Just a week and 1 day left and I'm getting excited about coming home. Things are going well here in Australia though. This past week, I had the opportunity to go on a trip with Ed and Joyce (and Tash and Andrew) up to Cairnes (pronounced Cannes). It's in the northern part of the country. We flew up on Monday afternoon, checked into our hotel, then grabbed a nice dinner and did some walking around. The next day was the exciting day! We were picked up by a bus at our hotel which took us to our boat! The sun is even more intense than it is here where I've been staying in the Brisbane area. So as we're on the boatride (sitting inside), we're putting on the sunscreen. The Aussies have a saying, "Slip, Slop, Slap." It means slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, and slap on a hat. In the area where we were, if you're in the sun for 20 minutes, you can burn to a crisp! It's that intense. Anyway, the boat then took us out to Green Island where Andrew, Tash and I snorkeled from the beach. Now I can say that I've snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef! We saw some neat looking fish, a couple of starfish, and a shark! Thankfully, we weren't in the water when we saw the shark :-) After snorkeling, we came back to the hotel and relaxed for a bit and then went out again that night. They have nighttime markets in the city, so we hit those up for a bit that night. The next day we didn't have much time, so we grabbed breakfast at a little cafe in town and then headed to the airport. All in all, it was a good trip.
This Thursday is my last day to teach RE. We are doing a Christmas lesson and making the class a special one. Tash and I will get together tomorrow and get all the details taken care of, but we wanted to do something a bit special for them since it's the last class. We will spend part of the time telling the Christmas story and then the last part of class will be fellowship time.
I'm also working on some last minute projects before I go. I have pretty much finished up the church library. I'm just working on getting a binder put together of all of the pages in the spreadsheet. And I'm doing various other jobs for Ed and Joyce. Some require making copies for future Sunday school lessons and I'm also doing some letterboxing (which means going from house to house and putting a church flyer in the mailboxes). You can actually put stuff in people's mailboxes here, unlike the U.S.
Well, I'll probably have one more post before I finish up my "Life in Oz" blog. After that, I'll take a break from blogging and maybe start up again after I'm Mrs. Michelle Dietrich!!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Almost done...
Well, my time is coming to an end here in Australia. I have 3 weeks left and I'll be heading home. The next 3 weeks will be busy though! In the middle of preparing for our church Christmas program, teaching RE, and making one last trip before I go, I have to pack! I've actually already started that process! This weekend, I went through my clothes and organized them a bit better so it'll be easier to pack them up. I even got rid of some things...Greg was so proud! I have a hard time parting with my clothes sometimes!
This past week, Joyce and I were able to go up to the mountains to a cabin that is owned by one of the church families. It's kind of like a cabin resort area with a bunch of cabins, a cafe/restaurant, golf course and tennis courts. When we checked in on Thursday afternoon, we were talking to a couple of the staff people and in conversation with one of the guys there, found out that he was originally from Philly and had moved over to Sydney about 6 years ago. So we had much to talk about!!! Of course, we got on the subject of Philly cheesesteaks! He was the chef in the kitchen that week, so he told Joyce and I to come by the next day and he would whip us up something special. So we went to the cafe for lunch the next day, and Frank made us some delicious cheesesteaks!!! It was a piece of home and was so yummy!
Next week, I'll be traveling with the Sims up to Cairnes (pronounced Cannes), which is in Northern Australia. This is one of the locations where you can catch tours of the Great Barrier Reef. We got a great package deal that includes airfare, hotel, and one of two tours (snorkeling the reef or a glass bottom boat tour of the reef). I've been snorkeling before down in Key West and was a nervous wreck (ask Brock, Carolyn, and Miguel...they'll remember!!!), and when I heard about the snorkeling on this trip, I was a bit apprehensive. But after thinking about it, and being coerced by my mother :-), I knew there was no way I could leave Australia and not snorkel the reef when given the chance. So my mind is pretty much made up...although I'll be a ball of nerves the whole time!
So home is on the horizon and I can't help but think of the madness that will start once I get there! Wedding planning will be full throttle and in just a matter of 5 to 6 months, I'll be a married woman. I am constantly amazed at the man God has so graciously given me. I come to appreciate Greg more and more. One of the most encouraging things is that he wants to live a Christ-centered life - spilling over into a Christ-centered relationship. Not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk. I have seen many evidences of this in the short time that we have known each other and it thrills me that this great man will be my husband in a matter of months.
I have been so thankful for my time here and at times, I know I have failed my God in making the most of this ministry opportunity. But I'm grateful that he forgives when we repent. What an amazing God we serve! I stand in awe of His sovereignty and I know that my plans and thoughts are not his plans and thoughts. I don't think I would have still come on this trip had I had my own way. Obviously, this trip was planned long before I met Greg. Only God knew all that would transpire in that time frame...and it was alot!! But Isaiah 55:8-9 continues to be an encouragement to me..."My thoughts are completely different from yours, says the Lord, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." My selfishness, so often, gets in the way of seeing how God uses circumstances to help me grow and become more like Christ.
Thanks for your prayers everyone! I have definitely felt the Spirit at work!!
This past week, Joyce and I were able to go up to the mountains to a cabin that is owned by one of the church families. It's kind of like a cabin resort area with a bunch of cabins, a cafe/restaurant, golf course and tennis courts. When we checked in on Thursday afternoon, we were talking to a couple of the staff people and in conversation with one of the guys there, found out that he was originally from Philly and had moved over to Sydney about 6 years ago. So we had much to talk about!!! Of course, we got on the subject of Philly cheesesteaks! He was the chef in the kitchen that week, so he told Joyce and I to come by the next day and he would whip us up something special. So we went to the cafe for lunch the next day, and Frank made us some delicious cheesesteaks!!! It was a piece of home and was so yummy!
Next week, I'll be traveling with the Sims up to Cairnes (pronounced Cannes), which is in Northern Australia. This is one of the locations where you can catch tours of the Great Barrier Reef. We got a great package deal that includes airfare, hotel, and one of two tours (snorkeling the reef or a glass bottom boat tour of the reef). I've been snorkeling before down in Key West and was a nervous wreck (ask Brock, Carolyn, and Miguel...they'll remember!!!), and when I heard about the snorkeling on this trip, I was a bit apprehensive. But after thinking about it, and being coerced by my mother :-), I knew there was no way I could leave Australia and not snorkel the reef when given the chance. So my mind is pretty much made up...although I'll be a ball of nerves the whole time!
So home is on the horizon and I can't help but think of the madness that will start once I get there! Wedding planning will be full throttle and in just a matter of 5 to 6 months, I'll be a married woman. I am constantly amazed at the man God has so graciously given me. I come to appreciate Greg more and more. One of the most encouraging things is that he wants to live a Christ-centered life - spilling over into a Christ-centered relationship. Not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk. I have seen many evidences of this in the short time that we have known each other and it thrills me that this great man will be my husband in a matter of months.
I have been so thankful for my time here and at times, I know I have failed my God in making the most of this ministry opportunity. But I'm grateful that he forgives when we repent. What an amazing God we serve! I stand in awe of His sovereignty and I know that my plans and thoughts are not his plans and thoughts. I don't think I would have still come on this trip had I had my own way. Obviously, this trip was planned long before I met Greg. Only God knew all that would transpire in that time frame...and it was alot!! But Isaiah 55:8-9 continues to be an encouragement to me..."My thoughts are completely different from yours, says the Lord, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." My selfishness, so often, gets in the way of seeing how God uses circumstances to help me grow and become more like Christ.
Thanks for your prayers everyone! I have definitely felt the Spirit at work!!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Finally made it to Sydney!
