Donna:
“For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” Isaiah 25:4
This month literally passed like a whirlwind! We had four storms pass through the country in a matter of weeks. First to come along was depression Ingrid. She left a wave of persistent wind and rain and at higher altitudes a cold front which blanketed various mountain ranges including the nearby Gardunha Mountain Range with a beautiful cover of fresh snow! It was beautiful to step outside and see the mountain range with snow! The Serra de Estrella had up to 2 meters of snow, however many days the access to the roads up to the Tower were blocked. The next to come along was storm ‘Joseph’ bringing more wind and thunder storms to the country. Two days later, Storm ‘Kristin’, one of the most destructive Atlantic storms in recent years, arrived. The central areas of the country such as Leiria and Coimbra and Figueira da Foz suffered the most damage with power outages due to over 700 kms of downed high- voltage power lines, affecting over 1 million people at one point, (thousands of which continue until today), with homes damaged, landslides, flooding, and the tragic loss of huge numbers of broken and uprooted trees, devastating agriculture losses, etc.
Presently, we are under a severe weather alert with a storm bringing strong winds and widespread flooding predicted for the next few days. We thank God that up till now we have suffered little to no damage. We had some flooding and had to dig out our water channel so the water could drain off the property. Sadly, two pine trees went down on Emanuel’s land which will need to be taken care of. We are blessed to have systems of solar panels to supply electricity and water to get us through any emergency. Ultimately, we pray for all those who have to rebuild their lives and businesses after such devastating destruction.
Philip and Julie inspired and enabled us to make our kitchen space easier and more modern and efficient. We ordered materials, and upon reception of the goods, we went to work! We have a past history of kitchen make-overs and we have some expertise to put things right! Gratefully, we also have the tools necessary to get the job done. The work is intense: electric circuits, plumbing, assembly, etc. We are happy with the results and can’t wait to serve some wonderful meals to all you beautiful people!
As for life celebrations, we started off with Cristiana on the 15th, followed by the Emanuel on the 16th! They both celebrated with nearby family and are looking forward to a new year with energy and health and renewed joy! Philip followed on the 21st and is feeling as young and strong as ever! We thank God for each one of their lives and the gift of Birthday celebrations to send our love and appreciation to every single one of you! (family birthday videos link here: Cristiana, Emanuel, Philip)
And that is all for now.
Love and Prayers.
Mom and dad (Donnna and Jorge)