{"id":6639,"date":"2025-11-05T08:26:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T08:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/?p=6639"},"modified":"2025-11-05T09:08:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T09:08:04","slug":"family-update-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/?p=6639","title":{"rendered":"Family Update – October 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Donna:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“This is the Day which the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! ” Psalm 118;24<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

An idea born that he could not shake, the vision\u00a0 of a wood cabin <\/strong>existing in a certain location!\u00a0 Now, that cabin\u00a0 is becoming a reality!\u00a0 To begin, we had purchased a stack of palettes <\/strong>earlier in the year which functioned\u00a0 as a tower stairway\u00a0to\u00a0 install\u00a0and later clean the solar panels. Those same palettes now constitute the walls of the “Cabin”! It took a lot of calculations and preparations to get them there, and they are steady and strong! Next step was to install insulation and a corrugated roof. That was an important step,\u00a0 as the forecast was\u00a0 for\u00a0 rain.\u00a0 After the roofing, outside insulation of the walls was done.\u00a0 The rain started to pour.\u00a0\u00a0See pics<\/strong> below.! We were able to borrow a cement mixer from our neighbors which made mixing\u00a0 cement much easier. Cement was poured and now there is a good solid floor and front step.\u00a0 We can now move inside and install the electric connections. The lights are now on and so work can be done inside while the storm brews outside. The forecast for rain continues and so the project will continue as opportunity permits. \ud83d\ude42 Stay tuned<\/strong>. for further developments…\\

It was great having Cristiana <\/strong>and Afonso <\/strong>over while the weather was pleasant! One thing we discovered is that Afonso likes to walk<\/strong>. Once he is out, he likes to walk and walk and walk \ud83d\ude42 That boy walked down the long entrance driveway, down the road, turned around and walked up the neighbors road and around the back of the farm back home! Incredible for a boy of 16 months!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young Zach <\/strong>is now 10 years old! Congratulations Zac<\/strong>h! One thing we do know is that he is a crack at football, we have seen videos of him scoring a large number of points for his team! We also know that he is a very good student and we are looking forward to having some very interesting conversations with him in the future!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the saying goes, “Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many<\/em>.”- Mark Twain. Every birthday<\/strong> is a privilege and Grandma <\/strong>enjoyed a lovely birthday weekend with family. She enjoyed time together with family and loved ones and calls from the family abroad!\u00a0 To watch and understand family as they grow and step into their life calling is a blessing! To slow down and appreciate every moment with intention and gratitude!\u00a0 To sing and to dance! For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations<\/em>” Psalm 100:5<\/a>\u00a0 I thank God for the gift of All of YOU and how you made\u00a0 it a very special day indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the topic of singing,\u00a0 Joana <\/strong>was invited to Beijing <\/strong>to participate in the festivities for the 17th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries celebrations. Joana\u00a0 and Giulio\u00a0 sang a song called “Fire”\u00a0 written by Giulio. The song was a combination of English, Portuguese and Chinese, a tribute to Macau’s rich cultural heritage.\u00a0 Ben <\/strong>performed for a crowd of thousands in China<\/strong>, a repertoire of his original compositions along with other popular songs. Both shows were streamed on Chinese tv channels. Ben also performed at the Lusofonia <\/strong>Festival in Macau, the annual event of cultural exchange between China and Portuguese speaking countries. The miracle of music!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slant of the earth or whatever allows all the colors to penetrate the skies<\/strong> and it is amazing! I don’t know the science of it, we just enjoy it. We beheld many beautiful sunrises<\/strong> and sunsets in October!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A special prayer request for my sister’s son David <\/strong>who is suffering serious consequences from Lyme disease. He is in God’s hands<\/strong>, and receiving treatment, and\u00a0 according to Scripture, ‘the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much<\/em>‘. Thank you. Btw, if anyone has any prayer requests<\/strong> please feel free to share them as prayer is a lifeline<\/strong>, and we can all connect to that lifeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love and Prayers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images of the month:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Above: A work in progress: Stay tuned for further developments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Above: Baby Afonso with grandmother and grandfather at the farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cristy with Afonso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Zach with dad and Riley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Grandmother on her birthday and with Jason and Gloria in Lisbon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music and Lusofonia gathering (Gabriel, Selen, Kat, Ben and Joana)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Farm skies to remember<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donna: “This is the Day which the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! ” Psalm 118;24 An idea born that he could not shake, the vision\u00a0 of a wood cabin existing in a certain location!\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wordproject_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6639"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6672,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6639\/revisions\/6672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordfree.net\/news2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}