The concentrated time with different missionaries in Swaziland, South Africa, and Namibia in October was really encouraging, inspiring, and educational. I visited a Christian leader training school in Swaziland that an Angolan we know attended. We visited a couple who have a preaching school and an orphanage in Tsumeb, Namibia. I was privileged to spend several days with a Swiss missionary couple who have worked in children’s ministry in South Africa for over 20 years! I learned so much about working with children in an African context, and was privileged to participate in their children’s hospital ministry.

Praying over those sick babies and children in a South African Hospital overwhelmed me, and reaffirmed my desire to work in this capacity in Huambo. I have been focused on learning church/Christian culture here in Angola, and haven’t spent as much time pursuing medical outreach yet. But God placed on my heart the knowledge that it was time to begin more medical outreach. Since my return, many opportunities to focus on this area have already been provided. I have been beginning to receive calls from other expatriates here in Huambo, from friends who know I am a nurse, and people in the neighborhood who are beginning to stop by for advice and help. I am loving it. The last week in October I attended a mini-workshop given by a nurse who works in a city about 2 hours away using plants locally available to treat illnesses. I have already been teaching my “family” and neighbors about these treatments. We are all amazed that some of their problems can be treated in such a simple way. How exciting it is to empower people. During the month of December, I will be doing an internship in a mission hospital in Lubango (a city in the south of Angola) to learn more about healthcare in Angola and the resources that are available to me here. This is an amazing opportunity, and God arranged it at just the time when I was ready for it. I look forward to sharing about this time.

During the last month, God answered a prayer with unexpected rapidity and I became the owner of a vehicle – a used Nissan Pathfinder. I had been planning to wait some time before I purchased a vehicle, largely because they are normally so expensive here in Angola. I had prayed about it, and was content to wait until God provided a reasonable used option. At the end of September (to my surprise) I was offered a vehicle by some missionaries in a city a few hours away who were leaving Angola. The price they offered was unbelievably low for Angola, and though well used I knew it had been well-cared for. After prayer, consulting with my supporting church, and a member of my support team who is a wonderful mechanic, we decided to buy the car. I am now learning to care for a car in Angola. I have been blessed by “o meu primo” (one of my Angolan cousins) who knows alot about the upkeep needed. This car is a blessing for ministry in many ways. I did not travel in the city after dark when I was without a car and I also couldn’t schedule much in a day because it took much more effort and time to get from place to place. But having the ability to be out and about a little later and accomplish more things each day has opened up new ministry opportunities. And I am meeting lots of people in the “neighborhood” by giving rides along the way.

One area of ministry that I have really been enjoying is the opportunity to be involved in a local English club. It is in the evening and now that I have my car I am able to participate consistently. I have led discussion groups the last few weeks with some more advanced students, and was surprised by how well it went and by how much I enjoyed it. God gives grace and words for the moment. I am loving the opportunity to connect with people while teaching at the same time. And my network of friends here in Huambo is ever expanding. For those of you who want ideas for packages, I would really like to get my hands on some good Christian films and videos of Christian speakers to watch with the students to provoke discussion. If you have ideas, titles, or materials to suggest I would love to hear them. Also, Bible story books or stories of Christians in English written at a low to moderate reading level would be awesome to use for this group. They could practice reading and then we can discuss.

Next week a large group of leaders from our inviting church are coming from Luanda to stay with us and we will spend our time meeting various leaders in Huambo, looking into land options for future church building and development, and organizing some specific plans of action for our team with these leaders. While this will be a time of proving in respect to my Angolan hospitality and cooking skills, I think it will be a really good time of growing closer to our Angolan leaders and hopefully coming up with a joint vision for the next year of work. Please pray for this meeting the Dec 7-10th of December.

As always, I love to hear from you. Thanks to all of you who have sent packages and cards, and emails so far. The workers at the post office say that my family and friends in America must love me alot. My birthday was unbelievably special thanks to so many of you, and especially my supporting church Little Rock Church who sent tons of cards to make me feel special. The kids classes sent me awesome artwork to decorate my walls.
Thank you most of all for your continued prayers. I need them and so does the country of Angola. Our God is a mighty God who takes such good care of me, and provides me with more than I need or deserve. Every situation I have been in thus far has been easily resolved as God worked through kind and generous hearts or softened the hearts of others.
I praise God for He has done marvelous things! And I know He will continue. Even in the harder moments, His presence has never left me. He is never far away.

