tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72019692011-12-28T15:41:14.264ZNews and Views related to the work of Ed and Abbie Potter, Baptist missionaries on the island of Madeira, Portugal since 1976.EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.comBlogger3231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34900053448856346512011-12-28T11:50:00.028Z2011-12-28T15:41:14.273Z

From the date of the last post, this is looking more like a quarterly report than anything else. Let's take up where we left off:What a difference a few months make! The front of the church building looks very bare at the moment. The one good tree had to come down, as well, in order to give balance. The front may be bare, but it's balanced. Why haven't we put anything back yet? We have more or

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-86767698751214377352011-09-11T21:07:00.002+01:002011-09-12T02:58:08.227+01:00

Can you see the difference 7 years make? The picture of the church building at the head of the blog is not exactly the way it is now. At least once a year I've had to trim the trees on either side of the front door to keep them from completely covering the front of the church.Now spot the difference. Inexplicably, in late spring this year, the leaves on one tree began to evidence some kind of

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-55657955825656029162011-09-11T20:24:00.002+01:002011-09-11T20:49:43.925+01:00

Dulles International Airport... I had just arrived from Newark on a propjet commuter plane and headed for the baggage carousel. Somehow the baggage claim was at the most distant part of the terminal from the gate where we arrived. It was a long, winding walk. Up and down, left then right, down then up... it wasn't even very clear about which carousel the bags for our flight would show up on. In

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-56853707351836999532011-09-11T19:30:00.002+01:002011-09-11T20:12:51.033+01:00

The main reason for going to the US in August was my mother's 95th birthday. The travel agent told us we could save hundreds of dollars by waiting until September, since August is the high season. I explained that Mom has had her birthday in August for over 90 years and I didn't see much chance of her changing that now. He saw the point of that; we paid whatever extra it cost.Physically, Mom is a

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-72433133830450557692011-09-11T04:07:00.002+01:002011-09-11T04:30:32.266+01:00

For a few days I was back; now I'm forth.I last wrote on the eve of our trip to the US. We spent the month there to see family, the timing being particularly chosen because of my mother's 95th birthday. I have some pictures, but I won't take the time tonight to find them and upload them. As I mentioned above, I'm forth.I was back...we arrived home last Friday, September 3, but "back" didn't last

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-74880215455414032512011-07-30T00:53:00.002+01:002011-07-30T01:30:25.244+01:00

In the previous post, I failed to mention one of the significant bits of news of the last month or so. Towards the end of last year, I sensed that something had changed with my eyesight. I suspected I needed to change my glasses, which I had had for over a year, but the ophthalmologist said my prescription was still good. So why don't I see well?I mentioned to him about a "floater" in my right

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-40519446816475526572011-07-29T23:59:00.002+01:002011-07-30T00:50:39.258+01:00

Well, the last post was almost June, and this is still July, so from that perspective, it's like I only skipped a month. But it feels like it was two months, or four, maybe. There were times I didn't know which way to turn, but there always seemed to be several people giving me directions, or asking for directions, at the same time.What went on? In May we went to Naples for about a week. There

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-38082338634184017052011-05-25T22:46:00.004+01:002011-05-25T23:30:17.357+01:00

More than one news reporter on CNN covering the damage in Joplin, Missouri, caused by the tornado commented they had covered the destruction in Japan caused by the earthquake and tsunami, and the scenes were eerily similar. Every building in sight leveled to the ground, no semblance of streets or stores. Even the sight of cars damaged and piled in every conceivable position in Joplin reminded us

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34138066479054580992011-04-22T22:56:00.002+01:002011-04-22T23:18:45.166+01:00

Actually this happened yesterday -- "Good Thursday"(?) -- as told by Paz, one of our church members. Not only do all the stores, banks and offices close on Good Friday, an official holiday, but in general, everything shuts down by 1 p.m. on Thursday. Paz works in one of the major department stores in downtown Funchal, and yesterday morning a regular customer came in the shop. Normally, the lady

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-68448069200223567722011-04-22T16:09:00.003+01:002011-04-22T16:35:18.202+01:00

Continuing the thought from the previous post, meet last Sunday's visitor, Thor Martin Edwardson...he's from Norway, as his name would indicate. Except that in reality he's Polish and Thor isn't the name he was born with. He and his wife are Baptists from Poland who moved to Norway 5 years ago. I think the name change had to do with finding a way to keep from having to always explain to people

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-30455003614499376072011-03-20T23:27:00.004Z2011-03-21T00:17:56.051Z

These words, which complete the preceding thought of the song in Rev. 5:9 in praise of the Lamb, "you are worthy because with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" come to mind so often in our services. This morning, in our English services, nearly all our resident English members were away...there were 8 of us in attendance: 2 Americans (that's

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-9996059342872674042011-03-05T22:13:00.005Z2011-03-05T23:51:03.891Z

It was the summer of 1956, when I was 9, that we moved into what was literally "a little house on the prairie." Prairie it was. To the south of our house, the landscape extended to the horizon with only a house here and there; to the east, for 40 miles or so, there may not have even been a house. I don't remember seeing one. The Rocky Mountains 60 miles or so to the west rose suddenly from the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-31066062648560236172011-02-20T23:31:00.002Z2011-02-20T23:40:33.385Z

