I have visited sixty-five countries in my life to date. I am sometimes asked if I have a favourite. I have several favourites, but it is Portugal that holds a special place in my heart. Why? Quite simply because I have found Portugal to be home to the friendliest people in the world. I may only have visited Portugal on business, but the people I have met in Portugal have become friends rather than mere business acquaintances.
This week I visited the Portuguese island of Madeira for the first time to carry out a review of the local branch of a company I work with regularly. One of my contacts flew over from mainland Portugal to meet me and introduce me to the local manager. The next morning his boss, the Portuguese managing director, arrived in the island. He didn’t have to come, but he came because I was visiting and because we are old friends. He came because he wanted not just to assist me in my review, but also because he wanted to share some of the beautiful island of Madeira with me.
After finishing work at 4:30 pm on Tuesday we took a quick trip back to the hotel to change into casual clothes, and then spent the next six hours being tourists, concluding the evening with a rather splendid meal. The next morning a Spanish colleague had to be dropped at the airport for 10:00. My flight wasn’t until 12:40 but I was quite happy to be left at the airport. That was never going to happen given that my Portuguese friends saw an opportunity to show me more of Madeira and enjoy a final cup of coffee together before parting company.
So I have been overwhelmed by kindness this week. How many people go to work and are thoroughly blessed by the kindness of colleagues? The kindness I was shown was given out of friendship rather than Christian or any other form of duty. I can’t tell you how that makes me feel, but it also makes me wonder how good a friend I am? And I have a special reason to be a good and trustworthy friend. The reason is my friend Jesus. If only I was as keen to share Jesus with other people as the Portuguese were to share Madeira with me. If only my friends were as keen to find out about Jesus as I was to find out about Madeira. If only.
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13-16 NLT)
Ebs and Flows... 
Wally Fry said:
I spent some time in Europe during my Army days, but never made it to the Iberian Peninsula. What beautiful pictures though.
David said:
Thank you Wally. I took a lot of photographs. The local manager kept stopping the car and saying, “Take a photograph, David!”
I hope you make it to Iberia one day. The food is wonderful and the people .. well the Portuguese are very special.
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
I’d love to see your passport stamps 🙂
Never been to either Spain or Portugal but would like to one day see both countries—Now Italy has quite the place in my heart—they may not be the nicest people but they are certainly animated 🙂
Wally Fry said:
Hi Julie!
I like Italians too. I spent a 1o day vacation at a little town on the Adriatic once. What made it so funny was it was an Italian town that was primarily a destination for German tourists. That made the supper table conversations quite interesting for the two English speakers LOL.
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
Language is a crazy thing and I wish I had the aptitude to learning those other than this native tongue of mine 🙂
Wally Fry said:
Hey I can get food and a bathroom in at least 5 languages LOL. But that’s about it. Used to anyway, now I just speak Arkinsaw.
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
and I can ask “how much?” 🙂
Wally Fry said:
Well, that is a critical skill, for sure!
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
After eating and finding a bathroom—or maybe even before 🙂
David said:
Sadly we don’t get stamps as Europeans travelling in Europe these days Julie.
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
oh that’s right—that whole open borders EU thing 🙂
but if you did, you’d have the prettiest passport around 🙂
David said:
Some of my old passports got pretty full. I wish they did stamp them. Most of my stamps now are from non-EU Eastern European countries. Plus two Russian visas.
Julie (aka Cookie) said:
Oooooo Russian—I would like to one day visit…but with trepidation certainly. I’ve taught, believe it or not, many a Russian foreign exchange student–one who liked it so much, she actually stayed and got married —I don’t think that’s much the plan but it happens 🙂
My cousin’s daughter did such in Florence…
but I think Poland is higher up on my bucket list—and that’s because of my love of John Paul—he loved his homeland so much and I have read of it’s importance in history as the country that has often stood in the line of defense between conqueror and conquered as it has sadly suffered from existence and non existence…but I have yet to work up my courage to want to go visit the death camps. I just finished that book I had told you about—about Pope Pius and the “clandestine” work of the Vatican under his watch in the resistance—a really hard tale…
David said:
Moscow is well worth a visit Julie. Getting the visa takes a bit of work. I visited Poland once when I was at sea and it was still a communist country. I went to Poland again in 2014 but it was only a flying visit for work. Beth spent a week there on a youth project and loved it.