cinco semana em Lisboa, Portugal

February 29th – March 6th

This week has gone by super fast!

On Monday we had our normal training with Bethany, Jonathan, Jacob and Cara; Tiffany and Sonny Sedate (new missionaries who arrived last Tuesday), also joined us! It was mainly about sharing our testimonies effectively, lacing them with the Gospel of Christ. After training, Callie went to Technico (the university that specializes in engineering) and I went to the University of Lisbon to find students to talk to and go through Soularium. I met one student, Sofia, was extremely interested and eager to learn more. Hopefully I can meet up with her again soon.

I am continuing to learn that all of our interactions with Portuguese are very much based on relationships. We need to build a relationship in order to get any kind of trust from the student, which this takes a long time. Second meetings are necessary and result into better friendships.

Also, on Monday I discovered this amazing little coffee shop, TEASE, in the middle of nowhere that sells American cupcakes. It was a very very good find.

On Tuesday we had a full day. We met Aurora again for English practice, Callie and I ended up talking to her for 3 hours. We were able to share a lot about what we believe. We got to go through Soularium, share the Gospel with her, a little bit of the story of Adam and Eve and both of our testimonies because she just continued to ask questions, which was amazing! As of now, Aurora believes in God but does not believe in Jesus and sees the story of Jesus as more of a myth than absolute truth. Her view on God is skewed, but Callie and I hope to continue to meet with her and give her a sense of clarity. After meeting with Aurora, Fabríco (one of the students who we go to church with) invited us to a GBU event. GBU is the Portuguese version of BCM or BSU. It was awesome to go there and meet a TON of new people, like Nanda, Maria, Joanna, etc. etc. The topic discussed was abortion and the Christian view on it, it was a hard topic and a lot of hard questions were asked but the speakers did a great job. After GBU, we went to dinner with a lot of students and it was a wonderful time of fellowship and making friends.

Wednesday was very relaxed. A CRU mission team from Berlin, Germany arrived to partner with Agape (a student ministry on the University of Lisbon campus). We attended training with them to help them get accustomed to Portuguese culture and get ready to serve on the campuses. It was nice being able to answer some of their questions, help them with Portuguese words, and not feel like the “new people” anymore. In the afternoon we babysat Eliana, so Bethany and Jonathan could celebrate their 6 year anniversary together! (Congratulations to them!!) It was nice spending time with Eliana watching movies, reading books and being silly.

Thursday we headed to the University of Lisbon campus to do Soularium before we headed to Biaxa (downtown) to hang out with one of our friends, Priscila. We met Priscila downtown, and she took us to a little coffee shop called Fábulas for coffee, crepes, and cheesecake. It was really nice to hang out with Priscila and talk, we got to walk down towards the river and see the river during sunset. It was so beautiful! After, I went back to the University of Lisbon to watch Nanda play volleyball. The other team did not show up, so the just scrimmaged each other. After the scrimmage, Callie and I went to a party on campus where I met a student, Joana, who LOVES Grey’s Anatomy and is a med student; her and I connected quickly and have plans to hang out soon. It’s very odd to me that the campuses offer alcohol everywhere.

Friday was my day off, I was supposed to go to Evora with Bethany and Jonathan but Eliana got sick, so we did not go. I spent the day by myself. I started at Fabrica Coffee Roasters, which is AMAZING!! I have found coffee heaven, I had an Ethiopian blend brewed in a Chemex and it was so good! They also sell affagatos (espresso with vanilla icecream, for those of you who are not coffee addicts). After, I went to Castelo de S. Jorge. It was beautiful and the view was amazing! The shops that surround the castle are so cute! I hope to go back and get a few souvenirs. I also got to walk through the Cathedral, which was interesting. I went to the H&M after, bought a shirt and broke my favorite shoes (but it’s okay- just one pair less to bring back). It started to rain, so I headed to the metro where I sat for 30 minutes to avoid rush hour and the amount of people boarding the metro. An overwhelming sense of loneliness engulfed me. No one truly understands how lonely I get; it becomes very difficult at times. But it’s in those moments of vulnerability that I know the devil is trying to get to me and it is a solid reminder that I need to cling to my Savior in those moments. Also, it’s a stupid feeling because I know I could easily text anyone (Bethany, Cara, Priscila) to hang out with me, but the thought escapes me in those moments. I decided to keep exploring, to distract myself, so I went to Nut’Chiado and got churritos and Nutella. All in all, it was a successful day.

Saturday Callie and I got the opportunity to travel across the river to hang out with Cristiane and João. They took us to Palmela’s castle, it was beautiful! After we went back to their house and did our second Bible study with Cristiane. João stayed in the room with his headphones in, but I am pretty sure he was listening the entire time. Which, is really good! After, we had dinner which was OCTOPUS that João had made. I don’t know how I feel about eating octopus…. It was very weird. We ended up watching the Benfica v Sporting game with them. (Benfica and Sporting are the two major soccer teams in Lisbon- I, myself, am a Sporting fan!)

I got the opportunity to FaceTime my entire family Saturday night because they were all at Uncle Matt’s. I saw everyone: Nannie, Papa, Frances, Lane, Matt, Ruth, Mikel, my mom, Gavin, and before it got to my dad I began to cry. I think I just got overwhelmed at seeing everyone together, because those are my favorite moments at home. I miss my family dearly and am realizing how close we all actually are. I am so blessed to have a family that is so loving and supportive and close nit as we all are.

Sunday, Jonathan got the opportunity to preach at a church in the Algarves (southern Portugal)., specifically in Portimão. It was an awesome service! After, we went to lunch with Jacob and Cara at a little restaurant on the water. We had a little extra time, so we got to tour the Ponta da Piedade. They were so beautiful; it was definitely a nice break from the city. We also got a crock pot!!!!!! So if you have any good crock pot recipes, make sure to send them!

That’s all that I have for this week! I hope you guys are continuing to memorize John 15 with me; I have verses 1 though 5 memorized and am working on verse 6 and 7 this week!

I miss all of you a ton, it must be evident in my writing. But God is constantly reminding me why I am here and what my job is here in Portugal.

I love you all, see you soon!

Love,

Ashton

Praises:

-Our second Bible study with Cristiane being a huge success

Prayer Requests:

-That Callie and I become more connected with students and make friends

-That we can successfully and quickly start a small group

-That many will come to know the Lord in our time here, many seeds will be planted

-The other 14 HandsOn students around Europe, that their ministry will flourish

-Joao (Cristiane’s fiancé) to have a softened heart towards God and the Gospel

-Our bible study with Cristiane, that we will be able to speak clearly and boldly, that she will come to know the Lord

-Aurora, as Callie and I continue to share with her

-Inês, that I can pour into her and help her grow closer to Christ, that she has time to meet within her busy schedule

-That as I set up meetings this week people will not cancel last minute

-Homesickness

-The Berlin team, that their ministry will be effective while they are here