Lost in Translation

Eu chamo-me Heidi, Tenho 28 anos, Sou Americana, e moro em Lisboa. My name is Heidi, I am 28 years old, I am American, I live in Lisboa.

Yes, that was what we were told to say and fill in the blank straight off in our very first language class last night. Our teacher put the words on the board with masculine and feminine endings as well as the words if you wished to introduce someone sitting next two you. Our assignment was to figure out how to put it all together and introduce ourselves or someone sitting next to us. Needless to say I sat there wondering if I had come to the wrong class. I was like, I don't know ANYTHING...can this really be the beginners class????

Initially she asked for volunteers but then proceeded to read of the class roster. I knew my name was in the mddle of the list and just sat there waiting. She got to Lisa and then Terence...but never called me. Crisis averted. We moved onto the alphabet (why that was not done first I have no idea) and the sounds of the letters. Again she called on Lisa by name. Now I have a theory on this. You see the name Lisa is an easy one to pronounce for the portuguese. While the name Heidi doesn't seem difficult upon its first examination here in the land of Portugal the letter "H" is a bit more difficult. The portuguese language does not have the same "H" sound and thus my name has been difficult for people to pronounce. I think our little 'ole teacher skipped me as to not have to pronounce my name.

Well theories aside please be in prayer for Lisa, Terrence, Bobb, Bri and I regarding our language study. Portuguese is a difficult language and has many different sounds than in english. We will need to be diligent in our studies and practice. I know for myself I cannot do this on my own and your prayer covering is so greatly appreciated.

A Trip Back over the Pond

Monday Lisa and I took Cec to the airport and sent her back to the states. We have been so blessed these past couple of months to have had Cec as a friend and roommate. She has a great smile, a contagious laugh and a heart of gold. Her heart for prayer and her words of wisdom have made a deep inpression on all the lives she has touched here in Portugal. There is a void already in the Enghedi house and its Cec-uls shaped - we miss you already and will be praying for the Lord's best in your journey with Him.

A Non-Stop Sunday

This past Sunday as a Go-Go-Go day but it was a good one. Cec, Lisa and I attended our church for Cec's last Sunday here in Portugal. After service Lisa and I attended a youth meeting to learn about the youth ministry for kids ages 12-18. Although the meeting was LONG (partly because it was in Portuguese and we needed everything translated) we were so impressed with the way the youth pastor was trying to include the team in the vision, program and activities for the ministry. Pastor Paul-Pedro had given us all a list of some areas of focus for the ministry.

-How can we reach the parents and/or gaurdians
-How can we work in conjunction with the parents of our youth
-Help the youth to develop a personal devotional time
-Discipleship with a more mature person
-Help the youth be Salt & Light where they live
-Express our life with Christ to those outside the church
-Cooperate with other Action Bible communities in the Lisboa area
-Cooperate with the older youth (18-?) in our local community
-Be an effective prayer support for the youth and this ministry

He started the meeting with a bible verse he would like to see become our "grid" for ministry. Luke 2:52 "And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man." Paul-Pedro shared that our ministry should help the students to like Jesus, grow in wisom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

After sharing the verse and how he would like to see it drive the ministry he asked for us to pick two or three focus' from his list that touched us or are close to our hearts. These areas would be ones that we are interested in helping out and plan. It was so amazing to sit and listen as everyone shared from their experience and passions. I sat there and just thought to myself, this is it. This is how a team is supposed to work.

Before ending the meeting Paul-Pedro gave us homework. He asked us to dream in the areas that we are passionate. To come up with ideas and not to worry about if they were possible, just dream. It was such an encouraging time and I am so excited that I was able to be a part of it. Please pray that the Lord will give me wisdom as I try and consider what additional ministries I will be participating in. There are so many that I am excited about but want to be wise and not overcommit. Thank you for your prayers!

After our meeting at church we headed home to host a Night of Worship for our team. Terence and I lead some of the prayer & worship time. It was so fun to have a worship service in english and to have the blessing of helping to lead it. We also did a little send off for Cec, it really was a great night.

tRanSiTioN SEmiNaR

This past Friday and Saturday was our Tranistion Seminar. We had about 25 people attend the weekends events. Friday evening was a nice dinner with good food and fun fellowship. I had the opportunity to sit next to a friend of one of the EDGE students. She was in their language class back in August and has been living here for about a year. She is here working in a ballet company. Some of us will be attending a performance she has this coming Sunday at a Festival in Lisboa. It will be exciting to see how the Lord builds this relationship with members of our team throughout the year.

