The Portuguese people clearly love festivals - there seems to always one going on nearby during the summer months!  In this blog, I'll do my best to give you a taste of these wonderful gatherings.  I'll also update you on some of of our activities, including introducing wonderful new friends.  Plus, I'll share something about Portugues hospitality and honesty.  Happy reading!

There is so much to report on - I have trouble keeping up with all the people and activities we are involved with.  But let's just jump right in!

We're just about to hit our three-month mark here in Portugal.  We love it here - and time is flying by!  In this post, we want to share some our daily life - the people we meet with, the places we go, 

The Festa das Cruzes (Festival of the Crosses) is an annual community event spanning five days here in Barcelos. It is held soon after Easter and combines religious and community elements.  

Our Delta flight arrived in Porto on Saturday, April 19.    We immediately felt loved and welcomed by our Mission Leaders - President and Sister Leal, both from Sao Paulo, Brazil (where I served my mission as a young man).  They are wonderful, powerful leaders!

Lot of trees in bloom, but I particularly love the flowering cherries - this one is a weeping variety.  They are spectacular! 

I continue to be amazed at how quickly we develop rich friendships and feelings of love for people here in Dayton.  With their permission, here is a quick introduction to several of them:

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism."  We're very thankful for our many friends, many of whom we have known for year.s.  Here in Eastern Washington,  we have been  surprised and delighted at how quickly we have made new friends!

When I grew up nearby in Connell, WA, the nearest Latter-day Saint temple was in Idaho Falls, a 12-hour drive.  Now there is a lovely temple in Kennewick, WA, 40 minutes away.  Chris and I loved participating in one of our faith tradition's ordinances that we lovingly offer up to people who did not have the opportunity to receive before death.  I always appreciate my time in our temples - the loving, peaceful spirt there lifts my spirit and opens my heart to feeling God's love. 

Small town/country life has a certain pace and feel that I could get used to.  It's hard to put a finger on it, but there is a certain relaxed openness and interest in others that is really feels nice.  This post attempts to capture some of the personality of the people and place.

Given that we need to wait approximately a month for a new visa to be issued, we were given the option to propose a temporary mission assignment somewhere in the USA.  So we reached out to John Quereto, a former member of the my home stake (Danville CA). He and his wife Cory are serving as mission leaders of the Washington Kennewick Mission.  He responded right away that he would love to have us!  

On Monday Feb 10, my brother Keith picked us up from the SLC airport and dropped us off at the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo.  We were one of about 40 missionary couples to arrive that day.  The onboarding process was amazingly smooth, including  young missionaries lined up to take our bags to our room, followed by  orientation and a tour of the campus.