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

gobble gobble!!!

 Last night we shared an amazing, early Thanksgiving dinner in Porto with all the fixings!!

 The Milam's were so sweet to open up their home to share an American tradition. We started off by  Andy sharing the story of how thanksgiving came to be and then we all went around the table to share what we are most thankful for. After dinner we introduced  the games, phase 10 and Apples to apples to our sweet Portuguese friends; we had so much fun laughing and just enjoying each other's company .It was by far the most memorable Thanksgiving for me yet. I am so blessed and thankful to be here in Portugal with these amazing new friends I have met. Also, last week we introduced Thanksgiving  to the Children at the Lar and had them make a leaf  wreath of all that they are thankful for and finger paint turkey pictures. Here are some photos of our time together last night and our Thankful week at the Lar.So what are you thankful for?? In my opinion we should be thankful the other 364 days of the year as well.

          

We used the English/Portuguese Dictionary to help us better explain the different cards in Apples to Apples.

   

"I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations."Psalm 57:9

"But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise."
Psalm 79:13

"I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever."

Psalm 86:12

                                       

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4

               

0.00 is her favorite number!

  While in Portugal, I have had the honor of getting to know Mrs.Abigail Macedo. 

Abigail holds a before and after school study program for youth throughout the week that Hannah and I get to help with on Fridays. Abigail is also teaching us Portuguese during our time with her and the students. This past Friday, I asked Abby if it would be okay for me to write a blog entry about her and her testimony. I am so excited that she said yes, because I want everyone back home that I know to get  at least a glimpse of this amazing,godly woman.

Ladies and gents, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to
Abigail!!!

 With just the short time I have been given this semester to get to know Abigail; I have been greatly impacted by her story and lifestyle choices. With grace, and optimism, Abigail has faced and overcome several things throughout her life.One major obstacle she had to face was a life changing battle with Leukemia for which she spent 6 months in a hospital.
Abigail shared with me that she grew closer to the Savior in those 6 months than ever before.The Savior never left her side and was with her throughout every treatment and trembling time of fear.Abigail had an extremely server case of Leukemia and also a hole in each of her lungs;she will tell you that she should not be alive today. However, she is a living and breathing testimony of the miraculous works of Jesus Christ. As of December 18, 2005, Abigail has been cancer free,that's 0.00% !! ! Hallelujah! Abby mentions in her blog that she,"was treated physically and spiritually." Since then, she has committed her life to helping others battling cancer by encouraging them to stay positive and focus on the ultimate physician ,our Lord, Jesus. 

Abigail has a blog called,http://leucemiaemterradeanjos.blogspot.com/ ( leukemia in the land of angels) where she encourages those fighting cancer and shares her personal story. Here is what she shares in the title of her blog:

"WHILE I WAS ADMITTED TO THE FLOOR OF THE PORT IPO V, I WAS CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED BY THE POWER AND LOVE OF GOD. SURROUNDED BY LOVE, CARE, CARE OF PEOPLE DEVOTED TO MY PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUAL WELL-BEING. EVEN WITH A WAR AHEAD, I FELT THAT HE CAREFULLY PLACED "IN THE LAND OF ANGELS."

Along with her blog, Abigail works with a non-profit organization 

called A.P.L.L  (Portuguese Association of leukemia and lymphoma). 

I hear so many people say that miracles do not occur today like they did  in Biblical times, but I say that is so far from the truth. Let us open our  eyes to the miracles Jesus is performing all around today and everyday.

My eyes see Abigail.  

 And, It is such a joy to be around Abigail, because she realizes that life is a gift and she is determined to make the most of it.This special lady selflessly gives all of herself to others in the same way Christ Himself gave of Himself for us, His bride. 

Abigail Macedo truly has a servants heart. 

Are you hurting physically or spiritually? 

 I have good news my friends, 

Jesus heals!

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24 

Got Milk?

This was the beautiful sight seen yesterday at the Children's home!!! 180 cartons of milk provide by Hannah's church. Thank you Mountain View Baptist!!! because of you these kids can now have milk with their meals. What a blessing it was to help deliver. We were told that the kids like to make chocolate milk by mixing Nesquick in, however, since they were out of milk they just  mixed it in water instead.

 This milk should last them 3 months!!!! What a praise!!!

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" 

-2 Corinthians 9:15

Marcus is ready for battle, Are we?!?!?

Put on the Full armor of God so that you can fight against all the wicked schemes of the devil.

This was our topic at the Children's home yesterday; God has really laid on my heart that we share His word and love more and more as we visit with them during our time here. After all, we are here in Porto to show others the Savior we serve and worship; He is the only reason we teach English, paint, surf, or even wake in the morning. There is no other reason for breathing, except to amplify the Holy name of Jesus.

A few weeks ago, we played a game called 'pin the face on the pumpkin' where they were first blind folded &spun around tree times. After being spun dizzy, each kid attempted to pin the mouth, nose, and eyes on the body of the pumpkin. The kids enjoyed this game so much, that I thought they would really like to 'pin the armor on the soldier.

So let me introduce you to Marcus Spartan!!!! He is our mighty warrior of the Lord, covered in the Kings Armor.I had such a blast putting him together!!

We too are called to coat ourselves in the full armor of the Lord. Each piece is given by God to well equip the follower of Jesus when in battle against the enemy. As you know, we do not physically have to drape our entire self in metal covering; however, we must guard our heart, mind, and soul while on Earth. This is not out permanent dwelling place; we have to strap up for spiritual warfare and stand boldly prepared.

The helmet of Salvation: If you have surrendered your life to the Savior,you are made his child. Through Salvation in Jesus, you have full victory over satan and nothing can ever pluck you from the hands of your almighty Father. Always fix your thoughts upon this truth.

