to our apartment and had fudge pudding cake and ice cream.  This next weekend we plan to go to Evora with them and enjoy the sites there.  It will be sad to see them leave.  We have enjoyed having senior couples to associate with on this mission.

We are so grateful for our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for this great experience we have had to serve a mission here in Portugal.  We have missed our family and friends, but have made many new friends that have blessed our lives greatly.

If we have opposition and difficulties in our lives, as we all experience from time to time, we need to remember that “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Christ.” Timothy J Dyches

Many homes have tile on them in Portugal.

Notice the bottom street Avenue Estados Unidos da America.

One of many large older homes found here.