Seven Weeks To Go

Our monthly support level is now up to just over 90%. We have about 7 weeks left until we leave. Please help us pray the remaining will come in between now and then. With a house waiting on us, and a van in the garage, we are even more anxious to return to Portugal with the kids to stay. Life has been very chaotic for us these last 14 months, and we are ready to get thing back to normal. (Well, as normal as they can be moving to a foreign country!)

Logan, a wise 13 yr old

This is a short audio clip. You'll like it.....listen.
Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

Merry Christmas!

Tonight we attended our first of many Christmas gatherings. Michael's Dad came up from Florida, Michael's brother came down from Ohio, we drove down from Tennessee, and we met in Alabama at Michael's sister's house. It was the first time all three siblings were together for Christmas in probably 5 or 6 years. It was a special time, cause it'll be another 5 or 6 years before we can do that again.

Throw Away, Goodwill, or Keep......Maybe?

This was the question asked of us about a thousand times today as we went through the kids room. There were trash bags, boxes and trunks everywhere. As we made a decision with each item, throw it away, give it to goodwill or try to keep it.....maybe, the girls remained very brave and understanding throughout much of the day. Only once did I see a tear, and that was just for a brief moment. (Now, I on the other hand, had to leave the room as I became emotional thinking about some of the toys that apparently meant more to me than they did to them!) We are able to take 14 trunks weighing no more than 50 lbs a piece with us on our flight. After we got the first one packed with 49 lbs. and labeled with it contents, we all did a little celebration dance that ended with Trinity shouting, "Yeah...now lets go to Portugal!" She thought that we were done, and ready to go. It must seem like forever to them. "Waiting" when your a kid is a dreaded thing! These days are difficult, but at the same time, very exciting.

What an Honor

God could have chosen anyone, but He chose us. What a blessing, but at the same time, what a responsibility! Portugal is a beautiful country, but it's a country desperately in need of missionaries. Want to go?

Portugal!

We are here! We've been here for about 4 days, and I'm really enjoying it. Once you get past the weird smells, small cars that contain an obnoxious driver, and all kinds of sea life in the grocery stores that still have heads including eyes, you'll have a great time. Once we checked into our hotel, we set our thermostat to 27 degrees, showered with cold-one-second-hot-the-next water, then walked down the street to a cafe' for lunch.

Things you always see:

• Cobble stone streets

• Bakeries (Yum!)

• Coffee Shops (They drink LOTS of espresso)

• Catholic Churches (With bells ringing every 15 min.)

• Small cars, small parking places and small people

Things don't move as fast here as they do in The States, so securing housing isn't complete yet, but we're much closer than when we arrived. We have an idea about what things cost. (Gas is almost $8.00 American dollars a gallon! Folks here walk A LOT!) So maybe we can loose weight when we move here. After being here for 4 days I am convinced that we American's are spoiled and we certainly over indulge. That is not the case in Portugal.

I hope to write more before we leave, so check back soon. Pray for us please.