Work

Hey there,
Sorry I did not Blog about my dads birthday. Well Noah gave him an awesome globe, and I gave him a Johnny Cash CD. We did not have a party, but we hung out as a family.

Well as I told you I am working, but I did not tell you the details. I have been Babysitting for my neighbor every Tuesday. This Thursday I am going shopping with her, but only to watch her youngest who is to young to go in the day care. This coming Tuesday she is having a play group at her house, so maybe I will have more people to work for. I am saving up for a piano, so I think I have a ways more to go.

I will Blog again soon

Eden Rose Farmer

the blog is open for buisness (again)

Hey there,
Well this is four wild geese blog spot right? So I, (Eden) think i am going to start blogging now and then.
Well my dad hasn't Blog in forever so let me tell you what is going on. Well tomorrow is my dads Birthday. I will blog about his party tomorrow. My Nana recently visited us from America, and I got my first job babysitting on Tuesday of this week. Also one of my friends, Dani is having her Birthday party today. I think I will be partied out for a while, but only for a little while.

Well on another note the weather is wonderful. My mom has been going to the beach and swimming every day. Oh ya, I forgot to tell you guys, I got out of school on June 16th. Well I have to go get ready for the party. Will Blog about my dad's Birthday tomorrow.

A Thought

"We have very few inferior people in the world. We have lots of inferior environments. Try to enrich your environment."

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Pictures of the 24/7 House of Prayer

The Burning Bush

Haley after an all nighter in the Prayer House

Peter in the 24/7 prayer room

Sunday night closing worship

Jered in the 24/7 prayer room

Carey worshiping

Maureen resting after a long shift in the house

The "Who is God?" room

Kiwi, Maria Joao, and Joanna

Marty and Zaca leading worship for Christian Surfers

Maureen, Emily, Alana, and Jered Friday night opening worship

Be Blessed and Pray like your life depended on it.

Why Do Things Go Wrong?

You know I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong sometime. This evening I wrote the most beautiful and graphic blog (you'll have to take my word on this one because I don't want to write it all over again) It was about the kids going down to the beach and catching octopus with the Graf children and us cooking it up and eating it. Well then when I post it on my blogsite, it's not there. I mean the picture are there but the words are gone except the last few. I hate that!
Between Facebook, e-mail, blogs, text messages, linked-in, web sites, and news letters, it feels like I'm spending as much time talking about what were doing as doing it and when I spend all that time putting our life out there and then it doesn't work...AHHHHHH!, is all I can say. So just look at the octopus pictures from the post before, and pretend the words are there. Oh and still, Be Blessed.
(Here's a one more Octopus pic. Isn't my girl brave)

Fresh from the Oceans of Portugal to Our Dinner Plate

This morning the Graf kids and my children went down to the beach for awhile to get out of the house before it started raining. (The Graf's have been living with us for the last week while they look for a house to live in when they move here.) So the kids headed out and about an hour later the door buzzer rings, Sydney cosme running in to grab a bucket for the octopus and star fish that they've caught. You might remember that Noah caught an octopus by hand last year at one of the sea pools. And then again two weeks ago he caught another one. This would be his third. I hadn't let him keep them up to this point, but some of the Portuguese men suggested we cook it the next time we catch one. So when they came dragging back in with a bucket full of starfish and octopus I figured why not, let's cook it up tonight.So that's what we did. We slapped it onto the cutting board and we all went "Ewwww" as Laina cut that little sucker up (it was much smaller than the last one Noah caught), then we threw it into some garlic butter and cooked it for an appetizer. Fresh Octopus, swimming in the ocean at 12:00 on your plate at 20:00. Not everyone was sold on the idea of eating it, but in the spirit of adventure everyone, except the boys, gave it a shot.And you know what? It was GOOOOOD! I mean really good. Sure it was slightly chewy, but not gross. Very much like fried squid in the texture. We had a great time eatting the bounty of the ocean that the Lord provided through our kids. And had some fun taking picture of our wild tribe. If your coming this way let me know and I'll send down the kids to catch you a fresh one and we'll throw it on the B-B-Q.Be Blessed and Eat Fresh (That's real see food)

