The kids ran out of the staff area screaming ‘PORTUGAL!’
I poked my nose in after the stampede was over to discover Portugal had beaten Poland in the Euro football. Portugal flags were flying today. Imagine if they were to win..
Our friends at the school
The kids started in the morning singing in the church service in the next building. It was a lovely sound – the kids could actually sing well which was not a prerequisite for the call to prayer at the mosques in Indonesia. The whole atmosphere was harmonious and peaceful – a collection of airy buildings around a central square of dry earth in this remote island. I felt transported back to yesteryear in the time of the missionaries. Christianity was central to everything in this school, and a tranquil happiness pervaded. We were welcomed by the 5 priests/teachers who were happy to share their experiences with us. Breakfast was freshly baked bread with jam – a delicacy I have not had for a long time.
We also met an elderly gentleman from southern Germany – a carpenter who has been travelling the world to where his church sent him, building schools, houses, churches and other things. He has taught many people so they can take their skills and use them elsewhere. He has had quite a life in the most forgotten places on the planet.
Today the road hugged the coast, sometimes over flat plains, and a long stretch high above the sea, climbing and dropping along the mountainous coast. We stopped just before Dili and have been welcomed by a lovely family.
The coastal road to Dili
The coastal road to Dili
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