tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43767563560948187442024-03-12T22:37:38.903+00:00GEM: Teaching English In PortugalAlex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-85875058449612447672011-05-20T00:20:00.011+01:002011-05-22T22:57:42.009+01:00Portugal Team Reports<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6bEd9q8Q2sQ/TdWnSw2h1bI/AAAAAAAAAF0/K2r7PXf4rDc/s1600/DSC01458.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6bEd9q8Q2sQ/TdWnSw2h1bI/AAAAAAAAAF0/K2r7PXf4rDc/s320/DSC01458.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608572851752916402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">There are so many good memories from our trip to Portugal,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">with a wonderful team and great missionary co-workers. But</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">a couple of my greatest memories are of God’s direct intervention</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">for our safety.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We were driving two rental cars, and on our day off were following</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the missionary’s car through crazy Lisbon traffic. Tony, driving the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">third car, was doing very well until he lost his concentration for 3</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">seconds (noticing an aqueduct), then caught sight of Ron’s vehicle</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">and ours taking an off-ramp, which he had just missed! He was on</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">his way over a very long bridge, with no obvious turn-offs. Ron noticed</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">immediately that Tony had missed the turn, so he quickly found a</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">stopping place at the end of the off ramp, and came to consult with</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the second car. The one with a phone in our car called the one with</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">a phone in the lost car – it was turned off! Ron didn’t have a clue how</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">we would ever find Tony in this huge city with no normal street plan.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">As we prayed and fussed, suddenly a car pulled up behind us – Tony!!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">How he got there we don’t know. He says there was an off-ramp, and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">as he drove around it, he could see us sitting down in the valley. I say</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">some angels picked up his car and plopped it down behind us. Whichever</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">way it was, we feel it was God’s miracle.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The other time was again in Lisbon, where our third car ended up</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">driving on fumes (because the gauge was deceiving). We were right</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">downtown, with nowhere to buy gas until we got out into the outskirts.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Driving on empty on very busy streets is a tense activity, and there</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">was a lot of praying going on. When we pulled into the service center,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">we all shouted “Hallelujah, Praise you, Jesus!” The bill was high –</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">it was a VERY thirsty car!!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Carolyn</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbWRMD5-bPg/TdWnG0SubwI/AAAAAAAAAFs/9sPpy8RzyJI/s1600/DSC01544.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dbWRMD5-bPg/TdWnG0SubwI/AAAAAAAAAFs/9sPpy8RzyJI/s320/DSC01544.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608572646518058754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">As I reflect on the TEFL trip to Lisbon, I think it was more of a blessing</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">to me than it was for those I went to minister to, which is probably typical</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">of how most people feel after going on such trips. That is the way the Lord</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">often works!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I heard of the opportunity through my daughter, Kate, who is on staff with</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">GEM in the mobilization department. She knew I'd never been on a mission</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">trip, though I've been supportive of others, prayed for many, and been</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">willing. Since there were openings that needed to be filled, she asked.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">After prayer and the encouragement of family members, I completed</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the application and background check. Other than having to remember</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">all of the places we've lived since I was 18 years old, the process wasn't</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">too difficult.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The next step was participating in the online cultural training course.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I found that to be quite helpful. It got me to really grasp that I was going</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">to be traveling abroad and dealing with things that were definitely</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">different from the normal routine for this stay-at-home mom. It introduced</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">scriptures that were helpful, as well as concepts that we needed to be</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">prepared for. Another benefit was it helped us get to know our teammates</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">since we were all from different areas of the US and Canada.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">While in Portugal, a member of out team actually said, "do you remember</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">that part of the online training that dealt with car sickness? Well, it's</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">happening!"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">It brought humor to a somewhat awkward situation and the teammates</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">stepped up and did what was needed to get us home safely.