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We got home yesterday afternoon after spending a couple of days with my parents in South Bend. We were pretty much able to adjust back to the time difference while we were there.

I apologize for the lack of posts after July 9. The internet provider's service got very erratic, and it was nearly impossible to get any pages to load on the first try, so posting became very frustrating. I'll try to post some of the events from out last couple of weeks in Europe over the next few days and weeks.

Thanks for reading and for the many prayers on our behalf.

Great News!

We received test scores back for the first attempt at the TOEFL. We were very pleasantly surprised by the results. The students need to score 450 to be admitted to EuNC. We have been told that often a jump of 50 points can be attributed to just being familiar with the way the test is formatted.

Scores are reported in about a 30 point range. The low score in Wildna's range was above 450. The top of Carla's range was 450. The top of Flor's range was 430. The top of Haydee's range was 360. Carla, Flor, and Haydee all have until the end of August to continue to improve.

We are all celebrating their progress, but the students need your continued prayers to keep on improving.

Universals - Part 4

I guess my mind has been focusing recently on many of the things that we've found that we share with the people we are meeting in Portugal. I discovered another universal this morning.

Each morning, we join together and share a devotional thought or perhaps a testimony and then we pray together. This morning there were a large number of prayer requests (I'll list a few of them at the bottom of the entry, so you can include them on your prayer lists). Anyway, we each took a request and prayed for it. There were prayers offered in Spanish, English, and French.

We pray in confidence knowing that God hears our prayers no matter which language we language we use to vocalize our prayers.

~ Students as we prepare to give them the TOEFL for the first time this week (they'll be able to take it twice)
~ Several students who are attempting to learn English on their own because they were unable to come to Portugal this summer
~ The other volunteers who are traveling this weekend

Universals - Part 3

I have always considered one of the most unifying aspects of Christianity is knowing that all around the world on any Sunday believers are united through the Eucharist.  We come to one table from all over.  This morning we took communion in the Lisbon Church of the Nazarene.  

I've never taken the bread and the cup and been instructed as to why we eat and drink in any language other than English.  While I have no idea what the minister was saying, I am thankful that I can be united with you and millions of other believers through Christ's death and resurrection.  The unity inherent in communion has taken on a whole new meaning for me. 

A Bit About Money

Kyle and Jayme have been attending Portuguese classes in the mornings.  They have mentioned several times how much they would prefer an immersion-type experience like we are creating here as opposed to the 2 hours of class they have a few times a week.  Out of curiosity, they checked into a similar Portuguese immersion program where they would live with a Portuguese family and have about 4 hours of classes taught by a member of the family each day.  The program would cost approximately 5000 euros a month per person ($7800 per month per person with the current exchange rate).

Thanks to your generosity we are able to provide the same type of experience for our students. They are paying between 30 and 40 euros per week ($200-$230 per month), which does not even cover the cost of their food.

I also wanted to pass along a story that was shared with us from someone who contributed to the program and our expenses through the church.  We were overwhelmed to hear the story and thought you would enjoying hearing about God's miraculous ways of working through other people's lives, too.

"OK...so we were planning a nice evening out to celebrate our 10th anniversary on May 23.

When I mentioned our plans of a dinner cruise in Chicago to my morning show co-host, Johnny, he suggested I try to get complimentary tickets in exchange for doing a 'review' for the show. I thought it was a long-shot (we're talking Navy Pier, Chicago and only a week to make it happen), but decided to make a couple of calls.

I decided if we could get the tickets for free (~$150), then we would give that same money away. I guess God liked that idea, because from there on out, the arrangements were a breeze. Somebody actually called me back, and with out ANY red tape, gave me the go-ahead. We just picked a date and went!

That's it - that's our story! I've been praying for you."       

Universals - Part 2

On Saturday night, Kyle, Jayme, Wildna, Haydee, the girls, Heather, and I went to Torres Vedras for, what I think translates to, "The Rural Fair." It was surprising to see how similar it was to the county fairs I've been to at home. There were hot dog stands, treats that smelled a lot like elephant ears, cotton candy, and the rip-off you'll never really win that big screen tv for knocking the cans down with a pitched ball games.

There were displays from all the tractor dealers in the area though the tractors were only the small ones. Neither the roads nor fields are big enough for the BIG tractors. There were the rides, too. Emilia and Audra both got to ride in a boat on a merry-go-round. Emilia has told us that Disneyland will be like the fair several times over the past few days. I hope she isn't disappointed. ;)

While it was nice to see and smell some familiar things, I think I prefer the beach both here and at home.

Universals - Part 1

Over the weekend, we discovered a couple of universals. Here's the first. On the way home from church on Sunday, we stopped in Ericeira for a picnic lunch. After lunch, Emilia and Audra played at the playground that overlooks the ocean. While they were playing, Emilia met a girls who was about the same age. I watched them playing together and calling out instructions in two completely different languages. I wondered how long it would last until either one or both of them just gave up.

It was fascinating to watch them ride the teeter-totter together. Then, leave the teeter-totter and in synchronized motion move on to the swings and, finally, to the slides. Not only were they going from place to place together, but they were also teaching each other tricks. Emilia rode the teeter-totter on her knees and then her feet and the other girl followed. On the swings, the other girl twisted the chains to spin around. Emilia followed. Then, Emilia laid down on the swing and pushed herself with her feet. The other girl followed. They were laughing and smiling the whole time. Amazingly, they even continued talking to each other the whole time. While they didn't understand each other's words, they understood each other.

Lord, teach me to understand even when the words don't make sense.

Emilia: The Photographer

We've given Emilia a camera to use while we are here.  We have to limit her a bit or she will take hundreds of photos each day.  Here are some of my favorites that she has taken.

The Basilica at the National Palace in Mafra

The sidewalk in a plaza in Mafra (characteristic of most sidewalks in older sections of cities and towns here in Portugal)

Her beloved snails on a tree near Kyle and Jayme's house.

The view of the houses behind the vacant lot next to Kyle and Jayme's house

The view looking out of the window from her bed