So school has started back up again and it's been a whirlwind the last 2 weeks. I have had 4 extra RE classes each week because I have been filling in for another teacher who has been away on holiday. I had subbed for this teacher once before so I was a little familiar with the students. In one of my classes, I had put together a review board game and had split the class up in two teams and picked spokespersons for each team. One of the girls continued to have a problem with their team's spokesperson and it ended up in a shouting match with cuss words flying. It wasn't until it was escalated that the teacher jumped in and handled the situation. This was after I had raised my voice several times, stopped the entire class, and waited for the girls to calm down. I was amazed that the teacher took that long to take care of the 2 girls. They were punished by sitting on opposite sides of the room and were no longer allowed to participate in the game. Interesting class!
My other classes have been quite interesting also. We allowed our students to write down questions that they had about what we had been teaching and about Christianity in general. Some of the questions seemed silly, but some of them were some pretty big questions. We took a class period last week to go over some of the questions. We didn't get through that many of them because the students had more questions, so we decided to answer some of them right then and there. Some of the questions, we had to tell them we would get back to them...I'm ok with saying that I don't know something and I don't want to look foolish trying to answer it. Anyway, I had one student say that, God was dead. I mean, this is a 9 year old saying this. And the funny thing is, our memory verse that we had been studying is from Daniel 6:26 where it talks about HE is the living God, the one who lives forever. I'm going to try to talk to this kid again in the weeks to come and ask him how he has come to the conclusion that God is dead. More than likely, it's something that he's heard at home.
This past week was incredibly busy. I was busy preparing for 2 days of classes (Thursday and Friday). Monday night was ladies' bible study and then Tuesday morning at 6am, I was headed to the Brisbane airport with Tash for our trip to Sydney. We got into Sydney around 11 am and hit the ground running. It was raining when we got into the city, so we bought some cheap umbrellas and started walking. We headed to our hotel so we could check in and drop our bags. The rain continued throughout the day, but we didn't let it stop us. We did Sydney Harbor and Manly, saw the Opera House (it's kind of hard to miss since it's the main attraction on the Harbor), and then we saw various other things throughout the city. Now, the Opera House...it's definitely a piece of work. I can remember seeing it on TV and seeing it in pictures all of my life, and it was cool being able to actually see it in person. I took lots of pictures for my mom...I would have loved for her to have been there with me. She would have enjoyed it.
That night, we rested in the hotel and then headed to the Sydney Tower for dinner. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's kind of like the Space Needle. It's a tall tower with a revolving restaurant at the top. So we did that for our one nice meal while we were in Sydney and I can now say that I have had kangaroo meat...and didn't like it one bit! It was way too gamey...the flavor was just not for me!
The next day, I had the opportunity to meet up with a college friend's girlfriend for coffee. My friend Jordan had been over in China for 3 years teaching and met a Chinese girl, they started dating, and now Jordan is back in the States and his girl Irene is studying for her masters in Sydney. He found out that I was in Australia and told me that his girlfriend was in Sydney. When I told him that I was planning a trip to Sydney, we both decided it would be great if I could meet up with Irene. So we planned ahead of time, and I was able to have coffee with her Wednesday morning in the city. It's amazing to me that I'm thousands and thousands of miles away from home and I was able to connect with an old friend's girlfriend. She was lovely and I really enjoyed chatting with her.
After coffee and breakfast, Tash and I started another day of sightseeing. We went to Bondi Beach which I absolutely loved. It turned out to be a beautiful day with no rain, so walking around Bondi was great!! I've said before, I love the ocean wherever I go...and this time was no different. This was actually my favorite out of all the beaches that I've seen here. Too bad it was chilly that day, because I would have loved to have gone swimming. The rest of the day was spent running around the city (using every type of transportation: train, bus and ferry). We visited Darling Harbor towards the end of the day, had a late lunch, and then tried to see Olympic Park but once we had gotten out to the train station to catch another train there, it was getting too late so we had to hop another train and head back to our hotel to grab our bags and head to the airport. All in all, it was a good trip, but I have come to a conclusion. All big cities are the same...
As for the rest of the week, I had classes on Thursday and Friday (all went smoothly) and then Friday night, some of the youth got together with a handful of people from another church in the area and we played some tennis. I'm terrible at it, but had a good time though. Saturday ended up being a semi-relaxing day which was good because Sunday was busy (as usual).
Not too much else going on here. I'm down to 6 weeks left and I can hardly contain my excitement! I am so ready to be with Greg again...and I miss my family too! But still so thankful for the opportunity that's been given to me.
Until next time...
My other classes have been quite interesting also. We allowed our students to write down questions that they had about what we had been teaching and about Christianity in general. Some of the questions seemed silly, but some of them were some pretty big questions. We took a class period last week to go over some of the questions. We didn't get through that many of them because the students had more questions, so we decided to answer some of them right then and there. Some of the questions, we had to tell them we would get back to them...I'm ok with saying that I don't know something and I don't want to look foolish trying to answer it. Anyway, I had one student say that, God was dead. I mean, this is a 9 year old saying this. And the funny thing is, our memory verse that we had been studying is from Daniel 6:26 where it talks about HE is the living God, the one who lives forever. I'm going to try to talk to this kid again in the weeks to come and ask him how he has come to the conclusion that God is dead. More than likely, it's something that he's heard at home.
This past week was incredibly busy. I was busy preparing for 2 days of classes (Thursday and Friday). Monday night was ladies' bible study and then Tuesday morning at 6am, I was headed to the Brisbane airport with Tash for our trip to Sydney. We got into Sydney around 11 am and hit the ground running. It was raining when we got into the city, so we bought some cheap umbrellas and started walking. We headed to our hotel so we could check in and drop our bags. The rain continued throughout the day, but we didn't let it stop us. We did Sydney Harbor and Manly, saw the Opera House (it's kind of hard to miss since it's the main attraction on the Harbor), and then we saw various other things throughout the city. Now, the Opera House...it's definitely a piece of work. I can remember seeing it on TV and seeing it in pictures all of my life, and it was cool being able to actually see it in person. I took lots of pictures for my mom...I would have loved for her to have been there with me. She would have enjoyed it.
That night, we rested in the hotel and then headed to the Sydney Tower for dinner. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's kind of like the Space Needle. It's a tall tower with a revolving restaurant at the top. So we did that for our one nice meal while we were in Sydney and I can now say that I have had kangaroo meat...and didn't like it one bit! It was way too gamey...the flavor was just not for me!
The next day, I had the opportunity to meet up with a college friend's girlfriend for coffee. My friend Jordan had been over in China for 3 years teaching and met a Chinese girl, they started dating, and now Jordan is back in the States and his girl Irene is studying for her masters in Sydney. He found out that I was in Australia and told me that his girlfriend was in Sydney. When I told him that I was planning a trip to Sydney, we both decided it would be great if I could meet up with Irene. So we planned ahead of time, and I was able to have coffee with her Wednesday morning in the city. It's amazing to me that I'm thousands and thousands of miles away from home and I was able to connect with an old friend's girlfriend. She was lovely and I really enjoyed chatting with her.
After coffee and breakfast, Tash and I started another day of sightseeing. We went to Bondi Beach which I absolutely loved. It turned out to be a beautiful day with no rain, so walking around Bondi was great!! I've said before, I love the ocean wherever I go...and this time was no different. This was actually my favorite out of all the beaches that I've seen here. Too bad it was chilly that day, because I would have loved to have gone swimming. The rest of the day was spent running around the city (using every type of transportation: train, bus and ferry). We visited Darling Harbor towards the end of the day, had a late lunch, and then tried to see Olympic Park but once we had gotten out to the train station to catch another train there, it was getting too late so we had to hop another train and head back to our hotel to grab our bags and head to the airport. All in all, it was a good trip, but I have come to a conclusion. All big cities are the same...
As for the rest of the week, I had classes on Thursday and Friday (all went smoothly) and then Friday night, some of the youth got together with a handful of people from another church in the area and we played some tennis. I'm terrible at it, but had a good time though. Saturday ended up being a semi-relaxing day which was good because Sunday was busy (as usual).
Not too much else going on here. I'm down to 6 weeks left and I can hardly contain my excitement! I am so ready to be with Greg again...and I miss my family too! But still so thankful for the opportunity that's been given to me.