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The overall experience was a really positive one for me. I recognize that</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">it may have been a bit disappointing to the field missionaries, Ron and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Idalia Fairbanks. They had done a lot of prep work, had been told there</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">would be a certain number of students, had been told there would be</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">classrooms available, but.... Again, the online training had covered this</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">type of situation as well. We need to remember it's God's plan, His Way, in</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">His time. We adjusted. Some of us taught twice each day and some only got</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">to teach once. Some of us had a decent size class. Some taught only a few</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">students. But all of us did what we were asked to do and with His joy. We</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">all seemed to have connected with our students well. It was really amazing</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">how much we were able to instruct them on in a mere 5 days. It was even</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">more astounding how much we grew to love them in such a short period</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">of time!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">One day one of our students came in a bit late and a bit flustered. She</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">was able to communicate to us, with the help of a bit more advanced student</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">that she was late because she had been at the house of one of the other</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">students. That woman's husband had collapsed and he was on his way</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">to the hospital. We asked the other students to join us in praying right then.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">With tears in all of our eyes, we led them in prayer. It just so happened</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">that the vocabulary words for that day included occupations so we then were</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">able to explain more clearly how we had asked the Lord to be guiding and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">helping the doctors and nurses, as well as to comfort our student as she</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">stood by her ill husband. It was a very good illustration of how many of</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">our testimonies had explained that our God is more than just a Sunday</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">God. He is the God who we could be in a personal relationship with.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The Fairbanks family was such a delight and treated us with such warm</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">hospitality. They introduced us to many family members, as well as other</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">missionaries, serving in Lisbon. They showed us many beautiful sights and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">tried to please us in many ways. It was a blessing to worship with them,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">fellowship with them, and laugh together! We had a wonderful time with</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">them and left them with sadness but with the privilege of calling them</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">friends!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">As I've tried to process my first mission trip, I realize it was a pretty</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">cushy one...the accommodations were very nice, the expectations on our time</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">and energy were not tremendous, and I met and served with a terrific group</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">of people who I am still in contact with and who have become my friends.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Thus the reason I feel more blessed than those I served! God is so Good!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Beth</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDt2UH_Etx4/TdWm6B9u2gI/AAAAAAAAAFk/tmns1EelbN0/s1600/group%2BPBI.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDt2UH_Etx4/TdWm6B9u2gI/AAAAAAAAAFk/tmns1EelbN0/s320/group%2BPBI.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608572426849802754" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">God had great things in mind when he sent our team to Lisbon,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Portugal to teach English recently. I felt the nudge to go without</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">knowing why. I am glad I listened and followed.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We arrived to 85 degrees and sunny, beautiful ocean views,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">a dynamic city, and we joked that it’s not always hard to work</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">for Jesus. But we quickly remembered that over 99% of the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">people we have seen are not believers, many of whom have</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">never heard that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">as our Savior.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">God was truly the great designer when he handpicked the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">wonderful women that I taught. There were eight in my class.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">All of whom in their fifties and worked as the support staff</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">for the school that I taught in. They were all wives and mothers,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">some were grandmothers too. Their children were right around</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">my age. I think God planned it this way so that relationships</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">would be built quickly. It was not long before the class and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I were laughing throughout the entire lesson. When I shared</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">my testimony, they looked at me in a motherly way and afterwards</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">told me they loved me. I know I felt their love, hopefully they</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">felt the love of Jesus Christ through me.