pRaYeR wEeK iN pOvOa dE aTaLAia...

This post will be filled with pictures...as it's easier for me to remember all the things that happened these last weeks...
This picture is of the house where we hosted the prayer room... such a perfect location...just next to the main church building and right where the sweet old ladies hang out in our hot summer days... yes, it has been hot...between 35 and 40 degrees (celsius).

Anyway, this house was generously provided by the priest of the parish, who unfortunately was going to leave the village on the last day of the prayer week ... but that's another story...I'll comment more about it towards the end of this post...


One week before I had a surprising and pleasant visit from our little brother Lukas and his brother Philip... It was so nice to be with him again...and he was very pleased to be back as well.. Here they were getting Nono ready to go up the mountain with them...

Here's lovely Anne, who came also before the prayer week and helped me to set up the room... she came to check the land for a possible place for her to live in...but she felt it was time for her to be On The Way and walk...so she did...here was the night before she headed on her journey... I believe it´s going to be a beautiful and strong one... I feel she'll be back...she really loved it here, and we had good conversations about living in community, and specifically about what I dream for this place...
Bless you Anne... May the Wind guide you, may The Provider shelter you and give you the food and drink you need to keep moving...The One who is The Way is with you...

Uli and Stephi also came with the kids (not so much now), Melody and Elias... we all had great fun... and Uli, despite being on holidays, couldn't help but fix all our bikes...Bless you Uli...They also came with a caravan trailer that they left for Sieglinde (Miri's mom) , who will come to spend next winter here...

Emma also came, just a few days before and she helped me with the last details of the prayer room...well, to be honest, most of it !!!

Marcia came on Sunday... I missed her soooo much !!!
here we were chilling under Maria's cafe pergola vine...Hmmm, nice grapes !!!!

My full time supporters in the kitchen... As last year, we had all our meals at the village Hall kitchen... what a blessing !!!

A creative moment at the prayer room ... It was a lovely week...not as many people as the previous one,but because of that we had lots of time for listening to each other's stories and praying for one another... It was definitely a week for listening !!!

We opened up the prayer room at 9pm on Sunday, the 9th... There were some young people from a parish in Lisbon, whom we met last year... They really enjoyed the last prayer room, so I invited them to the opening of this one... we worshipped God with some of their portuguese songs, and we prayed together... they were quite emotional because the priest was leaving and they were really close to him... I felt sorry for them, but it was so beautiful to see such sincere love... it was nice to be with them again... A few days before they all went with the priest to have lunch with us in the land...

Listening to the old ladies who would hang out just outside the prayer room was our way of serving (and receiving) for this year... what else do they need !!! They are amazing !

In return (not that we were expecting it), they would come with watermelons and huge tomatoes from their gardens ... They are so generous!

 

But our garden would also supply us with some things...look at this beautiful harvest... and tasty as well !

Edna came alone on thursday... Paulo and the babies, together with Ulli, Juran and Nuno (their fisherman friend from Olhao), would come later... Edna needed some time alone and I believe she had great times in the prayer room... she spent 3 nights there... here in the picture, in the morning when we arrived for breakfast...

At the fountain of the Village Hall dipping our feet in water... this was saturday when Paulo and the rest arrived...

The sweeties !!! They do love water !!!

Oh yes, they do !!!

On that day also, some friends of Emma arrived, after hitch-hiking all the way from Bradford...well done !!! Here's Levina and Nina... Andrew was cut here...sorry about that Andrew... well, you cannot really see Nina either... I also don't have pictures of Ricardo, Clara's boyfriend... Great guy ...really lovely to meet him !!!

Juran showing off the gourgets from his garden... Nuno, the fisherman, in the back...what a lovely guy as well, simple, humble and always ready to serve ...

And the fun part is about to begin...
This was Sunday morning...well, I don't know if it was morning anymore... I had a lovely conversation with Juran and Ulli, together with Emma... Next time we'll see them will be at their wedding's celebration in Germany... we were also speaking about Edna's Baptism that would be somehow, that sunday, before we closed up the prayer room... So, after our conversation, Edna came and said : " Would you cut my dreads?!!".

With Edna things had to be different anyway... and special, of course... She wanted something symbolic to remember such a special day... And it was a nice start for a baptism !!!

