portugal experiences

July 4, 2023 began as a regular Tuesday with a District mtg. in the morning (usually followed by taking the elders to lunch, but Grandpa had a bit of heartburn still from the day before and also needed to finish preparations for his Elder's Quorum mtg. which was at 2 pm), so we did take-out for the elders and went back to our apartment.  After the Elder's Quorum meeting, we went to the Pharmacy to buy some anti-acids.  When we went back home that evening, Grandpa went in to lay down for a bit while I started to prepare a light dinner.  It was unusual that he was laying down on the bed in the day.  Sometimes he takes a quick nap on a chair in the frontroom after a long day so I went to check on him.  He thought outloud, "Maybe we should call Dr. Ramsey".(our mission doctor).  Very unusual.  (So we did.  We called. That was the first miracle.)  Dr. Ramsey mentioned that he could send a stronger prescription that should help the heartburn better...

JUNE 29, 2023 We had a Wonderful 50th Anniversary Party with our Branch here in Sao Miguel.  They decorated using photos they must have taken from my facebook page.  So sweet!  And Grandpa made a video to surprise me!  It was about our 50 years of marriage and our family and missions; it made me wipe away happy tears.  We showed a short video about Temples and how important they are so that Families can be together forever.  Elder and Sister Soares takes a tour of the Rio de Janeiro Temple in the video. We had prepared pictures of Jesus in 5' by 7" frames and after we explained how our Savior helps us in our marriage and family...we had one from each family come up front and explain how they have felt the Savior's love in their lives.  Each would take another picture to give to another family and so on... it was a beautiful outpouring of love for the blessings that are possible through Jesus Christ.   After the short program, we had a meal, a...