Personal Update

This has been a busy last few months. For most of the month of October, our team traveled in Southern Africa visiting with and learning from other missionaries in our part of the world. I met so many wonderful new friends who will be such helpful resources in the future. It was wonderful to be welcomed, spoiled, and listened to by people who are working to accomplish the same things we are striving towards, and can sympathize with the struggles and joys. During my time in South Africa, I was also able to meet up for a few days with a dear friend who had been working in a clinic in Zambia. The time of relaxation with her was so restful and revitalizing! On the long overland drive back to Angola, some of my team-mates and I were able to camp in a game park in the Kalahari dessert and enjoy seeing some African animals.

When we returned from South Africa, I was sick for a while, recovered after a course of antibiotics, only to get sick again. I am finally pretty much back to normal now. November was a rough month for the team as a whole, both emotionally and with sickness. Some Portuguese missionaries, who had been working near Huambo, and had become dear friends and cultural teachers decided to leave Angola permanently. This was a loss to be mourned.The Reese’s had some things stolen, and both families have had difficulties making necessary repairs to their homes. We are all emerging the stronger and with a little more patience and understanding. We know in the grand scheme of things these trials aren’t even worth mentioning, but it was rough for a few weeks. We are entering the holiday season now, and it is always the hardest time of the year to be away from family. Please remember us during this time.

The end of October brought the start of my first rainy season. It now rains every day. Sometimes alot, sometimes a little. At first the hard rains seemed incredibly noisy on our tin roof but now I am accustomed to the noise and love it. We have the drill down when the hard rain starts for the day. We all run to put basins under the spots in the roof that leak. The large holes in the dirt roads in my neighborhood have turned into small lakes. The weather is very interesting because when it rains, it is very cold (we even had hail one day) but then once the sun comes out it is very hot. It is summer here, after all, but you never know what the temperature will be. The rain can come up very quickly.

I continue to live with my Angolan family. I have been with them since August. What a blessing they are! My cultural and language learning continues to move at a rapid pace because of this experience. I have been told several times that I am now about ready to marry an Angolan. I have “primos” (cousins) all over Huambo who help me with various things from car advice, to making sure I know how to be safe in my new country, and even teaching me the proper etiquette and ways to dress for different occasions/celebrations. I have been sharing things I have learned with my team and even other missionaries who have been here for years but have never heard some of the things I am learning. Just “normal” everyday things but that really affect how you address things. For instance, many of the Ovimbundu (the dominant Angolan people group here in Huambo) keep pets and plants, not necessarily just because they like them, but to protected them from evil spirits that are sent against them. They believe when evil spirits are trying to enter your home, these plants and/or animals act as a buffer and absorb the spirits before they can harm the household. So when plants and/or animals die, you know that you have been under a spiritual attack. This gives a whole new aspect to some conversational topics, and also a new awareness of the spiritual battle that wages around us. I have been told that Huambo province is the center of the most intense spiritual warfare in the country.

Despite all the wonderful benefits, living with another family means that my time at home is not always my own. There are always visits to be paid, visitors to visit with, yummy food to learn to cook, and Brazilian novellas (soap operas) to be watched. As much as I love this situation, I will most likely begin searching for my own housing after the start of the new year. I certainly plan to continue with all the relationship building, visit paying, cooking, and all the other things that have been so wonderful during this time (except possibly the time watching novellas); however, my own home will enable me to have have more regularly scheduled time for communication, study, visiting, discipling, teaching, etc.

Well, at least now I am living a little closer to that dream. I still have alot more in the way of modern conveniences than they did, like a computer to communicate, a solar powered flashlight and phone charger, a generator in the evenings, and car or mototaxi to get us to and from the stores and the market. I am so thankful for these things. And really, I guess I am spoiled. But I do get to pull my water up from a well right now. My practical mom always said “It sounds very romantic, but you wouldn’t like if you were dirty all the time and couldn’t take a shower.”  But I am enjoying the change of pace. It is thrilling to be pulling my water up from a well, buying things in an open air market, living on dirt roads, and speaking in Portuguese. For now. Ask me again in a week and I might be a little less enthusiastic. It is exhausting though. I am always hungry and thirsty and tired. And when it gets dark I am ready to sleep.