Until next time...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Definitely time for an update!
Yep, it's time for an update! Sorry to all of you who are following my blog...life has become pretty "normal" here, so a lot of times, I don't have much to say. I do like to use my blog to tell you what I'm learning, so that's what the last 2 posts have been about.
The last couple of weeks have been pretty quiet. The schools have been on holidays here so I haven't had any classes to teach and no Kid's club on Sunday nights either. Since school is year round here, the kids get various breaks throughout the year. This break was 2 weeks long. So the past couple of weeks, I've been helping out around the house, working on the library at church, listening to sermons from Grace Bible Church in Philly and doing lots of reading (some at home and some at a coffee shop). I'm glad for the extra time that I had to do all of those things especially filling my days with the Word. I'm constantly reminded how important it is to be saturated with the Word.
This past Sunday night, Tash and I headed into the city for some starbucks and some walking around. The city of Brisbane set up a huge fancy ferris wheel by the river called the Brisbane Wheel, so Tash and I decided to check it out. When we went to inquire about tickets, we found that they were 15 bucks! I don't know that I would have paid that, but Tash graciously paid for both of us to go on it. Each car is an enclosed gondola and since it wasn't busy, we got our own one. It was a really neat experience.
Now....school is back in session and I have class Thursday and Friday. My normal class is Thursday and I'm filling in for another teacher on Friday. So I spent some of my morning preparing for that today and then spent the rest of the time working up at the church. The library is moving along and I probably have about 10 hours left of data entry (sounds like a lot, but a couple hours a day for 5 days isn't that much). After that, it will just be pure organization...which I like to do! Once that project is done, I'll move onto another one; not sure of what that one is yet.
Next week I'm headed to Sydney with Tash. We are taking a 2 day/1 night trip down there. I'm looking forward to being able to see another big city of Australia and plan to do lots of sightseeing and take lots of pictures!! My mom would kill me if I didn't take pictures of the Sydney Opera House...don't worry mom!
Well, that's about it. I'm about 56 days from coming home and that seems unbelieveable! It's hard to imagine that it's almost the middle of October. Before I know it, it'll be December and I'll be on a plane headed home. And as soon as I get home...I get to plan a wedding!!!
Here's a few pictures...the bird is a kookaburra!
The last couple of weeks have been pretty quiet. The schools have been on holidays here so I haven't had any classes to teach and no Kid's club on Sunday nights either. Since school is year round here, the kids get various breaks throughout the year. This break was 2 weeks long. So the past couple of weeks, I've been helping out around the house, working on the library at church, listening to sermons from Grace Bible Church in Philly and doing lots of reading (some at home and some at a coffee shop). I'm glad for the extra time that I had to do all of those things especially filling my days with the Word. I'm constantly reminded how important it is to be saturated with the Word.
This past Sunday night, Tash and I headed into the city for some starbucks and some walking around. The city of Brisbane set up a huge fancy ferris wheel by the river called the Brisbane Wheel, so Tash and I decided to check it out. When we went to inquire about tickets, we found that they were 15 bucks! I don't know that I would have paid that, but Tash graciously paid for both of us to go on it. Each car is an enclosed gondola and since it wasn't busy, we got our own one. It was a really neat experience.
Now....school is back in session and I have class Thursday and Friday. My normal class is Thursday and I'm filling in for another teacher on Friday. So I spent some of my morning preparing for that today and then spent the rest of the time working up at the church. The library is moving along and I probably have about 10 hours left of data entry (sounds like a lot, but a couple hours a day for 5 days isn't that much). After that, it will just be pure organization...which I like to do! Once that project is done, I'll move onto another one; not sure of what that one is yet.
Next week I'm headed to Sydney with Tash. We are taking a 2 day/1 night trip down there. I'm looking forward to being able to see another big city of Australia and plan to do lots of sightseeing and take lots of pictures!! My mom would kill me if I didn't take pictures of the Sydney Opera House...don't worry mom!
Well, that's about it. I'm about 56 days from coming home and that seems unbelieveable! It's hard to imagine that it's almost the middle of October. Before I know it, it'll be December and I'll be on a plane headed home. And as soon as I get home...I get to plan a wedding!!!
Here's a few pictures...the bird is a kookaburra!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What is a servant?
Webster's says that it is "one that serves others". The Free Dictionary says it is "one who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another". My definition would be one that serves with no thought of theirselves. One who serves and seeks no praise, but the praise of Jesus. One who gives the glory to God alone. Am I that person? Far from it! My sin nature says, "I'll do it, but what recognition will I get?"or "what am I gaining from this?" or "do I really have to?" What in the world am I thinking? Who am I to gain recognition? Who has given me the ability to do all that I do? Who am I to take credit away from the most high God? How dare me? That has been my struggle recently. What is God teaching me? I'm learning so much about what it means to be a servant. I just want the Spirit to continue moving in my heart to change me so that I might be the servant that my God wants me to be.
In reading through some Old Testament verses, I find 3 true servants that stand out:
Moses - It says over and over in many passages of scriptures that he was a "servant of the Lord". You can look at Moses' leadership for 40 years in the wilderness and find that he was a faithful servant of the Lord through the good and bad times.
Samuel - A true servant of the Lord. He listened to the voice of the Lord and obeyed!
David - A faithful servant. Even through his sin and his forgiveness, he proved that he was a servant of God.
In Luke 12:47 it says, "And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating." Jesus is telling a parable about servants preparing for their master's arrival. The master will come on a day and an hour that will not be expected. Opportunities to serve constantly come, we know the Master's will, so BE READY!
Do I fail at this? Oh yes...all of the time! But God has called me to serve and I praise Him for continuing to show me that! Praise Him for his forgiveness and His mercy when I fail!
In reading through some Old Testament verses, I find 3 true servants that stand out:
Moses - It says over and over in many passages of scriptures that he was a "servant of the Lord". You can look at Moses' leadership for 40 years in the wilderness and find that he was a faithful servant of the Lord through the good and bad times.
Samuel - A true servant of the Lord. He listened to the voice of the Lord and obeyed!
David - A faithful servant. Even through his sin and his forgiveness, he proved that he was a servant of God.
In Luke 12:47 it says, "And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating." Jesus is telling a parable about servants preparing for their master's arrival. The master will come on a day and an hour that will not be expected. Opportunities to serve constantly come, we know the Master's will, so BE READY!
Do I fail at this? Oh yes...all of the time! But God has called me to serve and I praise Him for continuing to show me that! Praise Him for his forgiveness and His mercy when I fail!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Why am I here?
God has been gently reminding me of why I'm here in Australia. It isn't like something big has hit me, but it was just a certain situation where I exercised selfishness in ministry and was instantly rebuked by the Holy Spirit. Why am I here? Is it for a break from life or do I really want to serve for the glory of my Lord? I get discouraged because I don't see results, but what's important is that the deed is being done, the seed is being sown, the truth is getting out. Whether it's in church through music, through teaching my kids on Sunday nights, or through my classes that I teach on Thursday mornings, the TRUTH is getting out there and it's my job to do the best that I can (with strength coming only from the Lord) with the task that has been given to me. Yes, I am selfish...I am human. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. My heart is wicked but because of the grace of God, my sins have been forgiven. Even though this is true, it doesn't mean that I won't struggle. But God is merciful and forgives. So why am I here? I'm here to serve the people of Great Hope Baptist Church in any capacity, I'm here to teach religious education to kids each Thursday, and I'm here to help the Sims (as a family) in any way that I can. I know that God is using this time to challenge and sharpen me. He is revealing sin in my life and that makes me rejoice. I want to be refined. I want to grow more like my Jesus. So my prayer is that HE will keep revealing sin and making me more like Him.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A little busy...
