Porto - the first few days

My plan was to get on line each day and give you a quick update, but my computer and the free wifi in the lobby donºt like each other - at least I can´t get them to play nicely together, so, here it is almost 11:00pm on Monday and I´m using the computer from the hotel.

The first two days have been wonderful!! I had the priviledge of preaching at two churches yesterday. Itºs harder then you would think. As you preach you can only say a phrase or maybe a short sentence at a time and then you have to wait for the translator to tell everyone what you just said. It´s very easy to lose your train of thought. but the congregations were very kind and appreciative.

Today we had English classes at one of the churches. It was a lot of fun. We had 31 people there. We divided up into older and younger children/youth and there were also several adults mixed in. Some of the people were from the church, but almost half were from the communtiy. The Milams are VERY excited about the turnout and said we have already opened several doors for future ministry opportunities.

We had a lot of fun talking about weather, singing songs (Like the Hokey-Pokey - a great way to learn body parts) we cooked... and more. (and we´re all learning a little Portuguese!) We go back there Wednesday. Tomorrow and Thursday we will go to a different church.

Its late. We´re tired. I think I´ll head to bed.

I cant put picture´s up since I am on the hotel computer, but you might check some of the other team members to see if they have any on facebook.

We're in Porto - Ready to Get Busy!

We arrived safe and sound in Porto after spending 26 hours in three planes and four airports took a couple of metro lines and well, now I'm kinda falling asleep so I don't really remember...
But anyway, everything was fine on the way over.

The weather in Porto is gorgeous! Highs are in the low - maybe mid 70s. A gentle breeze blows in from the Atlantic.

We had an interesting lunch at the food court in the mall that is connected to our hotel.

This evening we had a wonderful dinner at our missionaries' home and a time of orientation where we talked about schedule for the week and learned some about the Portuguese people and culture.

Tomorrow I will be preaching at two churches. I'm going to try to get on line at least for a minute each day so I can let you know what's happening and how you can join us in prayer. So the main thing to pray for tonight and tomorrow is for me as I prepare to preach and preach and play the violin. I may even end up playing handbells for them because one of the churches has a set of bells - they may be the ones that FBC, Clarksville brought years ago - and they are wanting to hear them. (My plans now are to bring a handbell choir here in 2013.)

Our feet are tired, our sitting area is VERY tired and hopefully very soon I will be off of this and in bed soon.

Tomorrow I will try to get my camera and computer to talk to each other (they haven't in the past) and I'll put some pictures on here.

Other team members are putting pictures and things on facebook, so look there.

Porto Mission Trip Starts Tomorrow

Começamos a nossa viagem a Portugal amanhã de manhã às 6. Woohoo!!

You can be a part of this mission by praying for us as we go. Here are some things you can join us in praying for.

Health and safety in travel

Peace while we fly (some of us REALLY don't like to fly. I'd tell you who is the worst, but she's staying with me all week and I don't want her mad at me.)

I'm going to preach Sunday morning, so pray that I will listen to the Spirit and have just the right things to say to encourage the believers there.

We will be working with two churches and with children, youth and adults (at different times) so pray that we will be able to adapt our lesson ideas to different age groups.
Pray that the children and youth will bring friends and share with family so that this will be the start of an ongoing ministry at these churches.

I'll try to get on here and share some of what we are doing. There is WiFi in the hotel lobby, so I should be able to at least get something on here a couple of days if not every day.

Below you'll see the Milam's newsletter for September. Click on it and it will be big enough to read.

Mission Trip Schedule

Many people don't think they can do missions. Well.... first of all, missions isn't really something you do as much as something that you are. What does that mean? It means what you are "doing" is just a way to reach out to people and draw some interest or a crowd - to find an audience, so to speak. And then "missions" is just talking to people and developing relationships and then as you have opportunity you kinda just do 1 Peter 3:15
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Easy.

Three weeks from today our Portugal mission team will be in Porto, Portugal working with Andy and Michelle Milam. Click here to see their blog.