Today, my first day in Huambo, we went to the government office to register that we were now staying in Huambo. Each time you travel to a different province in Angola, you must register your change in current location. So this was our first priority.

We went and they were very friendly to us. When the officer was filling out my paperwork he said, Jordan, that is the same name as the basketball player! I said yes, but my mom had named me after a river, not Michal Jordan. When we left, he still remembered my name when he said good-bye.

We next went to a mercado (grocery store) to get a few things to eat and checked out prices. Most things are similar to Luanda, but fresh foods are much cheaper and even cheaper still in the open air markets.

I then went to the bank to set up my angolan bank account.  We then went to a park and had a picnic lunch which I shared with some little friends I made. Bought some tangerines in the park which were delicious. It is so fun and novel to be able to buy anything and everything just along your way as you walk. If you need more “saldo” (pre-paid minutes) for your phone, there is someone selling the cards on the sidewalk. If you need bread for lunch, there is someone walking along the road with a basket of bread on her head. If you need some vegetables for dinner, there is a mama sitting on the side of the road with fresh tomatoes and lettuce spread out on a blanket. If you need a padlock, or a blanket, or sugarcane, or a coke, or charcoal for your fire there are people selling it alongside the road and you simply open your window and buy it.

We then went to another little mercado to see what was available, and looked at some furniture options. After, we went to Huambo’s main market and bought out produce for dinner. Later in the afternoon we went to look at a possible option for housing for someone on the team. It is a real fixer-upper, but if the price is right it could be worth it. Our friend Charles, who wanted to look at the house too, went with us. When we arrived to pick him up, I visited with some of the family he has living with him, and his wife showed me their home. She showed me the room they have all ready for me to come and stay in for a visit! I am so thankful to have this Angolan family that is ready and excited to take me in and teach me about themselves, their family and Angolan life and culture. I think it will be a really great bonding experience. And I will learn really valuable things like how to prepare and cook frango (chicken). In Angola that starts with a live chicken (“galinha”) running around the yard. I also want to learn to make funge, an Angolan staple kind of similar to grits (but more cohesive) made from maize or cassava. And staying with a family like this will teach me more about the correct social behaviors and how for me to appropriately interact with people. I look forward to this time.

I have included a few pictures. Me leaving Luanda for Huambo early Monday morning, a few sites seen out the car window on the drive to Huambo, me pulling out our days worth of water from the well yesterday morning, Katie doing laundry, and my bedroom in the Reese’s house. I will post a few pictures of the house and our market when I can. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger if you want.

In summary, life is a little harder, but very satisfying and very interesting to explore. And mom, you were right.  I do miss my shower.

I am continuing to do well here in Angola. We continue to enjoy and be thankful for the hospitality of our wonderful host family, the Evansons.

At this point, we are waiting for the completion of the process of paperwork for the car that one of my team-mates bought. As soon as he can legally drive it (it takes quite a while to get all that paperwork) we will move to Huambo. I think I may be taking a bus there, but we will use his car to haul most of our luggage. We are hoping that the move will be in the next day or two. We would like to get there before this weekend. We are all enjoying being in Angola and visiting with people and exploring the capital city, but we are all ready to move to Huambo so we can begin settling into our lives there. Once we move there we will set up bank accounts, begin locating permanent housing, getting to know the community, and beginning to build long-term relationships. I am really looking forward to this stage.

The longer I am here (all of about 10 days now) the more I realize what an intense process it will be to learn all the social norms and rules I need to know to build those relationships. But it is going to be worth every bit of work. Every time I speak with someone I learn something new. Either a different way to express something or a different way of interacting while I express it. I am sure this learning will continue for years and years and years. It is so hard to remember not to make eye contact or with men (this can be seen as inappropriate for a single woman), or to remember shake hands with both hands (this is a cultural assurance of respect and also an assurance that you mean the person no harm). I am sure there are tons of things that I don’t even know that I should or should be doing yet. However, people have been very friendly and welcoming so far as well. They are forgiving of my ignorance and helpful. However, it is not often that someone would verbally mention a social offense in this culture, so I am trying to keep my eyes open to observe and learn all that I can in this way. I am praying that as I settle in God will bring a friend willing to serve the role of a cultural teacher for me. They will have to patiently answer hundreds of seemingly ridiculous questions.