Just a short note to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about my blog. Things have been a bit busy. My religious education classes started up last week and I found myself worn out by Friday afternoon. I only taught 2 days (7 classes) and found that teaching is definitely not my calling! For those of you who do it all day every day, kudos to you. I enjoy doing it for short periods of time! The classes are going well though and I have some great students. They are eager to learn which makes it easier to teach! Tash and I even received several compliments from the teachers of how well it went. This week in our first class after my lesson, the teacher asked me if I was a teacher, I answered no. Then he asked if I had ever thought about being a teacher, I said yes. And then he proceeded to tell me that I would make an excellent teacher and that I did a fantastic job. Hmmm, I wonder if the Lord has a new calling for me. Anyway, hopefully, we can continue having good classes in the coming weeks.
I'm also teaching a class on Sunday nights during our kids' club. That has been interesting as some of my kids are Tongan and don't speak English very well. I will be using a lot more pictures in my lessons so it's easier for them to understand. But it's been neat to have such a young moldable group. This past week we learned about the sovereignty of God. It thrilled my heart to be teaching these kids the great theology that the sovereignty of God encompasses. Even with kids as young as I have, it's quite easy to bring things down on their level to teach them that God is in control of every aspect of their lives and knows what's to come.
I have been able to spend some time with a young mother in the church. I say young, but she's older than I am. This couple has been coming to the church here since right around the time that I came over. They were both born in Romania, but Ioana grew up Israel and Josef spent most of his life here in Australia. They have a little boy named Daniel who brings a smile to my face every time I see him. This past Tuesday, Ioana invited me over, so I arrived right around tea time and we sat and chatted for almost an hour and a half before the baby woke up. We decided to take a walk down to the shops and walk around for a bit. She bought me lunch which was very sweet and all in all I had a very nice time with her and look forward to many more days like that. She said she invited me over because she knows there is no one my age in the church. Her and Josef are a couple of years older than I am. How thoughtful of her.
As I sit and write, I can hear the pouring rain outside. For those of you who don't like rain, it's a blessing here. This area is a very dry area and we have actually been in a drought and have water restrictions in effect. That means, short showers, no washing your car, no watering your lawn, etc. It has been raining for almost 2 days straight which is still not enough to quench the drought, but it's still good us!
Well, until next time....
I'm also teaching a class on Sunday nights during our kids' club. That has been interesting as some of my kids are Tongan and don't speak English very well. I will be using a lot more pictures in my lessons so it's easier for them to understand. But it's been neat to have such a young moldable group. This past week we learned about the sovereignty of God. It thrilled my heart to be teaching these kids the great theology that the sovereignty of God encompasses. Even with kids as young as I have, it's quite easy to bring things down on their level to teach them that God is in control of every aspect of their lives and knows what's to come.
I have been able to spend some time with a young mother in the church. I say young, but she's older than I am. This couple has been coming to the church here since right around the time that I came over. They were both born in Romania, but Ioana grew up Israel and Josef spent most of his life here in Australia. They have a little boy named Daniel who brings a smile to my face every time I see him. This past Tuesday, Ioana invited me over, so I arrived right around tea time and we sat and chatted for almost an hour and a half before the baby woke up. We decided to take a walk down to the shops and walk around for a bit. She bought me lunch which was very sweet and all in all I had a very nice time with her and look forward to many more days like that. She said she invited me over because she knows there is no one my age in the church. Her and Josef are a couple of years older than I am. How thoughtful of her.
As I sit and write, I can hear the pouring rain outside. For those of you who don't like rain, it's a blessing here. This area is a very dry area and we have actually been in a drought and have water restrictions in effect. That means, short showers, no washing your car, no watering your lawn, etc. It has been raining for almost 2 days straight which is still not enough to quench the drought, but it's still good us!
Well, until next time....
Saturday, August 23, 2008
My Holiday in Caloundra and a trip to the Australia Zoo
It's been a while since my last post, but that would be because I was on holiday and we didn't have internet access at the house where we were staying. So this is a summary of my week.
Sunday night we headed up the coast to Caloundra. Caloundra is about an hour or so drive up from Springfield (where I live) and we left Sunday evening after kids' club. There were 3 of us young people (I get thrown in the young people category) and then Ed and Joyce. We got settled in to the house, picked our rooms and got some much needed sleep. Monday was our day to do what we wanted. We only had one car, so we spent the week being chaffeurs to each other! The nice thing though is that you can walk just about anywhere. There were lots of things to do: golf, tennis, walks on the beach, olympic watching, Lord of the Rings marathon, etc. Tuesday, Tash and I dropped Ed and Matthew off at the golf course and then went exploring. We hit the downtown area and did some shopping, had some coffee and gelattis, and then came back to the house to rest. Joyce and Tash ended up going off to the store and I took the opportunity that afternoon to have some quiet time. I packed up a bag and headed down to the beach. We were about a 5 minute walk from the ocean front. I enjoyed so much being able to sit out on the sand (in the amazing sun) and watch the water come in and out, in and out. It reminds of what a great Creator we have. I spent some time reading and really just pondering God's goodness towards me.
Wednesday came, and that day was a fun day. Joyce took Tash and I down to Eumundi Markets. People set up tents and various stations every Wednesday morning and sell their stuff. It was awesome and I wish Ashley (best bud) could have been with me. She would have loved it! We spent a good 3 and a half hours there and I was able to pick up some good stuff to bring home. We finally started to make our way home...stopped by the giant pineapple. If any of you have ever seen the giant peach in South Carolina on Interstate 85, you'll know what I'm talking about. This place had a giant pineapple and a giant macadamia! Crazy what people come up with! After getting home, we rested for a couple of hours and then we all headed out to Hogs Breath for dinner. Apparently, Hogs Breath is famous for the way they cook their prime rib, but I've been there twice to eat and haven't gotten the prime rib!
Thursday was another easy day with not much going on. Friday was the day for Australia Zoo and the Home of the Crocodile Hunter. They are one and the same and Steve Irwin still lives! Maybe not in body, but his voice is everywhere in that zoo and so are his pictures. It's like he's still alive. This was the biggest zoo that I had ever been too...so much to see and do and definitely more interactive than other zoo. There are always zoo workers walking around with animals and they let you pet them as much as you want. As we were entering the zoo, I was one of the last in line to buy a ticket. Tash, Ruth and Mattie had already gone ahead of me and were waiting for me to get done. I walked up to them once I was done and they were standing there talking to one of the zoo people. He had what looked like a furry animal wrapped up in a blanket. At first I thought it was a bit dodgy (that means shady or sketchy to you Americans) and that he didn't really have a real animal in the blanket. But Tash and Mattie were talking about how they had already got to pet it (baby Tazmanian Devil - they do exist) and the zoo guy was very coercive in getting me to pet it. I finally decided that this guy must be for real and reached out to pet it. And just as I had thought before, it was a dodgy situation! The guy had a hand puppet in his arms and as soon as I touched it, he popped out the puppet and scared me!! Tash said my reaction was priceless and she wished she would have videod the whole thing!
Moving through the zoo, we saw lots of different animals. But I was mainly concerned about 2 animals: kangas and koalas - the 2 most popular animal icons of Australia. I have been waiting most of my life to see these 2 animals in person! Not only did I get to see them, but I got to hold a baby koala and pet the kangaroos! At different times in the day you can get your picture taken with various animals, so you can bet that I was in line to hold the koala. Fortunately, there was no one in front of me or behind me in line, so I got some extra time with Ashlyn the baby koala. Let me just tell ya, it was an experience of a lifetime! I absolutely loved it and would have held that baby all day if they would have let me. She snuggled up against me and fell asleep! Tash and I got to see the koala show after lunch and learned all about how each part of their body plays an important role in their daily lives. I also got to pet the kangaroos! They have a huge area full of kangaroos and they're spread out everywhere...no fences, no nothing. You can just walk up to them and pet them and they don't run away or get agitated. I even got to see a mama with a joey in her pouch! It was awesome! We also got to the see the Croc show which was pretty sweet. Probably not as exciting as it would have been if Steve Irwin had been there....Crickey! But nonetheless, it was a good show. Spent a couple more hours at the zoo after lunch and saw various animals and finally decided we were tired of walking and we headed home.