"My sheep listen to My voice;I know them,and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall NEVER perish; NO ONE can snatch them out my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

(Jesus speaking)- John 10:27-30

The Breastplate of Righteousness: So many people think this is the hardest piece of armor to explain, but I believe it's all about guarding your heart. As a believer in Christ, your heart belongs to Him, however, that doesn't mean that satan wont try to worm his evil way in. We are to always strive to act like Jesus and do what is right and good in His eyes. That way, the devil will have no room to squeeze his slimy self in.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

The belt of truth: The devil is the ultimate liar! God is real. God loves you, and Jesus died for you (John 3:16)- that is the TRUTH! Hold tightly to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth will hold you up like a good,tight belt.In this world full of deceit and let down, God is the truth that you will never regret clinging tightly to.

"This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him" - Psalm 18:30

The shoes of the gospel of peace: A beautiful character trait that Jesus Christ bestows is peace; He is a peacemaker in the midst of chaos and we are called to be this as well. We are to be obedient and take our feet wherever He longs for us to go. The message of the good news of the Savior is to be spread to the ends of the earth.

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."" - Isaiah 52:7

The shield of faith: And then, to protect yourself from satan's flaming arrows, take up the shield of Faith! The God of the Universe is on your side (just let that soak in for a bit). God is your protector and He is capable of seeing the end of the war; while we are still among the daggers and destruction, He sees the victory and defeat!!! Place your Faith in Jesus, He will fight for you.

"for the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory."- Deuteronomy 20:4

The sword of the spirit: And finally,what is a good soldier without his weapon?! God has equipped us with the most powerful weapon of all, His Holy word. The Bible is living and the truth defends it's self full well.God's word can cut lies into pieces. Know your sword and how to apply it, that way you can use it when battle arises.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."- Hebrews 4:12

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand 

against the schemes of the devil." -Ephesians 6:10-11

                                   

Ciao Bella Roma!!

  I had the amazing opportunity  to visit Rome, Italy this week!!!

Hannah and I left Halloween morning and arrived back to Porto, Portugal today around 9am. Our week was packed full of sites to see and places to be  and there was never a dull moment on this traveling adventure. 

I will try my best to give you a short summary along with some pictures of our sunny week in Roma :) 

So hop on board and enjoy the ride:

Speaking of sunny week in Roma, the Lord created  perfect weather and I felt relived and blessed to not have to wear the lovely blue poncho I packed , however,it would have totally matched me eyes <O>-<O>

Monday:

Once we settled into our cozy hotel ; Hannah and I set out to buy our bus and metro passes for the upcoming days.While on our hunt for the passes, we met a really friendly man who owns  the news paper stand just down the street from our hotel .We soon discovered that the man spoke English. He directed us to where we could buy the tickets and told us some much needed  info about the transportation system. (Each morning we saw our new Italian friend while we waited for the bus and he waved and smiled at us as if we were family. I believe the Lord specifically placed us on that street to meet him.) After purchasing our passes for the week,we found a really adorable and traditional Italian restaurant and had our first meal in Rome with pizza &pasta by candle light. It was like something straight out of Lady and the Tramp without the sharing spaghetti part.Here are some pictures from that night.... 

< look at the neat diet coke can. It does not take much to make my day, that's for sure. I had pizza with cheese and mushrooms, yummmmm...

 

Tuesday :

 We had planned to take a tour of the Vatican, but in all our excitement, we forgot that this Tuesday was a major Catholic holiday (all saint's day)so it was closed to the public.On the other hand, God had other  plans in store.We headed for the Trevi fountain instead and on our way to the fountain, we came across the Roman art museum and stopped in for a tour which was packed full of artistic history and antique beauty. When we finished touring the art museum, we headed to the beautiful Trevi Fountain!!!! Hannah and I both threw coins in and took tons and tons of pictures. There were people from so many various nations all in one place surrounding this beautiful man made thing;Standing, I couldn't help but imagine what it would look like if all of these people from  every nation and tongue were to gather around to stand in wonder and awe of the beautiful One who made man. Just thinking about that, I couldn't help but worship Him. 

"As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 

 Romans 14:11

 

Wednesday:

On this day, we got to see the amazing Roman Colosseum, Forum,ruins of ancient Rome, and Palatine museum.It's hard to believe that we got to walk where the apostle Paul walked. I literally said , "wow!" to everything I saw. We were so tired after this day, but didn't mind at all.

           

Thursday :

Seeing how it was not a Catholic holiday this day, we decided to give the Vatican another go around. I do believe that this was one of my favorite places we visited during our time in Rome.It was so neat to actually stand in the Sistine Chapel surrounded by Michelangelo's master pieces. It was especially neat to me, because my senior year of HS, I chose the Sistine chapel as the topic for my research paper; In all my life,  I would have never imagined I would actually get to stand smack dab in the middle of it. After the Vatican tour we went to the Spanish steps (ironically in Rome not Spain), ate our last real Italian meal and then headed to the hotel to pack for our 6am flight. 

Now it's Friday:
 and I am thankful to have safely arrived back to Porto,Portugal. Rome was one amazing adventure that I  will never forget.I had no idea the Lord had in store for me to even go out of America for this long, much less to Rome Italy. However, the whole time I was there  (though I loved it) I kept thinking about Porto and wondering what was going on here. Portugal certainly holds a large piece of my heart now and forever will. The Lord has great plans yet to come and I can not wait to see them unfold. I stand in awe of His work. 

"Look among the nations, and see;  wonder and be astounded For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." Habakkuk 1:5 

Stand amazed