I often enjoy spending my time out just watching people interact in social situations to try and learn the appropriate or correct way to navigate them. Even buying a cell phone and getting a plan set up is seemingly complicated. Not because it really is that hard, but simply because the experience is so different from my “norm” that it is a learning experience from waiting in a line outside for the store to open, until I walk back out after finishing the process.

Well, not much of a point to this entry, just some thoughts of have been pondering as I try to take in and retain useful information from the flood of new things that bombard me at every turn at this point in my adjustment. It probably sounds very similar to what I experienced when I moved to Portugal. And it is to a certain extent. It is exhausting (I could sleep all the time), and I always have new things to process. And as some of you know well, when I am taking alot in, I don’t always communicate well verbally. But I will keep trying. And just so you know, I am loving it so far.

I am leaving for Angola on July 8th!!!!

After months of praying, waiting, and praying some more, the majority of the team has had their visas issued and we have purchased our plane tickets. I am SO excited to finally be making it to the place my heart has been for so long! We still don’t fully understand God’s timing, but we have seen good come of our delays on this end. And we trust that God is working all according to His purpose for Angola.

It was certainly a bit of a shock at first. I have felt like I was in a holding pattern so long here that it took me a while to really believe we were actually going. But I am ready and so joyful to begin this next step of the journey. Thank you all for going this distance with me.

I am caught up in the bustle of getting rid of things accumulated during my time here, making travel plans, arranging for housing once we arrive, and trying to anticipate what will be needed for the first few months in Angola. A great blessing received is an available house for our team when we arrive in Huambo! Most, if not all, of us can crowd in while we search for other housing possibilities. It is reported to have a well that we can use to fill the water tanks and electricity, that will function when the electricity is running in the city. This is a huge blessing. We were preparing to possibility go without these conveniences for a while, so this is pretty exciting. We all hope not to have to live together in the same house longterm though, so please pray other places to live will become available to our team when we arrive.

When we arrive, we will spend a week or two in the capital city registering with the embassy, visiting the office of religious affairs, meeting with church leaders, getting the paperwork required for bank accounts turned in, making arrangements for shipping our container, and whatever else might need to be done. After this time we will travel down to Huambo and begin settling in and getting to know the people we will be ministering to and alongside.

I would like to ask that you specifically remember my team-mate Robert in your prayers. His is the only remaining visa that still remains to be issued at this time and we are praying that it will be issued soon so he will be able to enter the country with the rest of us. Please pray that His visas is issued this week.

Please pray that our visas which are on their way via the mail system arrive safely.

Our team-mates the Campbells will be staying in Portugal until after their baby is born. Please remember the Campbells as they remain behind, and the rest of the team as we miss them in Angola.

Please keep our final time in Portugal in your prayers. I will be saying good-bye to many people who have become dear friends, and who have taught me so much. I pray that I am able to leave well, having accomplished God’s purpose for me during this time, and leaving a firm foundation of friendship for those who I have come to know here.

And finally please be praying that God will prepare the way clearly for us as we begin the next phase of our service to Him in Angola!

Praise God for His never-ending kindness and care for us!

Love from a very excited,

Jordan

I cleaned the church building with some ladies on last Saturday. It was a good bonding time, and I enjoyed realizing that I could follow a lot of their conversation (if I heard the beginning and listened closely). Right now it can be mentally exhausting to listen for long periods of time, so sometimes my brain hits the point where it can’t take in any more, and it takes a break without asking me. Then it takes me a little longer to catch up once I can listen again. It is exciting, but I am surprised how draining it can be to communicate. As an introvert, lots of talking is always tiring, but after a period of time trying to communicate in a new language, that is a new level of mental tiredness.

After cleaning, as it was a beautiful day, I went exploring. I went to several areas of downtown Lisbon that I hadn’t been before and revisited some markets that I enjoy. It was a great day to just enjoy being outside. I really love wandering around by myself.  But don’t worry! I am always very cautious and don’t go to unpopulated areas by myself, and I don’t wander by myself at night, mom!

On Sunday, a sweet lady at church invited me to do something with her and her boyfriend that day. We decided to meet later in the afternoon and go walk through a local botanical garden. It was beautiful and full of people relaxing and enjoying the nice weather. Maria loves the outdoors too, and so we showed each other which plants we had at our houses back home (her home in Brazil, and my home in Arkansas). I explained what honeysuckle was (on a very elementary level) and showed her how to get the nectar out. That was fun. We talked quite a bit that afternoon and I learned more about her.

