a taste of ministry

A full week has come and gone as of tomorrow morning. As time continues to fly by, I am trying my very hardest to soak up each day, each moment and each conversation that I have here in Portugal.
It's been a good week. I think it is safe to say that we are officially over jet lag and find ourselves feeling much more energetic today in comparison to the beginning of the week. Praise the Lord!

This week we have spent the majority of our time at the Espaço (the church here in Massama) doing various cleaning and organizing and gearing up for our VBS week, which starts next Tuesday. Our first day working, we were greeted at the church by 2 of the neighbourhood boys..João Pedro and Martim. They hung around with us for the morning, so two of us would continue to work and two of us would play with the boys. By mid afternoon we had 11 kids in the church playing and dancing with us. Our organizational work was put on hold and we declared that kids week would start immediately.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with these kids, they have grown up so much in the last year. Between their broken english and my very broken Portuguese, by the grace of God we have managed to have successful conversations. My heart remains full!

Martim

getting posters ready for VBS

Fatimata & I

Ludmila & I

Sara & Kristen

João Pedro, Martim & Pedro

Raiza

Prior to arriving here, I felt like I really wanted to spend time praying through the streets of Portugal. I feel as though God has been pressing on my heart, this idea of intercession. Seeing as we are working and living in the Massama area, I thought this would be a good place to focus in on. I love prayer walks and I love the community of Massama. Today I invited the rest of the team to join me in walking through the streets and asking for God's heart and eyes for the streets and buildings which surround the Espaço. I love how God has so much to say to us when we take the time to listen. I'm in the process of working on a prayer map assignment, which will be completed by the end of our time here. Stay tuned. The plan is to walk the streets of Massama a day or two every week and listen for what God might be saying to us and being attentive to what he is doing in the neighbourhood.
After our time of prayer this afternoon, I find myself once again with a broken heart for these people, the community of Massama and the country of Portugal as a whole. There are a variety of emotions that are pumping through me at the moment, but I feel a little like what I would imagine Nehemiah felt like as he prayed and pleaded to God on behalf of Israel. As I walked and prayed and listened, I found myself being drawn back to Isaiah 43 and 44. These were verses that God laid on my heart last year and has continued to be my prayer for Portugal ever since - that God would make streams in the deserts and wastelands, that water would be poured out on this dry and thirsty land, and that this would be country and a people who would proclaim the Almighty God as Lord. But in these verses also lays a promise that God is doing a new thing in this land - in these people. I am choosing to take a posture of being on my knees - repentant and yet hopeful and excited for what is yet to come in this place.

The first few days.

We are almost done day 4 of our time in Portugal. Crazy. Where does time go? It has been a full 4 days, but they have been oh so good. We tried to take it easy on our first day, but the smells, the sounds, the surroundings became all too intriguing for our team and so we found ourselves wandering the streets of Massama enjoying meia da leites and pastries and getting to know our neighbourhood. I must admit, I felt proud to be showing my girls this neighbourhood and the places that became so familiar to me last year. We went by my old apartment and memories came flooding back. Oh what I would have done to walk through that building again!

Sunday was a day of churches and reconnecting with people - lots of kisses were given. Seeing people again made a year seem not so long ago. Some things are always the same :) Getting back to concentrating, understanding and speaking in Portuguese left me exhausted by the end of the day. I crashed hard that night!

Monday was a day to explore the city. We had our fantastic tour guide and host family, Joe, give us a fabulous tour of Lisbon. Although most of the sites were familiar to myself, it was neat watching the other girls experience the city with fresh eyes. Walking the downtown streets of Lisbon with a camera in hand never gets old.

The best pastalaria in Lisbon

Enjoying Pasteis de Belem

We were reminded of the rich history that Portugal has, which is a big part of understanding how to do ministry in this place. The Portuguese are a people who love their history and are proud of where they have come from. To know the statues, the monuments and the history makes them proud and is a fabulous conversation piece when talking with locals. To understand the heartbeat of Portugal, one needs to take in the sites and understand the history of Portugal.

Jerónimo Monestary 

Belem

The Discovery Monument

Capo da Roca - the most Western point of Portugal

Hell's Mouth

 Today we have started our kids club planning for the VBS week, which starts next Tuesday, so we have lots to do to get ready for that! Gotta get my craft and singing on!

Home.

We left Winnipeg early Friday afternoon and headed off to Chicago and then Newark. Excitement raced through our bodies as we boarded the last flight from Newark to Lisbon. Little sleep was had (although I am happy to report that I did catch a little over an hour of sleep on the flight - typically I do not sleep on planes, so thanks to those who were praying for that), but we arrived safe and sound with all of our luggage at 8:30am this morning (Lisbon time). 

Departing Newark

Arriving in Lisboa

My dear friend Joe has connections like no one I have ever met before when it comes to airplanes. He managed to get  close enough to the runway to take this picture of us landing!

I am on Portugal soil once again and my heart is full. Words cannot describe how good it feels to be back in this place that changed my life and that I have come to love. I got a little teary eyed as I walked through the doors of the Lisbon Airport to see the faces of Jose, Otto & Marjorie. How I have missed these people!

Stay tuned for more pictures from our first few days exploring Lisbon together.

one hot mess.

Over the last few weeks I have neglected the blogging world as I have found myself preparing for ACTION and getting myself ready for orientation. I am now a week into ACTION, which just seems surreal, but so far has been an exciting way to start the summer.
The orientation week started off with just us leaders here in Gretna for a few days prior to the rest of our teammates joining us. It was a rich time of equipping us as leaders and diving into moments of intimacy with Jesus. Throughout the past week, I have experienced some good God moments. It is safe to say that my heart is overflowing. God and I have met each other in some powerful ways through worship this week. I have been invited into a posture of intimacy with Jesus. The place in which Jesus and I have met has been in a place that has been referred to as a "thin space". It is a place that rests between us and God. It is a place where intimacy dwells. It is a place where there is realness and authenticity in encountering Jesus. I love the picture of that meeting place. I have missed those intimate moments and it felt good to come back to that place of surrender and awe. Last week, as I held out my hands in a posture of receiving, I had this moment of physically feeling Jesus grab hold of my hands, hold them tight and speak truth and love into my life - into the places of my heart where those are not so easily received.

"Watch me. Learn from me. Take rest in me. You are enough. 

I have so much planned for you. 

Trust in me. I love you. I love you. I love you ."

In the words of my friend Heidi, I was one hot mess! As I think about this summer, I feel as though I am being invited into a season of learning what intimacy with Jesus looks and feels like. I am excited to walk this out and embrace it. Through a time of intercession last week, I was given the phrase, "walk in the dust of your Rabbi". This theme of walking has been one that has continued to come up through this week. As a Massage Therapist, I have been trained to watch the way people walk in order to figure out what is going on in their body. I am now being challenged to shift that into such a way that studies the way Jesus walks. It is my prayer that I follow so closely in the footsteps of Jesus, watching how he walks and imitating that walk. I want to be completely covered from head to toe in the dust of Jesus because I am following so closely in his footsteps. So, this summer, as I return to Portugal, it is my prayer that I would be completely immersed in the love and the posture of my Rabbi. I want to learn from him and imitate him in all that I do.

God has me on an incredible journey and I am looking forward to walking this road of discipleship out this summer and in the months to come. Stay tuned.

a glimpse of life.

You know how as a kid, you often hear your parents say, "time sure flies", and you think to yourself, "no it doesn't". I remember having countdowns to a certain event and the idea of having to wait "2 more sleeps" felt like an eternity. Life for the past 2 months has seemed to pass by at warp speed and I feel as though I have no idea what life looked like for May and these past 2 weeks of June. These days I find myself echoing the words of my parents and commenting repeatedly on how quickly time is passing me by. So, I thought would jog my memory by looking back into the last month and a half and make note of what life has looked like. 

At the beginning of May, through a shout out on Facebook by a high school acquaintance, I joined a bible study. Monday nights, 7 ladies of different ages, from different walks of life get together to learn what it means to Dream Big with God. It's been a good 7 weeks so far discovering greater intimacy with Jesus and figuring out what dreaming big looks like in my life. I'm not one for coming up with 1 and 5 year goals, as I have found in the past that those goals typically have left me disappointed when they are not achieved and I fail to see how God is moving in the present moment. But as I have wrestled in the last few weeks on goal setting and this idea of dreaming big, I have resolved that I am called to be faithful in the day to day. Rather than focusing on the future and what may or may not lie ahead, I am called to be faithful with what God has given me in today, in this very moment. I want to be in tune with how God is moving and how I am responding to that moving. This "awakening" has brought my heart both freedom and peace.

The beginning of May also held a youth retreat. Our youth group is not big or fancy, but it is made up  of a few fabulous girls. We had a great weekend together walking through the book of Mark, examining what it means to be a disciple of Christ. We enjoyed fabulous food, good conversations and a ton of laughter. These girls have enriched my life in so many ways and I am blessed that I get to be a part of their lives.

May Long Weekend we as a family ventured out to the cottage for the first time in 18 months (for me anyways). Due to the flooding of the lake last year, we were left cottage-less last summer. The place has been in intense clean-up mode for the last 6 months - my dad has done a phenomenal job with it all, but being out there for the first time and seeing the aftermath of flood damage first hand was a tad more overwhelming than I would have thought. My little piece of heaven on earth was destroyed - nothing is as it was. However, one day, it will be a place of beauty again. I have a hunch by the end of summer the place will look quite different. 