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The first step in helping someone to accept Jesus Christ as their</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Lord and Savior is to plant seeds in their heart. Not only did each</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">one of my students hear the Gospel, but they heard it from someone</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">that loved them more than they had known. I cannot help but be</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">reminded of 1st Corinthians 13:13; “And now these three remain:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” It is very</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">evident that God was working in this way when he sent our team</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">to teach English in Portugal.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Aaron</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"><img src="http://easywebsite.net/images/Portugal0186-Cascais-SantaMartaMansion.jpg" alt="Cascais, Portugal" height="233" width="350" /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Portugal is 98% Catholic and the people have heard the name</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">of Jesus many times, yet still don't follow Him as Lord and Savior.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">For me, this trip was such an eye opener to how much we, as the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">human race, struggle with accepting the free gift of salvation from</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Christ. We don't think it can be that easy. We think we need to earn</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">our way to heaven. We want to do it ourselves!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Through our work in Portugal, we tried to share the importance</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">of a personal relationship with Christ, above all else. The way to</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the Father is through the Son. We devoted our time, energy and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">finances to showing Christ's love to our students and other people</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">we came in contact with. I saw the most significant reactions during</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">our time of sharing, when each of us on the team would share our</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">testimony with our students, who were the staff at the schools where</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">we were teaching. Hearts were softened and tears were shed. I think,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">if nothing else, a seed of truth was planted. I pray for those who heard</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the message, that they would have the courage to break free of the grasp</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">that 'religion' has on their lives, intensified by tradition, culture, and</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">background.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We have the names of those who heard the message, and continue to</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">pray for them and the growth of the seed that was planted. Praise God</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">for local missionaries, like the Fairbanks, who will continue to embrace</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">these new relationship and further the development of the message!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">This is why I am so supportive of short term missions, as they give</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">a boost to the already blooming ministry performed by our local</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">missionaries. Praise God for allowing me to be a small part of His</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">work in Portugal.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Tony</span><br /><br /><img style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);" alt="http://easywebsite.net/images/Portugal0128-Cascais-StreetScene.jpg" src="http://easywebsite.net/images/Portugal0128-Cascais-StreetScene.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">The past 10 days spent in Portugal have truly been rewarding. There is not</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">one moment that I have ever felt that this was not what God wanted me to do.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">During our time in Portugal we had the opportunity to minister to the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Portuguese people by teaching them English and sharing God's love.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We( Lesley, Kate and I) only ended up having a group of seven women ranging</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">in ages from about 25-50 years of age, but each one was special in their own</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">way. One women that I would say touched my heart was Maria, she did not know</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">any English and presented us with some challenges but all in all was very</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">rewarding and I feel that we had made progress with her over the short 5</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">days of teaching. Maria tried especially hard to understand and master the</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">English words and always had a smile even though she was finding things</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">difficult.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">A typical day consisted of teaching new words - names of people, parts of</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">the body, clothing, days and months of the year, numbers and the alphabet</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">along with teaching bible verses, bible stories, skits, singing and sharing</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">our testimonies. I felt the the testimonies by each one of the teachers was</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">a time when we really had the attention of our students and believe that</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">their lives were touched by these.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">God has really worked in my life through this and I pray that we were a real</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">blessing to those we ministered too also.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">LaVerne</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--oWArVf795M/TdX0GISN83I/AAAAAAAAAF8/R5Zix2itHFY/s1600/DSCN1195.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--oWArVf795M/TdX0GISN83I/AAAAAAAAAF8/R5Zix2itHFY/s320/DSCN1195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608657297100108658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">TEFL trips are the most exciting, fun way to share Christ that I know!<br />Nothing</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> ever goes as expected, I was tired the entire time and I came<br />home</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);"> almost unable to move. BUT it is so obvious that God has moved.