sO mAnY tHiNgS 2 sAy...

I don't know where to start...I was just watching the pictures and I realized so many things have happened... I'm only taking the time to process it now... I have to say that these last 2 weeks have been a bit overwhelming for me...

Even though I organize the gatherings, I'm not so good with lots of people around... I love watching everyone excited and hanging out with each other, but I feel I don't have time to be with anyone properly and I tend to hide myself to find a quieter place...oh well...that's me !!! 

Now I'm having some rest...I'm by myself in the land as some went away, others went to Lisbon or Porto... So, it feels nice after the busy weeks...just me and God ...
I've been so blessed with so many beautiful people coming here.... Like Nelly looking at me here at the picture

she just came from Lisbon for a night to see me...and her train even got very late because of a fire on the rail tracks...I was so sorry for her, and Catherine, her friend... they arrived after 11pm and had to go at 1pm next day...I wished they could have stayed longer... but I hope she will come back for longer time...she's studying in the United States, and she was on her way to visit the Borden´s in Tanzania... how I wished to hide in her backpack to go too..

In the meantime we were on the last preparations to start with our week of 24 hours of daily prayer...
A lot of people ended up coming that I didn't even know... I guess it confirmed to me that it was not just one of my crazy ideas, but God´s... with only a few weeks notice and we ended up being more than 30 people... some more germans arrived...a team of 8 people from the organization I served for 7 years also joined us... it was really cool !!! A very interesting mix of people... Ben, Bruno and Marcia from the Matrix family in Lisbon also came with Whitney and Alana, a new family who came from Italy previously
But I better now just post the pictures and comment...it's easier !!!

This was our opening night for the prayer week...my sister Edna came with Paulo, Pamela and my cousins from Castelo Branco, Nela, Catarina and her boyfriend Jorge...

It was so cool to have my family and so many close friends together around the fire...friends who are like family too... we took the chance to remember why we were all here... to pray as Jesus taught us to pray, believing God listens and answers... we shared bread and wine with one another and we had a time of worship and prayer...

The next day was our first day serving the village POVOA DE ATALAIA...the land of the poet...

We went on the way just collecting trash that people dump on the side of the road...it's unbelievable how can people still do that when we already have trash bins in the village...even recycling bins... I guess it's a lack of education on that matter... That was one of the needs we identified that we gladly wanted to be involved...

It was amazing the kind of things we found as well...

Here's Ernsti...almost looking as if he went shopping in a mall 

Funny Bart... he is an angel !

The next day we were cleaning up the street in the village and arranging a bit of the garden... the Mayor, Sr. Rodrigues, gave us some tools for that...

He said something really interesting...he said "- Do you know what I'd like you to do this week?...just reminding people what community is all about... because it seems to be forgotten... everyone just gets in trouble with one another...and most, only come to me to complain"



On saturday we were a lot more...the Matrix from Lisbon arrived...and the team with 8 people from Scotland as well... only a few stayed on the land to cook dinner and water the plants, the rest of us were everywhere in the village... sweeping floors, weeding, arranging flowers and bringing joy... We met Sr. Manuel and D. Maria on their cart while we were walking to Póvoa... They were the ones bringing us joy... 

we didn't have tools for everyone, but we kept working on the garden of the village hall and  cleaned up the school...
we had good fun and then went for an ice-cream at the cafe...

We even had a rainbow... a good sign from the skies ... it means rain is coming...

And it did... Marcia, Alana and Whitney got a bit wet in their tent which had no rain cover... poor ones, they finished their night in the car...

Apart from that it was nice to have a bit of rain...the land needs it, and the plants give thanks... it also cooled down the temperature which was nice for those who are not so used to our heat...

the last day in the village, on sunday, we all went, finished the garden and then had a nice barbecue which was a gift from the Mayor for our service... we made it in front of the village hall and invited whoever wanted to join us...

Juran with Anne and Jonathan...Juran was also making tattoos that night... he's getting so good at it... He has been staying in Porto and living in my sister and Paulo´s house... Paulo is one of the first and best tattoo artists in Portugal... most people know Paulo Ozzy... Juran is learning from him and still finding his own style... Some of us wanted to have tattoos, so we asked Sr. Rodrigues and set up a "studio" inside the village hall...

Bart after getting his tattoo, with the 2 french girls, Lyna whom we met in Israel/Palestine last year, and Cami, her friend from Paris...
the next few days were more relaxed as our service to the village was done...

the sun came back again so we could enjoy a good swim in our big pond...

or a good chill in our hammock...

some of the team from Scotland...

And there were also some good times around the table to chat and pray for each other...

Whitney, Ben and Bruno...

O.k, my battery is almost gone...
There were a lot more nice moments during these days of the prayer week... some really cool sharings around the fireplace ... praying for each other´s nations and regions, and there were many represented here :  Portugal, Germany, Ireland, U.K., France, Brazil, USA and New Zealand...

Shantii