Douglas Porter

Voelker - August 2009

Summers here in Portugal give us a break from the regular school routine. Instead of teaching, Cal spends his time taking care of the grounds, painting and preparing teacher apartments and caring for teacher vehicles. He enjoys the change but is always ready to return to the classroom. He still loves teaching and daily contact with students.

August is vacation month in Portugal. By law, all full-time, contracted workers must be paid 14 months salary each year. Yes, you read that correctly. It was not a typo. Twice a year, in November and in August Portuguese workers receive a subsidy check = to one months salary. They often use the November check for Christmas and the August check for vacation. Four weeks vacation per year is also the norm. It is difficult to plan ministry activities during this month because so many people are vacationing. This significantly affects church attendance and means it is sometimes difficult to find enough teachers, preachers and personnel for other church responsibilities. Along with his usual responsibilities as grass cutter, sound technician and worship team member, Cal has been standing in the gap during the last three Sundays by teaching adult Sunday School. During our eight years ministering in Portugal this is the first time that he has taught in Portuguese. He taught an overview of Paul's 13 epistles. It was quite a challenge to prepare and present his lessons, however, with some help and patience on the part of the students, he did a good job. God was honored and those who were not on vacation, walked away with a booklet to which they can refer in the future as they study these books on their own. His love of teaching and sharing God's Truth helped him through the language challenges. Read more

by Douglas Porter