After that I really felt I needed some rest and quietness...not only because of the prayer campaign, but also because I needed some time off to think and process some stuff with God...I feel it's time to seek directions and make decisions ...time to be quiet, wait and listen...
So I went to this friends' farm that I wanted to visit for sooooo long...
Yves and Regina are a Belgium couple who wrote me last September after I came from my trip in Europe... somehow they found my blog and wanted to meet me because they wanted to connect with other likeminded christians in Portugal...so they came to Lisbon and told me their story... I got impressed as I was listening to them and how they ended up being here, somewhere in central Portugal... Regina has her brother here and they used to come for holidays, Yves used to say that he could never come and live in this country... well, untill God put some ideas in his mind ... they went once to the village to see the in-laws of Regina's brother and there was a farm to sell... They went there and God started to speak into their hearts... so they sold their business in Belgium and came here with all their things... Wow, that's faith !!! That's obedience !!! They didn't even had a clear vision for the place, and they feel they still don't, but they know God has... I was amazed and excited !!! I could feel God had a plan with this guys and with this land !!!
This was 6 or 7 months ago, and meanwhile they were out for few months from December to February... Now they are there, trying to work the land and learning all about it...yes, because they were not even familiar with farming before... they rented
a farm house nearby, because there's still no house with living conditions in the land...only this stone ruin as you can see in the picture, that used to be the cow house...the roof is not really complete, so the rain comes in the mud floor that becomes a big puddle...the one they rent is from a local couple, Maria and Casimiro who sell vegetables in the local market, and it has a flat on the top floor with 2 rooms for guests, a living room, bathroom and kitchen...
THEY ARE WILLING TO HAVE PEOPLE OVER TO HELP THEM IN THE LAND. Get in touch if you are interested...
They already have a horse and a sheep and they also sheltered one dog, Lassie, and one cat, Mia who became part of the "family"... they already had Twister who is a funny hyper dog who barks to planes and the moon.
They also got a tractor, a generator, a water pump, and some essential tools to work and maintain the land... I was working for 3 days, helping them just cut some brush and bramble... I´m glad now I learned how to use a strimmer in my gardening course financed by the employment centre and held in Julio de Matos mental hospital... there's still a lot to be done... we just cleared 3 of terraces... They actually paid some local workers to "clean" the land, which is unfortunate, as I can see big piles of burnt roots, possibly from oaks and not only Mimosas...
they have a nice vegetable garden already, and the olive oil they took from last year is amazingly tasty...they took 1300 Kilo of olives last year :-)... there's also a few old cherry trees, lots of small orange and tangerine trees, some pear trees, a couple of old luquot, a big fig in front of the ruin, few oaks, a couple of cork oaks, and a small piece of forest with some oaks, pine trees, mimosa and few eucalyptus at the top of the land where a big pond holds lots of water... It also has a spring and one more small pond... It's just beautiful !!! The mountain around, the Gardunha, feels steady and protective...
It's 50.000 square meters of land, it's a bit isolated from the next small village (which I consider a privilege), but not far from the main national road and a train station... the next small village is within a nice walking distance...we still see people coming from the fields using their donkey carts as their main way of transportation ... there are some lakes nearby which I only saw from the train as I was going back to Lisbon...
They already have a horse and a sheep and they also sheltered one dog, Lassie, and one cat, Mia who became part of the "family"... they already had Twister who is a funny hyper dog who barks to planes and the moon.
They also got a tractor, a generator, a water pump, and some essential tools to work and maintain the land... I was working for 3 days, helping them just cut some brush and bramble... I´m glad now I learned how to use a strimmer in my gardening course financed by the employment centre and held in Julio de Matos mental hospital... there's still a lot to be done... we just cleared 3 of terraces... They actually paid some local workers to "clean" the land, which is unfortunate, as I can see big piles of burnt roots, possibly from oaks and not only Mimosas...
they have a nice vegetable garden already, and the olive oil they took from last year is amazingly tasty...they took 1300 Kilo of olives last year :-)... there's also a few old cherry trees, lots of small orange and tangerine trees, some pear trees, a couple of old luquot, a big fig in front of the ruin, few oaks, a couple of cork oaks, and a small piece of forest with some oaks, pine trees, mimosa and few eucalyptus at the top of the land where a big pond holds lots of water... It also has a spring and one more small pond... It's just beautiful !!! The mountain around, the Gardunha, feels steady and protective...