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">We left students that had sooo improved their English, we made</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">new friends with our students, the missionaries there in Portugal</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">and the team made of four US and five Canadian citizens.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Our days were busy. We taught from 9-11:30 AM and 2-5:30 each</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">afternoon. We had hand work to do and lesson plans along with</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">devotions each night. We each wrote "our story" to share with our</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">students in group time at the end of each school day. In group time</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">there was a skit that told a Bible Story and then a testimony to explain</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">salvation and how God has worked in each of us. All of this was translated</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">by "our" missionary Ron Fairbanks who is with Greater Europe Mission.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">I am so excited to have left all of these sweet people with Ron who</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">is very conscience of the work God has started in their lives. Pray</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">for the Portuguese and for Ron to have wisdom and sensitivity to</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">God's leading.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Thank-you so much,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102);">Patti</span><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eGoFGUMJHMA/TdmGLPt4s4I/AAAAAAAAAGE/3udDvUymBgs/s1600/Photos.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 104px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eGoFGUMJHMA/TdmGLPt4s4I/AAAAAAAAAGE/3udDvUymBgs/s320/Photos.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609662338622337922" border="0" /></a>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-58278655270302943222011-04-21T11:56:00.000+01:002011-04-21T11:56:22.435+01:00Thursday<div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://www.airports-worldwide.com/img/w/lisbon_airport.jpg" height="240" src="http://www.airports-worldwide.com/img/w/lisbon_airport.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763;">The team is in flight home.</div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://betterthanfree.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/747_takeoff.jpg" height="240" src="http://betterthanfree.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/747_takeoff.jpg" width="320" /></div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-86688718364124142242011-04-21T11:52:00.003+01:002011-04-21T12:10:46.144+01:00Wednesday!<div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://saotome.org/wp-content/uploads/lisbon.jpg" src="http://saotome.org/wp-content/uploads/lisbon.jpg" /></div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
We had a few spare hours in the morning, so we took </div><div style="color: #073763;">a quick trip to down-town Lisbon to see the “commercial </div><div style="color: #073763;">area”, which is lovely “old” buildings which are really </div><div style="color: #073763;">not so old. Lisbon was almost totally destroyed by an </div><div style="color: #073763;">earthquake in the 1700s, and completely rebuilt, so the </div><div style="color: #073763;">buildings are relatively young.</div><div style="color: #073763;"></div><div style="color: #073763;"></div><div style="color: #073763;"></div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
<img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Lisbon_-_typical_street_and_tramcar_in_the_Bairro_Alto.jpg" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Lisbon_-_typical_street_and_tramcar_in_the_Bairro_Alto.jpg" width="213" /> </div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
We dashed back to Tojal to get ready for the </div><div style="color: #073763;">“graduation celebration” in the afternoon, </div><div style="color: #073763;">which went really well, with lots of hugs, </div><div style="color: #073763;">kisses, and tears. The students were so </div><div style="color: #073763;">drawn to the team, who loved them well. </div><div style="color: #073763;">Idalia, a Portuguese, told her story, which </div><div style="color: #073763;">was very good for these ladies to hear. </div><div style="color: #073763;">Some show real interest in what Ron </div><div style="color: #073763;">and Idalia (full-time GEM missionaries)</div><div style="color: #073763;">are doing in Portugal.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://www.travel-in-portugal.com/photos/data/media/3/lisbon-baixa-cross-st.jpg" height="320" src="http://www.travel-in-portugal.com/photos/data/media/3/lisbon-baixa-cross-st.jpg" width="246" /> </div><div style="color: #073763;"></div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
In the evening, all our team plus the two missionary </div><div style="color: #073763;">families who helped us, had a appreciation dinner at </div><div style="color: #073763;">a nice restaurant, shared experiences, what God did </div><div style="color: #073763;">in us during the week, and exchanged gifts. Very nice </div><div style="color: #073763;">time.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://www.jeffreytowne.com/Travel%20International/Portugal/95%2011%20Lisbon%20street.jpg" height="226" src="http://www.jeffreytowne.com/Travel%20International/Portugal/95%2011%20Lisbon%20street.jpg" width="320" /></div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-15433288964503805172011-04-19T14:55:00.000+01:002011-04-19T14:55:32.748+01:00Teaching Tuesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hS1DmKlvxtI/Ta1xvwFWDcI/AAAAAAAAAFM/15fY7gO0CAA/s1600/IMG_8639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hS1DmKlvxtI/Ta1xvwFWDcI/AAAAAAAAAFM/15fY7gO0CAA/s320/IMG_8639.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">On Monday, while the one team was teaching, the other team<br />
was invited by Vicki, another missionary here, to go and see<br />
a monastery. They enjoyed the library, the town and some<br />
beautiful flowers, blooming on the trees. They also shared<br />
some delicious pastries with the rest of the team when they <br />
returned to the Bible Institute. (if it seems that we are<br />
enjoying the food here, it is TRUE!!) We all taught in <br />
the afternoon, continuing to teach vocabulary, but also<br />
increasing the conversations we are having with our<br />
students. We are learning about their families, their<br />
likes, their jobs. We are truly enjoying getting to know<br />
our students! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jn9AXiuNTfk/Ta1xwJJ9yTI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/nC7JTC41u8o/s1600/IMG_8673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jn9AXiuNTfk/Ta1xwJJ9yTI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/nC7JTC41u8o/s320/IMG_8673.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Monday evening Idalia prepared a delicious meal for<br />