BLOG #100...The Perfect Storm

Post # 100
Wow has life been fast, full and furious lately. This last weekend, Friday through Sunday, we held an all day, all night 24/7 house of prayer at the old pink house next door to our's. All I can say is AWESOME! Our community, the Lisboa Matrix, joined up with Christian Surfer's Portugal, and Young Life Portugal to host the event. It was an amazingly powerful weekend. The Spirit of the Living God filled the house to over flowing and the people were packed into the living room area during our three different community worship times. It was really incredable. In between the nights of worship music, there were cool quiet times where people were able to connect on the heart level, flop on the pillows and cushions in the living room and chill. There was also plenty of praying going on in the 24/7 prayer room up stairs. With paints, chalk, crayons, hearts and tears poured out on the walls that were covered with paper. I would post some pictures, but my computer can't handle all the digital information right now. (Every time I try to down load them my machine crashes) Anyhow there were a number of people from all three communites there that felt we need to pursue this house as an actual ministry center. It's very much the heart of the 'Blue House' idea, if you've heard me talk about the 'Blue House', except this one is pink. I was poured out, but filled up by the end of the weekend. So you can pray with us as we move towards how this will develop.
We have also been hosting the Graf family at our house as they search for a house/ministry center here in the Lisbon area. It's been a crazy, wild, fun time having their 6, plus our 4, plus a small cat and a large black lab all living under the same roof. We are benefiting from the wonderful cooking of lovly Laina. And the visiting with them has been wonderful. Yesterday their kids visited the Corner Stone Academy and spent the day going to school there, checking out their new school. They intergrated into the student community great. It felt as if they had been their all along. The Graf kids will make a beautiful additon to CSA.
Also we have been really enjoying the sun again. We can actually dry laundry out on the line again, instead of putting it Noah's room with a dehumidifier to dry it out. We took the Graf boys to the beach the other day and Noah and Kelton spent the afternoon jumping off the pier into the ocean. Oh thank you Jesus for friends for Noah. He is having a great time.
Next week we've got a million Christian Associates International staff flying into the Lisbon area for the annual leadership summit and on the 3rd of March Dave Hall our missions pastor from EFCC in California will be coming into town and staying for a few days. And then...who knows. If there is anything else going on that I should be telling you about, right now I just can't remember it. Stay tuned to this Bat channel for more Bat information, and Be Blessed 24/7

The Pink House Next Door

This picture is two years old and doesn't really show the pink house next door very well, but it's the only picture have in my file right now. The reason I wanted to show you this house is because this house is where we are going to have our weekend of prayer this weekend. Instead of a 24/7 prayer room we are going to have a 24/7 House of Prayer. The house will have a prayer room, a worship living room, art rooms, and be open all weekend to anyone who wants to check it out.
So I have a request, will you please pray for this house and our community this weekend? We are not only going to be doing this House of Prayer, but we are also having a ton of leadership from our mission coming into town, plus we will have a couple from the USA coming to look at our community and the school to see if they might want to come teach and be a part of our team. Oh and did I mention that we have all the normal school, house, church planting stuff to do in the midst of all of this? AHHHHHH!
But let me say this, even with the big AHHHHHH!, I am expectant of what God will do in the midst of all this. There is something bubbling here and it is filled with the Holy Spirit. There is movement and I believe I am blessed to be a part of it. So please pray for us and with us, and Be Blessed

My Strength has been Faithened

I know, where the heck have I been. Well I have been here, but I've barely been keeping my nose above water for the last month. It seems like this life is never going to just stabilize. In a way I'm really glad about that because something in me hates the same old same old. But on the other hand it would be nice to figure out how thing are going to function so I could get a little rhythm going. I am hoping that we have hit a period of smoother sailing for a period of time.

This last month has been a time of being in the refiners fire. And baby did He have that thing kicked up to full blast. There were a couple of times I was sure I was just going to be completely melted away. It was intense. Having come out of the other side of it I can say my strength has been faithened. (That was a type-o but I'm gonna keep it like that because I like it.)

Here's a few thoughts I had after I cooled down:
1. I'm a mess. (I thought by 40 I would have it together.)
2. So I'm a mess, I like me.
3. Other people like too.
4. Other people don't have to like me. (But it's OK if they do.)
5. I am stronger than that stupid lying little voice in my head.
6. God is better at being faithful that I am. (Thank God)
7. Why am I amazed when prayer works?
8. Cooking's an artistic outlet and can be fun. (Does that seem random in this list? It's not for me)
9. It's one thing to know there will be trials and another to live them out.
10. Life is the whole pie, not just a slice.

