Last weekend we went to a park to meet our team members and enjoy a nice evening of fellowship. The weather had been hot during the day but in the evening under the shade trees it was very pleasant. The children played on the playgrounds while the adults sat in the shade and talked and enjoyed some snacks.

They gave us a "goody bag" and when we got back to the apartment, it was fun to see the notes that were attached to each goody. We have already gotten into some of the goodies and the notes are even more handy.

The note attached to the Snicker's bar says, "Ooooh! You're in language school? Hang in there - you're gonna be awhile!" at the bottom - "snicker, snicker". Another one, attached to Kit Kat bars says, "Sometimes you just need to take a break (or give someone ELSE a break)! "gimme a break, gimme a break ... "

I am encouraged by the card that says, "Some days, the only good reason to go to language class is the elderly couple that gave to Lottie Moon." It was attached to a little bag of gold, chocolate coins - Euro coins, of course, and just reminds us of the privilege we have because of people who love the Lord and care to give.

Pizza?

We've been told by our children that pizza in other countries is not the same as the kind we are

used to in the States. Okay, so we knew that and expected things to be a little different but I had to laugh last night at the shocked expression on Don's face when we opened the box.

We had walked about an 8 minute walk from our apartment to pick up some pizza for supper. He'd ordered a special deal and we carried the boxes home. Don had ordered a "frango" (chicken) pizza but this is what it looked like when we opened the box. Yes, there was some shredded chicken but I'm not sure what they call that other topping. They look and taste like little hot dogs or those vienna sausages in a can. Needless to say, Don wasn't too impressed with the taste. The special was two pizzas and a bottle of coke, so at least the other pizza was something he liked - a pepperoni and mushroom. The funny thing is that everything here tastes just a little different - even when it is the same brand that we have.

Food, Phones, and Driving - Yikes!

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we had language classes in the mornings from 9-12:00, and the afternoons were full of running other errands. One of the first things we had to do was go get a tax number so that we can get a bank card, and then we went get a cell phone so that we could be in touch with our team members. That's Don and me in the picture talking with the sales guy, who was happy to practice his English.

We can walk from our apartment to a mall like store that has what amounts to a big super Walmart, another store like a Home Depot, and a big electronic store, among smaller shops, too.

Now our experience in the food store was somewhat different since Don and I went alone. There are so many items on the shelves and only a few recognizable brands. I did get some Tide laundry detergent but most everything else was a guess. Some of the things we bought were good and some, well, we'll just try another brand next time. Most of the workers only shook their heads when I asked, "Falla Ingles?" until towards the end of the trip when Don found a young man that could help us with some questions.

That's "our" car, an Asta, parked in front of our building. We also have an underground garage spot that is ours, too. Like most cars here it is a standard transmission and a sporty drive. But the driving experience so far is not relaxing! You have to be on the alert constantly for people zipping out in front of you or coming up fast from behind. And even with a borrowed GPS we have made mistakes very easily and have to really work to get back to the right place.

We have decided to start taking the subway to our language classes even though we have about a 12 minute walk to the station. They have told us that the traffic these days is not so bad since so many people are still on holiday, but wait until September. Maybe by then we will have figured out our way all over the city on the Metro and won't have to use the car much at all.

Two Days in the Hotel

Our first two nights were at a hotel within walking distance of our language school. Yes, we did have to jump right in to language class the very next day after we got off the plane but on the whole it has not been a bad experience. We are taking one thing at a time - although, it does seem to be a quick track ; )

The hotel was nice and clean but reminded me a little of a version of our Microtels in the states, though, there were a few differences. Every bit of space was well used. The view from the window looked onto the backs of the buildings on the block and the bathroom was an experience. The big white thing over the toilet was the handle you pushed to flush and the tub was so high that I banged my knee just stepping in. Another funny thing is they don't use wash clothes (they are hard to even find to buy) and the only soap they had, at least in the hotel is tubes of liquid soap that is used for face, hair, and hands. Actually, the soap worked well for my hair which really surprised me.

We Are Finally Here!

I know that it has been awhile since I've written but we have been on the go for some time now. We moved out of our house, traveled to Nashville, then on to Memphis, then boarded a plane in Memphis - to Chicago - to London - to Lisbon.

Our flights were good and uneventful but I had to take a picture of the line boarding the flight in London. We had to change terminals and they took us by bus out to the plane. We had to each carry our 50lb bags and the personal bags we had (that felt like 50lbs, too) up the stairs and get them in the overheads. Most of the people on the flight had light luggage or just one small bag as they were not in the process of moving like we were.

Seeing Lisbon for the first time ... I'm not sure how to describe it. It was beautiful in the afternoon sun but also looked a little intimidating to me. As it turns out we don't live very far from the big green stadium in the last picture.

Jet lag is still with me - I need a nap!

The "Strain of Life"

It is hard to comprehend that two weeks have gone by and we are finally on the other side of the final details of closing on our house sell - the garage sales, Craig’s List deals, sending off the rest to auction; the rush to finish emptying and getting out for the new owners; our crate being built, loaded, and sent off on the semi-truck; stuff loaded on a UHaul for our daughter to use and store; the rest given away or trashed... A lot of other details were taken care of like sending off files and records, paying last bills and closing out accounts, gathering our prescription medicines, finalizing plans with and for our children.

We have had special times with our children and my parents and many, many long hours of physical, mental, and emotional tiredness. To be honest, this whole process has been really hard at times and not something I would look forward to ever again and yet, God’s hand has been constantly with us, ordering the details and many last minute rescues ; )

Today’s Oswald Chambers reading was the reminder of what this process really has been for us. “God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength.”

I know this was just a session of “strain” for us and that we are headed for more but hopefully we will remember these times and be able to “thank Him for all that He has done” as we leave the things in His hands.

Our Crate Experience

I wish that it could be said that it was a “great” experience but that wouldn’t be true from the typical human point of view. But when you see it from God’s perspective you see that He was giving us opportunities to trust Him and watch Him work. From the very beginning, because of where we live, there had been one obstacle after another to get over - obstacles that the Lord removed.

First the crate was delivered before we got home from orientation and just our son and one of our daughters were there. The rain was pouring down, the truck couldn’t get up our driveway and even if it could have, there was not sufficient room in our garage to have built and packed the crate. The driver was patient and took the bundle to an empty trailer at one of the businesses in town he delivers to and let us keep it there for days until we found a place to build it.

The storage facility we called to see about renting a unit from was run by someone that had been in the funeral business in town and had known Don from years before (we didn’t know that until we made the call). He let us use part of the garage that cars are stored in so that a forklift could get in and out easily when it came time to load the crate and then he didn’t charge us the full rate for use of the space when I went to pay the bill.

Two friends in town (George and Marty) came with their pickup trucks and helped get the bundle to the storage garage and then helped Don and Ben put the crate together.

We had to rent a bander and forklift to come over to the storage facility. On the day the truck was scheduled to come (from out of the area), our window of time was 2:30 - 4:30 but the driver showed up around 1pm! We didn’t even have the crate fully loaded yet and here was the truck! The driver had other deliveries in other towns but said he would try to get back later on. We called the place with the forklift and they said if he didn’t get back by 4:30 they couldn’t send the equipment. That would have put us off another day and possibly more because we weren’t guaranteed a semi-truck the next day.

The guys who were going to band the crate were also the forklift operators and came over around 3:30 to get the banding started. Just as they were finishing off the banding, the driver called at 4:05 and said he was on his way and would try to make it by 4:30. The guys had to go get the forklift and within 20 minutes or so, the forklift was driving down into the storage facility with the semi-truck following behind.

And it wasn’t over yet. They really needed an extended fork to get the crate up and into the truck and didn’t know for sure if the fork they had (and a strap) would work. The Lord was gracious and the operator was very careful and in just a few minutes our crate was finally on the truck and on its way.

You know, we’ve been praying that God would be in the details and take care of things according to His timing, we just haven’t always paid attention that these are some of the very details that He was using to grow our faith.