Oh how I will miss you

Just thinking about all God has done here in Porto and within my heart makes me want to fall on my knees and give Him praise. 

Today is my last full day in beautiful Portugal and it's truly hitting me like a  ton of bricks how much I will miss it. 

The Father has introduced me to friends here that have forever left an imprint on my heart and life; I will never,ever forget those I have met here.I have seen sights that I never imagined my eyes would have to privilege of beholding. 

My first  week in Portugal, I remember struggling to sleep at night due to the rustle and bustle of the street, the sound of  dogs barking, and seagull squawks. However, now I cry thinking about not hearing these.

I will miss older women walking down the street wearing aprons, smiling and telling me "Bom dia!" 

I will miss  intricate blue and white tile on every other building displaying the beautiful history. 

I will miss running to catch the bus or metro and them being my means of transport. 

I will miss not understanding the Portuguese  preaching in church, yet completely feeling 

the Holy Spirit's presence. 

I will miss singing at bus stops with Hannah. 

I will miss Guarana (my new favorite Brazilian carbonated drink) 

I will miss the cobble stone roads and sidewalks. 

I will miss going to Abigail's every Friday. 

I will miss my neighbor calling her cat to come in the house at all hours. 

I will miss sweet  kisses on each cheek used to greet each other. 

I will miss living in the apartment with Hannah. 

I will miss the coffee. 

I will miss my Portuguese church family. 

I will miss worship sung in Portuguese.

I will miss day  trips with the Milam family and being around them. 

I will miss opening a window instead of flicking on the a.c for a breeze. 

I will miss the river front and all it's glory. 

I will miss cooking for me and Hannah. 

I will miss precious little cafes on every corner. 

and so much more...

I will miss everything about Porto, Portugal!! 

My life is forever changed because the Savior placed me here for a semester. 

I do hope to come back again one day. One major lesson the Lord has taught me here in Porto, is that missions does not begin and end here( in a another country) No, missions is right outside your door. 

We are ALL called and everyone plays a significant role in making His name famous among the Nations. If you have a pulse, then you called to make known His love; you are called to be a missionary. My prayer is that I remember what I have learned here when I return to the U.S. I pray that I intentionally recklessly abandon myself and pick up the cross and follow Jesus in Alabama and anywhere else the Savior may place me. It's not a sacrifice to die to self, but a rather a  privilege.  

"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD,and all the families of the nations shall worship before you." Psalm 22:27 

I've never been good at Goodbye

 Today was our last day to visit the Children's home.

I can't believe our time with these sweet, goofy, and full of life kids has come to an end so quickly.I have never been good with saying goodbye, but can not  thank God enough  and praise Him for allowing me to be apart of their lives for a semester. My  prayer is  that they each one grow up fearing the Lord and putting  Him first in all they do, and I also pray that I showed them Jesus' love fully in my time with them. This has been such a beautiful chapter in my life and I will never forget these precious kids. I am humbled and amazed by all that God has shown and taught me through visiting the Lar  each week and being  able to live in Portugal. Today we gave presents and had a little Christmas party; here are a few pictures of our time together making snow flakes and enjoying the day!!!

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3

locked out

Okay so, Hannah and I officially have the most amazing people in the world as our neighbors here in Portugal. 

Ze annd Abilio are wonderful!!

Tonight, Ze rang our door bell to bring us a cake that was leftover from the church lunch  and in a rush to not leave her standing in the rain, we walked out the door forgetting that it locks itself each time it shuts; the door always closes really,really quickly, but  this is never a problem because we have our keys in our hands, (well , Hannah always has her keys) however, this time that was not the case. for either of us. Soo...half way down the stairs we realized that we had locked ourselves out of our own apartment! 

Through sign language and broken Portuguese, we explained to Ze what happened and she said my now, new favorite  Portuguese phrase, "Nao faz mal", which in English means no big deal or no problem.Ze then  gently held my arm and I walked with her up the stairs to her and Abilio's home (she insisted that Hannah stay in the hall way bc she did not have any shoes on).Ze walked in her house and  asked Abilio to grab a credit card and follow her to our apartment. SO maybe you can guess what happened next...

 To give you a great mental picture, Abilio worked an old plastic card into the frame of our door while Hannah, Ze,Samuel (their son & also,our other AMAZING neighbor they called to help), and I pushed on the door to  in hopes widen the seal for easier card access.Needless to say, you never have to worry about any of us breaking into your home, bc we couldn't manage to get the door open after trying for a good 15/20 minutes. All along, Hannah and I felt very sorry that this happened and that we were interrupting everyone's night. We were  trying very hard to open the door before calling someone for help;We didn't want anyone to have to get out in the rain and drive to help us. 