So I'm back blogging (Thanks Mo and Wit) and maybe your there, or maybe not, but what ever the case, I'm going to keep on keeping on. I am going to stick my face in the pie of life and continue to be some kind of mess until He perfect me. (And you can shut-up little nasty voice that's trying to keep me from sticking my whole face in!)
Enjoy the journey, Be Blessed and get some Key Lime up your nose.

A Christmas Feasting Thought

This morning I was thinking about what we had talked about and shared at our Matrix Christmas Feast last night. Scott encouraged us all to keep Jesus in the center of our Christmas season. A great reminder. We had a fun Christmas feast of eating and drinking that many believers have partaken of, in some fashion, for most of our lives. During the reading of the Christmas story I was reminded that our savior was born into a lower status household. That He was not a person of wealth, or power. And that He truly was an alien in a foriegn land. So this morning when I was reading through Zechariah chapter 7 and I came across this, it struck me pretty powerfully;

Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?' And when you were eating and drinking were you not feasting for yourselves?"

And further down,

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'

I looked at this and I thought about the African men living here as aliens, selling their nic-nacks down by the beach. I thought about the orphans with HIV living at Casa Sol. I thought about the fragile little old ladies that I see walking down the cobblestone streets with their groceries. I thought of the homeless I see around Cascais and I wondered, do I remember Jesus when I see the least of these? Is my Christmas about feasting for me, or truly feasting for Jesus? Have I lived out the gospel during this Christmas season or did I go into auto-pilot and just start doing what I have always done for so many seasons? Yes, I have remembered that it is the birth time of Jesus. But I have to ask myself, 'Have I heard the words of the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets?' Zech 7:7

I know that there is no condemnation in Jesus, but I also know that as I wander along the narrow path ahead of me there are people that I can either become involved with or I can step over. So as we approach the season of Christmas may we as followers of the Christ truly make Christmas a time of feasting that is for Jesus. May they know us by our Love. And May You Be Blessed in Doing This.

The Remains of the Day or (Fire in the Attic)

Well here is our story. Last night Eden had a girl friend stay the night. They wanted to go up to the attic and hang out, so we let them. Noah went up with them and they talked him into getting the space heater from his room.
Flash to this morning. After getting up and starting coffee, I took Patches the dog for a walk to go to the bathroom. As we returned and entered the building I thoght I smelled a burnt plastic smell. When I got up to our flat I was sure I smelled something. It wasn't coming from any of the other flats. Right then I remembered that the kids were in the attic last night. I ran up there to check if the smell was coming from there. When I opened the door a wall of heat and thick smoke was in the air. We had a fire somewhere! I couldn't see a thing because the smoke was to thick, so I ran down stairs to grab a flash light. Running into the house I yelled "Paula, theres a fire! Where's the flash light? We have a fire up stairs!" Then I ran back up with the flash light.
As I rounded the corner to the attic again the smoke was heavier than before. I could hardly see a thing in there. I took a deep breath and plunged in to see what was burning. As I entered I could see that the area where the bed was was glowing orange through the smoke. We had a fire about three feet by three feet burning in it. My heart exploded and my mind whirled. We were going to burn to the ground was my first thought, then I thought I've got to put this out. There were people in the building. We had to call the Bombieros, the Fire Dept. I turned to run back down stairs and remembered that opening a door can feed a fire. So I shut the door.
When I got back down to the flat Paula, Eden, Noah, Deni, the cat and the two dogs were headed out. I grabbed my phone and tried to call the Bombieros but the number didn't work. I figured out later that I had dialed the wrong number. The emergency number here in Portugal is 112 not 911 and I think I dialed 211. Anyhow lucky for me that our friends down stairs at the photo copy shop called.
I ran down stairs to see if Antonio, the owner of the photo shop, had a fire extinguisher and he did. I ran back up to the attic trying to pull the pin from the extinguisher. It was not so easy. I stopped and banged the thing out and then took a breath to head in and hit the bed with a blast from the extinguisher.I was probably pretty careless, because I just threw the door open and rushed in. The smoke was so thick I couldn't see my hand infront of my face. I couldn't even see the fire. But I knew where the bed was and I hit it with the chemical fire extiguisher. The heat rushed up and the smoke burned my eye, but I knew that I had blasted the fire from the hissing sound.
Now however my chest felt like it was going to explode becuase I had been running up and down stairs and my heart was pumping adrinalie into my system in huge doses. I needed air. I had to get out of there. I turned to go and it was almost as black behind me as in front. Just a slight yellow glow from the light coming through the door. I need clean air, not this putrid plastic smelling smoke. I bolted for the door and the smoke poured out with me. I could barely see from all the smoke. Even the stairs were heavy with smoke to the point where it was hard to see. But there was a small window where I could stick my face out. I jammed my face to the opening and blew the stale air from my lungs sucking back mostly clean air. And then I cried out to Jesus for help with this. I was scared and all I could imagine was the whole building consumed in an inferno.
From the window I could see the Bombieros pulling up infront of the house. I headed down and found my self standing in the rain as swarms of voulunteer fire fighters buzzed up and down the stairs to save the day. It was cold. My neighbors were kind. I was lucky and so blessed that we were all safe. My wife, the little girl staying the night, our kids, and the pets. All safe. No matter what was lost, the important things were safe.
In the end the attic was messed up really badly. The bed was gone. The walls were covered in soot. The hall and attic stink like burnt plastic. Our landlords couch was ruined and proably most of the stuff up there will need to be gotten rid of. But on the other had we were so protected. Our house is completely smoke free and liveable. You would never know that there was a fire right above us. And there was very little up in the attic that was a great value, so thank you Jesus.
I've put some picture below for you viewing pleasure. Be Blessed
This is the view towards the door way. That's Terri, Zephne' and Paula looking at the damage. We have a great community of belivers who showed up to see if there was anything they could do for us.