It was on this day last year, February 20, 2010, that Madeira was hit by a storm that left the island in a state of shock.(See the archives for postings from that time.) As I said at the time, life did return to "normal", but this normalcy is not the same as that of February 19, 2010. Time passes; the marks and scars do not.At least today was sunny and warm. Heavy rains today would have been too

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34284267641593424532011-01-24T12:22:00.008Z2011-02-19T23:33:12.765Z

I never seem to know what year it is in Chinese . But as we've just had the start of the new lunar year, I saw some news reports about this being the year of the rabbit. Does this mean it's going to be a good year for rabbits?As for the signs of the Zodiac, I haven't the slightest clue what sign we're in now. If I tell you I'm Sagittarius, don't be too impressed. Except for knowing the names of

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-11504532469233186232011-01-08T12:28:00.005Z2011-01-08T13:56:20.772Z

I had intended to go back and catch up on news I didn't get around to posting last year, but following Paul's example, "Forgetting the things that are past...", I'll start with a clean slate, except to say that God's hand was evident throughout 2010, and we expect it to be no less so in 2011.First Sunday of the New Year: to counterbalance the expected lower-than-normal attendance on this day (

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-17281784934615362822010-12-30T19:21:00.002Z2010-12-30T21:05:09.400Z

I came home from the office yesterday and asked Abbie if she wanted the good news or the bad news first. As usual, that question stumps her and she never knows what to say, so I gave her the bad news first: "There's no good news."The day had started off with the confirmation that I have been filing my Portuguese tax returns wrong for the last 9 years, which opens up the prospects of all sorts of

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-50457127329990531792010-12-25T22:55:00.003Z2010-12-25T23:17:09.793Z

“Merry Christmas!”---“Happy New Year!” This is the season and today is the day when the words “Merry” and “Happy” circle the earth on millions of greeting cards, form the subject lines of millions more e-mails, and roll off the tongue in rote repetition to people we don’t really know and for whom we have no clue about what would make them merry and happy now or at any other time. The essence of

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-80072290423565100372010-12-05T23:21:00.002Z2010-12-05T23:38:01.088Z

...but that's what he always was. Joy and Mark's son, Finnian Jude Stoner, was born Friday night (in Arkansas). That's "middle of the wee Saturday morning hours" where we live. When the phone rang at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, I told Abbie as I got out of bed, "I bet you're a grandmother again." And I was right. Finn was born about two hours earlier (about the time I happened to be awake in the night).

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-71193845452444472572010-08-23T21:40:00.004+01:002010-08-23T22:30:04.522+01:00

It was six months ago this past weekend that the floods of February did so much damage here in Madeira. The casual visitor to Funchal would probably not be aware of the immensity of the tragedy; the fact that many businesses never reopened is not apparent at first sight. A trip to the mountains, however, reveals that much remains the same. Our church received around €7000 to help victims. Our

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-43286497687544727192010-08-21T23:55:00.005+01:002010-08-22T00:19:23.218+01:00

That's right! Two weddings in one week. This time it was Débora and Gil who had a religious ceremony. They were married over a year ago in a civil ceremony, like Sandra and Humberto's at the beginning of the week. Débora had hoped to have the religious ceremony at her family's church in Brazil, but they saw that they could not afford the trip, so they took advantage of some of Gil's family being

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-24416459613706861202010-08-19T19:53:00.004+01:002010-08-19T20:06:22.774+01:00

This is not part of the news of the last couple of months I promised to catch up on. This wedding was this week. Sandra and Humberto got married in the civil registry on Monday. (Weddings performed in our church are not recognized by the civil authorities.) The ceremony in the church will be in December when her parents, who live in California, can be here. I understand that Sandra and Humberto

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-52277755520722585312010-08-14T23:03:00.002+01:002010-08-14T23:06:53.810+01:00

...that's the time between take-off yesterday at Gatwick and our landing here at Funchal tonight at 10:00. (A direct flight between the two airports takes a little over 3 hours, so we must have taken the long route.) The landing was smooth and uneventful and all appears to be well here at the house. It's good to be home.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34575634275734927862010-08-14T18:12:00.002+01:002010-08-14T18:15:54.366+01:00

6:00PM---Just been informed that instead of our flight leaving at 6:40 and arriving at 8:00, it will only leave here at 8:00. (Or will it?) Of course, the flight scheduled for 7:00 is leaving on time. Reminds us of the "good old days" when we got caught in situations like this traveling from the island to the mainland.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-26574643968483777762010-08-14T16:35:00.002+01:002010-08-14T16:50:40.361+01:00

It was after 11:00 this morning when we got to the counter and were given boarding passes for the 6:40PM flight, which should arrive about 8:00 tonight in Funchal. We were given a meal voucher and after lunch we came to sit here in the waiting area. Two flights have left for Madeira in the meantime, both of them an hour late, so we can't really say that we'll be home before 9:00 tonight. We've

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34439170586023161382010-08-14T10:11:00.002+01:002010-08-14T10:14:35.919+01:00

