Campismo, Crianças, and Candy

One of the boys tents with
 a great view of the ocean

Its good to be back! Last week I was about 45 minutes south in a town called Sesimbra and I was at camp with the church from Lisbon. There were 12 kids and 3 adults (including myself). Now this camp isn't the American church camp.. it was real camping.. in tents, without electricity!! It was a great week, exhausting and fun, difficult and new! Since there were only Portuguese at the camp I was able to really pick up some of the language and get to know the culture a little bit more.

The theme of the camp was "choices" and making the right decision, which path to take, etc. So as the kids learned lessons and read Bible stories that helped to illustrate the lessons we were teaching them. One activity to help the kids understand that there are consequences to their choices was having two people stand really close together and ask the kids who thinks they can fit through- so one tried to squeeze through and made it. Then the two moved apart so there was a big space and they said okay now who can fit through here- and like 3 boys ran through. Then the one who fit through the small space was given candy but the three that went through the big space had to eat a chunk of raw onion!!

Leo and Amanda helping
 pour drinks for lunch

The kids were really fun to get to know and they were teaching me Portuguese and I talked to the few that knew some English to help them. I really enjoyed the week, we did crafts and played games. I was in charge of the kitchen, so the kids took turns helping prepare and serve meals. Then they had to clean and wash dishes!

This week I started work with a ministry here called My Hope. I am excited to see how I can help them and learn about the ministry. I was blessed to work with them by filling packets (previous post). Theres more envelope stuffing to come in the next few weeks. But I have had a chance to meet some national workers at the ministry. They are amazing people and I am enjoying the time spent with them and the fellowship from them! I also have the task of making another pinata!! 

Below are some pictures of the week! Enjoy!!

We played a game with an African flair

The goal was to throw the balls into this bucket with your teammate

They did a good job!

They even let us the leaders play.. we got 4 balls in!!

My teammate :)

The lady responsible for the awesome week and some kiddos

Reading Scripture

We went to a Castle one of the days and had  lessons and activiti

Diana and I

The kids loved the Pinata

Game with balloons.. kind of like flagfootball meets tag

Team games!

Hawaiian night!

Craft time

This was a hit!! Limbo 

Heres the Champ! Telmo

Leo working on a craft

Beach :)

Enzo washing up!!

My new job! Stuffing packets for a ministry here called My Hope. Lots of work, we did 592 today!!!

Festas, Fatima and Paper Mache

Pinata for camp

Hola!! I am just checking in really quickly to let everyone know I am doing well. I got to play tourist this weekend!! I was staying with a missionary family for a few days who have been here for over 20 years!! They are teachers at the Baptist Seminary here in Portugal. It was a great time living with them for a few days and seeing what life is like for long termers like them! I got some good insight on life in missions, the ups and downs, and everything in between. (I promise I will share some of these amazing insights I've been gaining eventually, but I just arrived home and I leave in the morning for a week of camp with 8-13 year olds!! so wish me luck)!

For this camp I have been making pinatas and getting crafts ready for the camp! Heres my finished product!!

Photo of the Festa dos Tabuleiros 

I was busy last week working in the library of the church I mentioned before. I was also able to visit a few different ministry sites and Bible Colleges here in the area. One ministry is called Teen Challenge and they work with drug addictions, their facility was enormous and from what I hear their ministry is quite effective. The Bible schools are small, and their enrollment numbers are dropping. The movement in Portugal is stagnant, after talking to the workers here they just keep telling me the same thing. "The work is hard, there isnt much going on" etc. Which after today, I understand why. We visited a city about 2 hours north of Lisbon called Tomar. There was a big festival called "Festa dos Tabuleiros" and it was beautiful, they decorated the city with crepe paper flowers and grapevines and all sorts of pretty things. Then they had a parade of these headdresses that were flowers and bread with a crown on top.. ok, hard to describe so I'll post a picture of what it is supposed to look like.. then later you can see the pictures I was able to take (there were a lot of people, so I couldnt get too close)! It was a fun day and I got a little sun-burnt, but that's okay.

Fatima

But then on our way out of town we took a detour and stopped in a city called Fatima. Fatima is famous for a church, and a story. Its legend-ed that three kids were in a field one day and Mary appeared to them, and then for 6 months on the same day (it was a 13th) she appeared to them each month. So they have built a huge catholic church in this city, and there is (for lack of better words) a shrine to Mary there. And this is why I find it so easy to believe that work here in Portugal is difficult. As we toured this complex, and yes I said complex- this church (actually there were like 3 churches) was huge!!- I saw people burning huge candles for penance, women crawling on their knees for hundreds of yards, and statues of Mary everywhere. Its hard to imagine the bondage that keeps them from Christ's freedom and his gift- a bondage that has them paying for candles to burn for their sins, that has them rubbing their knees raw to pay for their sins- when Christ has already done so on the cross. So I mourn for them, and I pray for their freedom.

Okay, now to the fun pictures!! It was a beautiful day today in Tomar, and the town was so pretty!! Enjoy my pictures and I will update as soon as I'm back to civilization next week after camp!! Pray the week goes well and the kids learn!! Also that I will pick up some more language!!

Beautiful decorations!

Ok, so these are the Tabuleiros- we couldnt see the women carrying them,
but these are on top of their heads!