Week 28 July 7 - 13

Sunday was a good day attending church , unpacking, and otherwise a welcomed restful day. We ended the day with a walk in the park.

At the end of this transfer, two Elders who have recently served as Zone Leaders in Faro will be going home (Elders Hernandez and Mortenson).  I spent time in the Market area looking for cork bookmarks and the "traditional" Portuguese towels I like to send home with the returning  missionaries.  In the afternoon , we took a tthe returning trip to Olhao to work on the apartment - scraping pealing paint and plaster off the walls, then patching it We moved furniture around to utilize the space better. In the evening we gathered all our tools and supplies for our big road trip to four different apartments needing some repairs. 

July 9 Tuesday Slow morning – drove to Sines – lost internet (out of data plan) part way. Panic – and then remembered an old Garmin in the glove compartment. Figured it out and was able to get to our location. The Elders were not at home (Mortensen and Garay).  Merl finished painting the bathroom ceiling, recaulked the shower base, and remounted the light fixture.  I cleaned the kitchen and worked on cleaning walsl and did the inspection.  Merl found a broken chair on the balcony which he thought he could put back together.  We left a fan and our little farewell gift for Elder Mortensen who is going home in a couple of weeks.

Headed north to Torres Vedras ocated in the mountains above Lisbon – large, busy, beautiful city. Met Elders Robertson and Meira at their very large, nice apartment.  We were sent here to assess the need to replace/fix the lights in the kitchen and hall.  This was the first time we have encountered surface mount spots  and all of these were LED fixtures that have stopped working.  Merl took the Elders to Leroy Merlin to look for replacements; returned and installed the lights.  I did some inspecting of other areas and found a broken mirror in one bathroom and a broken toilet seat in the other bathroom.  Also some mold remediation needed.

Afterwards, we stopped by the mission office to pick of Portguese teclado lesson manuals (one for us and one for Sister Powers). Got incredibly lost as we left – even Garmin couldn’t figure out where we were. Eventually got on track and drove to Almada to stay the night with the Powers. Arrived around 8:30 – had split pea soup for dinner. Visited for a bit and went to bed. It was a long day on the road.

July 10 Wednesday Relaxed morning with the Powers Drive to Evora to do inspection– nice city we hope to return to and do some sight seeing (castle, Roman ruins, chapel of bones).  We met with Elders Throolin and Flores at the apartment located in an old building.  It is a large apartment with some newer remodels to the kitchen and bathroom. It has the largest electric water heater we have seen (with the exception of the mission home).  I did a lot of kitchen degreasing that took a few hours.  Merl replaced several light bulbs and assessed some repairs that need to be done.  Baseboards need to be reinstalled, and kitchen counter top (butcher block) needs to be sanded and restaied.  Merl took the missionaries to lunch “close” to their apartment. 95 degrees and a “long” walk – good meal, price great. We gave Elders a ride out 10 km into the countryside for a 4:00 pm appointment.  It would have been a terrible walk for them as no busses run into the country.  They had to fit in the car with a ladder between them and a broken chair on a lap.  They were happy to accommodate!

Nice drive to Beja. Elders always have a clean apartment – even with very short notice. It just so happened that last night, the blind box in the bedroom fell off the wall and broke. Merl gathered it up and put it in the car to glue back together. Nailed some door trim back on the wall.

 Took Elders to their English class at the chapel up next to the castle. Stopped at Continente to get a treat for the Elders for having a clean apartment. . . bought us each an ice cream bar, too.

 Drove home – saw lights and heard music up towards the park. Parked in the garage and walked down the street to see what was going on. Feira de Artisans brought a huge crowd  of people, artisan booths of every kind, food booths, full restaurants set up, games and activities for the kids, variety of musicians. . . and will be going for five nights.

July 11 Thurs Zoom conference call for all the mission couples for two hours. . . focusing on Google contacts and financialr reports 2.   Poor Elders Cook and Shriber trying to explain new phone technology and mission contact databases to a bunch of old people. . . they were very kind and patient. We left a whole big box of oreo cookies in the office on Tuesday as a thank you for all their help. We caught up on things at home and went to the British store in Almancil to check out specials. . . got 2 packages of Broughie for free and shared with the Sisters when we picked them up in Quarteira (Sister Trainer Robinson from Setubal and Sister Moulton). Sent over a couple of pillows for their sleep over. Walked to the park again to check out the music and artisan stands. Maybe tomorrow night I will buy some new thing to eat.  

July 12 Fri Took the Setubal Sister Trainers back to the train station after their exchange and training. Stopped at grocery store to pick up a few things for lunch on Sunday. Paid for internet walk to the park to check out the music and crowds. There are a few things I really thought about purchasing, but my mindset right now is to really scale back on "stuff" when we go home. . . downsizing some plans on our “apartment.” Merl started pulling apart the Sines dining room chair and cleaning up the joints.

July 13 Saturday Relaxed morning – went to Market – onions, eggplant, beggars. Stopped at the hardware store to buy screws for the Sines chair and clear caulk for Olhao and Evora. Made 
chocolate chip banana bars for a baptism tonight. Laundry. . . The Sisters sent us a message asking us to go to their apartment and get the baptism paperwork that they forgot. Ercilene Soares (long which top in the center) was baptized tonight by Pres. Rui.  We visited her with the Sisters and bore our testimonies of the importance of families. She is quiet, but has a good spirit. Her husband is still in Cabo Verde waiting for his visa so he can join her here. He apparently was okay with her getting baptized. Her cousin came to the baptism, and seems to be open to be taught. I played the piano and helped set up the refreshments.

After taking the Sisters home, we decided not to go to the park tonight. The music goes loud and strong until midnight each night. I enjoy the crowds and energy.