A Jon Post

Three weeks and counting and we’re one quarter of the way through our stay in Portugal. It seems like it’s going fast and we are encouraged by what we are able to communicate in Portuguese. Right now the biggest obstacle is our comprehension. People here speak FAST! Many times we are caught staring blankly at a person who has just asked us a question as we try to put together the few words we DID understand into what that person might have meant.

We are planning to visit a new church on Sunday. “Pentecostal Igreja Novo Jerusalem” or “New Jerusalem Pentecostal Church”. Meh… we’ll see how it goes and see if God says to stay there.

Last weekend we decided that we could stand for a little adventure while here. I had read about a place to go rock climbing near Porto and so we figured we’d try to make it there last Saturday with a friend we have met at school. We got up, grabbed a meal at the only Subway in Portugal, rendezvoused with our friend at the train station and headed out. A train to a village 30 minutes away and half-understood directions from a girl at the station saying “about 10 kilometers that way” and we were off, lugging a 40 pound backpack full of climbing equipment and hoping to hitch a ride from a nice driver “that way”. 1 hour later and with tired thumbs and legs we arrived at our destination. It was a beautiful little area right next to an old chapel and a gurgling stream. We climbed for about 3 hours and, exhausted and hoping for better luck with our thumbs, headed back towards the train station. About half-way back a flatbed truck driver saw our weary thumbs and pulled over and gave us a lift back to the train station. It was a great day. Click on the pictures below for full sizes.

We have received some encouraging communication about our visas from some friends in Angola and we are hoping to hear more from them and soon.

We could not be here without your prayers. We are so proud to represent Christ and to represent all of our supporters here in Portugal and into the world.

Please continue to pray for us and for our time here and for our time in Angola.

We love you all.

Jon and Layne