boarding the ferryboat



Preaching to all sorts of peoples



our night out

Day 22:
This has been one of the longest days of my life. Living off the high of yesterday's adventures in Sintra, (and probably buzzed from the nine pm coffee) I did not sleep much at all. Thoughts and visions of the day played through my mind like a movie I couldn't turn off mixed in with thoughts of other things, of course. When my alarm sounded at seven thirty, I was reluctant to get out of bed but happily bounced up in anticipation for our day in service across the river. We caught the ferry at nine thirty and met Tito- a former special pioneer- on the other side of the river in a quaint little town where the field was definitely great and the English workers were definitely few.

For hours we walked and spoke with people in Bengali, Romanian, French, Russian, Portuguese, and English- of course. Tito seemed to know just about every language known to man and was kind enough to teach us phrases in a few of them as we went on. I don't think there was a single person he didn't talk to on our morning out. Being in service with Tito was such a faith strengthening experience. This man has been praying for Bible studies and has over twenty five at the moment. He is one of the most zealous preachers that I have ever met and was so thrilled and thankfully to have us join him today. We, though, felt as though the gratitude should have come strictly on our part because of his building us up and showing us what it means to have the pioneer spirit.

As morning turned to noon and noon faded into half past two, we made our way back across the river to Campolide. We had plans for the evening to prepare for.

Justin is a brother from Australia who has visited 36 different countries- some of which he has seen multiple times- in his life. In his six months being in Portugal, Justin has learned more about the city than some who have lived here for many years of their life and he was kind enough to play tour guide for us tonight. So we saw the town. From the view on the top of a local bar, to some of the top restaurants to visit in Lisbon, we roamed the town for hours. We talked, we laughed, shared life experiences, and just when we were starting to relax we were reminded again of what it means to be a witness 24/7.

Rewind to day 8 of our trip. I recall blogging about my day in service with Beatrice but I do not recall if I had mentioned the young man who sat next to me as we had coffee before the meeting. An exchange student from Germany who had mistaken me for a native Portuguese speaker had asked me, in English, how to order something on the menu. Beatrice was kind enough to step in and help him order, but felt a little uncomfortable when he later sat next to me and tried to strike up a conversation while we ate. About a week later, the girls and I awaited our bus after the meeting when I heard somebody calling to me from across the street. It was the same exchange student from the café, waving at me as him and his friends made their way to the bars. Audry had recognized him from the café as well and at that moment, the girls as my witness, I promised that if I saw him a third time I would leave him something and speak with him about the truth.

We made our way from Cinco, a posh little bar in the heart of the city, to a crepe shop just down the street. Upon turning a quiet little corner in the labyrinth of cobblestone and tile, I saw a very familiar face. I had made a promise, I had to leave him with something. I waved to the exchange student whom I had met in the café once upon a time. He met me with a few German phrases, a greeting in English, and a hug as if we were old friends. I took the opportunity and left him with a tract. I was so happy and in awe at the fact that I saw him for the third time, I forgot to ask his name! I promise, if I see him a fourth time....

So there it is! Day 22 ended with crêpes and a potential yearbook story (you never know if he'll be at the memorial in April), and now I am more than ready to rest for day 23!

Today's Positives:

Spent the morning with a the epitome of the pioneer spirit and has moved me to strive to be more zealous and bold in my ministry

Had an amazing night out with friends and got to experience Lisbon after hours

Made an unexpected return visit