mAnY nEwS ☺ …

WE FINISHED ALL THE OLIVE PICKING…

The olives were ready to be picked for the olive oil… these are the last to be picked, so we just need to clean them from all the leaves
We went first to our land and then to the land from Regina’s parents, where we are staying…

Me, Miri, Michael and Mark were going every day to the land in the mornings and we’d only return at the sun set… we’d take some bread and things to put on for lunch because we still take 20 to 30 minutes on a short cut… but it’s such a nice way 


At the same time Jo and Edi were building a nice shelter in front of the house…even under the rain… They are such a blessing !!! Actually, each one of those who are here are so special… I’m really thankful to get to know them all and I really appreciate that they came in such a pioneering stage just to help… even considering all the conditions we (don’t) have …


We were having a lot of work and wasting a lot of time just to take the leaves out of the olives, but thank God we got a machine to do that from our neighbours…
Ze Manel and Fernanda are our funny neighbours… they are the parents in law of Regina’s brother… They helped collect our olives and we helped collect theirs… Actually, Regina and Yves helped collect theirs and then they came to both Regina´s mother’s land and ours…
Yves came from Belgium for some weeks, but I’ll mention that later 


Morpheus found a good use for the olive leafs as well ☺

The last day, when we finished all the olive picking, we made a kind of party in our house… the neighbours came, Yves and
Regina too, and I cooked something for all… in the end it was really funny, Ze Manel started to dance and tell funny jokes..and we found out that he used to be a real clown in the circus... It was really funny !!!

OUR NEW PET 

Michu !!! a kitty girl ...
She came a few weeks ago, after one of the big storms… she wouldn’t come close to us, until Monike sat next to her  and eventually she could touch her…
Now she comes to all our laps… we all love her ...

THE MATRIX MADE US A VISIT 


It was such a blessing to have familiar faces here… Jasmin came with Dane and the Farmers (a family that just came 2 months ago to join the Matrix family in Lisbon)… Julian came along as well and it was nice to see him again after he left us… It was cool to hear when he said that it feels more like a community now here.
Marty also came later with Zach, Hillary and baby Malachai…
They all came prepared to make lunch for all of us (around 12 plus them), and we had an amazing Chilli cooked on the fire by Paula…
They wanted to help on the farm as well, but it was a rainy day, so it was good just to hang out and chat !!! I had a nice time speaking and praying with Jasmin and it was nice to meet the Farmers…
Dane spent the night with Julian and so enjoyed one more day…
I really felt supported by the Matrix !!! Thank you guys… we all appreciated it!!!

Some of us that night also went to Covilha (city nearby) for a metal concert and made nice relationships with some young people there .

ALIGNING THINGS …

As I said, Yves was back from Belgium and he would stay for a few weeks here with Regina… It was our first opportunity to speak with each other about the land and pray about God’s vision for it…
We were all looking forward to this conversation as there were a lot of things to be defined and also a lot of misunderstandings and tensions from both sides that needed to be cleared out…
Thank God things are much clearer now and we’re also having more time to get to know each other…

One of the things that was defined and decided was that we’d leave this house in the farm of Regina’s mother and we’d move to our land (the one Yves and Regina bought last year)… this was one of the misunderstandings, we didn’t know that Regina’s mother didn’t want us there, apparently she hates Christians and she couldn’t handle the idea we were using her property... Oops…we also didn’t know that would be a problem for Yves and Regina for us to spend some months in the house before we have enough conditions on the other land… oh well, but we all agreed we had to leave soon… Actually, Regina’s mother gave us until the end of this week .
So, WE ARE ON THE MOVE  …
The only thing that was worrying me was Frauke and the baby… But God took care of that already… they got a donation and they are able to rent a flat in the village… so, they would only be 30 minutes walking from us, and we will be able to use the shower there when we need  … That’s still hard without a heater… and now in the land we’ll not even have a bath tub nor even a toilet… but we have a shit pit already 


Jo and Edi already fixed the roof … it was more like a patch work, but for now it will work nice… we just need a dry place where we can make a kitchen and a common place for everyone to get warm… we’re thinking about building a shelter next to the house, but that’s step number 2 .



Our patch work roof ... we got a good deal for old roof boards :-)
 we’re all excited and happy !!!
I'm really thankful for all who are here to support and handle all these circumstances... They are all great !!!