Most of my conversations at this point consist of listening a lot, asking for clarification or help when I am totally lost, answering a few questions when I can, and asking questions that produce really long answers. My chances at doing well in charades should be getting better.

Speaking of charades… There is a group of Russian prison ministers (several of them convicts in Russian prisons themselves before they accepted Jesus) staying at my school right now. They are really friendly. Most of what I know about their ministry I know because they gave me a DVD about it that was dubbed in English. One of the men in the group is a man who met Jesus through this ministry. He was an IV drug user for 15 years (since he was 15 years old). But thanks to “The Grace of God” – several of them know this phrase in English – he is a new man.

They got here last week and have 9 more days (I think). One of them knows a few words in English, and then they speak Russian or German to me. They don’t seem to understand much of my Portuguese. Occasionally, I recognize some German words, but I only know 4 words in Russian. I have been wishing my sister Sharon was here even more than usual. Our “conversations” get stuck all the time. They routinely practically force-feed me when I see them in the kitchen and then pelt me with questions. They manage to communicate their questions most of the time, but communicating the answer is often more difficult. When it involves numbers we have gotten pretty good with counting – they can all count in English. But when they want to know what I am going to be doing in Angola … you have to get pretty creative. Today the preacher from the church they are visiting here in Lisbon came to have lunch with them. They were very excited because he speaks Portuguese and a little English. They asked him all kinds of questions about what we are going to be doing in Angola. They also wanted to know if there was a Russian presence in Angola, and if there were Russians in the prisons. They sure have a heart for Christians all around the world.

I started learning past tense in class last week. I am really excited, because sometimes it is REALLY hard communicating everything in present tense. I mean, it takes a lot of work to say things in present. I think this is a big step. My teacher must think I am starting to get the hang of something. I have to start memorizing more conjugations though. I made flash cards tonight.

Como Fazer O Bolo de Iogurte

É assim que eu faço o bolo:

1. Primero, aqueço o forno para três.

2. Depois, vou buscar a tigela e a colher.

3. Depois, ponho un recipiente de iogurte na tigela.

4. Depois, junto um recipiente de iogurte com óleo.

5. Depois, junto dois recipientes com açugar.

6. Depois, junto dois recipientes com farinha com fermento.

7. Junto 4 ovos e combino todos os ingredientes até ficar liso.

8. Despejo na formua de buraco untada.

9. Coloco no forno.

10. Finalmente, quando está dourado tiro do forno (cobrir – cubado até a faca sair limpa)

ENGLISH

This is how I make the cake:

1. Heat the oven to 3.   About 300-350 degrees. (The ovens are very different here, it took me a while to learn to use them, and sometimes I still am not sure. I usually cook almost everything at 3, my oven goes from 1-9. Laura’s has low & high)

2. Next, gather a mixing bowl and spoon

3. Next, put the yogurt you have chosen to the bowl The yogurt container I mention is a regular single serving container, a large container would make a TON of cake. They also don’t use measuring devices here in Portugal, the yogurt container is the closest it gets to uniform measurements from person to person.

4. Next, add a yogurt container of vegetable oil (you can cut the oil in half and it will still be great)

5. Next add 2 yogurt containers of sugar

6. Add 2 yogurt containers of self-raising flour

7. Add 4 eggs and then mix until smooth

8. Pour into a greased & floured bundt cake pan

9. Place in the oven

10. Finally, when it is light brown remove from the oven It will probably bake between 30-45 min. I take it out when the batter doesn’t stick to a noodle/knife. If it started to get too brown before it is done, you can cover the top of the cake until it is finished. And it usually shakes out better if you do it while it is still warm.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe. I highly recommend it. I have already made it several times. It is a spongy cake – a little like pound cake. Very Portuguese. They put a lot of eggs in everything. You can substitute any flavor of yogurt and it will be delicious.                                                                                                                                                                                                         In Portugal they love yogurt. There are two whole very long isles of yogurt in the closest grocery store to me. You can get cookie flavored, coconut flavored, mango vanilla, passion fruit, banana & orange & cookie flavored (you get the idea). I have made the cake several times with strawberry yogurt and then put fresh strawberries on top to serve it. Very yummy. I think I am going to make a glaze next time.

