Almost 1 year...

Tomorrow we've been here 11 months. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks I'll attempt to blog about our first year in Portugal. Specifically, I'd like to cover some of the things that helped us during this first year and perhaps suggest some things that didn't help. Although at this point I realize I'm talking mainly to myself, perhaps it'll be somewhat of a cathartic exercise.

The first topic I'd like to tackle is: Year 1: Keep expectations LOW

Although this seems straightforward, it's often the most difficult thing to accomplish. I can remember the years and months before we came to Portugal and we scoured the Internet, read every book, and tried to memorize facts about the country and culture. During our training period, we even had to do reports about the worldview of Portugal and discuss at length how the Gospel would best penetrate this culture. Yet, all the research and anticipation about the country and people made it difficult to keep expectations low.

When we first got here we had to really make an effort to keep expectations low. We agreed that we weren't the experts because we had read a bunch of books and somehow got selected to be sent to this country. We decided (insert made a daily effort) to not hold on to a lot of preconceived notions, but to simply become learners in our new environment. We didn't hold onto a sense of entitlement or privilege, but really tried to be content and thrive no matter the circumstance or situation. The payoff comes, I believe, when we've been able to look back and realize that having low expectations didn't cause us to feel like we were disappointed when something didn't work out exactly how our minds had planned. I mean, let's be honest, living overseas is a wonderful experience, but I couldn't have predicted one day of it because each day is different and full of new surprises.

So, my suggestion to those who come after: Although it's fun to read about your new country, try your hardest not to build up these grand expectations in your mind. I haven't yet experienced something here in Portugal that I had hatched up in my mind before coming. Everything is different and that is okay! I wish that every person coming to serve overseas would hit the ground and press a "reset" button that wipes away any type of expectation. Just come and genuinely enjoy learning instead of coming with expectations about how your life should work out in a brand new place. And, I guarantee that you will be surprised at how much you grow to trust in God as you truly let go of your control and allow Him to guide you in your new country.