our team, 3 of their children, and Vicki and her daughter. <br />
Patti shared from the book of Hebrews for devotions,<br />
reminding us to spur one another toward love and<br />
good deeds. It was so great to have the Fairbanks<br />
and Vicki here to share in our devotional time. <br />
<br />
Ron encouraged us that we MAY not see the fruit of<br />
our labor but we can trust that as we obeyed the will<br />
of God in our lives, HE will bring about fruit. We had<br />
a sweet time of prayer together.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yj9zNym4A4o/Ta1xweC3X_I/AAAAAAAAAFU/l3KdGsjmSbo/s1600/IMG_8689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yj9zNym4A4o/Ta1xweC3X_I/AAAAAAAAAFU/l3KdGsjmSbo/s320/IMG_8689.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">We finished out the day by playing a couple of games,<br />
requiring creativity, expressing ourselves with many<br />
words, one word or by acting out a word!! If laughter<br />
is good for the soul our souls must be very healthy!</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZE9QUUsjYI/Ta1xwbSyDSI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-imeKyWophM/s1600/IMG_8691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZE9QUUsjYI/Ta1xwbSyDSI/AAAAAAAAAFY/-imeKyWophM/s320/IMG_8691.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Again, thank you for those who are praying for us. <br />
We are grateful that you share in our ministry. <br />
We ask that you pray as we say good bye to<br />
our precious students, that their hearts may<br />
have been softened to the Gospel; that they<br />
realize we love because Christ first loved us.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pazQlBWHmzI/Ta1xwmdry8I/AAAAAAAAAFc/TZ28Ci8f3uA/s1600/IMG_8692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pazQlBWHmzI/Ta1xwmdry8I/AAAAAAAAAFc/TZ28Ci8f3uA/s320/IMG_8692.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> It’s our prayer that we are one link in the chain of events<br />
that will ultimately bring them to the saving knowledge<br />
of Jesus and they, too, will find themselves in a personal<br />
relationship with the Lord! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNETGde9G4Q/Ta1xw-cNmhI/AAAAAAAAAFg/g5RoTdzuB54/s1600/IMG_8694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNETGde9G4Q/Ta1xw-cNmhI/AAAAAAAAAFg/g5RoTdzuB54/s320/IMG_8694.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">{Click on Pic to Enlarge}</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-15076385465791216832011-04-18T14:30:00.000+01:002011-04-18T14:30:21.187+01:00Sunday In Portugal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owkk1pZUP1w/Taw7aWcHLiI/AAAAAAAAAE4/TNDc-FLLcvs/s1600/IMG_8524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owkk1pZUP1w/Taw7aWcHLiI/AAAAAAAAAE4/TNDc-FLLcvs/s320/IMG_8524.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Sunday gave us a glimpse of what the missionaries’ lives </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">look like as we attended 2 church services.<br />
<br />
It was great to worship with the Portuguese! We even knew </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">some of the songs. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a09aTQcdw3E/Taw7a-C-i9I/AAAAAAAAAE8/o07JF47KFXY/s1600/IMG_8558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a09aTQcdw3E/Taw7a-C-i9I/AAAAAAAAAE8/o07JF47KFXY/s320/IMG_8558.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">At the 11am service in Lisbon the Angolan pastor shared </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">about a 14 year old girl who has never heard the name </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">of Jesus. He had the 15 young people of the church </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">stand and challenged them to be bold in their faith. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Then the congregation prayed in small groups for </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">150 free tickets to an upcoming soccer game; </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">each of the 15 young people are to invite 10 of </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">their friends to the game so that they can meet </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">a few of the players and hear their testimonies. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Join us in praying! He also challenged the </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">adults to be a part of this to provide the necessary </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">transportation.<br />
<br />
He then preached on Galatians 1:6-9. Do you know </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">the Gospel the way God’s Word presents it? Is it a </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> pure Gospel? We must know the one True Gospel! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CTPWuYECEUA/Taw7bXagznI/AAAAAAAAAFA/gdcneZ9kX4o/s1600/IMG_8560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CTPWuYECEUA/Taw7bXagznI/AAAAAAAAAFA/gdcneZ9kX4o/s320/IMG_8560.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">After enjoying a nice lunch at “home” we piled back </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">into our cars for another church service at 4pm. This </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">church is the daughter church of the church we attended </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">in the morning, and the services are held at the institute </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">where Kate, LaVerne, and Lesley teach English. This </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">was a much smaller church, and after the service we </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">enjoyed a light dinner.<br />
<br />
Pastor Paul preached on Matthew 9:35-38 – the harvest </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">is plentiful but the labourers are few! He reminded us </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">that if we are disciples, we are automatically labourers. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">And what happens if it’s not harvested? We lose the </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">harvest, so act now! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOVqIxdW-n4/Taw7bqiBwxI/AAAAAAAAAFE/5WFaEOy8tlM/s1600/IMG_8563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOVqIxdW-n4/Taw7bqiBwxI/AAAAAAAAAFE/5WFaEOy8tlM/s320/IMG_8563.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">With no financial, family, or geographic limits, what </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">would you be doing? Perhaps this is what God is calling </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">you to.....<br />
<br />