I will provide the English translation after the Portuguese version:

É assim que vocé pode aprender Português:

1. Primero, envia o correio electrónico para Eunice Carapeto, a professora extrordinária de português, e pergunta-lhe para ensinar você.

2. Se ela responde “Sim”, depois arruma na mala as coisas que quer levar para Portugal, armazena as coisas com que quer ficar, e vende todas outras coisas.

3. Depois, muda para Lisboa, Portugal e mora na aldeia onde as pessoas não falam Inglês. (Santo Antão do Tojal)

4. Depois, vai para a escola com a Eunice duas horas todos os dias da semana.

5. Faz todos os exercícios.

6. Ouve a lista de sons.

7. Quando você adormece, conjuga os verbos.

8. Vê telenovelas de Português.

9. Fala para pessoas em Português, mesmo que você não sabe se pode dizer algum coisa correta.

10. Finalmente, Ora muito para Deus ajudar você a aprender Português.

This is how you can learn Portuguese:

1. First email Eunice Carapeto, Portuguese language teacher extraordinaire, and ask if she will teach you.

2. Assuming she says yes, pack the things you want to take to Portugal, store the things you want to save, and get rid of/sell off everything else.

3. Next, move to Lisbon, Portugal and live in a little village where they don’t speak any English (Like Santo Antao do Tojal)

4. After this, attend school with Eunice for two hours every day of the week.

5. Do all your exercises.

6. Listen to the sounds lists

7. Conjugate verbs while you fall asleep.

8. Watch Portuguese soap operas

9. Try to talk to people in Portuguese even if you are not sure you will say it correctly.

10. Finally, Pray often that  God will help you learn Portuguese.

Hello everyone!

I will start by apologizing for the long silence on my part. I have let busyness and homework distract me from how quickly time was flying past.I have had a good two weeks though. They have been busy but very blessed.

Two weeks ago two good friends from college, my college room-mate of four years and her husband, came for a week-long visit to Lisbon along with her family. It was so wonderful to see dear friends. All the hugs were so encouraging. They spoiled me and took me out to lovely dinners, and let me tag along on their sight-seeing. They also generously brought me ziplock bags and brownie mixes! Two things that I can’t find around here and was really missing. They brought me so many brownie mixes that I am sure I have gained several pounds along with many of my happy-to-help-eat-them friends. Needless to say I have been volunteered to make dessert for the last few team dinners. And the ziplock bags have changed my life! Very little comes in resealable packaging here, and ziplock bags are very difficult to find. (If anyone takes it into their heads to send packages at any point, ziplock bags would make great packing material/space fillers.)

Last Monday, my dear friends-of-a-month, Kevin and Angela Deane finished their time in language school and headed for Angola! I was very sad to loose their company, but so excited that they were heading out for what they had been working towards. Their Portuguese had improved my leaps and bounds while I was here, so I am hoping to see mine doing the same soon. Please pray that their time in Lubango, Angola will be greatly blessed and that their Portuguese will continue to improve.

Language classes have been going well. There is alot of homework and then tons of optional opportunities to practice that are difficult to fit in as much as I would like.  I am getting practice listening to Portuguese at church. Everyone is really friendly there and anxious to help me learn. I kiss everyone every Sunday. They all repeat things multiple times if I am having difficulty understanding and help me get out what I am trying to say. I have one sweet little girl who’s English is pretty good, and she teaches me new words every Sunday and asks if I have any Portuguese questions. There are several sweet young girls and young women at church who know a little English and help me out when I get stuck (which is almost every time I try to talk right now). We are planning a picnic at my house as soon as the weather gets a little warmer. They are excited about it, and I am thrilled that they are excited about it. I live quite a ways out from downtown Lisbon, so it is exciting when people want to come out and visit me.

I have gotten to know the area alot better. I have been trying out different bus routes and seeing different metro stops as I become more comfortable with the transportation systems around here. And since I was helping my friends get around the city, I learned more of it for myself as well. I discovered directions to the city’s largest market, in Portuguese, for one. I asked these sweet little ladies waiting at a bus stop how to get there and then proceeded to: 1) Correct my grammar and pronunciation; 2). Tell me it would only take about 5 minutes to get there; 3) I could get there by walking (this part was illustrated by some animated walking and arm swinging by said little lady) and following the trolley tracks; and, 4) I should watch my bags and my pockets because there were lots of pickpockets there (again illustrated by animated clutching of her bag and pockets). A highly rewarding conversation and one that still makes me laugh when I think about it.