It's 50.000 square meters of land, it's a bit isolated from the next small village (which I consider a privilege), but not far from the main national road and a train station... the next small village is within a nice walking distance...we still see people coming from the fields using their donkey carts as their main way of transportation ... there are some lakes nearby which I only saw from the train as I was going back to Lisbon...
I just took some pictures with Yves' camera on the last day because mine is broken, but you can already have an idea !!!
IT NEEDS A LOT OF THE BASIC STRUCTURES ON THE LAND SO PEOPLE CAN LIVE...AND THEY ALSO NEED SOME FINANCIAL INPUT BECAUSE THEY SOLD THEIR BUSINESS TO INVEST IN THIS LAND...
Some impression they already got from the land is that it is going to be a SAFE place and a HEALING place... and I also felt is going to be a RESTING place...
The last day I was there we had a communion ceremony together around the fire pit I created... me, Yves, Regina and Marcel ( a Dutch guy who is there to help for a while) ... Then we dedicated the land to Jesus' Guidance and protection, declaring the land is God´s...we symbolically poured wine along the borders of the land and anointed it with the Olive Oil from last year's harvest... Something Yves felt God wanted to be done ...
IT NEEDS A LOT OF THE BASIC STRUCTURES ON THE LAND SO PEOPLE CAN LIVE...AND THEY ALSO NEED SOME FINANCIAL INPUT BECAUSE THEY SOLD THEIR BUSINESS TO INVEST IN THIS LAND...
Some impression they already got from the land is that it is going to be a SAFE place and a HEALING place... and I also felt is going to be a RESTING place...
The last day I was there we had a communion ceremony together around the fire pit I created... me, Yves, Regina and Marcel ( a Dutch guy who is there to help for a while) ... Then we dedicated the land to Jesus' Guidance and protection, declaring the land is God´s...we symbolically poured wine along the borders of the land and anointed it with the Olive Oil from last year's harvest... Something Yves felt God wanted to be done ...
They don't want to develop any vision of their own, but they want God to show the vision !!! BE PRAYING FOR THAT !!!
They do want to be part of a community there which will reflect Jesus and His Way...In this world but for conformed with its ways… and they want to be used to lead others closer to God...
They do want to be part of a community there which will reflect Jesus and His Way...In this world but for conformed with its ways… and they want to be used to lead others closer to God...
2 comments:
Hello dear sister,
I have been following your blog for quite sometime, hoping to write, hoping to visit Portugal...I am finally initiating at least a little conversation though. My name is Tracy. I live in Colorado in the United States, very much in the mountains. (It snowed last night and summer is almost here) My house back national forest and you are welcome anytime!
I would love to have long conversations with you and meet all of your friends, but here I'll just introduce myself. I am a Blue Renaissance artist (Enter the Worship Circle). I have been touring/traveling full time for the past six years and so have intersected a lot of friends that I see listed on your blog. We (my band) is part of the ONE campaign, I am friends with the 24-7 crew and staff in Kansas City, I am part of the Enter the Worship Circle crew and have translated a lot of the EWC stuff for Spanish speaking churches. I lead worship in Spanish and English and started learning Portuguese a year and a half ago. I'll be tested this August when I go to Brazil. I think I speak pretty good espanu-guese at least :)
I want to backpack through Spain and Portugal very soon. That's it for now. Know you have another friend in Colorado.
Much Blessing, Tracy
www.therestorationproject.com
www.restorationvillage.com
www.worshipexplore.com
www.bluerenaissance.com
That sounds exciting! We hope that you will find the direction and that God will not only restore you but ressurect you.. You are in our hearts and prayers! Lots of love from the 2 of us in Turkey!
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