NEEDS, IF YOU WANT TO PRAY OR HELP :

• A car to work… we ‘re praying for a working van
• Material for constructions…we have already 465 Euros to start
• A way to get into the land with the vans… the way where the vans need to pass is flooded with water… so we need that to be fixed, for the water that is flooding the land at the bottom can find its course away from the road… that would be great !!!
• Protection from any sickness or accidents…
• That we would all feel comfortable and satisfied with the new conditions… not all of us are rainbow style people, some are not used to use shit pits or not having how to have a nice warm shower 
• Internet connection…in the land we have no electricity, but we can try to ask for a phone line, and maybe through phone we can have internet …Oh well… I’ll try to write at least once a week.

sHaRiNg aLl tHiNgS ?!!!

"The whole fellowship of believers were united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.
And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need."
(Acts 4:32-35)

I’ve been meditating on this passage lately… What a powerful community “The Way” was… That’s how the first Christians were called : “The Way”, and I think it was not only because they were following Jesus, but because people realized that they had found the way to live life together … independently of the Roman Empire that oppressed them and was not just especially to the poorest.  
What powerful values we find in this passage!!! No one would say that their things were only theirs…Wow, how many of us are able to say this ?!!! (or actually practice it )


It excites me a lot to live in a community…I’ve been asked and I’ve been questioning myself what kind of community I want to be part of…
Well, Jesus is my role and master, so I definitely want to be modelled by Him and His values…
There’s also a lot of good stuff I’ve been learning with many people and many movements I met on my way, christians and not … mostly with rainbow people which I’m most familiar with… but I often realize that they simply practice many of the values Jesus spoke about…

It’s not easy to live in a community, that’s a fact I realized a long time ago… But still, there’s a natural attraction to it (I guess for everyone in some way)… Can it be that that is because God created us to live in community?!! I believe so…
But the world tells us a totally different thing… we grow up (at least in the “western countries”) hearing that we need to be independent, and our freedom is above anything and anyone… we need to "fight" for ourselves to “survive”… our system is leading us more and more into individual, selfish and lonely lives, and a lot of people are not even aware of it… it’s even a shame if we need to ask others for help, or simply for something we need…
It’s much easier actually to be independent… but soon people will realize they are alone… they build their kingdom, but they don’t have anyone to share it with… it stops being fun … they feel empty…because something is missing : the others !!!


And that’s exactly what a community should be all about : Sharing with others !!! Even though I agree that we will never know fully what that is all about unless we start living it, experiencing it and learning along the way… But I believe (and this is just my opinion) that one of the basic values for a community to function powerfully is to share all things with everyone… well, that needs trust as well … and requires responsible people, as I´ve also seen that attracting people who just want to take advantage of the generous ones...
Lack of trust comes from fear, and with fear there’s lack of Love…
The foundation of a community life should be Love above all things of course .
we need to realize it is not about our own kingdom, but about God’s… It’s not about our own needs, but others’… It’s not about our own interests, but the interests of those with whom we live and the ones around us…
It needs to start with humility and total surrender of each one to the Bigness and to each other…

The first followers of Jesus had the key to end poverty , a theme so much spoken these days… there was no division of classes anymore… no more rich and poor… they would all work for the kingdom on behalf of their communities and all the society around them… there seemed to be equality of genders too and a universalism where there was no "jew or greek"... "Christ was all and was in all"
I don’t think they would only feed the poor, but they would invite them to be part of their communities, their families, their homes… it's a very different approach isn't it?

I also thought of what Jesus said when he said that it would be harder for the rich to enter God’s Kingdom… I don’t think Jesus were referring to their wealth as the problem, but because He knew how hard it is for a rich person to give up their own kingdom and share it with others… and that means giving it all to have the same as everybody else in the community…It’s much easier, if we think on this terms, for someone who is poor to join a community where everyone shares everything, and ending up having the same as the rich guy he used to beg from…
That’s revolutionary !!!