Saturday we finally headed home. We spent most of the day just doing various things, walking into town, coffee, and then packing and cleaning. All in all, it was a good holiday and I'm glad that I got to go with the Sims. Now it's back to the grind. I start my RE classes this week, so I'll be teaching Thursday and Friday this week and then every Thursday going forward. I'm looking forward to that and I know that once that gets rolling, time will probably fly and I'll be home in no time.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Gold Coast and the rest of the week
This past Tuesday came and with it meant another day of adventure for me! Aunt Joyce took me down to the Gold Coast. It's about a 30 - 40 minute drive from where we live here in Springfield. For those of you who don't know what the Gold Coast is, here's a little information from Wikipedia:
****Gold Coast City is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate, popular surfing beaches, expansive waterway and canal systems, a skyline dominated by high-rise apartment buildings, active nightlife and a wide variety of tourist attractions.**** So that's a little info for ya. Gold Coast is also home to Surfer's Paradise.
Anyway, we made the drive out there, parked down at the water and then did some walking around. When I've said in the past that I love the ocean and have never wanted to live far from it....I was being truthful. Truth is, I had only experienced the Atlantic Ocean and its murky waters in VA Beach. Seeing the South Pacific Ocean was amazing!!! All you can see is blue for miles...it's absolutely beautiful! I miss Greg more at times like that because I wish he could share it with me! Alright...back to my day...after parking the car, we grabbed some lunch at Hog's Breath (yummy American restaurants with lots on the menu to choose from). We both settled on some healthy salads and enjoyed the not so busy atmosphere of the restaurant. With lunch out of the way, we walked through the streets of an outside shopping area and then in the mall. I was able to pick up something for myself and picked up a little something for my best bud Ashley.
We finally headed out to the beach. The weather has still been chilly here, so you wouldn't think it warm enough to swim, but even though the air is cool, the water is not! It was comfortably warm and I almost wished that I would have stuck more than just my feet in! But the nice thing about living where I do, I can go back to the Gold Coast anytime I want! We spent a little time just taking in the sun and our surroundings and then we headed back into the shopping area to get some dessert! There was a quaint little icecream shop that we had seen before when we were walking around, so we found it again and got some deliciousness! I have to be honest and say that it was the best icecream that I have ever had! White chocolate icecream with white chocolate chips and gobs of caramel...so fantastic!
So after a fun day at the ocean, we headed home. I have been so blessed to be able to experience God's creation here...we have an amazing God who has made beautiful things for us to be able to enjoy!
On Wednesday, I spent most of my day at the church with Ed and Joyce. A couple of our kid's club kids came out too. There was a school holiday on Wednesday and Thursday so they didn't have to be in school. Joyce and the kids spent most of the day outside in the flowerbeds trying to make it look presentable, while I spent most of the day inside at the computer. I started my library project that day. The church has a bunch of books that have been donated to them over the years and I am creating a library for all of them. So I'm pulling them off the shelves, entering them into an Excel spreadsheet and now have to figure out a checking out/checking in system for the church members. We put in a good 5 hours or so at the church and then headed home to freshen up for church that evening.
Today (Thursday) was a pretty relaxed day. Because the schools were on holiday today also, we didn't have any RE classes to teach. The morning was relaxed and this afternoon, Aunt Joyce and I took Harmony to the local zoo and did some walking around. It was a small zoo so there weren't that many animals to look at, but it was good to get outside. We didn't spend too much time there because Harmony got tired and we brought her home for her afternoon nap. Since then, I've just been chatting with the Sims, took one of their dogs for a walk, and enjoyed spending some time with Lee, Vanessa and their kids. Until next time...
****Gold Coast City is renowned for its sunny subtropical climate, popular surfing beaches, expansive waterway and canal systems, a skyline dominated by high-rise apartment buildings, active nightlife and a wide variety of tourist attractions.**** So that's a little info for ya. Gold Coast is also home to Surfer's Paradise.
Anyway, we made the drive out there, parked down at the water and then did some walking around. When I've said in the past that I love the ocean and have never wanted to live far from it....I was being truthful. Truth is, I had only experienced the Atlantic Ocean and its murky waters in VA Beach. Seeing the South Pacific Ocean was amazing!!! All you can see is blue for miles...it's absolutely beautiful! I miss Greg more at times like that because I wish he could share it with me! Alright...back to my day...after parking the car, we grabbed some lunch at Hog's Breath (yummy American restaurants with lots on the menu to choose from). We both settled on some healthy salads and enjoyed the not so busy atmosphere of the restaurant. With lunch out of the way, we walked through the streets of an outside shopping area and then in the mall. I was able to pick up something for myself and picked up a little something for my best bud Ashley.
We finally headed out to the beach. The weather has still been chilly here, so you wouldn't think it warm enough to swim, but even though the air is cool, the water is not! It was comfortably warm and I almost wished that I would have stuck more than just my feet in! But the nice thing about living where I do, I can go back to the Gold Coast anytime I want! We spent a little time just taking in the sun and our surroundings and then we headed back into the shopping area to get some dessert! There was a quaint little icecream shop that we had seen before when we were walking around, so we found it again and got some deliciousness! I have to be honest and say that it was the best icecream that I have ever had! White chocolate icecream with white chocolate chips and gobs of caramel...so fantastic!
So after a fun day at the ocean, we headed home. I have been so blessed to be able to experience God's creation here...we have an amazing God who has made beautiful things for us to be able to enjoy!
On Wednesday, I spent most of my day at the church with Ed and Joyce. A couple of our kid's club kids came out too. There was a school holiday on Wednesday and Thursday so they didn't have to be in school. Joyce and the kids spent most of the day outside in the flowerbeds trying to make it look presentable, while I spent most of the day inside at the computer. I started my library project that day. The church has a bunch of books that have been donated to them over the years and I am creating a library for all of them. So I'm pulling them off the shelves, entering them into an Excel spreadsheet and now have to figure out a checking out/checking in system for the church members. We put in a good 5 hours or so at the church and then headed home to freshen up for church that evening.
Today (Thursday) was a pretty relaxed day. Because the schools were on holiday today also, we didn't have any RE classes to teach. The morning was relaxed and this afternoon, Aunt Joyce and I took Harmony to the local zoo and did some walking around. It was a small zoo so there weren't that many animals to look at, but it was good to get outside. We didn't spend too much time there because Harmony got tired and we brought her home for her afternoon nap. Since then, I've just been chatting with the Sims, took one of their dogs for a walk, and enjoyed spending some time with Lee, Vanessa and their kids. Until next time...
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Rainforest
Saturday I got to visit Lamington National Park and O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat. The drive was about an hour and a half and we made it up there around 10 am Saturday morning. It was good to be there at that hour of the day because there weren't as many people there yet. The drive up was beautiful but very winding...I thought the bends and turns were never going to stop and I began to get very tired of them! My head was screaming "Please give me some straight stretches of road!!!" We finally made it to the top of the mountain, parked and started our adventure. Our first stop was to feed the birds - larakeets and king parrots to be exact. Larakeets are a bright red color with a touch of blue and various other colors. King parrots are a brilliant green and are absolutely beautiful! These birds love sunflower seeds so we came prepared with our bag of seeds. It was as simple as taking a handful of birdseed, holding your hand out, and wait for the birds to flock you and that's exactly what they did! When they see that you have seed, they come and get it. If it's in your hand, they will sit on your wrist and eat right out of your hand. I put on a dorky looking hat, so the birds could sit on my head and eat seed from the top! It was quite the experience!
