Sunday, October 30, 2011

Goodbye, Portugal

This will be a brief update before we begin our travels to South Africa tomorrow.  We said goodbye to our friends at the seminary in Lisbon on Friday, and traveled to Southern Portugal for the weekend to spend time in an area called the Algarve.  We have been hosted by a Christian conservation organization called Arocha.  It has been an interesting, informative, and restful break from the previous two weeks; and well-timed, since tomorrow marks a challenging 48 hours of travel with two nights of not being in a bed.  So pray for us tomorrow night (Monday) on our overnight flight from Europe to Johannesburg, followed by a Tuesday overnight bus ride to our next "residence" in Mthatha, South Africa. The students are facing this next adventure with a little trepidation, but their usual great attitudes.

We also said a tearful goodbye to Tina on Friday.  The doctor advised a rest at home rather than the demanding trip to Africa to ensure recovery from her mono.  In our minds and hearts, she is still a part of our team, and we will miss her.  She returned home to the US on Saturday.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

American Day/Portuguese Day

The evangelical church in Portugal is small, and an attendance of 200 is a “mega” church by Portuguese standards. Most church growth here is among Brazilian and African immigrants, not the indigenous Portuguese population. We have had the opportunity to participate in services at two local churches in the Lisboa area on our weekends here. Below we describe one of those events.

Last Saturday, our group was invited by a local church to plan activities for a one-day youth retreat.  They wanted it to have an American theme.  In a Portuguese setting, how does one make things seem American, other than just showing up and “being” who we are?   Americans tend to give themselves away when traveling abroad, even when they try not to.   So at least on this occasion, we had the permission to share some positive aspects of American culture.  Having been forewarned back in the U.S., we had packed some Mexican seasonings and tortillas (do you seen the irony?) as well as some brownie mixes. Here in Lisbon, we attempted to go to the “Chinese” store (like a dollar store) to buy some red-white-and-blue decorations, though without success.   On the day of our retreat, several girls of our team, together with some Portuguese young women, shared a bonding experience in the church kitchen, baking brownies and preparing our taco meal.  When the meal was ready, the American and Portuguese young people all took turns introducing themselves in a mixture of the two languages, each group happy to have a chance to practice a “foreign” language.  Most Portuguese foods are eaten with forks and knives, so a demonstration (and permission) was given by the Americans on how to eat tacos.  They were declared delicious!

Following the meal, the young people all headed to a nearby park to play games, led by our NWC team.  The favorite hit was the American game, “signs”, which lasted for two hours before anyone suggested it was time to do something else.   American football was also a hit.

We then returned to the church, where members of our team led music, drama, and shared testimonies and a message from the Bible.  One of the pluses on our team is having two MKs who grew up in Brazil, who have filled in as translators in settings like this one. 

At the end of the evening, each young person from that church stood up and shared how special the “American” day had been for them, and lots of cheek-to-cheek “air” kisses (Portuguese style) and hugs were given.  For everyone on our American team, we felt like it had been a perfect “Portuguese” day.


Sunday, October 23, 2011

Portuguese Language and Culture


(Today's entry is written by one of our NWC students on the trip, Stephanie)


Bom dia, good morning. Our team would like to give you another update about how things are going here J We have a very full schedule that is filled with language learning, music, sharing, exploring, traveling, and serving. Each day, we wake up and begin 2 hours of Portuguese language classes with Mena. She is the lovely woman in the picture who patiently helps us learn words for family, food, greetings, occupations, colors, and so on. She says that learning a new language can either be frustrating or fun, you choose! So we are having lots of fun trying to pronounce words like “os pintores” which is pronounced “oosh pintoodsh” and is how you say “a painter”. 
After language class, it is time for lunch. The meals here have taken some getting used to, but are delightfully healthy. First, soup is served with bread. Then, there is a meat/fish dish with rice and salad. Last, there is a dessert. We have been learning to pace ourselves so that we can make it through dessert without being extremely full.


Even though we are fed solid breakfast, lunch and dinner at the seminary, we still like to get out the café for a bica (small shot pictured above) or meiu de leite (coffee with cream). We get to go on a lot of walks too, taking in the refreshing air and soaking up a little sun. The guys play soccer at the park occasionally with locals.
Overall, we have been enjoying the 1st week of our stay here in Portugal. A few of our team members even say they could see themselves living and working here!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Tina Update

It's been a couple days since we've written an update, but we have received many encouraging words from people back home who are praying for Tina.  Thanks!  Her symptoms are improving day by day, and she is getting lots of rest at the home where she's staying for the time being, and also eating to make up for lost time.  Her attitude has been amazingly patient, and she is realistic about what might be involved in a recovery scenario.  The return visit to the doctor is on Monday. 

