We've been here 1 year! Time to celebrate, reflect, and anticipate....
Celebrate:
We pause to celebrate the completion of one year, which represents a lot of hard work and transition. We have successfully moved, set up in a new community, and started the process of living life in this new environment. It hasn't always been easy, but God has been faithful and good during this year. We recognize our presence here is a reflection of the deepness of God's goodness and grace. So join us in celebrating our first year in Portugal!
Reflect:
A year is a great time to reflect back and think about what went right, what went haywire, and how it all came together. It's another opportunity to pause and see how God orchestrated many things during this year for His glory. We could have NEVER imagined what the first year would bring, but we are thankful that it happened just exactly like it did. It reminds me of the 5th chapter of James where we're admonished not to worry about the future; instead, we're to trust God and say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that..." This past year we've learned to trust God with our future by not worrying so much about what will come next, but to put our faith into the One who is able...
Some things to reflect upon over the first year and PRAISE God for:
--completion of language training for both of us
--Sahara, Bria, and Tirza completing a year of Portuguese school
--opportunities to share the Word with many people
--new friends in our community; new friends on our team
--ministry opportunities that already are beginning
--an enjoyable first year without sickness or major issues
Anticipate:
It's a great time to anticipate what the future will bring (of course keeping in mind James 5 and not being arrogant about the future! :) by being confident that God is actively working here and He will be faithful to see His activity come to fruition. We trust that His plan for us is best and we pray that we'll walk on His path in these upcoming months and years...
Thanks to those of you who have prayed for us over this past year! We are grateful that we have such amazing people who will lift us up and pray for the people of Portugal. So today, celebrate with us as we give God honor and glory for this past year!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Saturday, July 04, 2009
4th of July
Could someone PLEASE eat a Nathans hot dog for me and/or a big, juicy, backyard grilled hamburger??? That would be super! It's just not as easy to run down to Walmart anymore....
So, Happy 4th of July to all you Americans out there. Don't forget to drink plenty of water, put sunblock on, and light your sky up with fireworks. Maybe if we're lucky we'll be able to see some on the East Coast as we gaze across the Atlantic ocean.
So, Happy 4th of July to all you Americans out there. Don't forget to drink plenty of water, put sunblock on, and light your sky up with fireworks. Maybe if we're lucky we'll be able to see some on the East Coast as we gaze across the Atlantic ocean.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Birthdays
Today is a perfect day to say Happy Birthday to my girls, Sahara and Tirza. It's the day in-between the two birthdays; Sahara turned 9 yesterday and Tirza will turn 4 tomorrow! I love you my girls! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Year One: Make lots of mistakes
I don't like making mistakes. I can't stand it when I'm wrong. But, I realized pretty quick that in a new culture and a new language, making mistakes (and lots of them) is inevitable. It almost becomes a daily (scratch that, HOURLY) process where I would invariably do something wrong in my new culture.
Yet, my mistakes were a source for new learning opportunities. It gave me opportunities to ask the local people questions about how life works from their perspective. It gave me the opportunity to mimic many aspects of Portuguese life and try harder for the next time. One mistake in particular was pretty funny:
For the first couple of months I thought I had mastered how to introduce Hannah as my wife. I confidently introduced her to people we met for the first time. Then, one day in class I was telling my language teacher that many people looked confused when I would introduce Hannah. He asked me to tell him the exact phrase, which I did......I had barely uttered the phrase when he started laughing hysterically.....about 10 minutes later when he calmed down he said, "Mark, you are trying to say 'I am introducing my wife Hannah to you,' but what you are really saying is 'Would you like to desire my wife Hannah?" The issue was one little word, but it made a huge difference! I decided right then and there that the only thing to do was to laugh and figure out how to really introduce Hannah to people!
So, I've made a lot of mistakes this first year. I've had to learn to let go of the mistakes and use them as an opportunity to dig deeper into culture and language. I've realized that people are quick to help when I freely admit that I mess up and it gives them an opportunity to help me out. And, just because we're going to hit a year mark soon, it doesn't mean the mistakes are over; I'm sure they'll be plenty more hysterical stories in the future.....at least I hope so! Ate ja!