Only 4 or 5 parties ahead of us now, but the line has been moving more quickly in the last quarter of an hour. In another 30 minutes or so, we should know whether we will get home today or only tomorrow...surely tomorrow and not Monday.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-2001054495210548692010-08-14T09:17:00.002+01:002010-08-14T09:22:39.699+01:00

It's 9:15 AM and we're sitting in the airport waiting for our turn to get to the counter and see when we'll go. The phone rang at 7:15, a little over 2 hours after I went to bed and we were told we had to get the bus in 20 minutes. We arrived here at 8:00 and the line has shortened only slightly. We calculate an average of 15 minutes minimum for each passenger/group and there are at least 10

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-66226658621165335652010-08-14T04:26:00.001+01:002010-08-14T04:26:38.638+01:00

e got up this morning (yesterday now) at 5 AM to get to Gatwick Airport to begin our trip home. Our schedule would take us from London to Madrid to Lisbon to Funchal, and although none of the flights was very long, there was a 5-hour layover in Madrid and another 4 in Lisbon, so we were to land in Funchal at a quarter past midnight, 19 hours after we got up.After coming all the way from London,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-70232693145932992672010-08-12T20:20:00.004+01:002010-08-12T21:36:11.143+01:00

On this day 44 years ago, Abbie and I said "as long as we both shall live". Some of those 44 anniversaries are more memorable than others (for example, on our 25th we were being given a short tour through the Alps near Zurich; on our 40th, we were in Eureka Springs, Arkansas). We will remember this one, too.Don't let anyone tell you the sun never shines in England. We've been here almost a week

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-55536690340792850552010-08-06T23:53:00.002+01:002010-08-07T00:02:11.603+01:00

This is just a quick note to let readers know that we're not at home, and we haven't been for a week. We've been on the mainland since last Friday and all week I've been giving the daily Bible studies to the adults at the Baptist family camp in central Portugal, about 1.5 hours north of Lisbon. I had hoped to have some time to post some messages and send some photos. Obviously that didn't

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-59653476321896953372010-07-12T23:52:00.002+01:002010-07-12T23:57:12.786+01:00

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

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-57235942842067860842010-07-05T17:32:00.005+01:002010-07-05T18:12:11.498+01:00

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-

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-22991466559406369062010-07-05T12:37:00.004+01:002010-07-05T17:29:21.136+01:00

Pastor Moiséis -- ResidencyPastor 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 VictimsThe total gifts received to aid victims of the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-30405289304010669062010-07-05T12:02:00.004+01:002010-07-05T17:10:53.817+01:00

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

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-22359828264311077942010-05-19T18:35:00.006+01:002010-07-05T15:34:44.267+01:00

---Updated with photos on July 5, 3h30 PM---[July 5, 2h30 PM: This is the posting I started on May 19, and I've left it unchanged. Obviously I got interrupted and never got back to it.]We just got in this afternoon after being up for about 27 straight hours. (Sitting in an airplane seat and trying to sleep doesn't count as resting.) All the connections went well and there were no major problems,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-2367849678544723902010-05-16T14:09:00.003+01:002010-05-16T14:30:33.835+01:00

We made the trip from Lisbon to Arkansas with no delays or problems. There was a close connection at Newark, but the Lord's timing was perfect. We spent Thursday night at Joy and Mark's, and we came over to Abbie's parents' house on Friday. Joy, Mark and Mia came with us for the afternoon, but had to go back home that night. They left yesterday for London, and after spending the next few days in

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-16470208044478011412010-05-12T16:32:00.004+01:002010-05-12T17:57:36.042+01:00

In Israel, our guide called us pilgrims; the Bible says that we who live by faith are pilgrims, like our father Abraham. In our travels back and forth across the Judean desert and in Jordan we saw many, many tents like this one.From now on, I will always picture Abraham living in one of these Bedouin tents, although I'm sure he didn't have a pickup truck parked next to it like nearly all of them

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-81779789365098646662010-05-11T21:32:00.003+01:002010-05-11T22:15:30.035+01:00

The last 10 days were spent in a world different from any previous experiences we had. The only thing I could identify with was the arid lands of the desert that in some places reminded me of the desert plains of the American southwest. In the Negev desert on our last day we had to travel through a sandstorm not unlike those I remember from my days of growing up on the dry plains of Colorado.The

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-61942490767110571822010-05-09T20:37:00.002+01:002010-05-09T20:42:07.281+01:00

This is our last night in Israel. We're in Eilat, on the Red Sea, after traveling from Petra in Jordan. Most of yesterday was also spent in Jordan.Tomorrow we travel all the way to Tel Aviv, where we're supposed to catch our place at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday. We're due to arrive in Lisbon shortly after 8:00 in the morning, after changing planes in Brussels. Almost home!We've heard that Lisbon airport is

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-33526255853214445032010-05-03T20:15:00.002+01:002010-05-03T21:22:20.198+01:00

We may have missed the boat today, but at least we didn't leave anyone behind like we did yesterday. The tour program called for us to catch a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee this morning, but we took longer at Nazareth than planned and missed that trip. We did get out on the sea after lunch but just for a ride out to the middle and back, so we sailed where Jesus walked and the disciples sailed