For those who are not familiar, baptism is not just a thing religious people do to babies. Baptism, in our community´s understanding, is a public declaration, to the seen and unseen beings, that we want to live by different rules... not by the world's rule, but by God´s... 

we declare we are children of the Light, and nothing evil can harm us no more...

Juran started...

Then me...

Emma's turn now !!!

The 3 of us at the same time !!! I felt so privileged to be part of it !!! It´s my blood sister afterall...

Yep, it needs to be all gone !!! Look how happy and joyful she was !!!
She looked beautiful and shiny... well, it's hard for Edna not to !!! She´s an amazing person!

Soon, a saloon was set up in front of the bus... Ulli needed her hair cut a bit...

I was next ...

After that we all went to the prayer shelter...we heard Edna and why she wanted to get baptized... there was nothing else to say really... we just worshiped for a while...

lots of crying and emotions in between... all good !!!

Then all up the hill to the pond !!! Unfortunately I don't have pictures of that because I was in the pond with Edna... 

Emma got a picture of Edna between me and Juran as she went on the water... and Edna said : " Yes, that's how I wanted as well"... So we went, despite the possibility of getting our feet filled with leeches... we didn't really know the "right things to say"...but anyway, she knew it in the heart what she was doing...and above all, God knew it... she declared before us all, and before all the beings on earth and all the spiritual realms, that she belongs to Jesus, her Light in this world... It was very beautiful and of course, there was lots of laughter... me and Juran embraced her and we all jumped backwards into the water... after that, the rest joined the pond party...It was great !!!

After that we went to the village to eat something and go to mass...It would be the last one this priest would give... everyone was sad with that, and Paulo (the priest) also... but he was obeying his bishop who thought he could be better studying in Rome... I admire Paulo's humility and submission a lot... Rome was the last place he would like to go, he told me, but he prefers to believe he´s obeying God...

I understood that, as I also served an Organization for 7 years, as I felt that was where God wanted me at the time... It is a good practice to obey leadership, unless they request something that is not according to God´s character... I remeber one time I didn't quite agree with my leader´s judgement,but at the time I felt obedience was more important than "being right"... and it was not damaging anyway...

I'm very sad too, because he was a gem... not only preacher, but doer of Jesus' words... I will always remember the day when he was sitting on a door step with an old man at 1am in the night... I was picking up someone from the bus or train and I was wondering what he was doing at that time late at night... I found out that he was counseling a father to get reconciled with his son... and they did reconcile... Anyway, I just wanted to leave some words here, honoring this servant of God... even though it's hard for him to accept any compliment to himself... I thank God for Paulo, and I glorify The Creator for this beautiful person ...
The people of Povoa de Atalaia prepared a long table with all sorts of food, like a feast, for Paulo... a simple way to show they loved him...

It was beautiful Paulo's words at the end of the mass as well... he was appreciating the people of this village and expressing his love... he acknowledged their lack of self-esteem (I have always had this sense too), and encouraged all to never think that way... We were all touched, and I feel very privileged to be part of this community...

Happy ending !!! We put on some reggae throughout the night, Paulo (my brother in law) bought some beers, and we all had a nice time together in front of the church building...

Now, some random pictures of the prayer room... There were 3 young girls from the village who absolutely loved it...

"Nothing can separate us from your Love God"...Nothing !!!

Thank you God for everything !

...and finally, some REST...not that the whole week was not restful, but it sure felt good to be alone with God and a few close friends...
Me and Emma went to "Moses" to be with Vonny and Andrew... I love them so much...

I was looking forward to see how their work in the house was doing...basically, they are rebuilding an old ruined slate house... almost by themselves, only Joao, their neighbour is helping them and teaching them how to do it... Amazing !!!

me and Emma engraving a message in their wall :-)... "blessing"

and "shantii"... it means Peace  in Hindi...

Blessings of Peace at Moses...Amen !!!

Me and Emma went back to the land and Lucy came to visit... we had a short yet lovely time with her...
Nina, Andrew and Levina enjoyed a lot staying at the land and looking after it while we were away... when we came back they had prepared for us a lovely dinner...they left the following morning, hitch-hiking back to Bradford... I was really pleased to meet them all...

Now, me alone again... clearing up the prayer room, organizing a few things here and there... washing dirty rags... checking up my e.mails and writing on my blog...
back to my solitude again ... with God and all creation around me...