Article on Madeira in NYT

In its Travel section yesterday, the New York Times published an article on Madeira. The Mini Eco Bar featured at the head of the article is just across the street from the entrance to the consulate, so we know the people in the photo. It's a different view of Madeira and there's a slide show with scenes from around the island. You might like to take a moment or two to look at the pictures and read about Madeira from a point of view different from the one you get on this blog. You can read the article here.

"I broke my vuvuzela..."

The FIFA World Cup draws to a close this week. Probably for a lot of you readers in the US, this world football championship never even started, but in the rest of the World, every 4 years there's a sort of "Super Bowl" fever (for US readers) of soccer (again, for US readers) that lasts about a month. The initial 32 countries are whittled down to 16, then 8, then 4, then... Well, we're at the 4-country stage right now.

This year the Cup action is in South Africa and I figure the unofficial mascot is the vuvuzela. I've heard various explanations for the cultural origin of the long, trumpet-like, unmusical instrument. The noise is irritating and has given headaches (literally and figuratively) to broadcasters.

As multinational as our church is, there are no "survivors" among us...the US, England, Portugal, and yes, even Brazil, have packed their bags and gone home. I guess there's still Bro. Roy, who's half-Dutch through his father's side...is he a half-survivor (at least until Holland plays tomorrow night)?

England and the US were already out...Portugal and Brazil still in...when I spoke a week ago on 1 Cor 9, where Paul says that all the athletes run in the stadium, but only one wins the crown. And even then, it is a corruptible crown. When the last team is left standing, what will they have truly won? We have a double incentive to run: 1) every believer can win the crown...no one has to lose; 2)it is an eternal crown, a prize that will never tarnish or fade away.

Out of all the weeks of quotes, boasts and complaints, one quotation stands out.

Following the US team's qualification on a last-second goal (acually scored in injury time after the regulation time had ended), a US fan explained how emotional he had gotten:

"I broke my vuvuzela when we scored the goal. I busted it on my head."

With so many of the favorite teams eliminated by now, I imagine a lot of others feel like doing the same thing out of disappointment, and broadcasters and viewers around the world would not be terribly sad if everybody else broke their vuvuzelas, too.

Updates

Pastor Moiséis -- Residency

Pastor Moiséis got his residency card a couple of months ago, but due to the procedures in immigration, the cards for his wife and two sons went through a separate process. Their cards were finally delivered last week. It took 7 months, but we're thankful it took ONLY 7 months...many cases take years.

Aid to Flood Victims

The total gifts received to aid victims of the February flooding come to approx. €7000. I don't have the "exact change" at hand. We had learned of three families who lost everything whom we could help by buying basic furnishings and appliances. I am to meet Wednesday with an official of the municipal government of Câmara de Lobos to check the current status of these cases.

Yes, we're back

Thank you for asking! Several have asked, since the last blog post was sent from the US the day before Abbie's mother's funeral. (See previous post, which was almost prepared, then not published.) While many followers of the blog were not sure if we were home, my translation clients made sure they knew where I was. The pile of waiting jobs is down to 6, now.

There are several postings I would like to make regarding our trip to Israel and Jordan; they are not forgotten, but not at the top of the priority pole at the moment.

Among the interesting visits we've had at the church was that of a sister who first visited us in Nov. 1978, just months after we opened our first meeting room in a garage here in Santa Cruz. She and her husband were accompanied by their daughter, 14 at the time, who again accompanied her mother, but this time with her husband and four daughters. What a difference they saw between then and now! It made us look back and remember how much has changed.

Good-bye, Old Friend

Speaking of changes. Back in the old days we mailed out newsletters, put on address labels, licked stamps. Then in the mid-90s internet came to Madeira. I got my first e-mail address, potter@mail.telepac.pt Since then, other e-mail addresses came and went, some lasting longer than others, but the good old reliable Telepac was always there...until last week. New internet packages using fibre-optic technology meant that we could combine TV, internet and telephone services for half the price we were paying. Our 15-year relationship with the Telepac address was laid to rest. I guess I was dreading this day because of all the contacts I would have to change for banks, tax offices, on-line shopping services, etc. How many are out there I've forgotten to change? Time will tell. The first one I did change was on this blog: the link to "Contact us" goes to an account specifically for the church.