A Layne Post
Basilica
Old Convent
Has it only been a week since our last post? Wow! I feel as if I could sit with each of you for an hour or two and share with you stories and updates. I will attempt not to go on and on; however, no promises! =)
For those of you praying that we would find a good church, we have found a small one! We are not fully convinced that we will stay there, but we have attended two services, and plan to go again this Sunday. The church is a small Assemblies of God. Their praise and worship is fun, and we recognize a few of the songs! Tuesday night there was even an accordion player; I had to giggle a bit. It is about a thirty minute walk from our apartment, which is an enjoyable time for Jon and I to chat about our opinions and whatnot. There have been approximately 20 people attending, one of which is the sweetest girl from Angola! What a blessing! She is willing to offer as much help for us as possible, however, she has lived in Portugal most of her life. Her parents are still living in Luanda, Angola and attend an Assemblies of God church there. She wants to contact the church to see if they would be able to help with the visa, which would be amazing!
As the days pass and slowly the months, I have to fight the urge to panic more and more. So far, my faith can overcome quickly! Continue praying for that peace in our hearts. I know the Lord has a plan and a time. I know we are where we are supposed to be right now, so the next step is up to Him.
In other news, our schooling is going quite well. We had a little switch up with our tutors, which was a bit difficult during the beginning of the week; we had gotten into a rythym with our previous tutor. By Wednesday we felt like we were learning quickly again. There are a lot of grammatical technicalities that are just a matter of practicing and memorizing. We can say more than we understand. If people talk slow, we follow better, but the sermons remind me just how far we have to go!
We went on another outing with the school. We went to see an old stock exchange building, which was quite amazing. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures. It was a bit of a shame because the detailed granite work, beautiful wooden floors, and plaster decorated walls were unique and gorgeous! There was a room called the room to “impress”. No kidding! The walls, columns, and ceilings were terribly intricate with gold, blue, red, etc. plaster work to look Arabian, along with rose glass windows full of color. I was impressed!
Food here is quite interesting. Due to our lack of vocabulary, we never quite know what we are getting. The other night I accidentally ordered boiled squid. Boy was that bummer. Ha! The Portuguese love their starches. Your meal will include a roll, rice, and french fries. Vegetables are a bit hard to come by. We did find a Subway. Oh the joy that filled my heart! I filled my sandwich with lettuce, bell peppers, onions, and more. So refreshing!
I will share something with you that you may scoff at… Jon did. This morning I sighed on our walk to school and Jon asked me if I was alright. My response: “Oh the monotony of life!” Go ahead…scoff, like I said, he did! Here was my train of thought: We wake every morning and eat one piece of toast with butter and cheese, and one with peach jam; we drink earl grey tea (no variety); we read the Bible together; we catch the same bus, walk the exact same streets, take the same elevator, go to class, and walk the same streets back, etc. It feels a bit more monotonous than life in the states for me. Jon’s response, “Oh yes Layne, we should get out more, take more adventures, travel more.” I know, I know. I have an amazing life, though I want you to know that I have the same feelings and struggles no matter where I am at. I am like you! We are like you!
Because of that… we need your prayers!
- Pray for our witness here in Porto, our witness at the school.
- Pray for our ministry at the church.
- Pray for our faith and peace about the visa.
- Pray for the Lord to move.
It may sound repetitive, but my heart is overwhelmed with gratefulness when I think about you. I tear up thinking now. We could not be here without you. We want to make you proud. We want to honor your generosity.
I am tearing up thinking about you too :-D
I love you both so much!
Oh how I love reading your posts and seeing where you are and the unbelieveable experience God has given you both. You are truly so blessed. I am looking very forward to taking this journey with you and watching what God does with you. I will be praying for Him to continue to show you every step of the way. Stay safe, With love,
Ah dear Layne. . Wait until you are 80 – boring – tedious – achy – but isn’t knowing what lies ahead of all of us just glorious!! I eat the same bowl of cereal and bran muffing – coffee which we now add a touch of cinnamon to for my blood sugar – and then it is time to make lunch and what to do for supper. And I’ve been doing this for 60 years. Wow!! At least I don’t have to make six school lunches for those Heller kids anymore. but I love the way you share yourself because it makes me look at me and my sorrows, pain, joys and blessings .. and know I am not alone with all these mixed feelings. . some may scoff at our openness – our enthusiasm and our tears . . but others are blessed! you bless me!!!