That was a bed. We've had a number of guest stay the night there. The feathers were a blanket.

More bed, blankets, and burned up furniture.

I look like a coal miner because of running in and out of the attic trying to put out the fire.

Oh What a Night (Live Blog)

Ok so it's not a great picture, but this is my kitchen right this moment. Those are "Greek Gods" you're looking at. Guess what the high schoolers are studying right now at Corner Stone Academy?
So right now we've got the "Squirl Nut Zippers" blasting their Christmas CD on the surround sound and there is a whole bunch of groovin and waltzing going on in the living room. There is the heavenly smells of garlic and onions floating through the house from the kitchen and my neighbors are peeking up at my flat wondering what kind of craziness is going on up here. Earlier we all walked down to my local grociers and butchers, in "Greek God' to buy the fixins for some simi-greekish food. I'll see how they all treat me next time i'm there. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.
I have been so waiting for a night like tonight. A house full of young people in costumes, having fun, laughing and living in community together. What a great way to start the Christmas season. May you Be Blessed this Christmas Season

So Much Thanks

BUYING FRUITS AND NUT FROM A NAZARE STREET VENDER

You know it easy to be full of thanks on those warm sunny days when you have nothing to do but enjoy life. It's easy to say thank you when things are going my way. It's easy to count it all joy when time are good. But that is not the case a lot of the time. In fact it might be the case less than half the time in my life.
Every year this day of Thanksgiving comes around for America. And every year I have to stop and take a look at my life and think about being Thankful. I can imagine that with the economic situation in America this year there were a lot of people that were thinking about what they had to be thankful for this year. I hope that even if this has been a difficult season for you or your family, that you found something to be thankful for.
Our family had one of those hard life moments the day before Thanksgiving. While at the Corner Stone Academy, putting on an event called "Africa Day", we recieved a phone call from the states. A phone call from the states at 10:00 am is not good news most of the time. It was not good news. Paula's 102 year old grand father had pass away. And so we went into the Thanksgiving holiday under a dark cloud. We knew this would probably happen while we were over here, but it's harder to live it than imagine it. Roy lived a good life and at 102 he was probably ready to go hang out with Jesus. So that part was sad but not the hardest part. I think what was hardest for Paula was that she wasn't going to get to be with her family during this time. At the holidays, right after her grand daddy had passed away. And so we are left with that thought again. What do you do with thanksgiving when your not feeling all so thankful. Well here's a few things we are thankful for.

