ESPANHA

We have visited several towns in our many travels; mostly just driven through them. But, from Lisboa   to Olhao and lots of other places we kept seeing the signs for ESPANHA.  The other day Dad said, "one of these days we're going to have to drive over and see Espanha." he mentioned it a couple of times.  We both thought it must be a pretty good sized city since the name on all of the signs were all in capitol letters. Yesterday Dad was looking at a map of the Algarve district because the missionaries in Loule' have asked us to choose a couple of streets for them to concentrate on.  We have maps of three cities and have been going over them looking for places for the missionaries to tract. Suddenly dad noticed the border between Spain and Portugal.  Espanha is Spain!  We both took Spanish but it didn't register.  I wonder what the mission President would think of two of his missionaries bipping over to Spain on a whim.  Hmmm........

Big Blog

Well  you're mom is having her Portugues lesson so I thought I would do a little or maybe a big blog.

So I  need a new young woman president because I called the old one to be the primary president because the district took my primary president. I had also prayed about a new young woman president and decided on a sister but then found out the she and her husband go back to their home land for the winter and are only here from April to October to work and make money because of the tourist season. Well I thought great my inspiration was no good but then remember that I had asked the Lord if she could be the young woman president and not if she would be. So I'm back to the drawing board. Also found out that there are 3 other families that go home for the winter and they have good active sisters that could serve. So I took the names of all the sisters that are active and crossed out the ones that have callings  because I don't want to  upset another organization. That left me with 4 sisters one is 81, one is 86, one doesn't have a strong enough testimony to be here each week and the other one is 71. So Pres. Tavares said to make a list of the inactive sisters in the age range that could be the new young woman president and then meet with my branch counsel and ask them about the sisters on the list so I could find out some about them and then go out and visit the ones I can find and when the Lord indicates to me the one that should be the new president to tell her the Lord and the young women of the branch  need here and extend the call. If she drinks coffee tell here she has to quit  again and the first thing she should teach the young  women is about the word of wisdom. He then said he would pray for the Lord to help me find her. So I've made my list and will present it to the branch  counsel on Sunday and then go out and try to find her.

    Monday we took the two elders Elder Batista and Elder Cabral over to a little area called Pera (pear in english) to see this magnificent 10 acre site of absolutely wonderful sand sculptures that are as large or larger than a dump truck. They tear them down every year and then invite artists from all over the world to come and sculpt to the theme of the year. this year was great musical artists and movie actors. There were several that you're mom and I knew and could recognize like Liza manelli, Nick Jagger, Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Ray charles and a bunch od disney Charactures. All it was fabulous.

   We then went to the beach for a couple of hours and then had lunch at the restaurant that sits up above the beach where we could watch the ocean and enjoy some good food. 

   On the way home we went through Faro (flair in english) where we walked through this magnificent catholic cathedral and then around back where 

we entered a chapel made of human skulls and bones that is 61 feet long 36feet wid and 20 feet tall. A monk in the early 16th century gathered the bones of 5,000 of his fellow monks from chapels all around the area to build this in hopes that it would make pople stop and think about what lies at the end of life and what they are doing with theirs.  Over the doe is the saying WE BONES THAT ARE HERE, FOR YOURS AWAIT.

Then inside is the following poem

Where are you going in such a hurry traveler?

Stop do not proceed

You have no greater concern

than this one that on which you focus you sight

Recall how many have passed from this world

Reflect on your similar end

There is good reason to reflect

If only all did the same

Ponder, you so influenced by fate

Among the many concerns of the world 

So little do you reflect on death

If by chance you glance at this place 

Stop for the sake of the journey

The more you pause, the further you will be

As I stood there and reflect with you mom about the quiet sanctity of that place it made us really realize once again what a blessing it is to have the gospel in out lives with the understanding of death that it brings. 

