A Temple in Portugal!!!

                                 
                                   December 5th was the ground breaking for the first temple in Portugal, right here in Lisbon!  There is alot of excitement about having a temple here.  Right now they have to travel to Spain.  We can already feel the promised blessings to this country from having a temple here.  There was awesome national news coverage about the temple, what it is used for, what the church believes and interviews with many faithful members.  They even came to our ward last Sunday to interview 2 of the Elders after meetings!  We have noticed that many more people seem to be taking an interest in our badges as we travel about town.  There are so many faithful and hardworking members here whose lives center around their testimonies of the Savior and His gospel.  They are now being blessed for that dedication by having a temple in their midst.  We believe this will be the beginning of the rapid growth of the gospel here as it was in Brazil.

We couldn't attend the ground breaking ceremony...so we got our own shovel!

As we were driving around we saw this and thought..."What, they already have a temple in Lisbon!"

Until we noticed that they didn't have the right figure on the top!

A Welcome Sight!

   Sometimes you just need a McDonalds fix!!  We had been trying to find an address of a chapel about a half an hour away...we were hopelessly lost but then...Out of the darkness appeared these 'golden arches'  and after a brief stop and a welcome taste of home, we found the chapel with time to spare!  

The back of our new car makes a great emergency table...the place was PACKED!!!

   It's beginning to look like Christmas - The lights here are beautiful but most of them are so bright that my iphone camera can't focus on them - the pictures come out like a white blur.  I am finally starting to get a little Christmas spirit.  We were behind a couple in line at the neighborhood Pingo Doce.  They had a little girl with them, and had a bag separate from their groceries with a box that was obviously a Christmas gift for her.  I watched as the mom checked all the groceries through and then the husband sneaked the big bag up to be scanned as the mom was distracting the little girl.  It was absurd how exciting that was for me, I got a little teary eyed along with a huge desire to see what they were buying for her!  The cashier scanned the box without removing it from the bag and I was so sad... it was all I could do to keep myself from asking if I could have a peek inside!!!  I probably would have if ...A. I could speak Portuguese and   B,  Ric hadn't been with me.  I realize that if I let myself dwell on it, I miss all the fuss of Christmas.  I've always loved the shopping and waiting for someone to open the gift (especially grandkids)  I am trying to focus more on the Savior this year and feel His love for me.  I have been reading Jesus the Christ and focusing on His life in my scripture study.  It is because of Him, His sacrafice for me and His plan for my family that I am able to feel the joy and peace I do when thinking of all those loved ones I have left at home.  May each of you have that wonderful peace and joy in your hearts at this beautiful season.

You've gotta Have Some Down Days

Not everyday can be the best...I have made it my policy since we arrived here in Portugal that as soon I started to feel homesick or get a little blue...I would just get busy doing something or turn off the music that was making me emotional or work on my Portuguese.  But yesterday was a bad day for me.  It started out at breakfast without any warning.  I had cooked French Toast to celebrate the maple syrup we had found at the America Liberty Store.  So the smells of home were in our apartment...Just I was setting down I remembered to get the napkins.  Well, we keep our napkins in a little lower cabinet at the end of our counter......the same place Sweet Afton kept her napkins.  As I grabbed them and turned to go back to the table, I was flooded with the memory of eating breakfast with her and she always wanted a napkin if I had forgotten to get one earlier.  The realization of her not being in her home setting at her table eating french toast or eggs hit me like a ton of bricks!!  I think the rush to pack and get ready to leave after her passing robbed me of the necessary time I needed to grieve. The tears came and they were hard to turn off.  I miss her and feel her love for us very deeply.  I can still see her wag her finger at us and tell us not to worry about her and get on a mission.  I know that our Father in Heaven had a hand in the timing of all things that transpired before being able to leave.  We feel Afton's love and support everyday as she cheers us on.  Love you Afton,  and thank you for showing me the type of woman I wanted to be when I grew up.