We will be using English as a way to reach out to the communities of Porto, Matosenhos and Vila Nova de Gaia.
Here is a tentative schedule for our week.

A heART for Missions

Join us for a fun afternoon of painting and create a beautiful picture for your home while supporting missions.

We'll all paint the picture in the ad - Hydrangeas in an Orange Vase. However, if you would rather have pink hydrangeas and a red vase, you can do that. Whatever color scheme would work in your home you can use with this painting.

It's easier than you think. I will be leading the class and promise we'll have lots of fun. Our mission team going to Portugal will have some cookies or something for us to snack on.

Space is limited, so be one of the first ones to sign up. Call the church office and talk to Donna today!

Porto, Portugal Mission Trip Information Meetings

Did you see the earlier post about our mission trip to Porto? Porto, Portugal
Or this one about the people of Portugal? Faces of Portugal

In the first post I mentioned that we would be traveling to Porto in July. For various reasons that date will not work. Instead we are going in September. This will make it a little trickier for our school teachers to go with us, but we are going the week of Labor Day, so there are only four days of work to miss, the weather is better then, and the plane fare was $300 less!! So... win, win, win!

We will have an information meeting about the mission trip on Sunday, February 13, at 4:30 in the Administrative Office building - which is over across the parking lot from the main campus. At this meeting I will try to answer any questions you may have and we'll get on Skype and talk to the missionaries we will be working with, Andy and Michelle Milam. How cool is that?

We've talked about helping one of the local churches throw a block party, we're going to help that church with some English classes they are teaching, but a really fun thing we've talked about is an English Camp for teens or college students. We'll do some fun things together and then we'll break up into smaller groups and either teach cooking or music or art or whatever - all in English (with an interpreter of course.) But the whole idea is to reach out to the community using English as a way to get their attention. Then we will be able to take advantage of opportunities to share our faith and the local congregations will follow up with those who come to classes or to camp.

This is probably a perfect mission trip for you to join in on. Haha! Please ignore the couple kissing by the river.

Faces of Portugal

Hilldale will take a mission team to Porto, Portugal next July. Should you be going with us?

Porto, Portugal

Copied from offbeattravel.com
"Porto, Portugal, is a city with soul, populated with a genial and supportive community. The unhurried pace of life in Porto mirrors the graceful flow of ocean waves rolling on her shores and makes the strife in the world seem distant and remote. Brilliant blue skies set against red tile roofs and the sun glittering on the Douro River summon the anticipation of summer and the promise of adventures to unfold. Northern Portugal is a remarkable oasis for travelers in a destination-saturated planet."

 

 

"Old Porto is the hub for sightseeing, cuisine and river tours. Amidst the narrow streets that wind their way through town lie several stretches of pedestrian-only cobblestone streets. These quaint thoroughfares are lined with shops and cafes, bistros and wine bars."

 

"The public squares in Porto are filled with ornate fountains and Portuguese statues, overlooking grand stone churches and the multi-colored tiled fronts of old buildings; the structures contain shops and businesses on the ground level and apartments and small pensions on the higher floors. It is common to see the city's residents gazing from their small balconies down on the colorful and busy streets."

 

 

This coming July I will be leading a group from Hilldale Baptist Church to work in Porto with Andy and Michelle Milam. Check them out here The 4 Milams Their January Newsletter is posted below. (We are one of the groups mentioned coming in the summer.) Andy is a friend of mine who was a Worship Pastor here in Tennessee until a few years ago when he and his family answered God's call to full-time mission work in Portugal. They are very excited about us coming to join them in their work.

Here are a few of the opportunities that await us in Porto:

• teaching English classes at some of the churches (notice the English classes in the newsletter below)
• helping with a block party
• encouraging the congregation of Igreja Batista de Antas and helping equip them for future church planting
• prayer walking

We can add to this list if you have experience in other mission activities and want to join us. Let me know if you are interested in going. If you feel God calling you to go I know He will help you with the funds to make the trip possible.

Click on newsletter to enlarge it so you can read it.