Saturday's activities included two workshops presented by Cyd Storrs, a GEM missionary from Germany. During our first session she spoke about the issue of Cultural Adaptation and the phases that individuals experience. In her second session she walked us through some of the characteristics, emotions, strengths and weaknesses that are attributed to 3rd Culture Kids. It was neat to see how relevant both workshops were to us and learn from Cyd's knowledge and experience.

Spelunking in Sintra

Last Wednesday was spent with Lisa, Sabine & Francie (Lisa's cousin and her boyfriend), Bobb & Bri, and myself in the town of Sintra. Sabine and Francie came up for a short visit and it was so nice to meet them and spend the day in Sintra. As you can see from the pictures it is beautiful in Sintra and has so much personality.

One of the main sights we visited is called Quinta da Regaleira. It is beautiful estate with many old buildings, gardens, caves, tunnels, and beautiful views. It was a wonderful day with friends to take in one of Portugal's beauties.

Back to School

Monday was the day we registered for our language classes. There are over 200 students in this semesters language program from all over Europe and even Asia. While registration was this past Monday, the classes will not begin until next week. We will each be attending class two evenings a week - Lisa and I on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Please continue to pray for our language retention as well as the building of relationships with our classmates.

This weekend will be a transition seminar sponsored by the Intercultural Connection, a Christian organization here in Lisbon. The seminar's purpose is to provide workshops and material that may help people trying to transition into the life and culture of Portugal and Lisbon in particular. There is a dinner scheduled for Friday evening and the workshops will be held on Saturuda.

Please pray for a good response and turn out to the seminar as well as for the speakers.

Weekend at Andreia's

This past weekend all four roommates (Heidi, Andreia, Cec, and Lisa) headed up to Andreia's parents home. Andreia's family lives near the city of Coimbra about 2 1/2 hours north of Lisbon. It was a wonderful weekend to get to know Andreia's family and see where she grew up. We took in the country side, met her extended family, ate lots and lots of wonderful food and drank lots of coffee.

He Wept Behind Me

IGREJA EVANGELICA - Accao Biblica

Church Evangelical - Action Bible
Well today is Sunday, or at least it still was an hour ago. I think that I have finally settled on the church I will be attending this year and wanted to share my most recent experience with you. This morning I found myself sitting in church singing, well at least I was trying to, ok so I was mostly listening. While listening I found myself not worried about the theological content or correctness of the songs. Not the least bit concerned as to whether the music was hymns or praise songs. Whether the lyrical focus was anthrocentric or theocentric was the farthest thing from my mind. The only thing on my mind was worship, comuning with my Lord, striving to have an attitude and heart that would be receptive to what He had to teach me today.

All around me people were singing in portuguese, not able to fully participate yet I was trying to just take it all in. Then it happened. Members of the congregation began to take turns praying aloud. After several people had prayed a voice behind me began to call out to God. It was a man behind me and he began to pray with such passion that I had to steal a glance, I could hear the emotion in his voice and now I could see it on his face as he look upward to heaven. He was shaking his open hands in the direction he was looking, it was as though he were trying desperately to communicate with God. Almost like God was right there in front of him, fully visible and listening to His request. He prayed for several minutes with more passion than I have heard for a long time. When he finished praying the emotions were so deep that he literally began to weep.

I sat in my seat, not knowing what to do. I was trying to worship, trying to "participate" in what was going on but what this all meant, what exactly was taking place, it was all a mystery to me. I mean I could see that sometihng powerful, something significant was happening in this man's life, maybe it would even be life changing. However, I could not understand it, I did not know the what or why. All I had was my own interpretations of what was transpiring before my eyes. I knew that I would need to learn the language, the culture - to be protuguese if you will or have someone come along side and help me unwrap this if I was to truly understand.

So I sat there, taking it all in, not really grasping it all and yet begining to ponder me in relationship to all this. It was then that the Lord brought to mind Acts 8 where Philip meets the Ethiopean Eunich. The Ethiopean was reading the bible (scripture) and when Philip asked if he understood it, "...How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" How I felt like the Ethiopean today.

Then it dawned on me, so often we get frustrated when those around us who don't "get it." They don't understand something, how it works, how to do it, why it's done - in so many of life's activities. We often get impatient with them or think less of them - they are often just as frustrated.