Yet, my mistakes were a source for new learning opportunities. It gave me opportunities to ask the local people questions about how life works from their perspective. It gave me the opportunity to mimic many aspects of Portuguese life and try harder for the next time. One mistake in particular was pretty funny:
For the first couple of months I thought I had mastered how to introduce Hannah as my wife. I confidently introduced her to people we met for the first time. Then, one day in class I was telling my language teacher that many people looked confused when I would introduce Hannah. He asked me to tell him the exact phrase, which I did......I had barely uttered the phrase when he started laughing hysterically.....about 10 minutes later when he calmed down he said, "Mark, you are trying to say 'I am introducing my wife Hannah to you,' but what you are really saying is 'Would you like to desire my wife Hannah?" The issue was one little word, but it made a huge difference! I decided right then and there that the only thing to do was to laugh and figure out how to really introduce Hannah to people!
So, I've made a lot of mistakes this first year. I've had to learn to let go of the mistakes and use them as an opportunity to dig deeper into culture and language. I've realized that people are quick to help when I freely admit that I mess up and it gives them an opportunity to help me out. And, just because we're going to hit a year mark soon, it doesn't mean the mistakes are over; I'm sure they'll be plenty more hysterical stories in the future.....at least I hope so! Ate ja!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Year One: Smile a lot and kiss English goodbye
I can't explain how much I've smiled over the past year. I'm certain I have smiled more in this past year than all of my life combined. Why?
When we got here almost a year ago we didn't speak any Portuguese. The only thing I knew how to do was smile a lot! I know it sounds ridiculous, but putting on a big smile as we tried out new words in the language really helped a lot. Of course I think the Portuguese are very gracious people; when I first starting trying to speak Portuguese they really encouraged my learning and were so kind. But, the smile helped a ton. It gave me a way to communicate non-verbally while I was learning how to communicate all over again.
There are times when I still just smile away---Our Portuguese isn't perfect just because we've been here a year. We still have a looooooong way to go. So, needless to say sometimes I need to smile a lot and say "pode repetir, faz favor" which means, "can you repeat that please?"
Oh, and the second reflection is a warning to those who want to learn another language: During this past year I have gotten increasingly terrible with the English language. I can't write anymore, which bothers me because I felt like I (in my former English life!) was a good writer. I find myself wanting to use Portuguese expressions or words because they just fit better than English....so, fair warning, your English skills will start to disappear. Hopefully one day they'll come back!
When we got here almost a year ago we didn't speak any Portuguese. The only thing I knew how to do was smile a lot! I know it sounds ridiculous, but putting on a big smile as we tried out new words in the language really helped a lot. Of course I think the Portuguese are very gracious people; when I first starting trying to speak Portuguese they really encouraged my learning and were so kind. But, the smile helped a ton. It gave me a way to communicate non-verbally while I was learning how to communicate all over again.
There are times when I still just smile away---Our Portuguese isn't perfect just because we've been here a year. We still have a looooooong way to go. So, needless to say sometimes I need to smile a lot and say "pode repetir, faz favor" which means, "can you repeat that please?"
Oh, and the second reflection is a warning to those who want to learn another language: During this past year I have gotten increasingly terrible with the English language. I can't write anymore, which bothers me because I felt like I (in my former English life!) was a good writer. I find myself wanting to use Portuguese expressions or words because they just fit better than English....so, fair warning, your English skills will start to disappear. Hopefully one day they'll come back!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Almost 1 year...
Tomorrow we've been here 11 months. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks I'll attempt to blog about our first year in Portugal. Specifically, I'd like to cover some of the things that helped us during this first year and perhaps suggest some things that didn't help. Although at this point I realize I'm talking mainly to myself, perhaps it'll be somewhat of a cathartic exercise.