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-22713642134718614892010-05-02T21:11:00.002+01:002010-05-02T22:28:44.048+01:00

Last night we were in Tel Aviv and I took pictures of the sun going down over the Mediterranean. Tonight we are in Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and I got pictures of the setting sun reflecting off the hills on the western shore opposite our hotel.Sorry, no pictures tonight. I only took 134 today and I'm not up to sorting through them, and I know you don't want to have to go through

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-1513726170972728442010-05-01T21:56:00.003+01:002010-05-02T21:23:53.641+01:00

How's that for an appropriate greeting from Israel? We thought it was especially appropriate for any of you living south of the Mason-Dixon line in the US. For those of you living in other countries, you'll have to draw your own lines!We arrived in Tel Aviv after midnight, and because today was Shabbat, there was hardly anything open except for restaurants and coffee shops. (One of the three

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-154390714794182532010-05-01T21:28:00.003+01:002010-05-01T21:38:06.235+01:00

We flew from Lisbon to Brussels yesterday, where we had 4 hours or so before we had to be back at the airport for the flight to Tel Aviv. We dashed off to the center of the city for a bite to eat and a quick peak at the main square, which is surrounded by elaborate buildings. Here is a sampling of what we saw.Abbie and I tried Flemish stew and a Belgian waffle (what else?), but I'm afraid there

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-52941276146042455892010-04-29T21:35:00.003+01:002010-04-29T21:57:42.163+01:00

Actually, we're already gone. The last three weeks have been filled with all the varieties of duties...church services, consular duties, and translation jobs, all the more urgent in view of our travel plans. In the end, not all that was planned got done, but one has to be at the airport when the plane takes off.For us, the plane took off yesterday from Funchal. Had to be at the airport at 6 AM.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-34827597088578174932010-04-04T23:24:00.005+01:002010-04-05T00:02:49.005+01:00

As of today, the following deposits have been received: (amounts shown in euros) 664.50 Church, mainland Portugal 673.29 Church, mainland Portugal 150.00 Tourist visiting services 10.00 Tourist visiting services 540.22 Transfer from trust in UK 216.49 transfer from UK2254.50 Total to date Another £1000 (approx. €1100) has been pledged from a brother and sister in the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-51906872480039207102010-04-03T23:44:00.002+01:002010-04-04T00:11:05.059+01:00

On the eve of Easter, the day when the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated in particular (I say, in particular, because every first day of the week is a remembrance of His resurrection--the Russian word for Sunday is appropriately "Resurrection"), and in a Catholic culture such as Madeira's where Friday and Saturday are days of mourning because "the Savior is dead" (there's a funeral procession

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-22761724714463536802010-03-17T15:42:00.004Z2010-03-17T16:30:39.912Z

We passed the three-week mark in the storm's aftermath. Tremendous advances have been made in getting Funchal up and running, but like a body that's been battered or had to be operated on, even after the wounds have healed, the scars remain. Some scars we may get used to in time, but they will be scars, all the same.Through the consulate, I was asked to advise on how US Gov't. aid was to be best

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-48410938070697444472010-03-08T11:30:00.003Z2010-03-08T11:59:09.611Z

It's been two weeks now. This morning the sun is shining, the temperatures are close to 70º (around 20ºC), and the birds are singing. Out of journalistic honesty, I have a couple of things to say about the above picture: l) it wasn't taken here; and 2) it wasn't taken by me.Our son, Jeff, who lives in Dallas, sent this picture of a cedar waxwing that showed up at the house to eat holly berries.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-42809096587926229612010-03-03T22:23:00.004Z2010-03-03T23:21:36.540Z

That statement is not to be taken literally, of course. Dust is not something we've had much of recently. There's been enough rain off and on to keep mud-covered roads from generating dust; the dust will come later.But in a figurative sense, the initial shock of the disaster is over, the new "normalcy" I mentioned in a previous post has begun to set in. Attendance Sunday was up to our previous

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-68043270971656156132010-02-26T20:53:00.004Z2010-02-28T00:10:48.260Z

It's about 9 p.m. now. The rains have started and the wind has picked up. The weather forecast calls for a front moving through in the night between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. tomorrow. The worst part will be the wind, according to the forecasters. In the higher elevations, the winds will be up to 75 mph. There isn't supposed to be as much rain as last Saturday morning, but as one of the head persons in

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-28786864722963316222010-02-25T21:39:00.004Z2010-02-25T22:13:37.813Z

When I sent word to Lisbon last night that we would be working out of our office today for the first time since the storm, the Consul-General replied that he was "glad to hear that things are returning to normal."Some things were normal: we were in our regular office, the main avenue and square in front of the cathedral were sparkling clean. There was a lot that was not normal, though. I was able

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-67062346108276565782010-02-24T23:42:00.003Z2010-02-24T23:51:21.466Z

As I wrote in an earlier post we are not undertaking a fund-raising campaign for people affected by the storms. There are many such campaigns and aid programs underway. But some people have already left money specifically for this purpose and others have indicated their desire to send money in aid to victims to be used in the name of the church. For that reason we have made an account available