As someone who loves Jesus Christ and desires to see others love and live for Him too, it would be easy for me to become frustrated or disappointed when I see many who do not understand what Jesus has done for them. Today, I was reminded that many times we don't understand Jesus because those around us are speaking a different language. Like the Ethiopean, we need someone to clearly help us to understand these mysteries of God. Or we need to get into the culture, learn the language by reading Jesus' love letter to us. It is only then that we can truly begin to comprehend the greatest act of love God has ever done for us - the sending of His Son to die in our place.

I am so grateful that someone cared enough for me to help me understand what Jesus did for me through the sacrifice of His own life. My prayer is that with His help I might be used to help others unwrap this beautiful, life-changing gift that Jesus is offering them. This gift is not understood by all, not wanted by many but like what happened for the man that wept behind me, it can change your life for eternity and is worth it.

A Few Shots of the Estoril Beach Treasures

With the low tide many small pools were created within the coral reef

and many creatures could be found there.

These coral reefs were entirely covered once the high tide came in. It was amazing to see God's creation at work before our very eyes.

The Treasures of Estoril Beach - Portugal

Today was a day off and we took full advantage of it as we tried out a new beach. We arrived early, just before the tide began to come in, and were delighted to find so many of God's sea treasures. To make the day even more delightful I actually took out my camera and snapped some shots to share with you!

One treasure not able to be pictured was a conversation had between an EDGE student and an international student they had invited. Three of the girls began to read the Psalms aloud (they do this together from time to time) and as they read Daniella was listening. After a psalm or two Daniella asked Carla (one of the EDGE kids) "what is it talking about?" Carla was able to explain just a little about God's forgivenss and righteousness in the most natural way. Thank you Lord for these treasured little moments you give us to share a bit of your character.

Church Planting Ben Style

Part of the "EDGE Kids" class requirements for their study abroad/internship program is to take a Church Planting class. Ron arranged for a member of the E-Free Mission named Ben to come and teach a 7 day class, starting this past Monday. Ben serves in the small town of Lyon, France.

Although the class is not required for us GEMers we have all attended this past week and enjoyed Ben's experience and perspective. Through great readings from the likes of John Piper as well as biblical principles. We have felt our understanding of "church" challenged in good ways and been encouraged to think and discuss not only our own beliefs but as we examine many biblical principles.

Please lift Ben, the class, and those in attendance up in prayer over these next few days. We want to be open to whatever the Lord has for us as we sit under Ben's teach Monday and Tuesday.

OveR tHe POnd & Back AgAiN

Thursday August 31st I left my home in Portugal at 7Am and ventured across the pond to attend a certain wedding for one older brother. Roughly 22ish hours later (after being up for nearly 24 hours straight) I landed in Milwaukee, WI to attend my brother Jeremy's wedding - still August 31st (and who says we can't time travel?!?).

The Lord truly does supply your hearts desires at times and I certainly felt His blessing as the details for me to attend this wedding lined up. While the trip was quite short, it was such an incredible blessing to attend such a happy event. Even more than the wedding itself was seeing the culmination of a life turned to Christ, seeking to follow Him - my cup overfloweth. Thank you to all who prayed for the wedding, travel to and from, and most of all my family over the years - you are appreciated more than you can know!

My return trip was long, leaving Milwaukee at 3:30pm on Sunday, September 3rd and not arriving in Lisbon until Monday, September 4th at around 2:30pm. While my travel was long but smooth I was disappointed to find that my suitcase was MIA at my arrival. Yet another sign that I am not in the US was when reporting my bag missing I was asked, "do you want to come back and pick it up or have it delivered to your home?" Um, hello - TO MY HOME! So three days later my suitcase arrived and the people rejoiced.

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers! I have been once again being reminded of the power of prayer and do appreciate so much knowing that there are faithful people lifting up the Lord's work here in Portugal.

Our Training Continues

After returning from the GEM Annual conference we went through a week long Leadership Seminar and then 2 days of Team Building. The Leadership Seminar was focused on the need for leaders to have character and integrity, to help facilitate an environment of grace for those around them to flourish.

Following the Leadership Seminar Cec led us in two days of team building. The picture above is one of the initial exercises she brought us through. These were our "play-doh" creations to represent something about ourselves that we bring to the team (I am the turtle, I wonder if anyone can guess why). This exercise was a lot of fun and set the stage for the Lord to use Cec in leading us through some tough hiccups as we learned what a team is, how it is to function and began to grow into that Functional Team.

We still have a long ways to go but I am placing my trust in the Lord that He will continue to build on what was started in those two days. Please continue to keep the Team and its members in your thoughts and prayers as we try to become even more effective for the Lord's ministry here in Portugal.

Building a House on THE Rock

Tonight Lisa and I set off to observe one aspect of Teen Challenge ministry here in Lisbon. For those of you who are like me and not aware of the exactly what the organization called Teen Challenge does, let me share with you what I have learned so far.

Teen Challenge has been around for close to 50 years. They ministry primarily to people who suffer from addictive problems, such as, drug addicts and alcholics. They setup their own rehab centers and programs. Through volunteers and staff they also reach out into the drug communitites and shelters to invite them to a "coffe house." Seeking to lead them to Christ, get them into rehab, and eventually help them to transition back into family and society. That is the goal. Teen Challenge has 5 of these rehab centers in the greater Lisbon area and seems to have a great ministry setup here in Portugal.

So let me share with you a little about tonight. We met up with 4 other people and drove to what was at one time the worst drug Gehtto in Lisbon. Our group was made up of: Rhicardo (former addict, now a staff counselor at one of the rehab centers), Pedro & another man (nearing the completion of their rehab program), Cynthia (never an addict but touched by the addiction of someone very close to her), Lisa & I. I think a motley crew at best.

As we are driving I am told that we will pull up by an area where addicts hang out to sell and do drugs, that we will pull up and they will just start coming to the van. Well, that's just the way it happened. Truly no sooner had we stopped then people were standing around the van. Teen Challenge realizes that as Christ taught us through His life and ministry, often we must first meet a felt need before we can meet a spiritual one. In that spirit we had brought sandwiches, soup and tea for these people and they came out of the woodwork to receive it. Yes many of them ate and then left quickly, but they did not go far. Standing by the van we saw deals going down across the street. I stood there so sad that "nothing was being done about this," yet that's exactly what we were doing...trying to DO something about it. We had met their felt need and were trying to invite them to the coffee house in hopes that we might be able to meet their spiritual need.

Cynthia had told us on the way that there was a young man that was supposed to come back to the coffee house with us. He had told her he would previously, she was just praying that he would keep his word. The time then came for us to back up and head to the coffee house. No one had agreed to come with us, this man Cynthia had told us about had come for food earlier but then disappeared. We waited, we looked for him, we waited some more. Finally sadly we piled into the van and started to drive away, suddenly this man was running down the sidewalk, flagging us down. We stopped and picked him up, then headed to the coffee house.

Enroute to the coffee house we cruised a section of the city that a group on foot was to have traveled. This area was known for as a high prostitution area, driving by we could see them standing alone the road and down side roads - my heart ached for them, caught in a world so difficult to be freed from. Continuing on we stopped at the coffee house, as we entered it seemed quite full. Lisa and I sat down at a table with two ladies and were observers the remainder of the night.

At the coffee house they sing a couple of worship songs and have a message as well as having counselors stationed at every table. As we sat there the place began to fill, by the time worship was starting there must have been over 30 people. People invited off the street and people from a local shelter as well as staff and volunteers.

Tonight's message was about the two men that built their houses, one on the rock and one on the sand. I listened as Cynthia translated for me to a man who had been freed from an 11 year drug addiction and was now preaching to these people. His message was simple but truth and the way that he challenges the listeners was great. I sat there both excited to hear him at work and wondering how effective is something like this. Well at the end 2 people prayed to follow Christ, one of them was the man we had brought that almost missed the van.

Many times we sit and play the what if game. What if this had been different, I never would have made that mistake. As I think back over tonight I am playing the What if game, but from the opposite point of view. What if we hadn't waited, what if he had missed the van...I really don't want to answer those questions, and I really don't know if he will seek help for his addiction. I don't really know what will happen with him in the future, but what I do know is that instead of playing the what if game maybe we should all try to seize every moment, serve others felt needs, following Christ's example and pray that others with see Christ through our lives, our love, our actions and then maybe one day they will begin to build their house on the ROCK.

Tonight I was touched, I was convicted. I pray that going forward I will seize each moment, each opportunity to point people to the ROCK knowing that He is our only good foundation.

Prayer Points & Schedule

-This week has been a Leadership Seminar for the GEM team which we will finish up tomorrow.

-The EDGE kids have one more week of their language classes. Please pray that they will finish well and be able to continue some of the relationships into the future.