I was able last week, to go to a symphony performance of Carmina Burana and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. It was amazingly beautiful, of course (although I was dismayed/amused that throughout the last movement of Beethoven’s 9th, cheesy words that I sang to that tune in my homeschool choir as a kid kept running through my head! I am sure some of you fellow-choir members will start singing them as you read this) It was also a fun experience because I went with a couple from church as well as my team-mates, and it was good to get to know them a little better. As we are on budgets, we went with the tickets we were able to afford (the cheapest of course) which were really very inexpensive. They make me laugh and so I thought I would tell you about them.

SO … in Portuguese they don’t have a verb for “to stand”, they just say they are “on feet”.

So, my team-mate went to purchase tickets for all of us, and we knew they were going to be in the top level of the coliseum. The next morning on the way to class he said, “So, that symphony we are going to … you might want to wear comfortable shoes.” “Oh really?”, I said, wondering what the cheapest tickets were like in Portugal. “When I was buying the tickets,” he said, “the lady asked me if I was sure I wanted these cheap tickets. And I said I was sure, but you might want to wear comfortable shoes.” He then showed me the tickets, and they said “Galeria De Pé” a.k.a. “Gallery of Feet”. Love it! So the cheap seats are standing room only. But we could still hear great, had a good view of the whole ‘Coliseu Dos Recreios’, and thank goodness had a balcony railing we could lean on. It was a great experience, and next time I may bring a fold-up chair, or at least a cushion to sit on. And I had a great thankfulness for the invention of chairs for the rest of the week. Hopefully we will get to go again soon.

I have had two Flat Stanleys that joined me for a brief visit this week and that was alot of fun. I got to use my knowledge of the city to find a few fun places for us to visit and think of fun things to send back to American classrooms. I hope they have as much fun learning about where their Flat Stanley visited as I did showing them the town.

This last week was a little bit of a struggle for me for several reasons; among them being tired, hearing the news of several deaths back home, and feeling like I wasn’t making progress in language learning (The language discouragement happens briefly and periodically and then I feel like I start moving forward again. My teacher gives me pep talks and at the beginning told me about when I can expect to hit these points. So I know they are part of the process, but I still wish I could learn faster than normal.) But out of this little struggle came a renewed dedication and reliance on God and His word for my strength, thanks in part to the prayers of you all for me. I am amazed how God works through my weaknesses and draws me closer to Himself.

Anyway, I was feeling a little down because I just want to be able to talk to people I meet about so much more than my vocabulary allows. (Through frustrating, this is good motivator because it makes me want to work harder to learn faster.) But I got a great pick-me-up Friday evening. I got a text from my language teacher telling me that a sweet lady I talked briefly with at the bus stop this afternoon was her mother! I had Alex (4-year-old Campbell boy) with me; and little, blond, blue-eyed, smiley children make you all kinds of friends immediately. Anyway, we just said a few things to each other while waiting for the bus. We mostly laughed with each other as I fed Alex whipped cream from a can. (I had gone to the store to get ice cream and whipped cream for the strawberry shortcake Laura was making for dessert. Alex got hungry and asked for a snack. So I improvised.) I then didn’t really think about the meeting anymore.

But when Eunice talked to me this evening she said that her mother said my Portuguese was very good and she wasn’t sure if I was Portuguese or not when she met me. Now, granted we didn’t have an extensive conversation, but still, it was a huge encouragement. There is hope for me yet!  I will keep on keeping on! There is light at the end of the tunnel. And granted, that light is very far down there, but I still caught another flash of it today. Just thought I would share this little moment of victory with you.

And then Saturday I stayed at the school and cleaned my room, had some good quite time with God, and just rested. By the end of the day I was full of energy and ready to tackle Portuguese and win! (I mean win in very general terms of course – a basic ability to communicate at a 6-year-old level would more than satisfy me at this point.)

I have a few pictures of the Bible school and places I have gotten to visit so far. I am working on an album and will let you know once  I post it. I love the transportation network here. You can go so many places so easily (most of the time) and for a flat monthly fee.

I love hearing from you all and thank you so much for the encouragement that so many of you have been sending me.