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-11697977231335808592010-02-23T23:08:00.000Z2010-02-24T02:57:21.010Z

The death toll for the moment is stationary, but no one will be surprised when it goes up. The homeless are in the hundreds, and those who still have homes but lost furnishings and appliances to the mud and water are multiplied hundreds. For those so directly affected by Saturday's storm, perhaps the worst is over, at least in terms of fear and panic. Perhaps what lies ahead is as bad in its own

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-85048296246338845102010-02-22T23:01:00.002Z2010-02-23T00:04:35.543Z

The new count:The official death toll is still at 42, but the number of missing has been revised to 32.More numbers:Today's newspaper was estimating the task ahead, just in terms of clearing the three stream beds that empty into the bay of Funchal. The amount of stone and debris that have to be cleared is estimated to require 13,000 trips by big dumptrucks. The volume: 200,000 cubic meters.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-52722943506740675752010-02-22T13:40:00.005Z2010-02-22T14:15:49.887Z

It's early afternoon here, the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and it's raining. Not hard. Not steady. That's here on the SE side of the island.No pictures because we haven't left the house, and we haven't had TV all morning. At some point in the night the cable TV connections to the east of Funchal were cut, so that this half of the island is without television.What we know at the moment

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-81363053986863318672010-02-21T23:10:00.014Z2010-02-22T02:26:18.789Z

First of all, our deep gratitude to God for the e-mails and phone calls that have been coming from all over Europe and the US. Much of what you see on YouTube is part of what we've been seeing on TV... We still have not been into the center of Funchal ourselves, as the authorities are asking people to avoid the downtown areas. Pictures of some of the streets shown on the TV explain why. Many of

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-55032327828368813102010-02-21T09:21:00.004Z2010-02-21T09:42:15.452Z

The seafront avenue:Two downtown commercial areas, under 4 or 5 feet of water:At one point, it was impossible to distinguish between the course of the stream(normally a practically dry bed, over 20 feet below the level of the street) and the street itself.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-82184856815253199422010-02-21T00:34:00.004Z2010-02-21T00:42:42.033Z

Orlando sent one more picture, this one taken just below the intersection with the expressway shown in the previous post. The water threw this car into the wall and continued on, eventually pouring out over the roof of the pizza place, as shown in the newspaper photo in the first posting about the storm (32 Dead).

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-87877299178445541912010-02-21T00:05:00.004Z2010-02-21T00:32:28.455Z

Our church is one block to the right at this intersection. This street was the scene of a lot of destruction.The problem started higher up, under the expressway......and swept cars down onto the intersection where we get off the expressway to go down to the church.Some of the cars ended up at the bottom of the street...and not even fire department vehicles were immune.Photos by Bro. Orlando da

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-62189969004424435652010-02-20T22:06:00.003Z2010-02-20T22:35:38.359Z

That's the current death toll from the storm that hit the island, starting around 3 a.m. Over the course of the morning we lost contact with everyone, even here on the island. It was only in the late afternoon that we had electricity and telephone, and several hours later, internet and e-mail. I have two cell phones, one personal and one official through the consulate. The server for my private

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-70594414913442637272010-02-17T18:06:00.006Z2010-02-18T00:47:22.871Z

Sunday morning, a visitor, one of the many tourists who come to Madeira every year and visit us during their holidays, told me she checked the website/blog on a regular basis, and she had noticed I hadn't blogged in a while: "Your last blog was January 2," she said. I wouldn't have been able to say when my last blog was, but she was right.[Note regarding visitors to the blog: I did a search on

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-67353322995781513222010-02-17T16:13:00.002Z2010-02-17T17:37:40.365Z

These flowers, currently brightening the dining room, were given to me on Saturday, Feb. 13. Obviously, whoever gave them to me had some romantic notions in presenting me with this bouquet, even though it WASN'T Valentine's Day. The way in which the flowers were given and encountered, however, leaves room for wondering about subliminal messages.First of all, the timing of my encounter with the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-73003834948083342292010-01-02T16:24:00.002Z2010-01-02T16:48:19.230Z

Who doesn't wish for peace on earth? What other occasion of the year is more likely to be the pretext for wishes for peace? What better represents peace in our minds than a reflection in a pool of water? The surface of the water so sensitive to the slightest disturbance of wind or foreign object can only be a mirror when there is perfect peace in its surroundings. One day a few weeks ago, this

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-52071755457218904362009-12-31T21:53:00.002Z2009-12-31T22:16:44.784Z

As the minutes tick away to the end of this year, I thought I'd squeeze in one more post. December is always a busy month for everyone, it seems. This year was special because of the arrival of a missionary family from Brazil. Pastor Moiséis and his wife, Alice, and sons André and Pedro arrived on December 12. They had tickets to arrive the day before, but because of mix-ups in the Portuguese

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-59034897970859036752009-12-02T19:08:00.006Z2009-12-02T23:51:50.629Z

Obviously. Two months and no time to blog. I won't bore you with the details,...yet. Some of what's been going on will come out in the course of events. After we got back from the US, we did travel to the mainland for a week at the end of October and beginning of November. That trip included a couple of days at the Embassy in Lisbon, a couple of days down at the southern end of Portugal at Faro,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-979535528348761032009-12-01T13:01:00.004Z2009-12-01T15:35:55.582Z

