Amrei Wehmeyer is our team leader, spearheading the efforts for the member care center. Last summer she came out to visit us in Portland, and in a short time we forged a deep connection. In Portugal she was our family, host, chauffeur, tour guide, translator, and cultural interpreter. Es war auch sehr gut mit Amrei wieder Deutsch zu sprechen! We enjoyed the rhythm of life with Amrei at the center, and left feeling inspired and motivated for the next steps of our journey - we can't wait to join her in Portugal next year!
Amrei and the Hobsons at Multnomah Falls in Oregon
Amrei introducing us to Pasteis de Belem
Group photo at Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, Portugal
Boat ride in the park at Bom Jesus
The first people to greet us on our arrival to Portugal were Pedro and Ana Silva. They are friends of Amrei, and share a similar passion and vision for member care. They are currently helping Amrei get the center ready for guests. They had never met us before, but they and their kids welcomed us with open arms and hearts. They picked us up from the airport, provided us with a local phone, taught us how to cook local cuisine, babysat our kids, and taught us more in a week than we thought possible about Portuguese Hospitality.
Dining in the Courtyard with Amrei and the Silvas
Becoming fast friends
In Lisbon we got to meet with pastor Josué da Ponte, executive director of MEVIC, the only Portuguese missionary agency. In Ermesinde, we met with pastor Samuel Paulo at O Caminho church. Both Pastors were able to give us invaluable insight into the joys and challenges of ministry work in Portugal, from both a professional as well as personal perspective. Our conversations gave us a better understanding of the needs of Portuguese ministry workers, giving us a lot to process as we seek to create a helpful and effective member care ministry. We are deeply grateful for the time the spent with us, and felt humbled by their willingness to openly answer our many questions.
With pastor Paulo and the Malones at O Caminho church
In Braga we were reunited with our ministry area leaders Clark and Yvonne Malone. We first met the Malones three years ago when they were on home assignment in Portland. Our relationship with them marked the beginning of our big step towards Portugal. Amrei and the Malones introduced us to some of our other teammates - Leandro and Priscila Guarnieri with their kids, and Diane Rodgrigues. We even got to meet Diane's parents who were visiting from the US. If you would like to learn more about all of these amazing people, you can check out TEAM Portugal's website here. We were once again warmly welcomed and shared a wonderful meal together. Each person who provided a dish to share even made sure there were options to meet our dietary needs - speaking our love language already.
Leandro, Clark, Yvonne, Risa, Josh, Priscila, Amrei, Diane, and the TEAM kids
We also got to share a delicious meal with Anabela and Gabriel Pereira and their girls. The Pereiras are also friends of Amrei's who are helping to make this retreat center a reality. We enjoyed a long Sunday afternoon talking about food, community, and member care. They shared with us a bit of their own journey, which has a lot of similarities to our own. It was hard to end our time with these kindred spirits, and we look forward to getting to know them more.
Selfie with Amrei and the Pereira family
More new friends
by Risa
