Miscellaneous Missionary

It is hard to find news about my self that is interesting or exciting. I am in the middle of the beginning of learning Portuguese. I know several words. I am learning about prepositions and conjunctions, references of time and place, verb tenses, and how to describe basic things. Sounds plenty exciting doesn't it? I have grown more comfortable getting train or bus tickets, buying groceries, and such things in Portuguese, but I could still stand to get better. My neighbor is Portuguese, and very good about speaking so that I can understand him. One really neat thing this week was the opportunity to attend a futebol (soccer) match this week between the Portuguese national team and the Croatian national team. It was a "friendly," and the tickets were really cheap. The game meant nothing but a little practice for both teams, but everyone is anticipating the World Cup next spring. It was a cultural experience for sure, since I have not seen a game like that ever.

In the national news, Portugal is anticipating a presidential election in the next year, and politicians are out promising to cure bird flu, give everyone a job (one poster says essentially "vote for us and go straight to work"), and fix the taxes, and make everyone's life better. Typical politician rhetoric. France is still dealing with the riots, though they are less intense. They have not spread across Europe. If you think that Christmas is commercial in the US, how about here? The city has so many lights that I may need sunglasses at night. Stores have been giving special deals on items for Christmas since the middle of October.

Finally, please pray for my visa. The embassy has approved it, but the mail is taking a long time to travel, as it usually does. Please pray for good brain power to learn fast and well. Please pray that I will grow closer to God through the time here in Portugal. Thank you for your prayers and support.