Last Days of School...but always learning!

Hercinio had his finals this week.  Nadia will finish out this week and go up north to her home for the summer.  Djodjo and Djeison are completing their semester. Paula is taking cake to her students this morning.  Our grands are bringing their backpacks and summer hopes home as well.  How fun to have summer begin!

Andre, #7, is our stairwell neighbor. (Paula's son). He invited us to watch his final handball game for the season.  What a fun hour as we have never watched a handball game (combination basketball/soccer sem feet) type game with many rules. If you look carefully, you can see his goal in the net!  Yay!  I tried to keep my decorum, (we are missionaries after-all), but you know how I get at games sometimes.  He came out after and reached out his hand to thank us for coming.  Such a fine young man. 

Speaking of neighbor's...you have already met Katarina, but what a good friend to help me with the Portuguese here in Portugal.  Often she is outside as we pass by and always fun to visit with.

  

A fig tree right in the school yard parking lot.  So Interesting.

Two streets away from our home, we met a kind man who told us all about the different kinds and hotness numbers of the many kinds of peppers he is planting.  He told us that they will be beautiful and bright red come June.  He doesn't like eating them, but he likes growing them.  We told him we'd come back to see.  He is from Portugal and his wife is from Africa.  She has company right now visiting from Africa and she has bright pink hair as she waved from the doorway and she will be fun to get to know.

While we were visiting with a few families in Beja, one of the mothers came out and stood silent for awhile and then tiredly asked us if we could say a prayer that the children would quit arguing and being mean to each other. (My Mother's mind went back to Mosiah 4:14-15, and a many years ago  conversation I had with some of our little ones about how much I wanted to be a Mother forever, and that I needed their help because of that scripture and how it was important that they help me get it right and for 3-4 minutes it actually worked!!!) Ha!  My Mother's heart understood her.  I asked the children to be really quiet and Elder Benedict would sing a special song for them.   After he sang 'Eu sou Filho de Deus'  (I am a Child of God)...they wanted me to sing it too.  I asked one of the father's there if he remembers the song and if he could sing it with us.  He said he couldn't remember it.  But, as we got to the end of the song, he sang the last phrase with us as well.  

Our profound sadness comes when we know the Gospel will help so many little ones, but their parents have forgotten to share it's hope.  Everytime we ask if they know the Gospel is true, the parent answers: "Yes".   But, knowing and doing are 2 different kingdoms.  Many are thankful that they had the gospel in their young lives, but they are not sharing the precious gift with their little ones. Children should always matter more than drinks, work, other relationships, pride, and/or any entertainment. Sometimes, I just want to go door to door reading 3rd Nephi 17 to everyone:  Behold, Your Little Ones!  

In our member search we passed through the town where Emily lives with her Grandmother.  They made fresh lemonade for us.  Emily's grandparents love to dance.  Her grandfather is not a member, and so he will drive them to church only once a month.  However, after some persuasion, he said maybe he would come help our branch learn some dances.  Now, we need to talk to Cheri who was just called as the activity leader in the Evora Branch and see if she wants to have a dance sometime soon.  

Occasionally, we text Vadinho's sweet wife and tell her how he is doing in his studies and at church since he is so far away from Guinea-Bissau.  They are good to talk to each other often (most days thanks to whatsapp) and we love this family.  A few week's back we sent the little video: 'The first Vision' through the phone to Vadinho's wife and she told Vadinho that now it is their family favorite! We sent the Prophet's devotional to her last week.  She is very happy that he has been baptized.   After Church yesterday, Vadinho showed up to Church in a very bright African shirt that his wife had sent to him.  Our hearts were deeply touched when after church, Vadinho gave us a shirt that also came in his package that she had sent for us.  I swallow tears often at the goodness of others.  Her name is Ana. 

Make a Great Week!  We love you, fiercely and forever!