(To the tune of "City of New Orleans" with apologies to Arlo Guthrie.)
Out of the station headed for Madrid.
Kicked back trying to think about tomorrow,
What in the world have we gotten ourselves into now?
Good morning, Iberia, how are you?
Say don't you know us we're your pilgrim pals!
We've got backpacks, walking sticks and pretty seashells,
We'll be gone 500 miles when the month is gone!
---/---
What a day it has been, and it feels like we are truly on our pilgrimage! We pulled out of the Santa Appolonia train station in downtown Lisbon at 9:27 pm, stopped briefly in the Oriente Station, and now it's non-stop overnight to the capital of Spain.
Lots of things went on first! We awoke in the parsonage of First Baptist Church in Mem Martins and got dressed for church. Discovered that the tie I had laid out was still laid out somewhere in Magnolia, and no one preaches in Portugal without one. It was going to be a stretch without the jacket, but the tie was going to be a problem.
We ran downstairs for a quick cup of coffee. Our host and hostess, Mario Jorge and Dina, had thought of everything to make out stay comfy. We had ham and cheese and bread for sandwiches, strawberries, apples and oranges and drinks also. We could have stayed a week on the provisions they had for us! But we were ready for another cup of that delicious Portuguese coffee and there was a shop just under our apartment. And another one across the street. And another one around the corner. They may not have everything in Portugal, but they have coffee! Sharon had the meia de leite and I had another espresso. Both were delicious and I'm sure the owners of the coffee shop were amused when I took these two shots:
Mario Jorge arrived promptly at 10 and had promised to take us to the Pastelaria Central around the corner from the church. As we got out the driver of the car behind us honked, and we thought it might just be someone in a hurry. But no! It was Marisa, who had been in the youth group in our time but who was all grown up, married and with two children. After hugs we went on in the pastry shop.
We had a simple snack, just a cup of coffee and a tiny pastry called a bolo de Berlim. While we were eating, in came Marta, another of the young people of our day who was also all grown up and with two children in tow. The day was starting off great!
We polished off our pastry and coffee and headed over to the church. It was just as we remembered it and folks were beginning to arrive. One of the very first we greeted was Susete Rodrigues. We had helped her mother move one time, and she was a dear sweet saint of God whose house was being torn down. We had been glad to help and Susete was grateful for it. In fact, she brought g
It was a beautiful tie, and it complemented my shirt and slacks perfectly! God truly does provide!
Soon it was time for Sunday School to begin and we were so proud that Mario Jorge and Dina's middle son, Pedro, was now the adult teacher. He had been in the youth group in our town but was all grown up now, married to Ani, and they have a beautiful little girl.
The choir had practiced and would do a number that we knew. They were wearing robes and not only had a pretty good number but sounded great as well. I managed to snap a picture.
After Sunday School we had a brief break and got to see everyone else that we hadn't yet spoken to. If my memory were better, I would write down all their names, but I don't risk doing that. We were also very pleasantly surprised to learn that the very president of the Portuguese Baptist Convention and his wife were present that morning--Fernando and Paula Loja. Also present were Filipe and Isabell Santos, who had helped with the Lojas at the Baptist camp when the volunteers from Central Baptist in Magnolia came and built a dormitory and meeting room. They were still thankful to our church for the help we had given!
So worship began, the choir sang, we sang, Sharon sang and I preached. It was so nice to be back and to find the church doing well. Mario Jorge explained to the congregation that he and Dina had assumed responsibility for the church in 1991 and just a few years later Sharon and I showed up looking for a place to work. We did so many things together during our eight years. One of the biggest had been the Vacation Bible School, and Dina reminded me that I had changed the name from VBS to Summer Adventure Club, because after all, what child is excited about the idea of going to school in the summer? They had done another Adventure Club after we left with the help of Mike and Janice Johnson, and the church had been able to reach a number of children, many of whom were still active today.
Following the church service, many of us piled into cars and drove the short distance to a church member's house with plenty of outdoor room to spread out and enjoy a meal. And Enjoy we did! There were three different dishes of bacalhau, or codfish, and all were delicious. There were salads and bread and several kinds of dessert, including the very famous and scandalous dessert known in Portuguese as mama de velha. You can google the translation if you are so inclined, but since this is a family blog I can't translate it here. Suffice it to say, everything was delicious!
We ate until we were full, went back for some caldo verde soup, and polished everything off with the desserts. The fellowship was as good as the food, and it was hard to say goodbye. But we were about to collapse so our hosts graciously offered us a couple of hours to change clothes, rest up and get ready to see some of Lisbon. We drove down to the Discoveries monument in Belem\Bethlehem which we had seen coming in, but now we had a chance to see it up close. You will never guess in a million years who we ran into down there! Well, some of you will!
You guessed it! Shadowman, his wife and their two closest Portuguese friends were visiting the monument at the same time we were. We greeted them briefly, then continued to walk around and enjoy the sights. We made a brief pilgrimage to the Pastelaria de Belem, where the pastel de Belem was invented. Like going to the Cafe de Monde in New Orleans, its just something you have to do!
Finally, as the day drew to a close, Dina drove us to the train station near their house to begin the next leg of our trek. As we prepared to carry our packs and get on, we must have wondered, "What were we thinking?!?
But, it's too late to turn back now, and God is our strength and fortress. With the Marqueses help, we found our train, our car and even our cabin. The train pulled out on time and we have a comfortable couple of beds in a private room with the gentle swaying of the train to rock us to sleep.
We had a sandwich in the club car, found the bathroom, and prepared to turn in. The conductor promised he would come by in the morning and knock on our door at 7 a.m., giving us a little over an hour before we arrive in Madrid. Somehow we will have to go from the Chamartin to the Atocha Station in the Spanish capital, where we will head north for Pamplona. Not sure how that will work, but we will find out in the morning. As the Portuguese are fond of saying, "Quem tem boca, vai a Roma"--whoever has a mouth can find his way to Rome!
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