Miss this beautiful Lady

Something Smells "Fishy"

Ever heard the term..."something smells fishy"   Well, that describes our little Pingo Doce grocery store below the Bull Fighting Arena.  It is a small store and if I were a fish lover I would LOVE that they have so many varieties of fish for such a small store.  But alas, anything beyond Tuna fish and Salmon are out of my league.  I am able to shop now without the feeling of nausea... I only have to hold my breath while passing in the general vicinity!  In defense of this little store, they also have a great little butcher at the meat counter, ready to cut and wrap anything you want.  AND they have a great fresh bakery... who knows, maybe before we're finished, I will be ready to try that tasty looking EEL!  

 This is bacahalou (?sp) and is by far the most preferred fish here.  It is dried and covered in salt- before cooking it must be soaked in water to remove the salt.

Is it just me, or does his eyes (oops eye),  seem to be following you!!

Other things we are Thankful For!

The last week has been a time to count blessings in our lives.  Of course our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our amazing family are at the top of the list.  Truthfully, thanksgiving just wasn't thanksgiving without our family here. But...... If we are counting the small blessing in our lives as missionaries these are certainly among them.  Feeding a last minute group of 4 elders a thanksgiving dinner was both stressful and wonderful at the same time.  It is a big responsibility to give a 'thanksgiving memory' to these young men.  but miraculously it turned out pretty well.

It was fun to have company and they even put up our Christmas tree for us!

 These people are our substitute 'family'  This is Antinio Paulo and his family.  He is our leader over self reliance and his family have sort of adopted us.  It was great to have them over to our 'casa' for a typical Mormon sunday dinner of Pot Roast and Elder Anderton's home made Wheat bread.  We had a short FHE..a great night.

And this little beauty is the newest addition to our 'family'  We are now the proud owners/users of a CAR!!  It feels like Freedom!!! Now everyday I've got to include in my prayers that we don't run a red light, hit a pedestrian or get smashed by a train!

A Much Appreciated 'P' Day

   After a weekend filled with training seminars, and attending multiple SR devotionals...it was decided that Monday would be our 'Preparation Day.'  We used the morning to catch up on some laundry, grocery shopping and then took the metro to catch one of the Lisbon tour buses.  We had seen them around town everyday...the typical double-decker, open top bus with headphones and tour information in 7 languanges. (yeah English!)  What struck me most was the contrast between the OLD and NEW.  The differences in this city make it beautiful and interesting.

He may look warm but with the wind in our faces, we were frozen by the time it was over!!!

Some of the older abandoned buildings here are preserved just because of the grafiti

!

This is a ancient 'look-out' post that stands at the head of the river.  It was filled with army to defend the city from invasion.

Some things never change....I'm still feeding people even in Portugal!

Yesterday, Saturday, we had a nationwide Stake Self Reliance specialists training.  It was held here in the center.  Antonio has been preparing for it for a long time.  It was kind of a big deal.  Some had to travel by plane from surrounding islands to attend.  Elder Anderton was in charge of a section of the training and seemed to do very well.  He is getting more comfortable with the language everyday.  I volunteered to be in charge of the food.  I was so nervous that something would go wrong.  It turned out OK and everyone seemed to like it, I am just glad I didn't poison anyone and glad it's over!  The meeting lasted 5 hours including breaks for snacks and a lunch.  Immediately afterwards, we had to rush to a nearby ward for a My Path devotional that lasted 2 hours.  Ric was asked to conduct that meeting at the last minute.  I've am learning that you have to be ready for anything at all times!  Needless to say, our weekends are not really that relaxing!

This is just the snack table... You can always count on me to over estimate the food needed- just ask my kids!  My motto is 'my food may not be the best, but there is always plenty of it?!?'  Didn't get a pic of the lunch...I was daring and cooked something sort of non traditional for them.  I put a pork roast in the slow cooker and then had to look all over creation for BBQ sauce to make pulled pork sandwiches.  They seemed to love it! That along with their 'batatas fritas' (potato chips)...they really do love them!

You'd think I was feeding the Portuguese army!!

Ric was also in charge of all the video and media presentations.  That little projector the kids gave him sure came in handy!

Sunday after church there was a baptism in our ward.  Everyone stayed to support this new member...it was awesome.  The bishop also asked us to speak next week!!  Should have been expecting it.  With only 30 people on a good day we will probably be speaking every other month!  Sure hope all who attend are blessed with the gift of tongues!