Before Christmas

One of our favorite Elders, Elder Welch.  We call him the Dried Cereal Guru!!  Taken at our Christmas Zone conference in Lisbon

Visiting the Gomes family.  She insisted on a Christmas message.  We had to scramble to find our favorite Scripture in the Book of Mormon in Portuguese.  We had only planned to spend a few minutes there delivering our Christmas bread.  

The students from Faro coming to wish us a Merry Christmas.  I had just finished a call from Karma and Frank in Ghana.  The phone ran again from a member that we had been trying to get in touch with.  They were patient to wait to sing to us.

Odilia, I was on the phone with her in the picture above.  She is the women that is taking lessons and she also is my olive oil source!!  She had just given us a fresh jar of honey from her father's farm.  

Our landmark to our house on the round about where we turn up to our apartment.  It must have a jillian lights on it..

Christmas Eve

Here is Gene's stocking.  It is really cleverly made.  Even has our name tags!!

Do you see that it is cold here?  Nice view of long johns!!
Elders around the food table, the center Elder next to the Elder with the red tie is President Marriott's son that serves here in the Algarve. (Pres. Marriott was our mission pres. in Brazil)
The Rocha family, we caroled at their house.  They seem receptive to our important message we share here in the mission.  Isabel is the little girl that use to live below us.  They are a wonderful family.
Caroling with the Elders and Ana Paula and her son Paulo.  Gene is loving his camera, won't let me use it to take a picture of him!!

Christmas Day 2008

A shot in front of a white Christmas tree just down the road from us.  There must be 1000's of lights on this tree.  It is quite beautiful at night.
Stockings that Santa brought via Kellene.  Gene wouldn't take a picture of him and his.  It was a white shirt and tie.  It was very cute.

At the home of Carmen's looking a little puny, I was getting sick, with what they call the "Gripe" Elder Price and Elder Dimick there too.

This is our friend Julia, she has just been baptized about a month.  She is fitting in really well in Primary and just loves going and participating.  She is 11 and the life of the party.
Julia's sisters and friends, all having a good time.  There were about 15 people at this small apartment.  They stayed up all night and were pretty giggly by the time we arrived.

The Stars in this picture opened and closed, it was cool!
After 3 years with the camera I have I finally figured out how to take a picture with the timer!!

More lights!
Reflection in the water...  The stars again,, oops.

More Christmas lights!!

These next pictures are lights in Portimao.  We are told that the Cities have a contest to see who has the most beautiful display.   This tree was huge and unusual wouldn't you say?
Most of the Cities have a plaza with shops.  In the center the sidewalks are beautiful and at Christmas you can see how they decorate it, (sort of).  This same design is repeated  the whole length of the plaza.  
Merry Christmas from the Nelsons!
This is in Loulé where we live, I love this Street.  Below is the street that leads to the Castle where there is a huge Santa climbing up the wall.  Couldn't get a picture of him at night.

Evidence of Christmas 2

Family Home Evening In Albufeira

Walking to our car after the Family Home Evening I looked back and this walkway was so quaint and festive.  If you could look the other direction you would see the ocean.
Here is a street in Albufeira with Christmas lights.  It was so beautiful!!
This pictures isn't the greatest, but these lights were so elegant..  They went on and on up the street.
Another Street with lights.
More Lights!!
Oscar, he is always making us laugh!!
Matilda playing her Christmas duet at FHE.  She and her daughter will not be playing in the recital as they will be in Spain with her husband.
Nusta is 11 years old and loves to play.  She is very talented and she and her mother work together learning music.
More Ecuadorian children.  They have such beautiful eyes and hair!
Matilda, Gladys and Blanco... such nice people.

This is a comment site down the center of the city!!  Notice their hats!!

This is the Roundabout near the airport in Faro.  I love these chunky people looking 

up!!

                         Here is Hollie in front of some of our best graffiti.  

Trip to Ponte de Piedade

Portugal is famous for their beautiful sidewalks, stone designs.
               This is a rock found with seashell fossils.  
           Having a good time!!
Yup Gene is telling stories!!
     Lovin' life and wishing you all were here!!
The sun on these cliffs were so beautiful,  I wish you could be here to see 

this area of the world.
Here is a handsome guy that met us here and just sitting a looking quite cool above 

the cliffs.  Because of the breeze, the water was a bit choppy today.
Here he is again waiting so patiently as always while Hollie and I were taking 

pictures.  Look at that blue water!!  I wish you were here.
         Old and Young!!

I don't have my pictures in order, I guess I will learn how to change this.  Here is Hollie at the bottom of the stairs going down to the water.
Here is the walkway then stairs, it is quite a trip!!
No that isn't Gene or I at the stop of that cliff!!  Hollie said she got some good pictures up there though.
Notice the dry ground and rocks and jagged coast line.
Using our French Opal touring car for our little trip to Lagos.
  Now you have seen our favorite spot in the Algarve.