After feeding the birds, we headed on our next adventure and that was the Tree Top Walk. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat has a "nature" walk throughout the rainforest that consist of suspended walking bridges (many of them high into the trees). As we started to climb, I began to see how high we were actually going. It was pretty cool to walk near the tops of trees. We wandered about for a while, did some exploring, saw some other birds on the trail, and then we headed back out to the picnic area and ate our delicious lunch that we had packed. After lunch, we looked around the gift shop a bit, and then headed out. We took the long way home and went through some beautiful country and I was also able to capture some shots of the beautiful Gold Coast from a distance. Gold Coast is absolutely fabulous and from my view, you could still tell how purely blue the water was! It was incredible! I just saw it from a distance that day, but get to see it up close and personal this week! Joyce and I will be making a visit to the Coast on Tuesday I believe.
Today was church and I once again got to minister in music during the service. The Lord is really using the small group that I do music with. They're learning a bunch of new music, so we have been sitting around and "musicing" (my word) when we get together. It's definitely an encouragement to be able to sing the praises of our Lord in these songs. After church today, we did a little door-to door. It's basically just a time when we can get our church's name out in the community. I had a chance to share my testimony with Tash (she's a believer) and what God had been doing in my life the past several years. Even listening to myself talk, I am amazed that God has been so good to me and how his grace is sufficient for me.
God continues to be faithful to me. I still have a little under 4 months left and I know that God has much time to continue to be faithful to me while I'm here. I'm thankful that he has sovereignly led me to Australia and I trust that He's going to continue His good work in me.
After feeding the birds, we headed on our next adventure and that was the Tree Top Walk. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat has a "nature" walk throughout the rainforest that consist of suspended walking bridges (many of them high into the trees). As we started to climb, I began to see how high we were actually going. It was pretty cool to walk near the tops of trees. We wandered about for a while, did some exploring, saw some other birds on the trail, and then we headed back out to the picnic area and ate our delicious lunch that we had packed. After lunch, we looked around the gift shop a bit, and then headed out. We took the long way home and went through some beautiful country and I was also able to capture some shots of the beautiful Gold Coast from a distance. Gold Coast is absolutely fabulous and from my view, you could still tell how purely blue the water was! It was incredible! I just saw it from a distance that day, but get to see it up close and personal this week! Joyce and I will be making a visit to the Coast on Tuesday I believe.
Today was church and I once again got to minister in music during the service. The Lord is really using the small group that I do music with. They're learning a bunch of new music, so we have been sitting around and "musicing" (my word) when we get together. It's definitely an encouragement to be able to sing the praises of our Lord in these songs. After church today, we did a little door-to door. It's basically just a time when we can get our church's name out in the community. I had a chance to share my testimony with Tash (she's a believer) and what God had been doing in my life the past several years. Even listening to myself talk, I am amazed that God has been so good to me and how his grace is sufficient for me.
God continues to be faithful to me. I still have a little under 4 months left and I know that God has much time to continue to be faithful to me while I'm here. I'm thankful that he has sovereignly led me to Australia and I trust that He's going to continue His good work in me.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Downtown Brisbane
Joyce and I headed downtown on Tuesday morning and spent the day sightseeing in the city. After getting off the train in central station and walking towards the historic clock tower, I reached in my bag for my camera, only to discover that I had brought my camera but left my memory card in my computer. So much for taking pictures that day!! I was disappointed, but came to the realization that it's not the last time that I will be going downtown. Pictures will just have to wait until the next time. We did a lot of walking. There is a rather large mall in the center of the city, so we window shopped for a while. The mall is 5 stories, so you can imagine how many stores are actually in the mall. After the mall, we headed across the footbridge over the Brisbane River and over to South Bank. South Bank is a quaint part of the city. There are nice restaurants and shops and there's also a man-made beach in the middle of it all. It's a huge swimming area with a sandy beach...and it's free to the public! It's laid out beautifully and attracts many people when the weather is a bit warmer. After doing alot of walking, we took tea (coffee for me) at a small little shop on South Bank. Here, there is morning and afternoon tea times. We were able to sit back and relax for a little while until we started the long walk back to the train station. On our way back to the train, we stopped in at Krispy Kreme (the only one in this whole area of Brisbane and its suburbs). I quickly found out that they are high in demand and you pay a pretty penny for a dozen. For a dozen assorted donuts, you shell out 20 bucks! That's ridiculous if you ask me!!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I was very tired from the packed full day. I'm pretty much over my jetlag, but I still struggle from time to time with either waking up very early in the morning (like 3 or 4 am) or getting very tired around 2 in the afternoon. My body is still getting used to the time difference.
This morning I worked on a couple of things for Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce. I have started updating the prayer list for them on Wednesday mornings while they go teach. I was able to walk up to the grocery store too this morning and pick up some ingredients to be able to make dinner for the family tomorrow night. They have been so generous in letting me stay with them and don't ask for anything of me, but I want to be able to serve them in the ways that I can. So I'll cook maybe once or twice a week...since I'm not having to pay rent or anything like that. I'm here to lighten their load in every aspect of their ministry. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be starting on a couple projects at the church. They will take me some time so I will take 1 or 2 mornings or afternoons to work on those. They all require organizing and that's something that I enjoy doing, so it will be good for me to throw myself into those.
Until next time...G'day mates!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I was very tired from the packed full day. I'm pretty much over my jetlag, but I still struggle from time to time with either waking up very early in the morning (like 3 or 4 am) or getting very tired around 2 in the afternoon. My body is still getting used to the time difference.
This morning I worked on a couple of things for Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce. I have started updating the prayer list for them on Wednesday mornings while they go teach. I was able to walk up to the grocery store too this morning and pick up some ingredients to be able to make dinner for the family tomorrow night. They have been so generous in letting me stay with them and don't ask for anything of me, but I want to be able to serve them in the ways that I can. So I'll cook maybe once or twice a week...since I'm not having to pay rent or anything like that. I'm here to lighten their load in every aspect of their ministry. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be starting on a couple projects at the church. They will take me some time so I will take 1 or 2 mornings or afternoons to work on those. They all require organizing and that's something that I enjoy doing, so it will be good for me to throw myself into those.
Until next time...G'day mates!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Settled In
So at this point, I'm pretty much settled in and am used to my surroundings here. The weekly schedule is not too complicated. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually slow and used for rest and studying lessons for Kid's club, RE, and bible study. Wednesdays and Thursday mornings are RE classes and then the afternoons are typically filled with running errands, studying and various other things. Wednesday evenings are Bible study at church, Thursday nights are dinner at home...Andrew usually comes over. Friday's are a whatever needs to be done day and Friday nights are youth night at the church.
This past Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the Sims family. Their family typically celebrates Christmas in July (running into August this year) so we had a big turkey lunch and the whole family came over and fellowshipped for most of the day. After lunch came present time and I was surprised to find that I had a present too! Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce were gracious enough to provide me with some TimTams for my eating pleasure. If you've never heard of or had these, you're missing out on a great part of life!!! They have become my new favorite treat here in the land of Oz and several boxes will probably make their way into my suitcases when I leave in December. Saturday evening was topped on with a nice walk with Aunt Joyce and then a nice quiet evening.
Sunday was spent at church in the morning and then out with some friends in the afternoon. We hit up a nice coffee place for lunch that served sandwiches as well, sat outside, and enjoyed a delicious meal. After eating, we decided to go to the mall for a bit and then headed home. Kid's club was that night so we headed out to church around 5 to get ready for the kids. This week was kind of an off week. For one, our attendance was down and there was no regular lesson this week. So, we did a big review of the lessons that had been taught in the past several weeks, had an extended game time, and celebrated 2 of our kids' birthdays. Once all of the kids had gone home, we topped the evening off at McDonald's (affectionately known as Macca's here) for a coffee and a bite to eat. Macca's are so much different over here. I guess the biggest thing is that the food is definitely not as greasy as American food is. (and no, the burgers are not made from kangaroo meat) The other thing is that all McDonald's have McCafe's which are in the States, but not very popular in our eastern region.
I'm approaching my 2 week mark being here. Hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks...and hard to believe that I have many more weeks ahead of me.