What a wonderful reminder that our God is the God of </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">all people, tongues, tribes, and nations! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHgrfDDc9as/Taw7cY1O4nI/AAAAAAAAAFI/RweH3-sf_3M/s1600/IMG_8575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHgrfDDc9as/Taw7cY1O4nI/AAAAAAAAAFI/RweH3-sf_3M/s320/IMG_8575.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">(Click on Picture to Enlarge!)</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-70917900320635006192011-04-17T00:42:00.000+01:002011-04-17T00:42:44.723+01:00Our GEM TEFL Team & Portugal's Coast!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mw5VQDLd3CE/TaopHxjTRQI/AAAAAAAAAEk/eU6Pl3hCOyA/s1600/IMG_4749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mw5VQDLd3CE/TaopHxjTRQI/AAAAAAAAAEk/eU6Pl3hCOyA/s320/IMG_4749.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fAmRgV5etZo/TaopIR-e-AI/AAAAAAAAAEo/VUAqOCmnDBw/s1600/IMG_4797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fAmRgV5etZo/TaopIR-e-AI/AAAAAAAAAEo/VUAqOCmnDBw/s320/IMG_4797.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uKUFi0Ot1bk/TaopI3SF9DI/AAAAAAAAAEs/UPPzE7UzGGE/s1600/IMG_8255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uKUFi0Ot1bk/TaopI3SF9DI/AAAAAAAAAEs/UPPzE7UzGGE/s320/IMG_8255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aRC-4QUWzyE/TaopJoK9ncI/AAAAAAAAAEw/CB1KdM3CIOM/s1600/IMG_8256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aRC-4QUWzyE/TaopJoK9ncI/AAAAAAAAAEw/CB1KdM3CIOM/s320/IMG_8256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B8g5ymSvH-k/TaopJ4itUvI/AAAAAAAAAE0/HvPjCOMrfWI/s1600/IMG_8474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B8g5ymSvH-k/TaopJ4itUvI/AAAAAAAAAE0/HvPjCOMrfWI/s320/IMG_8474.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">{Click on Pic to Enlarge}</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-17779812576981354632011-04-17T00:37:00.000+01:002011-04-17T00:37:59.413+01:00Friday's Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uLtn6V1hT-k/TamY-azwPtI/AAAAAAAAAD8/iTqpPRefyuM/s1600/IMG_8071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uLtn6V1hT-k/TamY-azwPtI/AAAAAAAAAD8/iTqpPRefyuM/s320/IMG_8071.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">As the supervisor, I can say that the teachers are doing<br />
a wonderful job. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_nJEzkGPc2I/TamY-mU0WyI/AAAAAAAAAEA/fxi5Q_mR_FU/s1600/IMG_8134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_nJEzkGPc2I/TamY-mU0WyI/AAAAAAAAAEA/fxi5Q_mR_FU/s320/IMG_8134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">I am so proud of them! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hC31aqX_fWY/TamY-0sHHRI/AAAAAAAAAEE/PHX9V9BxNuQ/s1600/IMG_8136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hC31aqX_fWY/TamY-0sHHRI/AAAAAAAAAEE/PHX9V9BxNuQ/s320/IMG_8136.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">They are teaching like professionals... </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6yn8A8tEExo/TamY_IQf52I/AAAAAAAAAEI/fns8seVXo8s/s1600/IMG_8137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6yn8A8tEExo/TamY_IQf52I/AAAAAAAAAEI/fns8seVXo8s/s320/IMG_8137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">and sharing the joy...</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzmAzKtMHZ4/TamY_p-emSI/AAAAAAAAAEM/DQcSL4J3JVo/s1600/IMG_8146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzmAzKtMHZ4/TamY_p-emSI/AAAAAAAAAEM/DQcSL4J3JVo/s320/IMG_8146.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> and love of Christ...</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5QxcvpZgFDo/TamY_4NJMoI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/_dcov6mTwD8/s1600/IMG_8151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5QxcvpZgFDo/TamY_4NJMoI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/_dcov6mTwD8/s320/IMG_8151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> with their students. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wx4BI35QjzE/TamZAht8UGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/X8pcGjO8RkU/s1600/IMG_8156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wx4BI35QjzE/TamZAht8UGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/X8pcGjO8RkU/s320/IMG_8156.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">The students love them! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9aGCK9UYTbE/TamZAmUyNaI/AAAAAAAAAEY/pQ3Gqf9pjbQ/s1600/IMG_8159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9aGCK9UYTbE/TamZAmUyNaI/AAAAAAAAAEY/pQ3Gqf9pjbQ/s320/IMG_8159.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> We are all aware of your prayers... </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n6kyoZzWcJI/TamZBLCvFCI/AAAAAAAAAEc/0Hvwz2rGFpk/s1600/IMG_8161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n6kyoZzWcJI/TamZBLCvFCI/AAAAAAAAAEc/0Hvwz2rGFpk/s320/IMG_8161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">every day...</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBTeMWTQUmQ/TamZBfX6obI/AAAAAAAAAEg/XMfHEbKehok/s1600/IMG_8182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBTeMWTQUmQ/TamZBfX6obI/AAAAAAAAAEg/XMfHEbKehok/s320/IMG_8182.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
and are seeing answers before our eyes.<br />
<br />
{Click on Pic to Enlarge}</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-89223852363876944722011-04-15T13:04:00.003+01:002011-04-15T13:38:09.346+01:00Thursday Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B4YLSvZtA6s/Tae4WpsNb-I/AAAAAAAAADg/zh7RQr4oaq4/s1600/IMG_8034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B4YLSvZtA6s/Tae4WpsNb-I/AAAAAAAAADg/zh7RQr4oaq4/s320/IMG_8034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
At group time, Neil is explaining the meaning of a<br />
Biblical story.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHT418FWq-8/Tae4XJN8SvI/AAAAAAAAADk/fgGNRNvRerE/s1600/IMG_8041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VHT418FWq-8/Tae4XJN8SvI/AAAAAAAAADk/fgGNRNvRerE/s320/IMG_8041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Here is Aaron, Patti, and Beth outside of the Portuguese<br />
Bible Institute. They are preparing for another day of<br />
teaching at the school in Pòvoa. <br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qVpTbBNdab4/Tae4XP14D4I/AAAAAAAAADo/ud3N6qmhink/s1600/IMG_8048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qVpTbBNdab4/Tae4XP14D4I/AAAAAAAAADo/ud3N6qmhink/s320/IMG_8048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
Lesley is standing in the beautiful foliage found around<br />
the campus at the Portuguese Bible Institute.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M7WkEdSOV5Y/Tae4XfjktUI/AAAAAAAAADs/OU0s1ZefDvY/s1600/IMG_8050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M7WkEdSOV5Y/Tae4XfjktUI/AAAAAAAAADs/OU0s1ZefDvY/s320/IMG_8050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
Each day the teams prepare for the lesson. Games, activities, </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">conversation, and vocabulary repetitively enforce English language </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">learning.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zgv7GLhVJc/Tae4XjgbaRI/AAAAAAAAADw/cKrRaNt7Rl4/s1600/IMG_8053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zgv7GLhVJc/Tae4XjgbaRI/AAAAAAAAADw/cKrRaNt7Rl4/s320/IMG_8053.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