I have shared this many times, but for me it is simply amazing in a rainbow gathering where we have a “magic hat” that goes around after every meal and people give whatever they have… some put a lot of money, some just a little, others put nothing and many times we see people putting “kisses” or laying their hands on their hearts and “putting it in the hat”… That’s really touching… But the amazing thing is that there is always money to buy food for everyone… and I’m speaking about gatherings that can go from 50 to 3000 people for a whole month…
the needs are announced, the musicians start playing happy songs and the children often love to go with the “magic hat” around the circle…
“and the more that I give,
the more I have to give,
that’s the way that I live,
that’s what I’m living for”
(that’s one of the “magic hat” songs)…

I picture the first Christians being more like that !!!!
Sharing with joy !!! Not only their lives, but also their things, their gifts, their work, their skills, etc…

The question is :
It worked then, how can it work now ?!!!

4 tOm

this is just for brother Tom :-)...can you send to my e.mail your address and blog ?
I always ask Emma but she never has it with her
Thanks...I'd like to get in touch :-)
Bless you
Shantii

nO iNtErNeT yEt ☹…

we thought we were finally getting internet… the man from the phone company even called before 8.30am, which made us all excited, but there was another problem… the pillars where the phone line was coming from are all old and rotten, so they need to be changed … well, that’s good if they do it, but we’ll have to wait 3 or 4 more days, at least, he said… I wish Friday it would be working… if not, only next week !!!

But well, life goes on 

we’re really glad and happy that more "Jesus Freaks" arrived…
Miri and Jo,


Mark and Michael (the picture is not clear though),


And the funny and lovely "Zimmerman" Edi 



The pictures are not that great, but you’ll have more chances to see more from them later…
Mark and Michael came hitch-hiking from Germany and met the others in France… they might stay till Christmas, or around that…
Jo, Miri and Edi will stay for 2 months, more or less… They are the carpenters and they will bring tools and a generator...
It was really sweet this morning when Miri was telling me she didn’t come to sleep in my room because they got caught in conversation, sharing, worshiping and praying untill 3am … the "Jesus Freaks" movement is going through a transitional shift, so I imagine there will be more of these nights...

I’m really glad for all those who are coming to join…

Me, Dominike, Frauke, Peter and Edi came to the city today for internet, shopping a lot of stuff we miss and for Frauke’s appointment with the “baby doctor”… She can be born at any day from now on ...
We’ll also have lunch with some of my cousins, Nela and Carlos… they invited us!!! I ‘m really thankful for my family here in Castelo Branco who has been supporting me in many ways… Paulinho is also a blessing, always willing to help when he can… I like him a lot …

O.K., all for now…

Shantii, Shantii

wE'lL hAvE iNtErNet SoOn... :-)

Finally, after almost 2 weeks, the guy from the Phone Company called me saying he could go to our land to install the phone and internet ... Things take time around here ...
But Thank God !!!
I hope the communication will get better now... especially because we've been having quite a lot of rainy days and that means that we can't do most of the things we need to do outside... so we might have more time to read and write e.mails... we don't have and don't like TV anyway 

I'm having a little time here at a cafe with wireless connection, so I'll post some late pictures from the land...
Thanks for all the encouragement I've been getting through comments and e.mails... and I know there are a lot of you who read this blog without leaving any comment... I'm thankful for you too...
I want to make you part of what I do, and I'm glad you want to be part of it...

Love you all !!!
Here are the pictures :

Dominike and Peter setting up the net to pick the olives...

Julian picking olives...he left us today ... he helped us all a lot...picking wood, olives, etc... And besides working, he's a great friend...Thanks Julian !!! he's now going to Lisbon for a portuguese course ...



Timmy, just finishing the shelf in our pantry...great job Tim !!!


After many days of rain, the sun came back again... and much Joy came back as well :-)



Peter is our juice expert... he made 7 liters of natural orange juice that day...

and we have plenty of oranges in the land :-)


We don't have men's and women's jobs around here... We all try all things... Look how excited Simone and Monike are chopping wood :-)



But we do have specific things we are in charge of...like Simone and the horses... She's good at that...and she loves it !!!
This is Joker, the stallion :-)


My birthday... They decorated the room with lolly-pops... I loved it !!!

I cooked some nice cod fish that my family gave me... fried some "french fries"... grilled some green peppers... and I bought some nice "Alentejo" red wine...

Frauke and Monike made the dessert... Roasted apples with jam and cream...

I had a wonderful day !!! Thank you all !!!