Because I haven’t updated for a little while, I’ve been trying to decide just how to do so without boring the heck out of you (and me). So, I decided that maybe I’d just do some actual “updates”. And, if I’ve already told you some of this stuff, I apologize. I’ve kinda lost track of what I’ve already told you and I don’t want to go back and read through all of my posts.
Update #1: The Car
We actually own one and are driving the one that we own (after about 3 weeks of being put off for different reasons). And we actually got it insured too. That was another chore because everyone tells you something different. We thought we wouldn’t be able to get it insured because we don’t have licenses here. But, that all worked out. We bought a Renault Grand Scenic, which is a small car, but seats 7. It has 2 small collapsible seats in the far back. Perfect for picking people up for church or giving the elders a lift, if needed. It’s a manual, so we’ve had to get used to driving a stick again. And it’s also diesel (hopefully Rick will remember what type of gas to put in the car – don’t tell him I put that in my blog - haha). Everyone here drives manuals/diesels to conserve. I’m thinking we bring the car back to Utah because it’d be a great souvenir – haha. It’s a pretty funky looking car.
Update #2: The Dog & The Puppy
Yes – The puppy. After over a week of the dog (Amber) not getting much better we decided to adopt a puppy. We figured Amber wasn’t much of a help for the kids because she wouldn’t let anyone pet her, except for Kaylie, and it took everything for Kaylie to be able to even get her to come in the house. So, the lady who works at the pound, and is also in our branch, told us we could come take one of the puppies she had rescued – for as long as we want. And then if we can’t find a home for him when we leave, she’d take him back. Not a bad deal. So, we brought him home. And, having another dog at the house has helped Amber A LOT!! She has now warmed up to everyone (except Devan – which drives him crazy). She’s starting to behave more like a normal dog and the puppy has been a lot of fun – excluding the normal puppy messes. We had to remove all rugs, so now the house is colder because of the tile flooring. But, the puppy has made the kids happier. The puppy came with the name “Beethoven” and he’s a “boxer” mix. He’s very adorable. We still can’t understand why his owner would go to the bother of clipping his tail and then give him to the pound. He’s a golden color. He’s developed a pretty bad cough so we’ll be taking him to the vet this week.
Update #3: New Friends & The Branch (our church)
We’ve met some really great people and the branch is growing. We even had enough people to hold Relief Society a couple of times. And the Relief Society president even had a lesson. Not bad. The ladies were all very nice to me and Kaylie (poor Kaylie still hasn’t been able to have a Young Women lesson yet). I had told Rick to tell them that we had our English lesson manual and that we’d just follow along as best we could. But, they were so nice. They really tried to include us. They would stop and ask us the word in English. I was surprised how many words in Portuguese I actually knew (I actually felt like patting myself on the back). The chapel has been quite full a few times. Hopefully it will keep growing. The Elders have a hard job, in my opinion. To be the branch presidency – working with the members – and then being missionaries – out tracting, looking for new members – would be very hard. Which I’ll tell you a little more in Update #4. As far as friends go. We’ve been over to Vilmar & Dede’s home for dinner and another afternoon where she taught me how to cook a couple of different things (then, we ate them). Vilmar is hilarious & Dede is a riot. They have 2 kids (both in Primary). Vilmar is a member, but had been inactive for a long time. Dede is not a member, but goes to church and let her daughter get baptized. She seems to love the church, just doesn’t believe in Joseph Smith having been a prophet. They have been together a long time (they are from Brazil), but have never been married. And, now that they are in Portugal, they have had a hard time getting the right paperwork to be able to get married. The other family we are becoming friends with are Tina (the lady from the pound) and her husband Julio. They are just coming back to church. They have been married a couple of years. She has 3 kids from a previous marriage (which was a very bad, abusive marriage). They have a 3 year old boy, 12 year old boy (who was very cute, until he showed up at the branch Christmas party with 2 earrings), and a 14 year old daughter. They are struggling with the daughter and the son seems to be following in his sisters footsteps (maybe). But, nice family. We like them. Planning on having them and the Elder’s over for Family Home Evening. One other couple we met live down the road from us. We ran into them a couple of weeks ago when we were on a walk. They moved here about 3 years ago from England. They are in the process of getting plans approved to build a new home on the same piece of land they are currently living on. We plan on visiting them soon.
Update #4: Rick’s calling
We’ve been a little confused at Rick’s calling. First, he thought that the District Presidency had called him to be the Branch Mission Leader. But, our branch president was a little confused by that, since he had called another person (Antonio) to that calling. Then, Rick thought that he had been called to be the District Mission Leader. Then, he went to meet with our District Presidency and he told Rick that he’d be in charge of contacting all the in-actives in the district and finding out if they are still living in their homes and why they aren’t coming to church. I guess that will be a relief to the missionaries. They can concentrate more on finding investigators. And to top it off, I guess I’m supposed to be going out with Rick to. Interesting, since I CAN’T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE!! We’ll see how that all goes. So, now we’re not sure if Rick has an actual calling or if it’s just an assignment. Whatever.
Update #5: We enrolled Tanner in school
Yep – I sometimes can’t believe it myself. Poor kid. He is not thrilled with the idea. He went for a week and then the school is closed for the next 2 weeks for winter break. The first day was pretty hard – on both him and the aide that stayed with him all day. His teacher and the aide both speak English pretty well. Better than they think, actually. The aide stayed with him all day so that he wouldn’t feel completely lost. But, she got pretty frustrated with herself and cried a couple of times (according to Tanner). But, by the 3rd day Tanner came out of the school happy and smiling. Although, if you ask him, he’ll tell you that he hates it. It’s been an adjustment for him, but he truly seems to be happier. He was completely bored at home, and was constantly fighting with his bro. He’s in a second grade classroom that has 2 other 4th graders. I guess the other 4th grade class was full. But, it’s worked out ok because the other class’ teacher doesn’t speak any English. Plus, the boy in Tanner’s class is also new and they’ve connected. Tanner refers to him as his “amigo”. He doesn’t speak any English, but they manage. Tanner has lots of admirers. He’s already had girls telling him that they love him. Very cute. Tanner’s last day of school, before winter break, was a field trip to Obidos Vila Natal. Which leads me to update #6.
Update #6: The best day ever
Since Tanner had a field trip to this place, we decided to take Kaylie for our own field trip. It was so much fun. Just what we were in need of. The town of Obidos is extremely quaint. The whole town is surrounded by a fort wall. A wall that you can walk on and circle the whole city. The castle has been transformed into a hotel. The main road, which is all cobblestone, has shops all along it. We had a great time shopping, eating chocolate, drinking hot chocolate, and eating yummy roasted chestnuts. Also, the Vila Natal is an area that you pay to go into, which had lots of fake snow stuff. It was kind of cute, but mostly for grade school kids. They had an ice skating area that cost an additional 5 euros for 20 minutes. Funny. Anyways, it really was one of the best days ever since we moved into this home.
Well, hope you didn’t get too bored. And I hope I didn’t repeat myself. We have had many good days lately. The feeling of being here in Portugal is changing (for the better). We need more days like the one in Obidos. Christmas was good – I’ll write about that in my next post. For now – it’s bedtime and I’m exhausted.
Love you and miss you (and my automatic)
Denise
No comments:
Post a Comment