After teaching the memory verse “I am the light of the world” </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">John 9:5b to the students at the school in Pòvoa, one of </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">the students taught the verse to Aaron in Portuguese. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">It reads: “Eu sou a luz do mundo” Joas 9:5b (it sounds </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">a lot different than it reads)!</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1Rb9P6Nb5Y/Tae4YGaTrRI/AAAAAAAAAD0/rvfLXW8bdG8/s1600/IMG_8054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1Rb9P6Nb5Y/Tae4YGaTrRI/AAAAAAAAAD0/rvfLXW8bdG8/s320/IMG_8054.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Tony is teaching the pronunciation of a word ending in </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">“th.” See how he is using his tongue... he is exaggerating </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">the mechanics of the mouth in order to produce the sound </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">effectively. “Th” is a very difficult sound for the Portuguese </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">to produce. <br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bkfhRquUyFE/Tae4YkLa1BI/AAAAAAAAAD4/YKH4iEobWlU/s1600/IMG_8060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bkfhRquUyFE/Tae4YkLa1BI/AAAAAAAAAD4/YKH4iEobWlU/s320/IMG_8060.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
This is an example of a drawing completed by Tony<br />
which was used as a visual aid for learning the parts<br />
of the body.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">{Click on Pic to Enlarge}</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-54207617466274044952011-04-14T12:07:00.003+01:002011-04-14T12:15:00.565+01:00Teaching English Today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NKHTYIdXjk/TabVFeevA-I/AAAAAAAAADA/lniDq0MVOk4/s1600/IMG_8012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NKHTYIdXjk/TabVFeevA-I/AAAAAAAAADA/lniDq0MVOk4/s320/IMG_8012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Yesterday was our first day of teaching!</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YgnuX0exEg/TabVFtTIGXI/AAAAAAAAADE/6U9TUCtq_zc/s1600/IMG_8013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YgnuX0exEg/TabVFtTIGXI/AAAAAAAAADE/6U9TUCtq_zc/s320/IMG_8013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">One group (Aaron, Tony, Beth, and Patti) taught from<br />
8:30-11:30am then again from 3:30-6pm. The other<br />
group (Neil, Kate, Lesley, and LaVerne) taught<br />
from 2-5. Though the numbers of students aren’t<br />
exactly what we expected, we trust that the Lord<br />
has brought the right students to the right classrooms<br />
with the right teachers to accomplish what He wants<br />
this week!</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXJ-nKJiXeE/TabVF9cRa5I/AAAAAAAAADI/Of5r_0VNeNM/s1600/IMG_8015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JXJ-nKJiXeE/TabVF9cRa5I/AAAAAAAAADI/Of5r_0VNeNM/s320/IMG_8015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">A challenge is that our students understand and comprehend<br />
a LOT of English from watching English TV and listening<br />
to English music; however, they are at various levels of speaking<br />
abilities. The first team, at the public school, has all level one<br />
students (about 16 altogether, split into 2 classrooms). </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m20NqmNUPAI/TabVGA44hdI/AAAAAAAAADM/urSPZ6sz9tY/s1600/IMG_8017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m20NqmNUPAI/TabVGA44hdI/AAAAAAAAADM/urSPZ6sz9tY/s320/IMG_8017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">The second team, at the school for children and adults with<br />
disabilities, has 7 students, many of which are upper-level<br />
one, but there are too few students to split according to <br />
levels so they are all in one classroom. All of the students<br />
are eager to practice their English with us! Pray that <br />
the teaching would be valuable and the conversations<br />
meaningful!</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E3I8B_sdG4Q/TabVGtyqZyI/AAAAAAAAADQ/t6B0P5C1LZg/s1600/IMG_8019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E3I8B_sdG4Q/TabVGtyqZyI/AAAAAAAAADQ/t6B0P5C1LZg/s320/IMG_8019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">Following our English lessons, we taught a Bible lesson<br />
from John 3:1-16, the story of Nicodemus, and a few<br />
of our students knew exactly what we were sharing. <br />
They knew John 3:16 in Portuguese and were able<br />
to clearly explain the story in their own [English]<br />
words. We are anxious to continue the Bible <br />
lessons with the hope of engaging in deeper conversations.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qk3k8ysRngw/TabVG3klS4I/AAAAAAAAADU/y-_2whqQZIY/s1600/IMG_8020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qk3k8ysRngw/TabVG3klS4I/AAAAAAAAADU/y-_2whqQZIY/s320/IMG_8020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"> After singing “Glorify Your Name,” one student asked<br />
me what we meant by “worship” and why we say that. <br />
They are listening to and watching us; <b>pray</b> that we<br />
would be Jesus to them and that His love for them<br />
would be abundantly clear.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciq2hIIrlU8/TabVHKMXALI/AAAAAAAAADY/cDk_LxJ4d18/s1600/IMG_8022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciq2hIIrlU8/TabVHKMXALI/AAAAAAAAADY/cDk_LxJ4d18/s320/IMG_8022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;">After our day of teaching, we enjoyed another dinner<br />
with the Fairbanks family.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LgNFmL2BmhM/TabVHa7kFHI/AAAAAAAAADc/7TBAIimAq2w/s1600/IMG_8031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LgNFmL2BmhM/TabVHa7kFHI/AAAAAAAAADc/7TBAIimAq2w/s320/IMG_8031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>Pray</b> for Ron’s back – he often feels this pain when<br />
teams are visiting and God’s doing big things. We<br />
are ready!</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-15652196987794131022011-04-13T12:39:00.001+01:002011-04-13T12:48:31.716+01:00The Day Before Classes Begin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwFIaREzdJw/TaWJInzPjNI/AAAAAAAAABo/ylnjEBATxAI/s1600/IMG_7828+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nwFIaREzdJw/TaWJInzPjNI/AAAAAAAAABo/ylnjEBATxAI/s320/IMG_7828+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">Praise be to God for the return of Carolyn’s missing<br />
purse containing the funds for the trip! </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rj7Bklk0JI/TaWJI52y5NI/AAAAAAAAABs/VN-dff88PHg/s1600/IMG_7830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2rj7Bklk0JI/TaWJI52y5NI/AAAAAAAAABs/VN-dff88PHg/s320/IMG_7830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">Tuesday morning we had breakfast at Pasteis de Belem. </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTft19qfGHk/TaWJJT3UfCI/AAAAAAAAABw/TcOZFd7swQw/s1600/IMG_7833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kTft19qfGHk/TaWJJT3UfCI/AAAAAAAAABw/TcOZFd7swQw/s320/IMG_7833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">Pasteis de Belem is a world famous pastry shop which<br />