This past Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the Sims family. Their family typically celebrates Christmas in July (running into August this year) so we had a big turkey lunch and the whole family came over and fellowshipped for most of the day. After lunch came present time and I was surprised to find that I had a present too! Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce were gracious enough to provide me with some TimTams for my eating pleasure. If you've never heard of or had these, you're missing out on a great part of life!!! They have become my new favorite treat here in the land of Oz and several boxes will probably make their way into my suitcases when I leave in December. Saturday evening was topped on with a nice walk with Aunt Joyce and then a nice quiet evening.
Sunday was spent at church in the morning and then out with some friends in the afternoon. We hit up a nice coffee place for lunch that served sandwiches as well, sat outside, and enjoyed a delicious meal. After eating, we decided to go to the mall for a bit and then headed home. Kid's club was that night so we headed out to church around 5 to get ready for the kids. This week was kind of an off week. For one, our attendance was down and there was no regular lesson this week. So, we did a big review of the lessons that had been taught in the past several weeks, had an extended game time, and celebrated 2 of our kids' birthdays. Once all of the kids had gone home, we topped the evening off at McDonald's (affectionately known as Macca's here) for a coffee and a bite to eat. Macca's are so much different over here. I guess the biggest thing is that the food is definitely not as greasy as American food is. (and no, the burgers are not made from kangaroo meat) The other thing is that all McDonald's have McCafe's which are in the States, but not very popular in our eastern region.
I'm approaching my 2 week mark being here. Hard to believe that it's been 2 weeks...and hard to believe that I have many more weeks ahead of me.
Friday, August 1, 2008
My Birthday in Australia
Today started day 1 of celebrating my birthday. Because of the time change, I'm celebrating 2 days for my birthday! The day started out normal...I didn't have any plans to do anything. Uncle Ed had a meeting this morning, so Joyce and I were at the house working on various things. Around 11:30 am or so, Aunt Joyce was on the phone and walked by the front door and made a comment that there were flowers left out on the porch. Before I opened the card, I knew that my honey had surprised me by sending flowers for my birthday. I was definitely surprised!
As the day went on, Aunt Joyce said that she wanted to take me to Mt. Coot-tha for my birthday lunch. I wasn't sure what Mt. Coot-tha was, but was interested to see what the afternoon would hold. It was about a 25 minute drive from home and we headed out early afternoon to go seek out some lunch. I discovered that Mt. Coot-tha is one of the best lookouts for the city of Brisbane. From the top of the mountain, you are able to see downtown Brisbane and it's suburbs. I took several pictures to show how amazing the view of the city was. The food was delicious and we got to enjoy sitting outside in almost 80 degree weather while we ate our lunch! Talk about great winter weather!! That's Australia for you!
After enjoying our lunch and taking a few more pictures, we headed out. Traffic was heavy on the motorway, so we got off the beaten path and took the back way home. This way always lends itself to possibly seeing kangaroos grazing. Once again, I was able to see kangaroos hanging out on the hillside. We also stopped at a golf course on the way home. Aunt Joyce said that the kangaroos hang out on the golf course with no concern as to what's going on around them. As we started to walk around, we spotted the kangas...a small herd of them. While we spotted the kangas, Aunt Joyce pointed out the trees lining the fairway. There were hundreds of bats hanging from the tree branches sleeping the day away. It was quite a disgusting and eery sight, but nevertheless, I took pictures so everyone back home could see. After seeing the bats, we continued down the side of the fairway to get closer to the kangas. We moved slowly, because they were watching us. If we moved quickly, it would scare them and they would run away. I was able to get pretty close to all of them and take some great up close shots. One of the kangas was a mama and had a joey in her pouch. I wasn't able to get a picture of the joey poking out of her pouch, but got some good pictures of the mama standing up on her 2 hind legs. Kangaroos are such interesting characters! While their back legs are so longs, their front legs look hardly 1 ft long. And when they move...they move fast!
My day ended quietly and now I await the youth of the church. Friday nights are youth nights and usually we meet at the church, but tonight we are just meeting at the house. No sign of them yet, but you know teenagers.
Enjoy the pictures!!
As the day went on, Aunt Joyce said that she wanted to take me to Mt. Coot-tha for my birthday lunch. I wasn't sure what Mt. Coot-tha was, but was interested to see what the afternoon would hold. It was about a 25 minute drive from home and we headed out early afternoon to go seek out some lunch. I discovered that Mt. Coot-tha is one of the best lookouts for the city of Brisbane. From the top of the mountain, you are able to see downtown Brisbane and it's suburbs. I took several pictures to show how amazing the view of the city was. The food was delicious and we got to enjoy sitting outside in almost 80 degree weather while we ate our lunch! Talk about great winter weather!! That's Australia for you!
After enjoying our lunch and taking a few more pictures, we headed out. Traffic was heavy on the motorway, so we got off the beaten path and took the back way home. This way always lends itself to possibly seeing kangaroos grazing. Once again, I was able to see kangaroos hanging out on the hillside. We also stopped at a golf course on the way home. Aunt Joyce said that the kangaroos hang out on the golf course with no concern as to what's going on around them. As we started to walk around, we spotted the kangas...a small herd of them. While we spotted the kangas, Aunt Joyce pointed out the trees lining the fairway. There were hundreds of bats hanging from the tree branches sleeping the day away. It was quite a disgusting and eery sight, but nevertheless, I took pictures so everyone back home could see. After seeing the bats, we continued down the side of the fairway to get closer to the kangas. We moved slowly, because they were watching us. If we moved quickly, it would scare them and they would run away. I was able to get pretty close to all of them and take some great up close shots. One of the kangas was a mama and had a joey in her pouch. I wasn't able to get a picture of the joey poking out of her pouch, but got some good pictures of the mama standing up on her 2 hind legs. Kangaroos are such interesting characters! While their back legs are so longs, their front legs look hardly 1 ft long. And when they move...they move fast!
My day ended quietly and now I await the youth of the church. Friday nights are youth nights and usually we meet at the church, but tonight we are just meeting at the house. No sign of them yet, but you know teenagers.
Enjoy the pictures!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Vegemite
After a couple of days of no posts, I figured I'd better check in with all of my readers, since I was reminded by my dad this morning that he has friends at work that are reading my blog! Who would have thought?
So I can say that I've finally tried Vegemite and will never need to eat it again. For those of you who don't know what Vegemite is, it's a dark brown savoury food paste made from yeast extract, used mainly as a spread on sandwiches, toast and cracker biscuits. Vegemite is made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, a by-product of beer manufacturing, and various vegetable and spice additives. It tastes salty and slightly bitter...kind of like a beef bouillon cube. The texture is smooth and sticky, much like peanut butter. To me...it's disgusting! But Australians love it!
Monday was pretty uneventful here, because it's the Sims day off usually. I was able to get some wedding stuff done. I'm not focusing in on all the details until I get home, but there are things that I'd like to get accomplished before I come home in December. Right now, we're looking to get married outside, but the odds might be against us. I (and my faithful helper Becky) will probably spend some more time in the next week or so searching for a place to have the wedding. I would be satisfied to have the wedding in my parent's back yard and put up a nice white tent, but then you run into the problems of parking and restrooms! Anyway, enough wedding talk...since this is my "Life in Oz" blog!
Tuesday, Ed and Joyce had some visiting to do, so they dropped me off at the church and I worked on getting the mission's conference decorations taken down and put away. Put the ipod on and worked away and time passed by very quicky! Around lunch time, Ed and Joyce came back and brought fish and chips for us to eat! After that, I worked on a power point presentation for Kid's Club for Sunday night. That took me almost the rest of the afternoon and before I knew it, it was 4 in the afternoon. The Sims picked me up and we went home. Had a couple of hours to rest up and then spent the rest of the evening with Tash and Beth.
