August 25, 2013

It was great to have some of our co-workers back from their vacations last week.  We had been feeling a somewhat lonely with so few people in the office with us.  Elder Henry and I have finished our part of the high-priority contacts for August and are now waiting on our helpers in Cape Verde and Spain to complete their assignments.  Spain just has a couple to do, but the people in Cape Verde usually wait until the last few days.  It always makes us a little nervous, but they usually get done.  I have more of our participants on facebook this week.  It is fun to be able to put a face to the young people we have come to know through emails, texts and phone calls.  It also gives us a feel for how they are doing spiritually, which is our greatest concern.

On Wednesday we did our final apartment inspection for this round.  The Elders in Seixal had a clean, though somewhat disorganized, apartment.  Their bathroom was without light, as the light bulbs had burned out and they could not find any replacement bulbs.  Elder Henry made a trip back to get the bulb and look for a replacement.  He was told that this particular bulb is no longer available.  Elder Hernandez from our office was contacted and the Elders now have light in their bathroom.  Hooray!

There is an older lady in our building, Maria Cidalia, who joined the Church a few months ago and attends the Miratejo Ward.  Recently she gave us some frozen fish and some vegetables.  This week I tried the first of the fish and cooked some sardines.  They tasted pretty good, but we found it to be quite a lot of work for a small amount of food.  I was a little braver about cooking these whole fish after observing our friends, Reginaldo and Ana prepare some for us last weekend.  Being close to the ocean, fish is one of the main foods eaten in Portugal.  Maria gave us enough for five or six more meals.

We have continued to pick up the garbage we see littering the park across the street as we walk in the mornings.  We are trying to establish the habit of taking a shorter stroll in the evenings when we have the chance.  The other night I was busy and Elder Henry went for a stroll by himself.  He was approached by a gentlemen who had seen us before.  He asked where we were from and told Elder Henry what a good example we were for the people in our area.  Elder Henry told him that we enjoy the park and that this is a small way we can do our part.  For me it is a much more enjoyable walk when the litter is missing.  It’s such a beautiful little park and we feel blessed to have it across the street.

I like this quote from Elder Richard G Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:  “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.”   Also, “One of the greatest blessings we can offer to the world is the power of a Christ-centered home where the gospel is taught, covenants are kept, and love abounds.”  This is our prayer for our beloved family and friends.   “Remember:  little things lead to big things.  Seemingly insignificant indiscretions or neglect can lead to big problems.  More importantly, simple, consistent, good habits lead to a life full of bountiful blessings.” 

We see lots of similar gates in Portugal.

We had vines like this at the back of our old home when I was growing up.  We called it Trumpet Vine.

View of the bay of the Tejo River seen yesterday on our drive.

So many old buildings in Portugal.

This African lady is following the prophet's counsel to grow a garden, even if it's in a small square near your apartment building.  I love this!  The people in our building just plant flowers.