-Next Tuesday & Wednesday the GEM team will be doing some team building and planning for the year. Please pray for increased trust among the team and that plans are formed for the year we will have guidance, that we would not make these plans for US but rather for what God has in store for this ministry.

-Next Thursday, August 31st I will be flying back to Wisconsin to attending my brother Jeremy's wedding. It will be a SHORT weekend trip. Please pray for safe travel, for lots of energy (Jetlag would be a killer), and quality time with my family.

-September 4th we will begin a church planting class. This class is one I am very excited about, but it begins the day I return from my brother's wedding. Please pray for the class and those that will be participating (GEM & EDGE), for my jetlag in returning to Portugal, and for those teaching the class.

-September 18th is when the GEM team will begin their language classes. Please begin praying for the friendships we will develop and for each of our abilities to grasp the language.

Thank you in advance for your prayers! It is amazing to see the doors the Lord is opening as you bathe this ministry in prayer.

They sleep, but they do not snore

After a long week of sessions, early mornings and late nights we were assigned an early departure time.

We were the short straws elected to leave the hotel in Sopron, Hungary at 4:30 am to travel the 90 minutes to Vienna, Austria to catch our plane home. At that hour of the morning we were quite early and had time for a nice nap before heading through security and boading the plane. One interesting fact about the Vienna airport is that most gates have their own security. While it speeds up your time through security, I found it quite interesting considering the current state of security in other parts of the world.

The Conference

This conference was amazing. I walked into it not knowing what to expect, hoping for good things, but not understanding how I would fit. Well let me share just a couple of ways that the Lord worked through this week-long conference.

First, GEM had brought in an amazing speaker named Emerson. He spoke on Male/Female communication, primarily in the marriage application but the truths were applicable accross the board. The message that he was giving us throughout the week God used to convict, challenge, encourage, and heal so many people - so many marriages. The interesting thing was that I too felt challenged and encouraged by this message. It was so biblical and so simple, Love & Respect. I found myself wondering how I could have missed it for so long. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to check out his book (Love & Respect) or other material on the website, loveandrespect.com. While it is focused on the marriage relationship, we all could use a little help when communicating with the opposite sex - I firmly believe that this provides that help.

Second, I had the opportunity to meet many missionaries from all over Europe. It was so exciting to get to know them and hear about their ministries. I was truly blessed to meet a couple by the name of John & Holly Carden. They serve the Lord in Serbia, a country with less than 50 missionaries working. I was so overwhelmed by the need in Serbia. Its population being comparible to that of the Czech Republic, however the Czech Republic has over 400 missionaries working within its boarders compared to Serbia's 50. Astounding I know. John & Holly's heart for the Serbians, for ministry and for the Lord encouraged me so much. I truly count it a priviledge to have met them and to have been invited to hear about their ministry.

One aspect of their ministry is planning camps for youth in their area of Serbia. Please pray for this ministry, for the students who attend and for John & Holly. Please also pray for guidance. John & Holly have invited myself, Lisa, Bobb & Bri to help with a camp they will be doing in April. We all would love to see the Lord use us in a broader way here in Europe but know that there are many details yet to be worked out. Your prayers for the Lord's work in Serbia as well as our parts in the camp for April are greatly appreciated!

While I cannot begin to due justice to what the Lord did last week, I hope that you have been able to grasp a glimmer of what I experienced. Thank you for praying for the conference, I know that many lives have been changed for the better.

The Promised Land

Three weary travelers in front of the promised land.

 

Vienna, Austria

Mid-week they planned a half-day tour of Vienna, Austria for us. I was excited to see the city but, I am bit embarrassed to say, a little disappointed with the tour. Most of the tour was on the bus driving, Bro I tried to take as many pictures as possible for you! I would love to be able to spend sometime in this city and truly experience some of its history and culture. One treasure I did find however, was the Starbucks. Man, when are we going to get one of those in Portugal!?! 

Sopron, Hungary

Our air travels took us through Germany and then into Vienna, Austria where we traveled by van about 90 minutes to our hotel in Sopron, Hungary. We arrived late Friday evening to a late dinner and then settling in. Saturday a group of us headed into Sopron to see the town. It was a cute town but our sight-seeing was cut short when it started to rain and we were without umbrellas.

The conference was to start that evening so we headed back to the hotel, with a few goodies in hand, to dry off and get ready for the evenings activities.