It was 6:20 a.m. when I suddenly awoke and realized today is the 1st of December. The sounds of a marching band and a hundred or so people walking past singing a patriotic anthem in praise of Portugal was not a dream. I had heard the same band and song before. In fact, that's how I immediately knew it's Dec. 1st. Every year on this date, at precisely 6:20 a.m., the procession passes by in front

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-10845395923507583732009-09-26T23:37:00.005+01:002009-09-27T00:29:47.966+01:00

This is Saturday. We were to have arrived yesterday, but much as we had expected, we got caught in the confusion of the TAP (Portugal's national airline) pilots strike, which was Thursday and Friday. I had seen notices of the strike on the Internet, and although the union said they would guarantee flights to the islands, the pilots didn't show up for our flight. We arrived in Lisbon at 8 AM,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-71433550956865269882009-09-26T22:16:00.005+01:002009-09-26T23:36:31.157+01:00

(Click on any photo to enlarge.)Here are a few miscellaneous photos taken during our time in the US. The first one taken at a botanical garden. I didn't get a real sharp picture of the butterflies, but the water lily sat still long enough to get a couple of pictures.Except for the cloudy/rainy weather the last half of our trip, the weather was good. Certainly not cold, yet. But fall is coming...

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-67370309902283600012009-09-26T21:06:00.003+01:002009-09-26T21:56:37.774+01:00

When we first went to the mission field in Brazil in March 1972, the first place we stayed was with Don and Betty Ross in São Paulo. We went from there to where we lived and worked 400 km to the west for the 3 years and 3 months we were in Brazil, but during that time we went many times to the city of São Paulo and always stayed with the Rosses. One of their daughters, Debbie, is married to

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-10618437343117441712009-09-23T22:03:00.000+01:002009-09-24T04:59:15.788+01:00

This is the last night of our stay in the States this trip. Tomorrow night we're to be crossing the Atlantic back to Lisbon, and from there to Madeira on Friday. The pilots for TAP, the national airline, have scheduled a strike for tomorrow and Friday...whee! The word is that the flights to Madeira will not be affected, however. Our experience of numerous strikes in the past leads us to think we

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-82383817675835168832009-09-20T23:50:00.005+01:002009-09-21T06:15:03.549+01:00

One of the factors in choosing the dates for our travel this year was the fact that Mia would be 1 on Sept. 18 (last Friday) and we could be here for the party on Saturday. Mia isn't walking by herself, yet, but if she can hold a hand or find a piece of furniture, she'll walk all over. This was her birthday party dress, the brown color fitting the theme of the party: Brown Bear.When Mia was born,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-80506314751166392702009-09-20T18:25:00.000+01:002009-09-21T00:43:20.263+01:00

The state of health of Abbie's parents has been a concern, especially of late. Her mother, as recently as a few months ago, was suffering from such serious blockage of circulation in her feet that the doctor thought amputation would be necessary. Second opinions suggested medications, which has removed that possibility for the moment. She is taking medication to help the blood flow and some pain

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-14639957039085160502009-09-18T23:42:00.000+01:002009-09-19T05:17:01.103+01:00

This picture was one of the first ones of Abbie with Amilia Kate ("Mia") after we arrived at Joy and Mark's. In terms of body build, Mia is the opposite of her cousin, Braewyn, whom we saw a couple of weeks ago. From this picture, it appears that Abbie is thinking "Oops...what was I thinking when I picked Mia up!" This, however, is an optical illusion. I skillfully positioned myself so that the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-48317543406539856782009-09-18T21:44:00.000+01:002009-09-19T03:46:32.068+01:00

In between photos of flowers and family, I thought I'd throw in this interesting sign we came across in Tontitown, AR. As no further explanation is given, we assume the risk in question is the obvious one.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-31743459641813968742009-09-17T23:00:00.000+01:002009-09-18T06:04:25.486+01:00

A couple of years ago our church began singing "In Christ Alone", and subsequently other songs written by Keith and Kristyn Getty: "See What a Morning", "Oh, to See the Dawn", "The Power of the Cross". When we were at Grand Junction with Rachel a couple of weeks ago, "Speak O Lord" was one of the Getty hymns we sang. Not only is their music highly suited to congregational worship, but the lyrics

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-71578160936908006032009-09-17T11:31:00.001+01:002009-09-18T06:41:39.922+01:00

Orlando, one of our members, has a blog, and he has just posted a video of events at our church this year, mainly the baptisms. Some of these were in May when my mother and brother and sisters and spouses were here. The music and subtitles are in Portuguese, but the events portrayed transcend all nationalities and languages. Of those baptized, there were believers from Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-30960164062963255852009-09-15T05:28:00.005+01:002009-09-15T05:45:02.223+01:00

I have been offline since Saturday morning, when we began our tripfrom Pueblo, CO, to Granite, OK. We made the trip fine, had a good visit with Pastor Tim and his wife, Kathy; preached at the services there yesterday morning, then drove to Joy and Mark's here in NW Arkansas in about 6 hours. We had some really heavy rain part of the time, the first real rains we've encountered so far.I have a few

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-36697259799806730452009-09-11T23:35:00.001+01:002009-09-12T08:02:38.174+01:00

We came back across the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday and stopped at Vail again, but just for coffee this time. The scenery is really beautiful. We took the opportunity to take a self-portrait under an aspen.It's been a short time here at Pueblo...we went out with Rick and family, and my mother and brother and sister and their families on Thursday night. We ate down by the Arkansas Riverwalk in

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-40641765823447380262009-09-07T23:33:00.000+01:002009-09-08T07:28:36.415+01:00

We're on the move again. These are some of the last shots in Grand Junction, Colorado.The surrounding mesas, while barren, are nonetheless interesting formations that enclose the towns along the river. They contrast with the lush green along the river banks and irrigated fields, which are a reminder of the picture painted by the Psalmist in Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-26417213753898021272009-09-05T17:31:00.009+01:002009-09-06T05:45:42.990+01:00

After spending the night in Denver, we drove through the Rocky Mountains to get to Rachel and Chris's house in Grand Junction. The weather was great and the flowers beautiful. These were at Vail, the world-famous ski resort, built in the style of the Alpine villages in Europe.At this altitude, the weather can become chilly, even in the summer, so the town thoughfully provides a throw for visitors

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-37513377490251387172009-09-04T14:29:00.006+01:002009-09-04T15:31:40.081+01:00

First of all, we're not here. We got up at 5 AM yesterday morning and 24 hours later and 7 time zones away, we were ready to stretch out on a bed. In between were flights to Lisbon, then Philadelphia, and finally Denver, where we arrived 40 minutes ahead of schedule. We won't complain about that! We'll be in the States for three weeks, eventually getting to Dallas after visiting all the scattered

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-61964574727525230852009-09-02T14:50:00.002+01:002009-09-02T14:59:33.276+01:00

After her by-pass operation on Friday, Jackie was out of Intensive Care by Sunday night. I spoke with Jaime yesterday (Tuesday), who said Jackie had gotten up and walked around yesterday and was eating solid food. She thinks she may go home on Friday. Not bad for someone who was not given much hope for a successful operation. Just shows that it's not only the doctor who operates; God does His own

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-16021886493388656652009-08-28T16:07:00.002+01:002009-08-28T16:10:29.895+01:00

Jackie was taken to the operating room about 1 PM and at 3:30PM Jaime called to say that one of the doctors came to the waiting room to inform them that the by-pass operation was successful. They were going to wait another 20 or 30 minutes to wake her up. We thank the Lord for His faithful care over Jackie and Jaime, and pray that she has a quick recovery.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-91559233388736125022009-08-27T18:09:00.002+01:002009-08-27T18:24:04.879+01:00

Jackie has been mentioned here on the blog over the last couple of years, and you can click here to see the last picture I posted of her and Jaime, and the situation at that time a year ago. Since then they moved to northern Portugal and her overall health condition has not improved. Two stents put in her heart in October last year were insufficient; her diabetes remains uncontrollable; her

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-68722912524565557562009-06-15T08:47:00.003+01:002009-06-15T09:45:10.539+01:00

 Vitória, Sara, Silvânia, Rafael - picture taken last month, as they sang at the serviceOn the way home Saturday night after music practice, Abbie asked if Sara or Silvania had said anything to me. It was my first clue that "something was up". They had been together at the "Saturday School Class" (because of space limitations, the Sunday School class for the older kids is held on Saturday

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-27237764920376946242009-05-29T23:15:00.000+01:002009-05-29T23:15:38.113+01:00

Roberto said that the last two Sundays were a record in the history of our church. We had baptismal services two Sundays in a row! This last Sunday's service was more special, because an entire family came forward to ask for baptism. José Luíz, Sónia, and their children, Loise and Vitor, have been attending for a couple of months, and like Paulo and Sónia from the previous week, they were

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-76443440871981501632009-05-23T23:35:00.003+01:002009-05-24T00:02:36.398+01:00

They were gone almost before we knew they had arrived. The two weeks that Mom and the others of my family were here went by in a flash. They left Thursday morning on the 6:00 flight, and I got an e-mail the next morning from Jacque saying they were at their house by 11:00 p.m. that same day (with 7 hours difference, that made 24 hours of travel time). But everything went smoothly on the return

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-70193477656101991322009-05-17T23:30:00.000+01:002009-05-17T23:31:22.645+01:00

Four baptized today:Inês Susana, José Carlos and Marcia's daughter. José Carlos is assisting me with the baptisms. A group picture of the four, including Sonia and Paulo. We are expecting more baptisms in the near future.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-31410483464084985822009-05-16T23:07:00.004+01:002009-05-17T00:54:54.383+01:00

The first day we got into town (Saturday), we decided to take the family out to eat. It was about as "out" as we could get. There was a "Bread Fair" sponsored by the Lions Club, which included some of the typical dishes of the island. The seating arrangements were as typical as the food.And while we're on the subject of food, a lack of appetite was never a problem with any of our family. Here,