The first topic I'd like to tackle is: Year 1: Keep expectations LOW
Although this seems straightforward, it's often the most difficult thing to accomplish. I can remember the years and months before we came to Portugal and we scoured the Internet, read every book, and tried to memorize facts about the country and culture. During our training period, we even had to do reports about the worldview of Portugal and discuss at length how the Gospel would best penetrate this culture. Yet, all the research and anticipation about the country and people made it difficult to keep expectations low.
When we first got here we had to really make an effort to keep expectations low. We agreed that we weren't the experts because we had read a bunch of books and somehow got selected to be sent to this country. We decided (insert made a daily effort) to not hold on to a lot of preconceived notions, but to simply become learners in our new environment. We didn't hold onto a sense of entitlement or privilege, but really tried to be content and thrive no matter the circumstance or situation. The payoff comes, I believe, when we've been able to look back and realize that having low expectations didn't cause us to feel like we were disappointed when something didn't work out exactly how our minds had planned. I mean, let's be honest, living overseas is a wonderful experience, but I couldn't have predicted one day of it because each day is different and full of new surprises.
So, my suggestion to those who come after: Although it's fun to read about your new country, try your hardest not to build up these grand expectations in your mind. I haven't yet experienced something here in Portugal that I had hatched up in my mind before coming. Everything is different and that is okay! I wish that every person coming to serve overseas would hit the ground and press a "reset" button that wipes away any type of expectation. Just come and genuinely enjoy learning instead of coming with expectations about how your life should work out in a brand new place. And, I guarantee that you will be surprised at how much you grow to trust in God as you truly let go of your control and allow Him to guide you in your new country.
The first topic I'd like to tackle is: Year 1: Keep expectations LOW
Although this seems straightforward, it's often the most difficult thing to accomplish. I can remember the years and months before we came to Portugal and we scoured the Internet, read every book, and tried to memorize facts about the country and culture. During our training period, we even had to do reports about the worldview of Portugal and discuss at length how the Gospel would best penetrate this culture. Yet, all the research and anticipation about the country and people made it difficult to keep expectations low.
When we first got here we had to really make an effort to keep expectations low. We agreed that we weren't the experts because we had read a bunch of books and somehow got selected to be sent to this country. We decided (insert made a daily effort) to not hold on to a lot of preconceived notions, but to simply become learners in our new environment. We didn't hold onto a sense of entitlement or privilege, but really tried to be content and thrive no matter the circumstance or situation. The payoff comes, I believe, when we've been able to look back and realize that having low expectations didn't cause us to feel like we were disappointed when something didn't work out exactly how our minds had planned. I mean, let's be honest, living overseas is a wonderful experience, but I couldn't have predicted one day of it because each day is different and full of new surprises.
So, my suggestion to those who come after: Although it's fun to read about your new country, try your hardest not to build up these grand expectations in your mind. I haven't yet experienced something here in Portugal that I had hatched up in my mind before coming. Everything is different and that is okay! I wish that every person coming to serve overseas would hit the ground and press a "reset" button that wipes away any type of expectation. Just come and genuinely enjoy learning instead of coming with expectations about how your life should work out in a brand new place. And, I guarantee that you will be surprised at how much you grow to trust in God as you truly let go of your control and allow Him to guide you in your new country.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Storying tiles
So I'm sure you've heard of the "storying cloth" which is used to communicate God's story to illiterate or story-based people groups. Well, we went to the Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) here in Lisbon and I found "storying tiles!" The picture above with Hannah and her sister Letha starts in the top left corner with creation and works itself, tile by tile, towards the NT church in Acts.
The tiles were actually designed and made in Holland in the 18th Century as you can see from the picture above. It was housed in a Palace here in Lisbon before finding its way to the museum.
The close ups here show some of the stories from the life of Jesus. The one below is obviously the death of Christ.
I thought it was pretty neat to find tiles that depicted the Biblical narrative. If you visit Lisbon the tile museum is vale a pena (worth it!).
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