moth & rust

Matt and I went for a swim yesterday, well... sort of. As we looked at this ancient pool, tucked in a corner of one of the many old, majestic palaces here in Portugal, we couldn't help but be reminded that all the strivings and vanities of man come to ruin.

“Where moth and rust destroy.
”

— Matt 6:19

The message of God's word is so opposite of our worldly desires. Beautiful Jesus is a picture of this; he shows us that weakness is strength, where sin is, there grace abounds, that giving is receiving and the big one, that death is life. Death is no longer the end; it's the beginning, a culmination, an "in your face," if you will, to what we hold in high esteem. Our stuff, our time, our very lives are all going to pass, but there is redemption, re-creation, and fulness of life that you can't get anywhere but in the will of our Father. 

Lord, may our lives to be about your Kingdom, about the everlasting. Let us not build pools for our vanity, but help us dig wells that quench thirst.

This Land of Death

Beauty often serves as a window through the ubiquitous death and decay of this world. It's pervasiveness is almost crushing, but God gives us eyes to see what can be, what will be. 

“in your light we see light”

— Psalm 36:9

Not only is there more to this world, there is more FOR this world. Jesus is KING; he will sustain and overcome. This song is a wonderful reminder that even though the world rages, "I've got Jesus' blood in my veins!"

Walking

Walking into this new culture/home/language/ministry/life has proved to be an interesting adventure. Stripped bare of all comforts of familiarity, the world we are now looking at seems a bit alien. We are children again, fumbling and drooling about as we learn how to walk, talk, and act. "Não custa nada, ser bem educado," (it doesn't cost anything to be well mannered) the children's song goes, but I would give riches for the nuanced accent of even the smallest child, for the cultural sensitivity and awareness I'm so gravely lacking.  

The other day as we were about to board the subway for one of our study jaunts, we were approached by a man who was asking us to sign a petition against this, or for that (who knows). I quickly responded, in my acutely honed Portuguese, "No thanks, we can't sign.... we're citizens!" His response was different than the sharp "thank you, have a good day" I expected. "Ummmm?" I quickly realized my mistake. Not waiting for a response I blurted out, "We're FOREIGNERS!" 

Another day I received a phone call from our cell phone company wishing to tie up some loose ends. While attempting to decipher the barrage of technical jargon, I realized I was being asked a question. What question? I had no idea, but naturally I gave the oh so easy, but dangerous response "YES." That should have fixed everything, right? The worker asked the question again, so I responded "Yes, Yes" this time. Obviously the double yes emphasized the absolute certainty of my answer. "Sir, are you sure you understand me," was her response.   

What does our external walk with Jesus look like when we can't have a real conversation with anyone, when we don't have the language to go up to a stranger to pray for them, when we can't preach the gospel because we just don't have the words yet?

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ”

— 1 Cor 1:27

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He will always be faithful. We have been praying these questions, these petitions, and he is answering our prayers, opening the doors of relationship, and using our frailty. We are making friends, developing relationships, and attempting more and more to be open to Jesus... everywhere, language or not.

We were sitting in a coffee shop the other day studying. Right in front of us plops down a real-live traveling man, fully equipped with backpack and hiking boots; a european explorer from the order of Yukon Cornelius (any Christmas aficionados?) After a short bit, he looks up, and in broken portuguese asks if we are here to study. Once Andrea informed him we speak English, we found out he's an American linguist that, in his retirement, has chosen to live in Europe, studying languages. It was a fascinating conversation, and we were given the opportunity to share our testimonies, and encourage him in the things of the Lord.

God is faithful to allow us to co-labor with him when we are open! He truly does use the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and we are relishing our weakness, as God is growing more dependence inside of us.

We've never had to depend on Jesus more, and it's the best place we've ever been.

Oh, and we're studying like we're in Med school.

For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy one our latest language learning tactics, Portuguese children's songs. This is one of our favorites.

Meet Senhor Virgilio

I (Andrea) love to learn...what type of glue works best when working with synthetic materials. HA! I'm not usually a studier/learner, but God has surprised me with a new love of learning Portuguese. Isn't He good? Please pray that we learn quickly and efficiently. Without further ado, as promised, a video of our language professor, Senhor Virgilio! Language study with him has been amazing; we absolutely love him.

Olá!

God is faithful everywhere! We've been in Portugal for two weeks now, and seriously I feel as though God has been holding us everyday. We are so blessed! Here are SOME of the awesome ways God has said, "Estou com vocês", which is Portuguese for "I am with you."

-Within ONE week we found and moved into the PERFECT apartment. They lowered the rent price, it is furnished, there are stores on the bottom floor of the buildings; it's nick-named "lego land"...what more could you want?

-An AMAZING family, who are also moving to Mozambique, literally arrived in Portugal 4 weeks before we did and have been a huge blessing to us. You can creep on them here. 

-We have an awesome tutor. Seriously, he's LEGIT! Video to come soon so you can learn with us or laugh at us...which ever you choose. 

-Emotionally we have done great. With Easter, and my (Andrea) birthday recently, it could have been a tough first couple of weeks, but we have felt, "the peace that surpasses ALL understanding," and been affirmed that we are in the will of God over and over.

Jesus loves us. He loves you. He is alive.

18th of March

We bought our plane tickets, and are leaving for language school in Lisbon, Portugal the 18th of March! It is a crazy feeling! My little sister and her husband are expecting (what a funny phrase) their first child, and my feelings about leaving seem very similar to what Regina has felt, only not on the there-is-a-human-life-growing-inside-of-me-that-I-have-to-take-care-of-forever level. It's more the "wow", "can we do this?", "are we even old enough?", "this is awesome" level. All that being said, we are excited and sad...the sad part is all me (Andrea) because Matt is so hardcore. :) Jesus has given us serious peace, but please continue to keep us and our families in your prayers. We love you! 

P.S. Last minute supporters are welcome with open arms, wide open arms. ;)