“Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good , and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. “ Acts 14:16,17

     The life-sustaining blessings that God gives to us, e.g., rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, and the provision of food and joy are direct testimonies of His existence and His goodness and care. We are overwhelmed with the amount of fruit that our trees are producing this year. The very rainy winter also helped the rooting season. We have collected tens of kgs of apricots and figs. As of today, the plum tree is exploding with plums that should be ripe in a day or two. Mom has been drying the apricots, making jam, compote, smoothies and sherbet. The first round of figs has arrived and there are so many that we cannot process them all. There are smaller amounts of pears and apples, along with an ever-growing number of grapes on the vines. Praise the Lord!

    Gabriel spent 3 weeks with us while dedicating time to clean up his/their property nearby. Himself and Dad gave a lot in fighting briars and brambles, pruning the old growth to make room for new growth. They had great teamwork going. Most of the work had to be done early in the morning or late in the afternoon, as it was quite hot most days. They made significant progress, especially in clearing the well and the surrounding area.  There is still much to do, but that will have to wait till next year.

    Another project Gabe took on was building a raised garden bed. It took planning and purchasing and sawing and fastening but once again the boys got it done. The bed has a bottom layer of ground soil, next a layer of logs, then smaller twigs, branches, and leaves topped with a layer of fertilized soil. Tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, cucumbers, and aubergines are planted in the bed.  The idea is that even if we cannot water the plants for a week or so, the structure of the eco system in the bed will keep the soil moist. We will try it out soon as we travel to Lisbon in a few days! 

     Not least, Gloria is our June birthday celebrant! She celebrated in Lisbon with family and friends. We wish her a very “fruitful” year ahead with the all the blessings of the Lord to accompany her on the journey! There are far better things ahead than any that we leave behind!

Love and prayers.

M+D

And from the other side of the Atlantic with receive this sweet image/clip:

Afonso learning to swim:

More images from the farm: