Why Portugal?

Portugal has a population of about 10 million people. Lisbon (where we will be for language school) has a population of 2.1 million and Porto (where we will be eventually) has a population of 1.9 million. City living will definitely be a lifestyle change for us. The whole country is a little smaller than the state of Indiana. Temperatures are mild with the average being 61. The largest employer is the service industry - public service, retail, tourism, & recreation. The second largest employer is manufacturing & agriculture. The #1 passion in FUTBOL (soccer)!

92% of the population is Roman Catholic, though a large percentage says they do not actively participate. 4% are Protestant and 3% are atheist. Western Europe has been called the graveyard of modern missions because there is a religion, but no relationship. They don't know that they can have a personal relationship with God because the Catholic church has never taught them that. We ask you to pray with us that God with pour His Spirit on Portugal and its people. We want to share about how God is a part of our everyday lives and be a part of the work that He is already doing there in Portugal.

This has been such an ongoing process for us for so many years, that it hardly seems possible that things are moving so quickly now. We are nervous of course, but so excited about the things that lie ahead in our continuing journey with the Lord.

Horses

On the way home from dinner last night we stopped to see some church members who were out in the field with their horses. The boys climbed right over the fence to see the horses, but when they asked Ethan if he wanted to get on one he moved away quickly. I snapped a few quick pictures (because I carry my camera everywhere now). Thank you to the Parkers for letting us pet the horses. We really enjoyed the visit!

Wisdom Teeth

Well, today was the day. Andy had his wisdom teeth taken out at 7:30 this morning. Our family dentist had a few concerns about them, so he felt it would be best if they came out before we left the country. Andy has done really well today. (Of course he has slept most of the day. Good drugs can do wonders.) He's felt better this evening and I am sure a good night's sleep will help as well. I wanted to post a picture of him with his icepacks on his checks, but he said NO. Not to be outdone by his Daddy, Ethan pulled his second tooth tonight. As he was putting his tooth under his pillow he asked if the tooth fairy would come to see Daddy too. I laughed - I don't know if the tooth fairy can afford those wisdom teeth. Thank you to everyone who has checked on him today and a special thanks to Dr. Boyd.

Back Home

Well we returned home about 2am this morning. We thank you all for your prayers. The service for Andy's grandmother was very nice and we were able to see alot of family. We spent the night Tuesday at Maureen's house with Andy's parents and his brothers. They had a good time going through photo albums and such as they reminisced. This was Ethan's first funeral, so he had alot of questions. He was really interested in the casket and how they would put it in the ground. He wanted to stay and watch them lower it. One quick funny. Ethan and I were talking about Maureen being in heaven and that one day we would get to see here again because we would go to heaven. Ethan said, "Mommy you will get to see her first." When I asked why, he said, "because you are old." Nothing like you kids keeping you grounded. Even though loosing a loved on is never easy, we know that Maureen is finally home and we rejoiced in her home-going as we all sang Amazing Grace at the graveside. We love her and will miss her, but we are blessed to know we will see her again.

Quick Update

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been a few days since I've updated, but things have been crazy here the last few weeks. Andy was to leave last Wednesday on a mission trip to Malta, however his back went out on Saturday and he felt it would not be in his best interest to travel when he could not even put on his own shoes and socks. Since he stayed home, we decided to make a quick trip to North Carolina to check on my grandmother before the boys started school. We left Friday, squeezed in dinner for our anniversary while grandparents babysat, and then came home on Saturday. Once home we learned that Andy's grandmother, whose 90, had developed an infection in her blood stream and was in ICU in Jackson, TN. The doctors were not giving much hope. Andy's mom called this morning to say that she passed earlier today. We will leave early in the morning to be with the family. Visitation is Tuesday and the funeral will be Wednesday afternoon. We are so glad that we were able to see her a few weeks ago. She was looking so good and her mind was sharp as a tack. The boys got to tell her all about their summer and she seemed so happy to hear about our journey to Portugal. We're so blessed to have had that time of wonderful memories with her. We questioned when Andy's back went out, but once again God has proved He is so much bigger than we are. It took Andy being flat of his back in order for him to stay home from Malta, and now we know that God knew exactly where Andy needed to be. Please pray for us as we travel, spend time with family and share wonderful memories of Maureen Hopper.

Praise the Lord

Andy and I have both finally gotten our medical clearance. WOO HOO!!! That's one more major step in the process that we can mark off our list. I still have to go on medication for my cholesterol, but that is minor at this point. We would ask you to continue to pray about our house. It seems to be the only major hurdle left. We have until the 1st or 2nd week in September to have a contact on it, in order for us to be invited to orientation in October. Our agent said that the market is almost at a stand-still right now. We are a little concerned, but we know our God is in control and He can do anything. This is one of the few things that we have had no control over and we have had to trust Him completely. This journey has been such an awesome learning experience for us both and we can't wait to see how God is going to shine in this situation as well.

Toothless

Tonight has been eventful at our house. Ethan has lost his first tooth! It has been loose for a few days and he wanted me to buy apples for him to eat, thinking it might come out. Tonight I came home from the store with apples and he immediatley got one and took a bite. Then it was really loose. I checked it and it came right out. He was so excited. He asked Andy if we could call someone and tell them, so we've called grandparents. School starts Monday, so I think he's proud he will be able to show it off.

Pig Pickin' Cake

Tonight we are having our annual deacon picnic at church. The men always have a dessert contest. They have to make a dessert all by themselves. This is the second year that the boys have entered. This year they made a Pig Pickin' Cake. I have no idea where the name came from, but it is a really good cake and they had fun making it.

Pig Pickin' Cake
Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
11oz can mandarin oranges
4 eggs
1/4 c oil

Icing:
16oz crushed pineapple, drained
1 small instant vanilla pudding mix
2 8oz whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour 3 round cake pans. Mix together the cake mix, oranges in juice, eggs and oil. Divide batter among 3 pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool layers on a wire rack. While cakes cool, make icing. Mix drained pineapple with the pudding mix and fold into whipped topping. Fill layers and frost cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Milam Family Recording

We were in revival last week at Andy's dad's church in Middle TN and the family had an opportunity to make a recording at a local studio. They have talked about this for some time, but with us leaving soon they decided to finally do it. We had a lot of fun. They boys recorded some on their own and with their parents. All of the grandchildren sang solos or duets. Ethan sang Jesus Loves Me and Micah sang a duet and played the drums. At the end we all sang I'll Fly Away. It was a wonderful memory. Thank you Mr. Fulton and Mrs. Mary for making it possible.

Momisms

It's been a crazy kind of day at our house and I thought these videos kind-of summed it all up. Many of you may have seen these before, but I think most moms can relate. You will have to scroll down and pause the music on my playlist to listen to the videos. Enjoy!!!

Search for Truth

Andy And I have been reading a book called Truth Encounters. It is written by a former Roman Catholic priest who is now a Christian. He gives some great insite into Roman Catholic beliefs and the traditions behind them. We've have been so saddened to realize that much of their doctrine is based on tradition and dogma statements from church leaders and not the Word of God. The belief that they must do penance for their sins in order to limit their time in purgatory is astounding. It is as if the sacrifice of Christ was not enough!!! As we have learned more about the Roman Catholic faith, we realize the enormity of the task that lays before us in Portugal. However we are excited about what God has in store for us. All this information has brought us back to God's Word to search for the truth and how we can share it with a people whose beliefs go back for generations. Our love for the Portuguese people is already growing and we pray that we will be sensitive even now to their culture, traditions, and religious beliefs.

New Look

As you can see, we have changed the look of our blog. We are trying to create more space and make everything easier to read. Hope you enjoy.