  thats all for this time Love to all Elder and Sister Roberts      

Dads Blog

well it looks like it's my turn for the blog. Things are going pretty well here in Portugal. I am finally able to understand almost everything unless they start talking about there work or something like that. This past Sunday was a little better also I wasn't quite as nervous but still managed to forget to get the names of the hymns and so I just looked up and said the opening hymn will be number 53. I didn't have to speak this week so that was good because it would have been off the cuff because I didn't have time last week to prepare anything.
      So I called the present young woman president to be the new primary president and then found out that the sister that I felt good about being the new young woman president leaves with her husband to go home to their native land for the winter and is only here to work in the summer. So at first I thought that the inspiration was off but then realized it was could she serve not would she serve and she could so I felt better. I have taken the ward list of active sisters and checked off the ones that have callings and that leaves two sisters one that doesn't have the testimony yet to be there every week and the other who is 71 years old.
   So Sunday night I received a call from the mission president and explained this to him and with complete sincerity he said I will pray for you to find one. Fast and pray and look at the inactive sister list and make a list of the ones you feel good about, then talk to you branch counsel about them and then go out and visit them and when you come to the one the Lords wants as the young woman president tell her the Lord needs her and the young women need her and if she drinks coffee tell her she needs to quit again and then teach the young women not to use coffee. So I have made my list and now I will visit with the branch counsel and see what they have to say and then more fast and pray then out to find her.

NO!

Last night we got to our apartment building and a little lady we have previously talked to was there.  Gale helped her up the stairs to the elevator carrying her bag and opened the door for her.  When we were in the elevator she asked Gale if he spoke Portuguese ( though we had spoken to her extensively before) He said yes and a bit. She then looked at me and said, " and you don't" to which I said Nao, and Gale proceeded to tell her I was learning.  She then looked up at him and said, "yes she says Nao very well! So I have been here almost 2 months and I can say No very well!  I can actually speak but when they speak back to me I have no idea what they just said, so I am working on understanding.  Tomorrow is Sunday and I will have 4-5 hours to listen.

P-p-p-p--Pday

So, we wanted to see a little bit of the country and we were inspired by the bridge.  For my birthday we went to Loule' to the marina and took a day cruise.  We got to ride for 3 hours in a beautiful sailboat along the Portuguese coast.  It is totally different than Olhao.  Now we know why people from all over Europe come here to vacation.  The cliffs along the coastline were amazing.  There were giant hotels on the cliffs and stairs and in one case an elevator with a tunnel down to white beach.  It is protected  and the waves are small.  The water wasn't terribly cold and was fairly clear (not like Hawaii but clear)  When we got to our destination they loaded us into smaller boats (rubber rafts actually).  They had stairs down and helped this old lady into the boat.  We sat on the edge and motored to the caves.  One of them went clear through to the top of the cliff and we could see birds resting there.  We were dropped off at the beach for the day.  It was a beautiful day.  Unbrellas were provided and we got to enjoy watching all the other people swim.  We were planning the half day tour but it was on Tuesday so we took the long one even though we weren't totally prepared.  They served us salad (Tomatos, cucumbers, and onions) grilled chicken, pork and fish.  with melon for dessert.  It was all good.  Meat here isn't very tender. so it's like eating steak jerky sometimes.  Then they loaded us up on the boat and took us home.  A totally relaxing day.  We took two sisters with us and they loved it as much as we did.  But, the Elders got wind of it and are a bit jealous so we're trying to find an appropriate Pday to take them on.  The boat had a little too much skin involved for Elders.  Best Birthday I've had in a long time.Heavenly Fathers Creations are amazing.  Just looking at the ocean and not seeing anything beyond makes me feel humble.  I can't imagine the Jaredites getting into those little barges and floating away.  What great faith they posessed.  I love the Book of Mormon.

and the little one said "roll over"

After Mellonee was born we rented a new apartment that was unfurnished and decided to buy a good bed.  We were going to be extravagant and buy a queen sized bed while we were at it.  When we looked at beds the salesman mentioned that if we were renting we might want to consider a King sized bed because the box springs were in two pieces and could sometimes fit where a large queen boxed spring could not.  So, we have had a King sized bed ever since. One of our concerns with coming on a mission was how the heck we were going to be able to sleep on a double bed when we couldn't even sleep on the queen sized beds our kids always furnished us.  Well, we had a queen sized bed at the MTC and it was a little small but really OK.  But when we walked into this first apartment and looked at the double bed we just looked at each other and smiled.  The truth of the matter is that it has really, for the most part been fine. However, night before last I was facing in and went to tiurn over and found that my butt was hanging over the bed and I needed to turn the other way to stay IN the bed.  The next morning Dad told me that I had touched him and he went to turn over and ended up on the floor.  So there's a picture for you!
We call it an 8 hour bed.  After 8 hours you hurt so much you have to get up!