What is it like?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Portugal Porto Mission : One Thread

I just received my Mission call to the Portugal Porto Mission. I am interested in any information I can find. About climate, food, weather, what to expect, what to bring, what not to bring. I would appreciate any responses. thanks!

-- Angela Cox (vscox@aros.net), September 21, 2000

Answers

Dear Angela,

I served in the Porto mission from 1994 to 1996. I absolutely loved it! The people are wonderful. I have never met a nation of people more loving. They will accept you with open arms. The work there can sometimes be very difficult. Their religion is deeply imbedded in their culture, thus it is hard for some people to make changes in their beliefs. Don't get discouraged. If you obey the mission rules with exactness, Heavenly Father will bless you with successes that are unexpected. I loved it there!! The climate was very diverse. In the winter, it would rain a lot! (Make sure you bring a good trench coat type jacket with a thick liner. I used mine a ton-in fact, I didn't even bring it back home with me because it was thrashed!) I would suggest purchasing your umbrella there, they are made for the wind and rain better than US made umbrellas. Plan on getting rained on a lot. In the winter, I was cold and wet a lot of the time, but it was so much fun!! In the summer, the weather is hot and humid!! Talk about a contrast. Make sure you bring comfortable walking/dress shoes. I walked everywhere. In addition, I would recommend stocking up on nylons. If you are taller than 5'8'' you may have difficulty finding them long enough. Anyways, make sure you bring clothes for both types of climates. I found the food to be okay. Although it's not American, you'll adapt. The three things I miss about Portugal are the sopa (soup), bread and BBQ chicken. The chicken is wonderful!! They make the best bread there. If there is any advice I could give you is to work hard, love the people, be patient with the language and enjoy every experience you have. The time will go by way too fast. If you have anymore questions, please feel free to e-mail me!

-- Deeanna McBrayer Crook (dustindeeanna@yahoo.com), September 25, 2000.


Hey! I got to Portugal in April of 1994 and fell in love with it right away! I still miss it! I actually served with Deeanna and she gave you a lot of good information. The food is wonderful, especially the bread. The people are friendly, but like Deeanna said, they are very Catholic. Just love them and work hard. And take lots of pictures! Especially when you first get there, because after that it seems like it becomes normal. Good luck Rita Hardy

-- Rita Herbst Hardy (rbhardy@protecconstruction.com), October 02, 2000.

Deeana's answer brought some great and nostalgic memories about my mission in Porto. The weather here in Lisbon right now, is cold and rainny, just as it used to be up north in Porto, when I used to walk all over the place and get home drenched and cold, but, as Deeana said, it was fun, and definitely worth it! Follow your president's advice, be obedient and have all the fun you can get serving the Lord, and I'm sure that, someday, when someone reminds you about this things, tears of happiness and a mix of sadness for the nostalgy in your heart, will come to your eyes, and you will be gratefull for all the blessings you have received and will receive for having served your Mission.

All the best to you!

Eurico Costa

-- Eurico Costa (eurico_costa@teleweb.pt), October 19, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