|
 |
|
|
GLOBETROTTING
23rd ISSUE - SUMMER 2000 SPONSORED BY TYCO INTERNATIONAL, LTD. "THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE DEVOTION TO MOTION WORLD TOUR" DESTINATION - PORTUGAL
Welcome friends as we circle the globe in search
of more effective ways to improve the quality of life. During
our journey we will explore various forms of complementary medicines
and share our findings with you. We will also address
accessibility issues and investigate more convenient options to ease
the never ending pressures of traveling. In each issue,
Globetrotting will have a special section created for today's youth
with an emphasis on educating children and teens on the historical
facts of each country.
Finally, each issue will contain two trivia
questions and some popular words and/or phrases from each country.
For more updated news, diary entries, in-depth research results, and
pictures from our journey, please visit our website, www.d2motion.com.
We hope you will enjoy the path we have chosen!!
D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #1
What were the three top tourist destinations (countries) in 1999?
COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
One of our major intentions for journeying to Portugal was to make a pilgrimage to Fatima, another magical destination where many miracles have evolved over the years. There is certainly a Catholic theme behind the whole mystique of Fatima, but that was not our purpose for visiting. Even though we have a respect and acceptance of all religions, including Catholicism, we are more focused on connecting with energies and beliefs. Fatima is certainly a place of faith and belief and has a very rare energy, similar to that of Lourdes, France. This belief has attracted millions of followers from all walks of life around the world and from 1917 to the present, is still considered a holy place. It is another form of faith healing which has transformed many lives and even has contributed to many healings on all levels; spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally.
On May 13, 1917, three children were putting
their sheep out to pasture in the Cova da Iria parish of Fatima in the
town of Villa Nova de Ourem. After doing their work and praying
the Rosary, both daily practices, they decided to build a little house
of stones when all of a sudden, a brilliant light appeared, where the
Basilica now stands, and scared the children. They thought it
was lightening and proceeded home. Moments later upon deciding
to go home, another flash lit up the area where the Chapel of
Apparitions now stands and "a Lady more brilliant than the
sun" unveiled herself, holding a white rosary. The Lady
informed the three little shepards that it was very important to pray
frequently. She then invited the children to return to the Cova
da Iria on the 13th of each month, at that same hour, for the next
five months. She appeared as promise and at the last apparition
on October 13th, with approximately 70,000 people in attendance, the
Lady revealed that she was the "Lady of the Rosary" and that
a chapel was to be built in her honor. After the apparition, the
Lady fulfilled her promise to the children that she had made in July
and September. The sun, resembling a silver disc, could be
viewed without any harm or discomfort to one's eyes and appeared to be
moving in a whirling motion as if descending upon the
earth.
Three more apparitions appeared to Sister Lucia
in Spain where the Lady requested the devotion of the first five
Saturdays to pray the Rosary, meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary,
confess and receive Holy Communion in reparation for the sins
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Consecration
of Russia to the same Immaculate Heart, known as the "Secret of
Fatima."
Several years later, Sister Lucia, the oldest
among the three children, revealed that between April and October of
1916, yes, the year before the apparitions in the Cova da Iria, an
angel had appeared to the three children on three separate occasions,
and asked the urged them to prayer and penance for their sins.
In 1919 and 1920, two of the children died at very young ages.
They both believed that their inevitable deaths from serious illnesses
were of higher purpose and that their suffering was for the conversion
of sinners and peace in the world for the Holy Father. Meanwhile,
Sister Lucia, now 93 years old, makes pilgrimages to Fatima quite
frequently and was recently by the Pope's side during his recent visit
to Fatima as part of his year-long pilgrimage of the path that Jesus
once took. The Pope recently unveiled a different interpretation or
belief of the third "secret" of Fatima. His belief is
that the third secret was a prophecy of the 1981 attempt on his life,
not a doomsday vision of the ending of the earth. The other two
"secrets" of Fatima were the ending of World War I and the
beginning of World War II, and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union,
which were revealed decades before the Pope's recent visit to Fatima.
Whether or not you personally believe in the
apparitions of Fatima or its secrets should not be of utmost
importance to all of us. If you are or have ever considered
making a pilgrimage or trip to Fatima, please go there with an open
mind and more importantly, an open heart. When Pat and I arrived
at the entrance of the sanctuary, I was overcome by emotions.
Tears of joy and happiness began to fall down my cheeks as if a dam
had just broken in my eyes. My emotions were not connected to
all the stories revealed to me over the years, but a present moment
awareness of where I was in my personal development. I looked
around and viewed people, from all parts of the world, young and old,
coming together in a peaceful manner. It was an experience I
wished I could have bottled and shared with all of you.
There were people crawling on their knees upon
entering the sanctuary, people making the sign of the cross, people
praying the Lord's prayer, people praying their own private prayers,
people asking for forgiveness, people asking for healing, and people
visiting for no purpose other than they had been told that Fatima was
a special place. Who is to judge why anyone comes to Fatima?
Who is to judge what anyone believes? Who is to judge what
anyone places his or her faith in and where? Miracles of all
kinds have materialized at Fatima. Why? Because there is a
certain energy there that when combined with one's faith and belief,
can produce just about anything, even a miracle. When you
believe, you can achieve. We are brought up in a material world
where, for the most part, we are slaves to our senses. Push your
comfort zone and the limitations that your mind experiences through
your senses. Once you have arrived at a place of uncertainty,
unknowing, and emptiness, please tune into your heart and let your
faith take over.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Vasco
Mendes de Almeida for arranging a driver, our newfound friend Angelo,
to take us to Fatima and point out the scenic sights on the route from
Lisbon to Fatima. Not only did we find three new brothers in
Vasco, Angelo, and Vasco's son Salvador, we also managed to adopt a
Portuguese mother, our dear friend Manuela. Thank you all for
your gracious hospitality.
