Extremely belated update...

I'm sorry. It has been nigh on impossible to get to a computer in order to check emails and update this blog in the past two weeks. Imagine that - it has already been two weeks since Easter! Now there's the Pentecost Festival happening in London soon (get yourself there if you can! http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/ ), we've had the G20 summit, and a new Flu has decided to make an appearance. Wow...

And in those two weeks, I have been here in the Refuge, learning a lot of new things about the children, the people, the language, the culture, the cities and the country. And so so much about our God and His Work, and the work we do for Him. Crikey.

So, I've been busy busy, and I am shattered. I've stepped up my working time, and it's pretty mental. But the work I've been doing has got to be some of the most biblical work there can be. Gardening. Jesus' stories are filled with imagery of gerdening, weeding, getting your hands filthy. And it sure is exhilerating. Although, I'm starting to develop a hatred for the common grass. Its roots don't go so deep, but they go wide. They go wide. They start interlocking with others. And the grass grows tall, so you can't see the ground beneath it.
So, my first job was to clear some weeds from a flower bed next to the campo de voleibol, till the soil a little bit, make it neater. A couple of days hard work, without the tools I would've liked (like, an edger, and some clippers) and it started to look much nicer. The flowers became more prominent as they took on the shape they'd been laid out in. Nicely spaced, clear between them. A nice pathway has appeared where one can walk to admire said flowers. The whole place is looking far more dandy, I must say. The excitment came from planning where to dig, and then subsequently watching the process of clearing and the progress and the form the garden-space took. There's now a lovely plot ready to be planted by the children. Marvellous.
Then, I moved onto the job which has nearly broken my back, given me numerous blisters and a sun-burnt back, as well as that hatred of common grass. Around the new campo de futebol (which, by the way, is STILL not finished, and everyone is getting pretty annoyed at the people who haven't shown up to lay our lovely astroturf) there used to be weeds, grass, and beautiful wild flowers. A wilderness amongst the modern concrete slab. It was a shambles (though, in some parts, pretty beautiful). Excess cement had been dumped over the side. Big stones had been chucked to the side to make way for the pitch. It was a big mess. Rubén told me that it needed to be cleared, since the people who gave us the money are coming in a couple of weeks (maybe next week, now) and so we want to make it look good. So, my job has been to clear the weeds, cement and rocks from all the edges, to till the soil and make it look smooth and orderly. And boy has it been tough. The hardest part was starting, as it looked like an impossible task, and I had little idea as to how to begin! But, I got into it (although, admittedly, had to go back at the end to re-do my beginning - we learn as we go around) and, though the work was slow (at first I kept looking at my clock every five minutes. It was demorilising, until I figured out how far I would get on average at a certain pace) I finally finished. Today. Just under 10 days of work, many swoops of the blade and a whole load of rocks and soil shifted. The best part is the first time in a day your hand plunges down to the sifted soil to pick out a clump of grass or a weed or a root, and toss it nonchalently to the edge. The first breach of dirt, and you know you're working. Beautiful.
Now, there are four beautifully flat and pretty sides to the campo de futebol, plus some sort of a marked path to the entrance, though I think I'll work on that again once the pitch is done - there are still more machines to come, so I don't want them to ruin the path... The grass got me today, as I became frustrated many times, swooping and hacking at the tenacious roots which would grip to anything and everything. They gave me a picture of what grips us in this world. Some things are like the weeds - deeper roots - whilst others like the grass - roots so wide they affect everything around and other things unconnected. Both have in common a resilience to grown in the roughest places, and both need to be completely removed - roots and all - at some time.

Sunday night was another night spent on Rua da Santa Catarina, in the middle of Porto, with Agapé Campus (the student ministry of Agapé Portugal), giving food to the poor, the homeless, the needy. It was fun - I helped pack up the food at the church - and the encounter with these people who are living on so little. The ability to be there for them, help them, perhaps give them a little hope, was the greatest privilege. I want to be there more - not to just be someone who swoops in and 'does his bit', or rather to do my bit, but for my bit to be ongoing, an all-hours, 24/7/365 deal. To be Theirs.

But, I've been sensing a call saying 'Not yet'.

(Sunday was also the day I lost 20€, which when you only have 40€, is a sizeable amount. It was in my back pocket as we travelled to the bus stop, as we sat at the bus stop, as the bus drove past us because it had been waiting to the left and we thought it would pick us up, and as we walked to the next stop. After a considerable time spent dancing, I checked my pocket before the bus arrived, and then everywhere else on my person and in my bag, and could find no money. It had vanished. Not around the bus stop, and I had no time to trace our steps as the bus would arrive soon. It must have fallen out. Stupid.)

Having felt like my learning of the language was not increasing (I tried to read some Bible stories to the children, when halfway through they stopped me and told me they hadn't understood anything I'd said. Rats.), I was quickly encouraged on Sunday night as everyone told me how impressed they were at my ability to speak Portuguese having only been learning for 3 months! I felt better about it, too, as I was able to hold conversations with people, and only pause a few times to think of the words. I'm pretty sure my grammar is horrendous, but I appear to be understandable. Ando a apprendir.

Ephesians has been my quiet time reading through April, and it sure has been super. Why it was ever seperated into chapters I'll never know. The first 3 can easily be 1 chapter, and even then chapters 4-6 simply follow on, unsurprisingly, since it was originally a letter. Inspiring and hope-filled. Indeed, the first half is about this Hope we have in Jesus Christ, and then how that overflows into our lives. We are His body, and should submit to Him because He has submitted to all of us - there's Love. And we must be Spirit-guided, finding out what is Pleasing to God, and living the Life of the Spirit. Doing the work of our God 'enthusiastically', as it says in my version (New Living Translation - also see Romans 12 which talks of not being lazy in working), as if working for God alone, not looking to please other people. And then the armour, in preparation of spiritual attacks. Spiritual realms. Truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, Love and The Word of God. Tasty.

I have also been reading The Cross of Christ by John Stott. A meaty and precise volume of brilliant Theology, which compels me and draws me in, however heavy it may be. I encourage anyone who hasn't yet to get a copy of it and read it.

And now, for me, that's it. Please keep praying - for my calling; for this Refuge, for these children and the people who have given their lives up to look after them; for this city; for this country; for God's Light to come and His Work to be done. It's a holiday now (the same as MayDay, I guess, except in Portugal the holiday is always 1st May, whenever in the week. Luckily, this year, it happens to be Friday), thus all the children have gone off to spend the week with Christian families, whilst Rubén and his family, Joel and Carina, Nelson and Fabio and Mar are all in Barcelona, and I am going to stay with Pedro, aka 'Mr. Agapé (Campus)'.

I hope you are all reading this well and in health, especially in the current situation. And so you know, I love to hear from you, even if I can't always reply.

Blessings y'all.
Aidan xxx