We just got back from spending the day (after language lessons, that is) at a small American school that represents quite a variety of nationalities.  The team was in charge of several hours' worth of activities with the high schoolers that included skits, music, games, sharing life testimonies, sports, and serving an American meal (German hot dogs from a jar....hmm....).  It's amazing how quickly friendships can develop - and the comment was made that Facebook makes it so much easier to stay connected with new friends.

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Lisboa

Here we are, three days after arrival, though it feels like a week’s worth of experiences has been packed in to a very short time, and it’s hard to know where to begin.  Because we are being housed in a building that serves as both a theological training center – and a dorm - for Portuguese seminary students, our ICS students are quickly making friends with some of the young men and women who are attending the school.  The evening after our arrival, some of these students treated us to an impromptu guided tour of the local metro train system and trip to a beautiful historical town called Sintra, dating back to the Moorish occupation centuries ago.  The climate and vegetation around us give the feel of Southern California, but the similarities end there.  Lisboa, the Portuguese way of saying and spelling “Lisbon,” is modern, yet has old-World charm; busy, yet slower-paced; the food familiar, but different.  The café (coffee) and pastries beg to be sampled in nearby coffee shops (and have been).

Monday morning, the students began what will be a daily routine for two weeks:  a beginning course in the Portuguese language, taught by a lovely instructor named Minna.  They’re diving in with enthusiasm, and throughout the rest of the day, you will find them practicing what they’re learning with people they meet.  The biggest challenges are the pronunciation rules:  why does that same letter sound like a “sh” in that word, but a “z” in this one? Why learn a language for such a short stay (in case you’re wondering)?  Even a few phrases and words of greeting will help build relationships here and in Portuguese-speaking Mozambique in a few weeks, plus it serves as a language-learning “lab” experience for languages these students will learn in future years.

The schedule for the week includes things like cultural orientation lectures, visits to some local Christian ministries and churches, and preparing for presentations and organized activities that will be carried out later this week.  Our wonderful hostess and organizer, Vicky, is making sure that we don’t miss out on any valuable learning experiences while we’re here.  She and her husband, Tom, are with us almost 24/7 despite their own busy teaching schedules.

We want to share a major concern with you so that you can be praying.  One of our students, Tina, wasn’t feeling very well when she left on the trip, but it seemed like she was on the mend from an ordinary sore throat and would soon be better.  But after our arrival, the fatigue from the travel brought things to a head, and a very sick-feeling Tina had to be taken for medical treatment.  She was tested for, and found positive for mononucleosis.  The best treatment, of course, is rest and being isolated from the group; not anything we would wish for a social, enthusiastic member of our group.  We know that God’s ways are higher than our ways, and we trust Him to show us how best to take care of her.  Tom and Vicky have graciously opened their home for her to stay in for an initial recovery time.  So, as of yesterday, Tina is staying with them, and each day and night, we are rotating one of the other girls from the team to keep her company and to help her get down soothing foods and drink. We are thankful for the loving hands to take care of her and a homey place to stay.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Going, going, gone to Portugal

We've safely arrived in Lisbon, Portugal after our overnight flight to Amsterdam, and then on to Lisbon, just a few hours ago!  We were met at the airport by a couple of instructors from the Baptist Seminary who are hosting us, and though we are a bit bleary-eyed and jet-lagged and ready to head off to bed, everyone's glad to be here.  The sights and sounds outside our apartment windows are tempting us to go out and explore; that will wait till tomorrow.  More to come!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Almost Ready!

We are now in our "countdown to blast-off" week.  The final weeks to departure have been packed full for the students.  First-quad papers and projects have been time-consuming but so productive, all related to being better informed and prepared for the countries we will be visiting.  The team devoted a good part of the past weekend to working at Homecoming, helping with set-up, running kids' booths, and selling home-made cookies, with all proceeds going to the trip.    Good-byes to families and friends are getting squeezed in between the last-minute shopping and figuring out how to pack one check-in bag with 40 pounds of the necessities of life for two months.  Someone gets to have a guitar as their carry-on.  Students have to come to class tomorrow night with their packed bags to make sure nothing's been forgotten!  There's a spirit of excitement in the air, and a lot of gratitude for how God is cementing the team together.  And thanks to all the supportive parents, families, and friends who are standing behind these students as they embark on this life-changing experience.