Add into the mix many coffee dates with friends, gorgeous evening walks, work, packing, volunteering in a grade 2 classroom, and birthday parties and you end up with a very full, but good month and a half.

Now, the countdown to ACTION begins. I am in the midst of packing and organizing and I have 5 days to get everything ready to go and in order before I leave. Like I said, time flies!

thoughts.

Do you ever feel like you are missing out on something? Like you aren't doing what it is that you were created to do? I have found myself in this place numerous times in the last little bit - wondering where it is God wants me to plug in and how does he want to use the gifts and passions he has placed within me to their fullest.

In a little more than a month, I will be returning to Portugal - a place where my heart experienced fullness of life and where I experienced intimacy with Jesus in ways I never thought possible. To say that I am excited to be going back would be an understatement. I. Am. Pumped.
Not only am I going to be testing out my role as leader this summer, but I want this summer to also be an opportunity for there to maybe be some clarity in terms of what God has dreamed up for my life. I want to be sure to take the time out to pray and to discern over my future and my passions and how I can use them, specifically what it means to live missionally.
In the meantime, I am asking and wrestling with questions like,

• Where and how do I plug in?
• What are the ministries and communities I should be pouring my energy into?

Perhaps, part of this process is taking a leap and trying different things out. Maybe figuring out some of the answers to my questions involves me taking the initiative and connecting with a community or ministry in the North End of Winnipeg, or maybe trying out a new ministry at church or exploring more the idea of global missions. At some point there needs to be something that separates the praying and the asking God for direction and the faith of just going out and doing something. The truth is, there is a good chance I may fall flat on my face in any or all of these attempts, but I'm wondering if that's where I will find perspective - humility. It keeps me on my knees.

Through numerous people and events in the last few weeks, the words of Isaiah 43 keep coming up in various conversations and readings. I wonder if God might be trying to say something to me - assuring me of his promise that He is indeed up to something in my life. So, I figure I should take some time to sit with this particular scripture and allow the words of Isaiah to seep into my heart.

In all the uncertainties that I find within my life currently, I am choosing to rest in the truth that God is indeed up to something new and exciting in my life - things that will refresh me and bring a fullness of life  beyond what I could even ask for or imagine.

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.

    O Israel, the one who formed you says,

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

    I have called you by name; you are mine.

² 

When you go through deep waters,

    I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

    you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

    you will not be burned up;

    the flames will not consume you.

³ 

For I am the Lord, your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;

    I gave Ethiopia^[a] and Seba in your place.

⁴ 

Others were given in exchange for you.

    I traded their lives for yours

because you are precious to me.

    You are honored, and I love you.

⁵ 

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.

    I will gather you and your children from east and west.

⁶ 

I will say to the north and south,

    ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel

    from the distant corners of the earth.

⁷ 

Bring all who claim me as their God,

    for I have made them for my glory.

    It was I who created them.’”

⁸ 

Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind,

    who have ears but are deaf.

⁹ 

Gather the nations together!

    Assemble the peoples of the world!

Which of their idols has ever foretold such things?

    Which can predict what will happen tomorrow?

Where are the witnesses of such predictions?

    Who can verify that they spoke the truth?

¹⁰ 

“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.

    “You are my servant.

You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,

    and understand that I alone am God.

There is no other God—

    there never has been, and there never will be.

¹¹ 

I, yes I, am the Lord,

    and there is no other Savior.

¹² 

First I predicted your rescue,

    then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world.

No foreign god has ever done this.

    You are witnesses that I am the only God,”

    says the Lord.

¹³ 

“From eternity to eternity I am God.

    No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.

    No one can undo what I have done.”...

¹⁸  “But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
¹⁹ For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
²⁰ The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
    the jackals and owls, too,
    for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
    so my chosen people can be refreshed.
²¹ I have made Israel for myself,
    and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

blessings.

- coffee shared with friends on patios.
- tank tops and bare feet outside.
- gazebos that allow you to enjoy the warmth of the sun without causing more redness to your already roasted chest and shoulders.
- movie nights with a friend that include watching some"classics" all while consuming a bottle of wine and chips and salsa :)
- Starbucks Gold Cards that arrive in the mail.
- time to read.
- new bible studies that draw out a deeper intimacy with Jesus as you learn to dream big.
- the sound of wind chimes  - it makes it feel more like summer.
- renewed friendships and the grace that has has so willingly been extended to me.
- youth retreats
- flat tires in the pouring rain that turn into moments of laughter in the midst of frustration.

Life is good.