Igreja Evangelica Batista

Today, as fitting on Sundays, we went to church. The church we went to, a local baptist church, is one that we are partnering with to plant another church in the town we are living in. And boy, did they welcome us with open arms and kisses on the cheeks! One lady took me by the hand and walked me around introducing me to everyone she could find. A little girl came up to me after service and gave me a hug and tried to speak to me in English, so I tried to speak to her in Portuguese. She was our shadow for much of the afternoon after that :)

The street the church is on.

I tried to get a close-up after we left, but it is
the white building.

All in all, it was so great to finally meet the people we will be in fellowship with as well as working with over the next couple of years. During service, the pastor talked about the history of missions in Acts and then went on to talk about the beginning of the history of missions in Vila do Conde (at least, that is what I caught with the little portuguese I know!). He brought us up front along with his son and his son's wife and the other families living in Vila do Conde. It really was great to stand up there knowing exactly why we are here and standing beside people who want the same thing, of which with some of them we can't even communicate with. Pretty spectacular to be used by God in this way. Here's to a God and a gospel that transcends culture!

Potluck lunch! Mmm. We like this church already
:)

A closer look at lunch. On the left are two different types of
Feijoada: bean stew, usually with beef and pork.
It is a typical dish in both Portugal and Brazil.
And Michelle brought the American dish: a la macaroni.

As one lady told us, "Sweets are sweets
in every country." And right, she is!

Another typical in Portuguese cuisine... espresso!
Hodge likes to say, "It could run a car."

The beautiful potted flowers the ladies of the
church presented to us! Did I mention how
welcomed we felt?

Exploring Vila do Conde

Last night, Hodge and I came back to our apartment... still without heat or hot water or the ability to cook, but we needed some time to ourselves after a busy week (at least, I did). So, we slept in this morning and then explored our town a little (get ready for a lot of pictures). Wanting to cover more distance than on foot, we drove the company car which we share with some of our teammates. Of course, Hodge has already nicknamed it... The Biscuit.

We drove around our little city and up to the next city north of us, Povoa de Varzim, which is more of a resort town. We don't know much about Vila do Conde yet, but I did read that it was a ship-building center during Portugal's Age of Discovery, as well as a fishing port. It is located on the coast, at the mouth of the River Ave (ave meaning bird).

The River Ave with the old St. Clare Monastery in the background/

No, not the Matrix Church... the Matriz Church.
I am sure we will be posting plenty more
pictures of old catholic churches. They are
practically on every corner.

A statue in front of the church.

The Saturday Market.... just a ten minute walk from our house!

Futebol in the Park.

Most of the streets in our city are cobblestone.
Cute, but a little rough on The Biscuit.

Look at that stud driving a manual!

This one is just across the street from our apartment
It is an old fort that was built to protect
the port and the town's entrance from pirates! Arrg!

After exploring, we ate a very late lunch at a place just around the corner from our apartment. We have eaten there three times thus far. One of the guys who works there speaks a little English and is super friendly. It has been fun trying to communicate with him. 

Our apartment complex. The restaurant is on the bottom right corner.

A closer look.

Mine. Lasanha.

Hodge's. Francisnha, a very popular dish local to Porto.
 It has about four different meats in it with fries
and normally an egg on top. Can you guess why Hodge loves it?

The meia de leite in front (half coffee, half milk)
and the galao in the background (a quarter coffee,
3 quarters milk).

It is a little too strong for him. 

Bem Vindo a Portugal!

Welcome to Portugal! We arrived in Portugal late Saturday the 5th, after nearly 24 hours of travel time, which included a 12 hour layover in Germany. Our initial intentions were to explore the city of Frankfurt, but we decided to catch up on much needed rest, leaving Germany to future adventures. All together, our flights were great, all our luggage arrived with us, and Leeloo made it through her first plane flights!

The first couple of nights, we stayed with our team leaders and their kids because our apartment didn't have water or heat yet. However, they did take us by to see it during our first full day in Portugal. It is located in Vila do Conde, about 30 minutes north of Porto, and we are very happy with it. Might I add... it is literally across the street from the beach. So, we meandered down to the water after looking the apartment over. And because we were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, there were a lot of people out. Here, Sundays are family days.

Us (far right) with our colleagues.

On our second full day, we moved into our apartment. However, we still had no heat or water. Water was going to be turned on the next day and we had warm blankets for the night, so we bought jugs of water and decided to stay. I think we were just anxious to move in. Our first dinner in the apartment looked something like this.....

With no heat to cook food and no utensils or plates
to eat civilly, we made sandwiches. Note that Hodge
is using a chip to spread the Mayo. He is very creative :)
Also, he says that Portuguese mayonnaise tastes like
Miracle Whip... which he loves. Score!

The next day, we unpacked some, our water was turned on by a nice gentleman who spoke no English, found out we won't have cable and internet until next week, ate around the corner at a pizza place (it was delicious!), walked to the grocery store.... o and went to the beach.

Across the street from our apartment and to the left.

Across the street and to the right.

I think Leeloo is happy with her new home...

... and so are we.

Well, after staying in our place for two nights with no heat and no warm water, we found out that our heat actually won't be turned on for several more days because of new Portuguese laws. SOO.. our colleagues invited us back to their apartment. We packed a bag and soon enough, we got warm showers and internet! After that, we did some shopping for our apartment and looked at getting phones. We also got the equivalent of a SS number. In Portugal, you need this number to buy or do a lot of important things.... like open a bank account, buy a phone, sign any contract with companies, etc. 

So far, it has been a great experience. We have a lot to do to get really settled in, and all of it is a process. Until we get on the company car insurance and get metro passes, our colleagues have been driving us around. They have been really great, extremely helpful, and such a blessing.

I will post again soon with more pictures of the city!

For now, that is it :)

Why Feet?

No. We are not weird feet-loving people. But we are "weird" Jesus-loving people. And if you have ever read Romans 10, you just might understand the reference to feet.

The entire chapter is just wonderful, and I even dare you to go read it right now. However, the verses we speak of are 13-15, which say:

For, whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"

All Christ followers are called to be preachers, that is someone who proclaims the good news of Jesus. While some people are called to stay, some are called to go, to leave their families and friends and adjust to a completely new situation of life to tell people about the greatest news you could ever hear. It isn't easy either way, but why should we be comfortable with the fact that there are so many people who haven't heard of the love of Jesus Christ? Or don't fully understand the significance of what He did? Or don't know of His daily comfort? People who feel like they are completely alone and hopeless, and yet others who have everything but are missing that one thing in their lives. Why doesn't that move Christians to action every single day of their lives? Afterall, "Whoever believes in Him WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED" (verse 11).

God has clearly placed the call on Hodge's life and my life, both individually and as a couple, to move overseas. He has made us to do this. While we don't yet know the language or the culture, which makes daily living a struggle, we will learn. Some days, it will be difficult. But we believe the Gospel transcends language and culture, and we desperately want others to have the same joy we have, which is only found in Jesus.  Our heart's desire and ours prayers to God is for their salvation.

So, that is why feet are important to us. Not only our own but the feet of every person taking a step to share what the Bible has to say. We believe it is an incredible blessing and honor to be able to participate in God's work and to be used by Him in this part of the world. May our feet, our hearts, and our eyes be continuously turned toward Him.