was started by a group of nuns in 1837 to raise funds </div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">for the monastery.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76Hv3uD29Ps/TaWJJodrOPI/AAAAAAAAAB0/ylXGJxUVonQ/s1600/IMG_7873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76Hv3uD29Ps/TaWJJodrOPI/AAAAAAAAAB0/ylXGJxUVonQ/s320/IMG_7873.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">After leaving Pasteis de Belem, we went and took a<br />
brief tour of the monastery.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gELD0npFfTY/TaWJJ32cEhI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Sk-yhQEVGg0/s1600/IMG_7904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gELD0npFfTY/TaWJJ32cEhI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Sk-yhQEVGg0/s320/IMG_7904.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">Continuing on, we walked to the Tigris River and viewed<br />
sculptures and other historical monuments that represented<br />
Portuguese explorers.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tJjrLdtDZEg/TaWJKWkreNI/AAAAAAAAAB8/QC4RmjrRFpM/s1600/IMG_7926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tJjrLdtDZEg/TaWJKWkreNI/AAAAAAAAAB8/QC4RmjrRFpM/s320/IMG_7926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">From there, we toured both facilities where we will be<br />
teaching starting Wednesday.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJCNOX3xro4/TaWJKm10KpI/AAAAAAAAACA/Do2eT3DeGGY/s1600/IMG_7953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJCNOX3xro4/TaWJKm10KpI/AAAAAAAAACA/Do2eT3DeGGY/s320/IMG_7953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">We are split up into 2 groups; 4 of us at a high school and 4<br />
of us at Cercipovoa which is an centre for persons with disabilities.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnbRX-B2Zsc/TaWJK6FAw7I/AAAAAAAAACE/OcC-T4r_2hE/s1600/IMG_7959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnbRX-B2Zsc/TaWJK6FAw7I/AAAAAAAAACE/OcC-T4r_2hE/s320/IMG_7959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">While we were there, we were able to observe some of<br />
the work/groups that take place there on a daily basis.<br />
The rest of the evening was spent preparing our lessons<br />
for the following day of teaching and sharing in devotions<br />
and prayer.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF2aOqR2nv4/TaWJLdZAB6I/AAAAAAAAACI/E3uFwhfsrPc/s1600/IMG_7974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF2aOqR2nv4/TaWJLdZAB6I/AAAAAAAAACI/E3uFwhfsrPc/s320/IMG_7974.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;">Please pray a good turn out as some of the student numbers<br />
have been reduced. Please pray for confidence in the team<br />
members and the ability to communicate effectively to the<br />
students.</div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zXmANsg1Xpo/TaWJLgY1LRI/AAAAAAAAACM/AcnpKULPUlg/s1600/IMG_7980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zXmANsg1Xpo/TaWJLgY1LRI/AAAAAAAAACM/AcnpKULPUlg/s320/IMG_7980.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
Please pray for continued health and safety (especially<br />
on the roads as 2 of the team members are driving).<br />
Pray for continued team building and the opportunity<br />
for fellowship. Ciao!<br />
<br />
(Click on Picture to Enlarge) </div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-17721902021767621152011-04-12T17:02:00.001+01:002011-04-12T17:28:41.074+01:00Prayer Request<div style="color: #073763;"><img alt="http://www.golisbon.com/images/street-art-gallery-lisbon2.jpg" height="239" src="http://www.golisbon.com/images/street-art-gallery-lisbon2.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="color: #073763;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #073763;">Ask that God would bring the people he has prepared </div><div style="color: #073763;">to attend the TEFL course and that their hearts would </div><div style="color: #073763;">be softened to receive Him. - Ron<br />
<br />
We are so grateful to have family and friends supporting<br />
and praying for us and we feel your love all the way over<br />
here! Please pray for health and safety of all the team members.<br />
Pray for us as we prepare today to start teaching tomorrow;<br />
pray that we will be effective in our teachings and that the<br />
people of Portugal will see our love for Christ in the classrooms<br />
as well as on the streets as we tour. </div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376756356094818744.post-28331403419672006252011-04-12T12:09:00.008+01:002011-04-12T12:39:20.610+01:00Arrived Safely!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBThd5_tY9U/TaQyew-63nI/AAAAAAAAABU/e2QzCc7S8uk/s1600/IMG_7778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBThd5_tY9U/TaQyew-63nI/AAAAAAAAABU/e2QzCc7S8uk/s320/IMG_7778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
All 9 team members arrived safely in Lisbon yesterday<br />
(Saturday) morning with all of our luggage! Praise the<br />
Lord for that!<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWzj88SVkKk/TaQykGHmDsI/AAAAAAAAABY/DrScAReL1UU/s1600/IMG_7786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jWzj88SVkKk/TaQykGHmDsI/AAAAAAAAABY/DrScAReL1UU/s320/IMG_7786.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
It was a beautiful day to arrive! There was not one cloud<br />
in the sky and it was about 25-30 degrees Celsius. (77-86º<br />
Fahrenheit) <br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhqPDR3qoo/TaQyorJu_XI/AAAAAAAAABc/MjtQPm5crik/s1600/IMG_7794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhqPDR3qoo/TaQyorJu_XI/AAAAAAAAABc/MjtQPm5crik/s320/IMG_7794.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
After getting somewhat settled, we were able to go and<br />
briefly tour one of the locations we will be teaching at<br />
starting Wednesday. The team will be split into 2 groups<br />
at 2 different locations but will be able to get together for<br />
meals. <br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b_64MsNpL3s/TaQysclIyVI/AAAAAAAAABg/ui4TC0Pp59c/s1600/IMG_7811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b_64MsNpL3s/TaQysclIyVI/AAAAAAAAABg/ui4TC0Pp59c/s320/IMG_7811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
From the airport, we traveled through the city to the<br />
Portuguese Bible institute where we will be staying<br />
for the next 10 days. Monday evening, we were invited<br />
to a wonderful BBQ at Ron and Dalia’s (missionary<br />
liaise/host family) home where we got to meet several<br />
of Dalia’s family members. We were welcomed with<br />
open arms!<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #073763; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h7NfKe4QotQ/TaQywPZS3cI/AAAAAAAAABk/5gtPTv6myOA/s1600/IMG_7815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h7NfKe4QotQ/TaQywPZS3cI/AAAAAAAAABk/5gtPTv6myOA/s320/IMG_7815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #073763; text-align: left;"><br />
The food was absolutely amazing! It was a wonderful<br />
way to end our first day in Portugal</div>Alex Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01420535572150484236noreply@blogger.com6