Bika!

That seems to be the phrase most commonly heard around the seminary here.  Bika is the shot of espresso so integral to Portuguese daily life. The coffee shop up the hill has become a morning favorite for our quiet time or group studies; likewise, we see many Portuguese gathering to meet friends and carry on business there.  In fact, some church plants here have started as coffee houses.  People aren't comfortable entering church buildings, but everyone finds a coffee house safe! 

Today we sampled another item Portugal is world famous for: pastel de Belem (or pastel de nata if you get it anywhere else in the country).  We drove to Belem to sample this tasty pastry, and all agreed: Dr Phillips was right to tell us we couldn't get the full Portuguese experience without it. Another discovery we made was grilled sardines for lunch.  Those who were brave enough to order it found it delicious.

Yesterday we visited the other two seminaries in the country. One is run by the Assemblies of God, which is one of the largest evangelical denominations in the country.  The other is PBI, Portuguese Bible Institute, which is where Dr Phillips and his wife served for many years.  We led their evening chapel service with songs led by Aaron, JT, and Amy N (and a Portuguese student on percussion), Garret giving a message, and a drama of the prodigal son by Aaron, Koob, Cassidy, Ashley, Krista, and Amy R.  In between our visits of the seminaries, we also visited the European Teen Challenge headquarters, toured their facilities here, and learned about the incredible impact Teen Challenge can have in different countries around Europe.  We were saddened to learn that some government policies in different European Union states are making it nearly impossible for Teen Challenge to work effectively.  It's the "Jesus factor" which differentiates this sober program from other programs. Please pray that more lives will be changed by the "Jesus factor!"  Portugal is less than 1% evangelical Christian, so organizations like Teen Challenge are vital to show the amazing change Jesus can have in someone's life.

We leave very early tomorrow morning for England, where we may not have much Internet access and so we may not update the blog as often.  We'll update as often as we can!