Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Branch Activity

On Saturday our little Portuguese Branch got together at a park near the ocean for an activity.  It was one of the best activities we have ever been to.  Every ward or branch should have availability to an ocean for an afternoon of fun.
 The men were grilling.  They had some fun trying to keep the heat going!!
 The park has a little paved in area of the ocean to make a swimming hole.  The water isn't too deep or to strong for kids.  After swimming awhile the boys began catching any sort of fish that they could.  We came home that evening with 1 fish and 6 crabs. 

 The adults and teenagers went snorkeling.  The water was beautiful.  We saw lots of fish and some other creatures too.  One lady got stung by a jelly fish.


 These girls were swimming in our beach bin.  They were so cute!

 There was plenty of time to sit around and chat.I think here we were comparing goosebumps from the cold popsicles.  You know me, I am pretty wimpy!
It is not easy to serve in a Branch where I don't speak the language very well, but activities like this make it all worth it!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Bullfight

When Curtis and I were headed out for dinner for our anniversary, we noticed a bunch of cars parked along the road and remembered that there was a bullfight in one of the local villages.
Fortunately we knew a Portuguese firefighter who has a house on the main street.  We hopped some wall barriers and had front row seats.
There was so good chases but noone got hurt.  The bull means business.  It was a bit scarier than watching it on tv.  Videos can't truly capture the full force of the bull.
It was an extra bonus to our anniversary celebration.  It has been fun to experience the cultures of the area.