However, after the card didn't work, we knew we needed to call for some help. So, we then gave Andy and Michelle a call and while they worked on contacting  our land lord to get a key, Abilio knocked on our other  neighbor's door and asked if they  had any unlocking door tricks up  their sleeve.

The reason I tell you this whole, drawn out story about us  getting locked out of the apartment, is to tell you that the Lord works in amazing and mysterious ways. When Abilio knocked on our neighbors door, we all introduced ourselves and played with their little boy for a bit; Ze told us afterwards, that she knew we did not intend on locking ourselves out, but that  God wanted her to meet our neighbors and she also told us that she wants to begin building  a relationship with them and share Christ's love. 

The Lord wanted to show us that His way is always better.We seem to always get frustrated at little bumps in the road,but the Lord allows things to happen for a reason.

 Because we locked ourselves out of our apartment,Ze and Abilio now know the young couple in our building and hope to invite them to church and show them God's love, also, Hannah and I got to spend precious time with Ze and Abilio;They are genuine examples of Jesus. 

 Oh, and If you are wondering, thanks to Andy , we did get back in the apartment.
( thank you so much again, Andy)

God is so  good and if  He needs to lock us out of our apartment to  allow us to meet new national friends or make Himself known, then He can surely do it again if need be. God is at work in many ways all around us and he does not work like you and me.
When one door closes ( or is locked), the Father always opens a new one.


 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." 
Colossians 4:2-4

unity

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" Psalm 133:1

Today we completed the wall mural at the children's home by having the employees and children place their hand prints on the tree. The point of placing the hands on the tree was not only to represent  adorable leaves, but also unity and family. The Children's home is called 'Lar', meaning 'home'. and anyone who spends at least 5 minutes at the Lar can truly see they are a family and it is a home. Each member of the family plays a specific role at the Lar in order to keep it unified, thus making it a home. 

As Christians we are "one body in Christ" and we house the precious Savior, Jesus.

The Lord calls followers of Him to unify into one Body; we are to gather together for the purpose of making known the name of Jesus among the nations. We are called to lay aside our differences and vast forms of diversity in order to serve together  with love as brothers and sisters in Christ.No member of this family is more significant than another.

"For as in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them" Romans 12:4-6

"One heart, one unit, one team," 

 This was the motto used while Serving with an amazing team in Guatemala. We realized that without love and unity with in the team, we could not show it outward. 

If you see that you are lacking unity within the family(church),please work it out,talk it out, and pray to have the unity which Christ desires before moving any further. 
After all, How can could we ever encourage people to be apart of a divided, dysfunctional home? 

Devos,trees,and a little mushy pasta

Hi Mr. Monday!

Today is my second to last Monday that I will spend  in Porto,Portugal,  and I must say it was a pretty great one.

 Each Monday, Michelle, Hannah, and I get together and go over our weekly devotional. While listening to Michelle and Hannah express what stood out to them in the devotional this past week, I felt a rush of joy fill my heart. I am very blessed  to get to serve alongside women who love the Savior and want to please Him with their lives. After our time of sweet Devotion, we headed out the door for the Children's home; we are in the process of painting a tree mural for one of the rooms at the home and once finished, each child and employee will place their hand print on the branches to represent leaves and unity. Today we successfully finished the tree!!! After finishing up at the Children's home, Hannah and I headed home and we were both excited to have one of our favorite meals (shrimp pasta). However, the pasta that I mistakenly chose to cook with is typically used for making a Portuguese dessert with cinnamon sprinkled on top .This type of pasta, after boiled, has the consistency of our mushy oatmeal... sooo, I will leave the rest to your imagination. BUT it ended up tasting fine surprisingly and left me with a great story to tell. Mushy pasta and  all, it was a pretty great second to last Monday! 

Once upon a time, I used to dread picking my head up from my fluffy pillows and removing my self from my warm, cozy bed on any given Monday. However, I have recently had a change of heart for the weekday that is dreaded worldwide. 

The Lord has truly blessed me with the privilege to serve in Porto, Portugal and  I am learning to see everyday  as a gift and chance to give God glory. I now see Mondays as a fresh new start,an opportunity to introduce my sweet  Heavenly Father to someone. 

God is so good and would still be good if  you and I were sleeping on the ground in Africa, stricken with disease, or starving in a third world country. He is God and He is good, period.The Lord of all deserves more than my grumbling and complaining that I have given him on Mondays for at least the past ten years of my life.  

We are blessed to able breathe, walk, smell, talk, write, read ... and, if we are unable to do any of the above,  we are still  blessed ,because we can have a relationship with the Savior, Jesus.We are so blessed to be created and thought of by the same creator that formed the galaxies,beyond and in between

If we wake up, live, speak, work,serve and if every act of motion or motive is only to please ourselves, then yes, we should feel miserable on any day. The cure for a miserable life (or Monday) is to think about someone other than yourself. 

This life is not about you and me, it is all about Jesus and showing His love to our neighbors; He is the reason for all and is worthy of praise and focus.  

I want to encourage you to keep your chin up, be optimistic, and give Jesus praise with your Monday and your everyday.

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24


"My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day." 
Psalm 71:8

grocery day

Today was grocery day!!!

Hannah and I just returned from our annual grocery trek.

 At least once a week, we take our reusable bags,fill them to the brim, and lug them up our hill home. Each time I start to get tired or complain  about the weight of the bags, God always shows me an older woman carrying as much as me or more without complication or complaint.

 In the states I would sometimes complain about parking far away from the door at Walmart!!! How sad is that?! 

The Lord has truly opened my eyes to see how people live differently and how grateful I should be for my car trunk in the states and my bus pass/ breezy walk here . I know it sounds small and sad that I am writing a blog about carrying groceries, but I believe  no lesson is too small to learn. Life is far too short to complain. 

It really hit Hannah and me today as we were checking out at the grocery store, that this would be one of our last grocery walks home. Though hard at times because I was not used to it, I have enjoyed living like a western European in this way. I can imagine that I will have a slight bit of culture shock returning to Alabama. The thought of going to Walmart seems so foreign. There are pros to having a car and large trunk to stuff your stuff in, however there are cons as well.... a person with a car will miss precious bus stop conversation, cobblestone sidewalks and the sound of children laughing as they skip. Either way, we as people are extremely blessed and have far more than we should ever deserve, car or no car.  my friend Kelli's Facebook status said that We should count our blessings everyday and not only on Thanksgiving, and I completely agree. 

19 days

Wow, I will be back on American soil in 19days, this is almost impossible for me to fathom. 

It truly does feel like just yesterday that I found out I was placed in Portugal for a semester and now the semester is almost over?! Are you kiddig me?!!?

 I knew that it would go by fast, but just had no idea how quickly time would actually fly.  

I have so many mixed emotions about leaving; Porto has become my home away from home and the people here are like my second family now. I never would have imagined God would place me here and I am extremely blessed and grateful  to have had this opportunity. 

While here, I have been molded and stretched in so many ways and ultimately changed for the better. To be humbled and chiseled by the Savior is never an easy process to go through , however,  it's what must be done to draw nearer to Him.I now am aware of  things I needed to change about my walk with the Father, the sin that was clouding my vision of His holiness, and I am  very aware of a kind of person I never want to be.

 I want to be genuine, approachable,real, compassionate, understanding, caring, truthful, optimistic,giving,... the list goes on.... and I do not desire to be any of the opposites, EVER. 

 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 

God has  done a work within me and in the lives around me here in Porto,and that is very evident. Leaving will be very difficult and I know that I will be going to Mobile, Alabama and it will be very exciting to see my loved ones, however, half of my heart will be  lingering in Porto, Portugal for a while.

But I am getting ahead of myself... 

This chapter is not over yet and I can not focus my mind anywhere else but here. It would be so very easy for me to begin packing my bags and thinking about what's to come and who I will see when I return. Yes, I sometimes find myself thinking about the 'what's next', when I have yet to complete the here and now. God is asking me to trust Him with my future and commit my entire heart to Porto for now. I am here, not there and I need to still ask the Savior what His desire and will is for the remainder of the time I have. I refuse to shut off my obedience and I will remain ready and willing to serve in any way. God is good and if He didn't want me here, I wouldn't be here, but I am and He is whispering to me, "Jenn, what now? What will you do with this time you have been given?" 

"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:18

So are you feeling future focused lately? Has the King placed you somewhere to serve, but you are wondering where to next? I encourage you to look around and make the most of the time you have been given. No one is promised tomorrow. 

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:34