FiiiiiiU...sO mAnY tHiNgS 2 sAy...

Fiiiiuuuu...I don't know where to start...I was just watching the pictures and I realized so many things have happened...And I'm only taking time now to process it... I have to say that these last 2 weeks have been a bit overwhelming for me...I'm not so good with lots of people around... I feel I don't have time to be with anyone properly and I tend to hide myself as well going to a quieter place...oh well...that's me !!! Actually 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 :-)
But I've been so blessed with so many beautiful people coming here....Like Nelly , here at the picture


she was crazy...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 States, and she was on her way to visit the Borden's 's in Tanzania...Oh, how I wished to hide in her backpack to go to :-/...

Meanwhile we were on the last preparations to start with our week of 24 hours praying...
A lot of people end up coming that I didn't even know they were supposed to come... I guess God had everything planned ahead...as usual Eh, eh... I lost the count, but we end up being more than 30 people... some more germans arrived...a team of 8 people from Ywam also joined us... it was really cool !!! A very interesting mix of people... And during the weekend, finally some portuguese arrived :-)... Ben, Bruno and Marcia with Whitney and Alana (well, they are not YET portuguese, eh, eh)
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... because of Jesus...we shared the bread and wine with one another and we had a time of worship and prayer...
Next day was our first day serving the village POVOA DE ATALAIA...the land of the poet...

and 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 have already trash bin in the village...even recycling bins... I guess it's a lack of education on that matter...and it was one of our purposes to do that...

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 Barth... he is an angel !!! eh, eh...
Next day we were cleaning up the street in the village and arranging a bit the garden... the Mayor, Rodrigues, gave us some tools for that...

and he said something really interesting...he said "- you know what I'd like you to do with this?...just showing this people what community is all about...coz they don't seam to know...everyone just gets in trouble with one another..."
wow, what an insight...I love this guy!!!

On saturday we were a lot more...the portuguese arrived...and the Ywam team as well...just a few stayed on the land to cook dinner and water the plants...

on our way we met some of our neighbors on their donkey cart...so funny !!!

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

a gift from God over the skies of Povoa de Atalaia...just to remember He was with us...

And again on the land, as the sun was about to set... soooo beautiful...
Actually it rained that night and Marcia, Alana and Whitney got a bit wet in their tent which had to rain cover :-/...poor ones, they had to finish their night in the car :-(...
but apart from that it was nice that we had a bit of rain...the land needed it...and it was nice to be a bit cooler after so many hot days...

the last day serving 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...



Juran with Hanne and Jonathan...Juran was also making tatoos that night...eh, eh...he's addicted now...


Barth after making his tatoo, with the 2 french girls, Lyna whom we met in Israel/Palestine last year, and Cami, her friend from Paris...
the next days were more relaxed as we didn't need to go to the village...

and the sun came back again so we could enjoy a good swim in our little lake...

or a good chill in our hamock (don't know how to spell it )

some of the team from Scotland...

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

The portuguese handsome guys :-) Ben and Bruno eh, eh

O.k, my battery is almost over...
There were a lot more nice moments during these days of the prayers week...some really cool charing of testimonies around the fire ...praying for each other nations...actually we were from all over the world... Portugal, Germany, Ireland, U.K., France, Brazil, USA, New Zelland...I guess that's all...wow...all gathered in the "middle of nowhere" in Portugal :-)
God is great !!!

Shantii