Thank you for keeping us afloat and supporting us even when the economy isn't doing great.
Thank you 5th grade 9:30 class for the care package that we recieved before Thanksgiving.
Thank you for the e-mails of encouragement.
Thank you that my friend Suz has gotten a clean bill of health and the cancer is in remission.
Thank you for the Hardy family who came over and shared Thanksgiving with us.
Thank you that we have a church community that really shares all things in common.
Thank you for my family and their health.
Thank you that the weather has been so nice for so long.
Thank you that Grand Daddy is hanging out with Jesus.
Thank you for the euro/dollar being closer in exchange rate.
Thank you for this crazy life.

I could go on and on, but I won't. Please keep praying for us and know that we are Thankful for you and will miss you this holiday season. Be Thankful and Be Blessed

Glory

This last weekend the core leadership team for the Lisboa Matrix traveled up to Nazare for our yearly leadership retreat. It was a time to gather together for work, fun and healing. We went with the expectation of growing together and looking at the direction we have been headed in as a church. What we discovered was our Glory

This weekend we looked at ourselves through the Father's eye. Who am I in your eye Father. How do you see me? There is a mythic reality that John Eldridge talks about in his book "Waking the Dead" that deals with the deep truth about who we are. It's a truth that sounds to good to be true. It is a truth that sleeps in us. A truth that must be awakened. A truth about our heart. It is a truth that calls us to be transformed from death to life. This truth comes in three parts.

1.Your Heart is Good.

2. You are in a Battle for your Heart the Heart's of others.

3. You have a Glory and that Glory is needed.

We entered into this search for our Glory this weekend. Zac gentlely walked us into the the shadowed waters of our heart. He asked us to listen for the Father's thought's about us. Spoke about Ireanus' quote "The Glory of God is man fully alive" Strectched us to think about how we think about our heart. Think about the fact that scripture says God has given us a new heart. And then he sent us out to listen.

I didn't have an explosive burning bush experiance, but there were things that I heard, felt though about and received. When we returned we shared and listened to how the Father might have shared or spoken to each other. And then I started to enter into my Glory.

Showing your Glory can be unnerving and almost embarassing, but it is how we enter into a full life in/with Jesus. As we processed our Glory and I asked, "Father, how do you see me? What is my Glory?" I remembered two seperate instances where people had spoken to me or had given me verses about a certain way they saw me. This is what they said, (get ready it really is out of this world), you are like David. WHAT!?!

The first time Scott Frazer gave me that Glory I thought, wow cool. Wish I was David. I mean King David rocks! But let's be real I am me. The second time was this summer at our CONNECT time for CAI. I had someone I respect a whole lot tell me. "You worship like David." Boy that felt good, and that's how I feel when I worship, but I know me. I'm a fake. I wish I was David, but let's get real. But it felt good to hear it. Then this weekend I realized that what is needed is my Glory and that my Glory is the new name my Father gave me. DAVID! Warrior, Poet, Lover and King.

Do I sound like I'm over the top here. Is it arrogent to think God would name me David? Is this really my Glory? Am I truley "A man after God's own heart" (I almost typed I don't know) but YES! I am. And I am going to dance, fight, pray, love, and create with the same heart of passion that God put into David. I am going to scream from the roof tops that my Glory, your Glory are needed in this epic battle. I am going to call out the broken hearted, and the chained and set them free from their shadowed hearts. I am going to reveal their Glory so that we can see them transformed. See them transformed like everyone who came into contact with Jesus. For it was not a yolk of slavery that Jesus came to bring, but freedom and life. Abundant life. Transformed life. You might have been Peter the fisherman, but now you are The Rock and I'll build my church on you. You might have been John, but now I call you Son of Thunder. You might have been Saul the murdering one, but now I call you Paul the Apostol. Jacob, you are Isreal. It all sounds so grand, to good to be true, but it's the mythic reality of being a child of God. A friend of Jesus.

Be what you were created to be. Let the Glory of the one who lives in you shine. Let all the world see it, that they might honor the Father who has given you your Glory. Fight for each others Glory, for each ohters hearts.