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-47838082878922574062009-05-08T23:18:00.000+01:002009-05-08T23:18:51.203+01:00

It took them a long time...years, in fact. Mom came to visit us twice (in 1982 and 1989), and she always wanted to come back. She wouldn't come by herself, so my brother and sisters and spouses said they would come with her.This picture was taken upon their arrival in Madeira at 7 p.m. today. They were supposed to have arrived at 11:15 this morning, but a short connection at Lisbon caused them

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-52824064002069388282009-04-25T22:37:00.004+01:002009-04-25T23:15:25.816+01:00

I mentioned in previous posts that we were really busy the week before Easter. The installation of the video projection system required disassembling the podium in order to run the cables to the ceiling-mounted projector...that is, if we wanted to avoid unsightly wires running up the walls and across the ceiling. Disassembling the podium meant replacing the carpet, and it was when the carpet

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-21668846847080758272009-04-22T23:51:00.005+01:002009-04-23T00:37:46.370+01:00

We had two Easter Sundays in our church this year. At the afternoon service in Portuguese on the 12th, our church choir sang an Easter cantata, Hallelujah, What a Savior!, which was translated into Portuguese. Abbie also included a couple of songs in English from another cantata in the middle of this one.Then, last Sunday, we sang the same cantata again, but in the English service in the morning.

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-2892424063332654552009-04-22T22:48:00.002+01:002009-04-22T23:48:50.722+01:00

Having finished the work on the church to get the video projection system installed, I returned to the work on the house. The current task is to re-ceil the attic bedroom and finish sealing it off to block the wind that comes through the tiles of the roof. We're putting up roll insulation (foam-aluminum foil combination) to seal out air currents and provide some acoustic insulation, and then

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-24718852861074819622009-04-03T22:31:00.002+01:002009-04-04T00:06:19.246+01:00

I knew it had been a while since I posted anything, but January?! I was sure hadn't posted in March, but I thought I had surely posted something in February. I was apparently more occupied than I felt I was. A lot of things did go on, some of which (in no particular chronological order) were:A visit to Madeira by the American ambassador---of course, the four days he and his family were here were

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-49644673692807062742009-01-31T17:47:00.002Z2009-01-31T18:13:21.983Z

Sitting here in the relative warmth and comfort of our house, we catch a news report now and then on the winter weather in the US. I say "relative" warmth: the thermometer over my desk said the room temperature was 15º this morning...that's Celsius, by the way, or 59ºF...no central heating in the house, so we turn on electric space heaters now and then. Not exactly cozy.But then, it can't be cozy

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-44735157086683063632009-01-20T00:16:00.002Z2009-01-20T00:42:51.916Z

I think I actually shuddered when I heard the reporter ask the question. That was during the second of four interviews (two newspapers, two radio stations) I gave yesterday regarding the inauguration later today of Barack Obama. There were a lot of other questions, of course, in those interviews, and I sought to be as impartial as possible in my answers, as befitting my position as consular agent

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-40058927001076528232009-01-19T23:49:00.003Z2009-01-20T00:07:20.709Z

Sounds strange to us, but to the Orthodox Churches, Christmas is in January, on the 7th. Whereas we customarily say, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"---in Russian/Ukrainian they say, "Happy New Year and Merry Christmas". Yesterday, the 18th, was almost like Christmas again in our church. The cantata, which we had sung in English on Dec. 21, and in Portuguese on Dec. 24, was sung again last

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-84437813769527918582008-12-31T18:40:00.000Z2008-12-31T18:41:41.272Z

Here at the close of 2008, there is the natural tendency to look back over the past year(s) and feel comforted by the successes and good times, or shudder at the defeats and disasters we experienced. We might wish to rewind and erase the past.Appropriately enough, I was reminded of the difficulty of erasing the past as I spent the last couple of days working on my computer. I saw first-hand why

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-12141833076364955382008-12-25T23:59:00.007Z2008-12-26T01:02:40.259Z

Sue FarrowJust a name to everyone reading this outside Madeira, except for four people in the US. To our children, she was "Mrs. Farrow", the headmistress of the British School, where Joy and Jeff went for a few years. Her long bout with cancer ended on Dec. 13.  Every day the newspaper announces funerals, but her name was more than just another name in the paper. To school children, she was "Mrs

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-28719264263952980822008-12-06T23:37:00.002Z2008-12-06T23:53:14.204Z

In the next few weeks there will be many "Christmas" stories besides the story of the stable in Bethlehem. Most "Christmas" stories will have little to do with what actually happened there in that little town 2000 years or so ago. This is a story told by Paz, one of our church members.Paz works in the largest and oldest department store in Funchal, and of course, from now until Christmas Eve, she

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201969.post-26115667495089331622008-12-04T00:25:00.003Z2008-12-04T00:53:58.260Z

I'm mostly writing tonight to let you know that we're still hanging in there. I couldn't begin to explain all the things that have gone on since I last posted, but there was a visit by a Navy ship, an American citizen taken off a cruise ship and hospitalized in serious condition (eventually was able to fly back to the US on oxygen on commercial flights in the company of a nurse sent specially to

EPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548809179341988377noreply@blogger.com0