NOTE: If
you or anyone in your circle of friends are connected with any healer
or complementary/alternative medical practitioner around the world who
you would like us to research or visit, please E-mail us: chesney12@comcast.net
D2M TRIVIA QUESTION #2
What is the longest recorded time that a chicken can fly?
ACCESSIBILITY
First lets talk about Portugal in terms of accessibility and tourism. Despite the fact that Portugal is a member of the European Union and despite the fact that Portugal has passed strict laws to care for their disabled population, the reality seems distorted. When we contacted a number of travel organizations, all stated that they do not have facilities for the disabled traveler, unless the person can walk up a couple of steps. According to some disabled Portuguese locals, this lack of carryover into fruition of the laws is due to the inept priorities of the politicians. Many who call Portugal home are getting frustrated with this inequality, they say they pay taxes just like everyone else, but do not have the same rights.
Public transportation is not accessible and
neither are the streets. As is the case with Greece, cars are
frequently parked on the sidewalk and traffic is much too fast to be
pushing alone on the streets. Many of the curb cuts are missing
and some roads are made of cobblestone, providing a challenge for some
wheelchair bound individuals. With respect to hotels in Lisbon,
you'll find a number of big-chain hotels to choose from so just ask
specifically what is meant by accessible. The majority of hotels
still seem to have no accommodations to sit in the shower, so you may
have to ask for a plastic chair or the like. Approximately 80%
of all public areas are not accessible to the disabled however,
tourist areas have a little better ratio.
We were lucky to be under Vasco's wing because
he was able to provide us with transportation throughout our stay.
In addition to accomplishing our regular D2M duties, he helped us
connect with the media which allowed our message to reach an
additional 10 million people internationally. Not only were we
on the 10 pm news on their international channel (TV1 / RTP) but we
participated in a documentary and had a television crew come follow us
when we visited Fatima. We could not have done this without
Vasco's help.
I read in a tourist book which said that when
people come to Portugal for the first time, they feel like they've
discovered something new. Believe it or not, the Portuguese are
the leaders in discovering new frontiers. You'll discover
beautiful scenery, old villas, delicious seafood and learn a whole new
vocabulary. Oh one more thing, just because Portugal is a member
of the European Union (EU), doesn't mean that the prices are
comparable. You'll find the majority of things (hotels,
beaches, tours and food) pretty inexpensive without compromising on
quality. All in all, you will definitely enjoy your stay in
Portugal, if you give it a chance and see it as a glorious vacation
destination.
If you've never thought of coming to Portugal,
you're really missing out. Portugal is a land that's on the western
most part of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean that seems to send
a mysterious fog over land. As a result, the fishing industry is
dominant here. The majority of Portuguese meals include fish and
seafood dishes, that you'll find delicious. While in Lisbon, we
were taken by the hand by our friend, and now part of our extended
family, Mr. Vasco Mendes de Almeida. His 18 year old son
Salvatore was paralyzed two years ago from a motorcycle accident and
is living life these days as a tetraplegic. We had the pleasure
to spend the majority of our time with Vasco and his family who truly
exemplify the meaning of family. Everyone has bonded together
because of the love they have for Salvatore. Just sharing a meal
with them, Scott and I could feel the love that they have for one
another. We want to thank Vasco and his family for helping make
our stay in Portugal truly memorable.
Vasco is responsible for creating a new
association in Lisbon that is working diligently to improve the
quality of life for paraplegics and tetraplegics. The
association is making it possible for people to receive laserpuncture
treatments (remember Albert Bohbot in our newsletter on France?)
in Lisbon. So much is happening so soon with the association
that we want to give them a little space and talk more about their
progress and developments in an upcoming D2M Extra. Best of luck
to them always!
EDUCATION
PROPER NAME OF COUNTRY: Republica
Portuguesa
Facts:
Historic dates:
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
A special poem for our D2M Family...
CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, He learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice. If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, He learns to like him or herself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world. (Author Unknown)
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!!
We will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro in the next issue. If you or any of your family, friends, and/or colleagues have contacts (alternative medicine practitioners, hotels, children, or simply friends and family) in these countries, please E-mail us and let them know we are coming! Thanks for your support!
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY??
Please E-mail us your thoughts, questions, comments, and/or suggestions about our newsletter and world tour. In addition, if you know people who can benefit from receiving future issues of "Globetrotting," please forward their E-mail addresses to us or simply forward the newsletter to them. You can reach us at chesney12@comcast.net
NEXT ISSUE!!
Click on that E-mail in two weeks when we visit the wondrous country of Brazil. Learn more about a man who is said to be the "Miracle Man," and find out about how much the Brazilians love their football. Until next time, keep globetrotting in your world!!
D2M TRIVIA ANSWERS
Trivia Answer # 1 - According to the WTO, the top three countries visited by tourists are: France with 71,400 visitors, Spain (51,958), and USA (46,983).
Thank you for listening and we'll visit you
again in two weeks!
Scott & Pratiksha Chesney |
|