Be Blessed and Live in Your Glory

So Busy, But So Thankful

The weeks are flying by and we are flapping just as hard as we can. Sometimes being a Wild Goose is a rush and other times it just feels like we are in a rush.
I want to have a healthy rhythem of life. I want to enjoy these last few sunny days before it get's cold and wet. I want to stop and listen to the story that Noah has thought up in his head. I want to look at the picture of Nick Jonas glued on Edens school folder, that she wants to show me. I want to walk on the beach with my wife. I want to sit in Gods presence and worship. I want my beloved to have more free time. I'm waiting. It will come. It's already starting.

Here's somethings I'm thankful for this week.

1. A great family that loves each other.
2. The Matrix growing in healthy ways.
3. God re-lighting my heart to go deeper with Him again.
4. Denny and Maureen.
5. Paula's face not hurting today.
6. The Dollar getting stronger against the Euro.
7. Sun.
8. My journal that I read from 2 years ago.
9. Msking progress in the little things.
10. Getting the time to blog.

Here's my prayer for you...May the Lord Bless you and show Himself to you at a deeper level. May you hear His voice today, and may He say that he couldn't Love you any more than he already does. Be Blessed, Keep Flying, and Be Loved

I Don't Like it One Bit

The cat, Tiger Lily, has lost her mind. She is tearing around the house like she has just smoked crack or something. Down the hall, through the kitchen, aross the dog (who doesn't like a one bit either), and up the side of the leather couch. I repeat, I don't like it one bit, because the couch is starting to get these like cat claw spots in the leather. I DO NOT LIKE IT! I WILL NOT LET YOU CLAW THE COUCH!

This is why my dad never let us have cat's in the house. (Or dogs or hamsters, or horse. Well maybe we did have a horse in the house once, but that's another story) Why did we get this stupid, cute cat? Oh yes, now I remember, it was Eden's 12th birthday and we didn't have any idea what to get her and she found a tiny, scared,free kitten at a pet store. I should have known something was up, FREE from a Pet Store. It was a set up. And now I am paying for it with our leather couches. We can't have anything nice (Pout)

But wait...(Hold on I have to keep the dog from eatting the cat...ok i'm back.She ran up the back of the couch to get away)

Like I said, wait grumpy dad guy, take a step back. Take a deep breath, get some perspective. How much would I pay to see my little girl light up with joy that she gets a birthday kitten? How much would I pay for a warm little ball of fur in my lap when it's chilly outside and I'm sitting reading a book? How much would I pay to listen to my son laugh til he almost wets his pants because the cat is tickling his foot by licking it? How much would I pay to have a little purring thing crawl between P and I during the night and then to have P feel special because the kitten wanted to sleep with her? (Especially when P has been so tired and blue with this new work load) How much would I pay to see my family happy?

Let's see, we got the two leather couches for 400 euro and if you figure that appearance is only half their value and function is the other half, then I can only look at the damage that Tiger Lily is doing to the appearance, because they still seem to function. So let's say she's killing half the value of the couch so, 200 Euro of damage. Would I pay 200 Euro to bring a whole bundle of joy to the fam? You betcha!

Wow! I got a new attitude, for today, or at least right now. (I still wish she wouldn't run up the side of the dang couch) Ah well like AA says, one day at a time. Be Blessed and Let the cat run on the couch today. (Even if it's just once :)

Giving It All

I am so proud of my beautiful bride. She has been putting her heart and soul into her high schoolers and I can't believe how well she is doing. She would probably tell you that she is not doing as well as she would like, but she blows me away with her teaching.
For example last week she took her class to the beach for two days and nights so that they could explore ancient civilizations. On the first day they were a stone age tribe. They built fires, gutted fish for their lunch, cooked rabbit for dinner and engaged with the idea of people living in a culture before agricultre or animal husbandry. Day two they had root vegetables, grains, plus goat. (They had advanced and enjoyed their meals much more) On the last day they were in modern civilazation and went to the Dempsey house to shower and have pancakes for breakfast. Then they went to the mall and watch "Voyage to the Center of the Earth". It was a long three days for everyone, but I believe an experiance that they will never forget.
It's a new season with P working full time at the school, but we are starting to get our rhythem of life down again. With school taking so much time it has been hard to do much else. But things are evening out and the kids are happy. There is so much to be thankful for from the school actually functioning, to the relationships with the 6 high schoolers she is teaching. It will be interesrting to see how this year goes. Keep us in prayer as we press into this. Be Blessed, Pass it On

Seeking the Truth- Our story (Part 8)

Where to start...?
Things were going along pretty smooth for a change. We were in love and the baby was beautiful. Not a bad start for two crazy kids transitioning from hippy life to the real world. I was working for my dad in the honey bee buisness, which for a change wasn't killing me. And P was able to stay home and care for the baby. You know that place where everything is new and clean and you were able to make a break from the past and get a fresh start? Well that's where we were at. Paula was happy. I was happy and the baby was happy. Even our room mate Bradly, who had moved down from Orcas Island to work for my dad, was happy. Sure we still had a little wooden alter that I had built in the living room. But we were all happy.

