Tuesday, February 15, 2011

3 Years.....

...ago this week, we said Good-Bye to America.
...and we left for Portugal. At the airport saying good-bye to a few friends and family.  Our friend, Ms. Lora (in yellow) came with us and stayed for 2 weeks.  It was a blessing having here here to help with the kids while we set up the house.   
After over 24 hours of travel, three flights and two rented vans later...we finally arrived at our home!  (Michael and I were able to go to Portugal two moths earlier and arrange housing and a family vehicle so that when we arrived, we could all go "home" and have a vehicle waiting on us...the battery was dead, but it was there.)

Walking up to the gate for the first time!  (I'm so glad Ms. Lora was there to capture these moments for us.)

Having difficulty unlocking the door.......at this point, I was SO tired and SO ready to be here, that I was already contemplating breaking a window and shoving a kid inside to unlock the door.

"For real....this key is NOT working!"  (We finally realized you have to pull on the door while unlocking it...our first of many lessons we learned on this first day in Portugal!)

God's gift to me for a hard 16 months of deputation.....Calla Lilies in my own yard!!!!

Happy kids and beautiful weather! (Uncommon for this time of year...but a welcomed surprise.)....(the beautiful weather is uncommon, not the happy kid part.)

Flowers already in bloom.  In the center of town, near the market.


The kids had never seen oranges ON trees before!  (As most adults probably haven't either.)

Everything we brought with us fit in these black trunks.  It wasn't much, but God provided the rest of what we needed.  It's been an amazing journey.  A blessed three years.  Our lives are so rich, not with material possessions, but with the blessings of our Heavenly Father!

Beautiful Portugal

9 comments:

The Hat Chick said...

Gorgeous! Congrats on 3 years of spreading the Good News in Portugal!

The Herd said...

Happy Three Year Marker!!

Jill said...

Brings back a lot of memories of our own traveling to Uganda. : ) I can't believe how much your kids have grown! We used the same black trunks--they traveled and stored and we couldn't have gotten along without them.

Betty W said...

I bet the love for this country has grown too. Happy Anniversary to your arrival there. It really is very beautiful!

Mr & Mrs John said...

Oh Nina, How I remember leaving our first time...the excitement, the tears, the fears. They were all worth it, weren't they!?! So excited that you all have made it to this milestone! Praying you all have a wonderfulj time of furlough this summer.
Patty

Cathy said...

Wow! 3 years. Love these beautiful pictures of the flowers and you and your family.

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Amazing how much your children have grown! From those photos taken then to the more recent ones! Happy 3 year anniversary to Portugal!

(haha chuckling about "Happy kids and beautiful weather! (Uncommon for this time of year...but a welcomed surprise.)....(the beautiful weather is uncommon, not the happy kid part.)"

Blessings & Aloha my friend!
Thank you so much for taking the time to pop over! I so look forward to your visits and sweet comments ;o)

Sandy said...

I remember that day as well. It doesn't seem like 3 years ago. So excited what God is doing with your family. So thankful to call you my friend. I wish we will be seeing you this summer, But so excited to be in Nepal. Love you bunches.
--Sandy

Anonymous said...

Your kids look so little in the pictures. It's amazing the difference 3 years make.

Thank you for serving for the past 3 years in a country that really needs you. I thank God you're there.
-FringeGirl