Monsanto

This week’s edition of Time Out Lisboa featured Lisbon’s wonderful green space -Monsanto. “Fifty Things you have to see or do in Monsanto Forest Park before you die" was the title of the feature. Generally, Lisbon is a pretty green city. There are all sorts of little parks and gardens tucked away down quiet side streets. But Monsanto is a vast expanse of natural woodland to literally get lost in. It covers 900 hectares, that almost 10 square kilometres. It has a motorway running through it, the A5 out to Cascais, but you can just about ignore the noise of the traffic and enjoy the birdsong.

Growing up in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, “Monsanto” meant for me a chemical plant belching out polluting smoke by the River Bann, but here it’s a green lung for an ancient capital. And it’s not far from the centre either. 5-10 minutes by car out of the city centre will bring you into quiet leafy glades. In fact, according to Time Out, you can follow a “green corridor” from the central Marques Pombal square all the way out to the Park through cycle routes in only 3 km. Must try that some time.

Anyway, with Colin home, only for one week, we decided we’d go and see how many of the fifty things we might achieve. Some we discounted immediately, such the climbing wall or adopting a dog (the Municipal Kennels are situated in the park)! But we did manage to do a few things and saw some spectacular vistas of the river and the bridge, and Lisbon’s own aqueduct, which used to carry water into the city, and is a remarkable feat of 18th Century engineering and architecture. It was a fine evening, with the sun going down in the west, kids playing in the skate park, young lovers sitting on the grass, great lolloping dogs bounding around among the trees. These are moments that family memories are made of.

www.timeout.sapo.pt

Sometimes it Takes a Celebrity

It’s kind of sad when one’s awareness of the humanitarian issues in this world of ours has to be prompted by the sight of a celebrity in handcuffs. You would think, as a Christian, and involved in Mission work, you ought to already know this stuff, and be ahead of the game a bit more. But when George Clooney was filmed being arrested, along with his dad, no less, on the steps of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, it made me think, well, what’s put him off his coffee?

But what he did, through that act of civil disobedience, was to bring to MY notice, at least, (and hopefully to a few million others) what’s going on in Sudan. Since South Sudan gained its independence from the north, it has kind of dropped off the radar a bit, but there’s still a massive policy of injustice being meted by a brutal regime against the displaced people of Darfur.

In my further browsing about the Sudanese, I came across quite by chance, an amazing documentary about the so-called “lost boys” of Sudan. I think I was intrigued b the title of the movie “God Grew Tired of us” which is sort of extracted from something one of the central characters John Bul says in the middle of the film.

“In my imagination.I though that God felt tired of people on earth here, felt tired of the bad deeds, the bad thing that we are doing.... I thought God got tired of us and he want to finish us. When I think of it back then..."

They were a group of 27,000 thousand displaced boys and young men, who fled Sudan in the 1990’s and walked for hundreds of miles, first into neighbouring Ethiopia and then, when that country became unstable, all the way back through Sudan to the Kenyan border, to find refuge. Eventually some were brought to the USA, and this was their story. What made the documentary so important for me, was, on the one hand the incredible dignity, poise and faith of these young guys who had suffered so much, and on the other, the bemused and sometimes humorous ways in which they observed North American culture, and to be honest in certain respects, found it spiritually poor and wanting, compared to their rich Sudanese way of life.

You can find the whole documentary, even though its a few years old, available to watch on youtube, by following the link below. It’s in various segments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-JrOXwGWzM

Or you can see George Clooney's appeal for the Sudan here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p89OuPODBMM

And, if you want to listen to a bit of cool African music, here’s the opening track of the film “God grew Tired of Us” , a song called "Guramayle" sung by an amazing Ethiopian singer I just discovered called Gigi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlOygCw764A

Priv-i-lege /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ/

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK (though not here in Portugal - that happens in May) and the word that springs to mind is “privilege”. The privilege of being parents to three wonderful young people - of walking with them through life - being part of their journey - seeing them develop, in skills and gifting, in faith, and in love and compassion. A wonderful word to use. Yes, it's very special.

Saturday was also special. A regular prayer day for our Mission group here on Portugal, and, again the word “privilege” springs to mind. What a privilege to be involved with such an amazing group of people. Some weary, struggling financially and with tough situations, some upbeat, rejoicing in what God has been doing, but all filled with a deep love for God and a compassion for people around them. We were deep in the Alentejo countryside, at the Anema’s farm in Lavre - rolling hills, gnarled cork trees, dry grassland, because of the shortage of rain.

Sunday, we’re with our community at the Escola Vasco da Gama. “A Ponte” - the community of the Bridge. And again the word that comes to mind is “privilege”. Worshiping God together in Portuguese. "All of my life..in every season..You are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship..." What a privilege to be here in Lisbon, and watch a community grow - in the Spirit - in faith, in love and in hope. And to be aware that God is in the midst of it all. All that is happening. Amazing.

The weekend also saw St Patrick's Day pass us by. Out under the bright Alentejo sunshine. Privilege, to be Irish? Yes, of course. Soft rain on green fields, white foam on black rocks. To belong to two cultures, and feel privileged to be part of both. And the rich heritage of St Patrick's wisdom all down the centuries. Here's a little gem from his Confession

"The sun which we see rising for us each day at his command, that sun will never reign nor will its splendour continue forever..... We, however, believe in and adore the true sun, that is, Christ, who will never perish. Nor will they perish who do his will but they will abide forever just as Christ will abide forever He lives with God the Father almighty and with the Holy Spirit before the ages began, and now, and for all the ages of ages. Amen."