It was a simple life. Get up and go to work. Feed and bath the baby. Cook dinner. We didn't have to much, but compaired to what we had just months before, we wer living large. My parents gave us their spare bed and P's mom had bought us a nice used car. My work was just down the road from our house and I could pop home for lunch from time to time. I loved feeding the baby girl on my lunch break.

At night we would get the baby to bed and talk about our lives. What did we want to be when we grew up? What was life about? What was our spiritual direction? It felt like we even had been given a new oppertunity to investigate the sacred/religious. I don't know how it all took place but we decided to read the great spiritual teachings. The Koran, the Bagavagita, the Bible...etc. It sounded like a great plan. I have no idea what the plan exactly was, but it was a great plan. I suppose the plan was to discover the truth. And as I have come to learn if you seek the truth, the truth has a way of being revealed to you.

One day while P was at home, a couple of Mormon boys came by the house. Wel lactually they came to our neighbors house and she saw them, so she ran over and told them what we were doing and invited them to come on by and share their stuff with us. The boys said they would come back. (They never did) We were going to find out what these guys believed. I'm not sure if it was that same day or a few day later that P was going out to take a walk with the baby, but as she came up our drive way she ran into that really nice Terri lady from the resturant I had worked at. Now if you remember, she was a pastors wife and she and P had made friends while I had worked at the resturant and there was the baby that P had been pregnant with. Terri happened to be jogging by because, as it turns out they lived just down the street from us. P and Terri started talking and I have no idea how the conversation went the way it did, but P shared how we were re-reading the great spitiual works and how the Mormon boys were coming over at some point and so forth and so on. ( I can picture Terri's face as she was listening to this) Anyhow, Terri say to P that this Sunday evening there are going to be a whole bunch of people who I had worked at the resturant with coming over to her house to have coffee and cake and talk about God and the Bible and ask any questions they had about that stuff. Did we want to come?

At their house we meet Scott her Pastor husband. He's this super tall guy who likes to surf. And Andrew thier son. Everyone from the resturant is there and we have coffee and desert and talk about God and ask questions. I remember one that I asked about Energy points in the body and how that related to the bible. Scott had no idea, but he said he'd see what he could find out. It was a nice night. A bunch of the stuff I had heard before, but that was ok. Scott proceeded to talk about stuff. I don't really remember what, but then some thing changed.

I remember, I was sitting on a bar stool at their counter listening to him. He must have been sharing about the power of Jesus to change our life andthen it was as if his words let something loose in me. That place in my heart, the center of my chest, awoke. It was like when you pour water over a dry sponge and it starts to swell and swell. I felt my soul move. The spirit came alive in me and I was sooooo caught off gaurd. Of course I didn't say anything to anyone, but I walked out of there shook. My world had been rocked. I had gone expecting to reject this Christian stuff, maybe learn a few things, have some desert, but this I had not expected.

At that time I was working for my dad, doing this repetetive job, in this super small, super hot/humid space. I was all by myself 8 hours a day with the work and my thoughts. And man was I thinking. I was thinking about what Scott had said about Jesus. I was thinking about what I thought about Jesus. I was thinking about what I had rejected and what it would mean to believe some of the things Scott had said. And even more I was thinking about the things Jesus had said. I was thinking about what it would look like to believe these things and I was thinking about how stupid I would look for believeing things had rejected for so long. I was thinking, and thinking and wrestling with God. Some one had left this old Amy Grant tape in the tape player where I was working and I listened to that. And I was thinking and I was wrestling with God and I was not working as much as I should have because I was thinking and wrestling with God...

And then it was clear. I was free. I knew. I had made a choice. A long time before, when I was a kid. I had choosen Jesus as my friend. And here he was still waiting. I was free to be who I was. I was free to be free. I was a...Christian. How long had I been pulling this weight, the guilt, this burden of destruction along with me and now I was free. Light as air. New. I couldn't wait to tell P. She was going to be so surprised.

A Whole Lot of Surprises or Head Lice Anyone?

Oh the joy of surprises. (Gifts in the mail)
And of the shock of surprises. (Bugs on your head)

We almost made it through the second week of school with no events, until we discovered that one of the kids had head lice. We there by promptly started checking all the kids heads at school for lice. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ... you've got to be kidding me, 11, 12...how about me? Check me. No way!
All being said and done more than half the school and some teachers had head lice. So we promptly closed the school til Monday. The good news is that there is an out break of head lice across Portugal right now. (That's what the paper said) Not that a lice out break is good news, but at least it wasn't just us. Lots of nit picking going on right now. I just shaved my head it's much easier to deal with that way.

But that is not what the above picture is all about. That is a little piece of the gift package of LOVE that we just recieved from the Young Adults Team that came over to Serve the City here in Portugal. And it couldn't have come at a better time. See this last week I have been tired and fighting the blues. Sometimes I hit this wall and feel useless, like the darkness around is getting the best of me, getting to heavy. I was sharing some of this at our team meeting yesterday. We've been so busy for so long and I feel like we're paddling up stream a lot. It's good to have a group of people around you who know you and love you. And that's what our team is. But even then you have these days.

So because of lice we have been trapped inside for three day washing everything and on top of that, this morning I sent Paula to Philidelphia (for the weekend) to pick up the school books for CSA. So i'm just feeling tired and blue, when the door buzzer rang unexpectedly. Who could that be? I don't want to see anyone and my house is a mess. The postman? What's he doing here?
SURPRISE! Three packages from the good ol' US of A. Three package from the people who came here to work with us. No way! Cool! Look kids, letter's, books, candy, Halloween Oreos, STARBUCK!, Tapitio, games and more. I wish P was here to get to open this with us.

And then they came. The chills. The tight chest and tears. Stress welling up and being released. The feeling of love. Memories, faces and more thoughts. Am I this stressed out. My kids faces so excited to get these little gift. Tootsie Rolls. Little round chocolate like things that don't taste anything like chocolate and are so yummy. My Daughters face filled with joy as we pull out the third bag of Tootsie Rolls. My son saying can we play the game now, oh no way it's multi-player. Oh cool all the books. And My heart might pop. How can such a little bit be so hugh?

I am sure that some one was praying for me today, after yesterdays team meeting and I know that the package was sent way before yesterday, but I believe that God answered today's prayers when that package was mailed on the 19th of Sept., because I needed it today. Thanks you guys and gals. It feels good to be loved and shead a few tears in the process. I am Blessed, We are Blessed, you Be Blessed too.

The First Week of School at CSA

I was going to put this photo furthur down but it ended up here and I'm not moving it. This is the drama/art room. Were going to leave it rustic like this. The kids and I like it that way. What kids you ask? The students at Corner Stone Academy. Yes we have students. This room also doubles as one of the changing rooms for the kids at lunch. They like to go swimming in the pool at lunch time. Yes we have a great big pool. Isn't that cool. Student and a pool! Keep reading and check out more pictures below.

It has been a crazy busy these last three weeks. I haven't even had time to think about anything except opening this school.Who would have thought that we could start a school in three months, but it happened. The first week has come and gone. We have 21 students and 5 full time teachers. The Lisboa Matrix kicked in hard with lots of service time to get this thing pulled together.

P is teaching high school and has 6 students. I get to teach drama and run the Truth for Youth time for the k-6th and EPIC for the Jr High/High School. Truth for Youth and EPIC are our spiritual development times once a week. It's so exciting to see things going. We still have more to do, but one step at a time.

So this is what the new school looks like. (Looking down the hall from up stairs.)

Fresh flowers to brighten up the entery way.

The high school room. (Emily, Haley, Christien, and Thiago)

The first grade room. (Liz, Lucas, and Josiah)

The 5th and 6th grade room. (Carie, Noah, Clara, Dani, and Olah)

What a blessing to see this thing going. Be Blessed and Study Hard. (More to come)