I was able to sit down with Ed yesterday and go over where I think I would fit in best as far as ministries go. There are plenty of opportunities for me to get plugged into music, so we discussed that I would be playing the piano for the month of August. The youth (Matthew, Andrew, Tash, Ruth and Beth) are in charge of putting all of that together, so I will be practicing with them every Friday night. I'm looking forward to it! They are a good group of kids and are enthusiastic about their opportunity to minister. I'll also be getting involved in Kid's Club on Sunday nights. I will either be taking over the teaching of one of the classes or just doing administrative things such as making sure all of the lessons are printed out for the teachers. As far as teaching in the schools, I go tomorrow with Joyce to observe her classes. That will give me a clear picture of what I should expect when I get into my own classes. I had a chance to look at the curriculum and it looks very easy and should be simple to facilitate.
I will celebrate my 28th birthday on Friday...not sure what is planned, but it will probably just be a normal day. We will also be celebrating Christmas on Saturday. The Sims usually celebrate Christmas in July because December just doesn't feel like Christmas and it frees up their sons and their families to be able to do things with other family members.
Well, off to work on a powerpoint project!
So I can say that I've finally tried Vegemite and will never need to eat it again. For those of you who don't know what Vegemite is, it's a dark brown savoury food paste made from yeast extract, used mainly as a spread on sandwiches, toast and cracker biscuits. Vegemite is made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, a by-product of beer manufacturing, and various vegetable and spice additives. It tastes salty and slightly bitter...kind of like a beef bouillon cube. The texture is smooth and sticky, much like peanut butter. To me...it's disgusting! But Australians love it!
Monday was pretty uneventful here, because it's the Sims day off usually. I was able to get some wedding stuff done. I'm not focusing in on all the details until I get home, but there are things that I'd like to get accomplished before I come home in December. Right now, we're looking to get married outside, but the odds might be against us. I (and my faithful helper Becky) will probably spend some more time in the next week or so searching for a place to have the wedding. I would be satisfied to have the wedding in my parent's back yard and put up a nice white tent, but then you run into the problems of parking and restrooms! Anyway, enough wedding talk...since this is my "Life in Oz" blog!
Tuesday, Ed and Joyce had some visiting to do, so they dropped me off at the church and I worked on getting the mission's conference decorations taken down and put away. Put the ipod on and worked away and time passed by very quicky! Around lunch time, Ed and Joyce came back and brought fish and chips for us to eat! After that, I worked on a power point presentation for Kid's Club for Sunday night. That took me almost the rest of the afternoon and before I knew it, it was 4 in the afternoon. The Sims picked me up and we went home. Had a couple of hours to rest up and then spent the rest of the evening with Tash and Beth.
I was able to sit down with Ed yesterday and go over where I think I would fit in best as far as ministries go. There are plenty of opportunities for me to get plugged into music, so we discussed that I would be playing the piano for the month of August. The youth (Matthew, Andrew, Tash, Ruth and Beth) are in charge of putting all of that together, so I will be practicing with them every Friday night. I'm looking forward to it! They are a good group of kids and are enthusiastic about their opportunity to minister. I'll also be getting involved in Kid's Club on Sunday nights. I will either be taking over the teaching of one of the classes or just doing administrative things such as making sure all of the lessons are printed out for the teachers. As far as teaching in the schools, I go tomorrow with Joyce to observe her classes. That will give me a clear picture of what I should expect when I get into my own classes. I had a chance to look at the curriculum and it looks very easy and should be simple to facilitate.
I will celebrate my 28th birthday on Friday...not sure what is planned, but it will probably just be a normal day. We will also be celebrating Christmas on Saturday. The Sims usually celebrate Christmas in July because December just doesn't feel like Christmas and it frees up their sons and their families to be able to do things with other family members.
Well, off to work on a powerpoint project!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
First Sunday
Today has been quite the packed day. It started early for me...around 5:15 am early. I had the best night of sleep that I have had since I got here. I went to bed the night before at 9:30 and slept until 5 am! That was quite the accomplishment for me! After being up for a bit, I was able to talk to my family (the whole Halsey clan minus John and Brennen), talked to my little brother for a bit, and then capped it off by talking to the love of my life, who had just finished up with Unwasted Day at Grace. By the time I was done chatting with everyone, it was time to leave for church.
The church is located in Inala. It's called Great Hope Baptist Church after the Great Hope Baptist Church in Chesapeake, VA. It's a small church composed of mostly elderly people but with a smattering of young people (ages 17 to 23). Pasta's message was about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
After church, I went to Portside Wharf (near downtown Brisbane) with 2 of the girls in the church (Beth and Tash) for a coffee and chocolate festival. All kinds of vendors had set up along the water and were handing out free samples and selling their goods. We got to taste brownies, chocolates, and we even got to dip strawberries into chocolate fountains (milk choc, white choc, and dark choc)! It was absolutely delicious! We also enjoyed a wonderful fish and chips lunch complete with the most excellent tartare sauce I have ever had! After spending a couple of hours at the festival, we headed back to get ready for Kid's Club at church.
Sunday nights are Kid's Club nights where kids in the neighborhood and surrounding areas come for a time of games, bible stories/lessons, and singing. Kids range from ages 3 to 15. This was a good time for me to see the church in action. I was able to sit in on Ruth's class which consisted of the younger kids and watched them interact with her while she taught her Sodom and Gomorrah bible lesson. Then as the evening came to a close, I was able to play the piano for the song time.
Jetlag is still hovering over me. I am not so tired during the days, but I do hit a rough spot around 2 pm and I feel like I can't go on, but once it passes, I'm good to go until bedtime that night. It stay may take a week yet for me to start feeling totally normal. So until then, I'll keep going to bed before 10 pm and waking up before 5 am. Good night!
The church is located in Inala. It's called Great Hope Baptist Church after the Great Hope Baptist Church in Chesapeake, VA. It's a small church composed of mostly elderly people but with a smattering of young people (ages 17 to 23). Pasta's message was about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
After church, I went to Portside Wharf (near downtown Brisbane) with 2 of the girls in the church (Beth and Tash) for a coffee and chocolate festival. All kinds of vendors had set up along the water and were handing out free samples and selling their goods. We got to taste brownies, chocolates, and we even got to dip strawberries into chocolate fountains (milk choc, white choc, and dark choc)! It was absolutely delicious! We also enjoyed a wonderful fish and chips lunch complete with the most excellent tartare sauce I have ever had! After spending a couple of hours at the festival, we headed back to get ready for Kid's Club at church.
Sunday nights are Kid's Club nights where kids in the neighborhood and surrounding areas come for a time of games, bible stories/lessons, and singing. Kids range from ages 3 to 15. This was a good time for me to see the church in action. I was able to sit in on Ruth's class which consisted of the younger kids and watched them interact with her while she taught her Sodom and Gomorrah bible lesson. Then as the evening came to a close, I was able to play the piano for the song time.
Jetlag is still hovering over me. I am not so tired during the days, but I do hit a rough spot around 2 pm and I feel like I can't go on, but once it passes, I'm good to go until bedtime that night. It stay may take a week yet for me to start feeling totally normal. So until then, I'll keep going to bed before 10 pm and waking up before 5 am. Good night!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday
Friday night was another night of unsuccessful sleep!!! I tried to stay up late to make myself extra tired, so I found myself going to bed at 1 am. It didn't help though, because I was awake at 2:30 and then again at 6:15. Hopefully tonight will be a different story!
My day was rather relaxed. I was able to make several phone calls to family and friends and chat it up with them. Greg was able to get me a fabulous setup on Skype to where I can make unlimited phone calls to anywhere for only $10 a month. I had already had Skype and was using it computer to computer, but now I can call anyone's phone and it's the same as talking on a regular phone...and Greg is paying for it! I don't feel so disconnected from my home in America now! After my phone calls, I helped Aunt Joyce get ready for my first Australia BBQ...and yes we used the "barbie" to cook our hamburgers and sausages. Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce's 2 sons and their wives and children were all over and we had a very enjoyable time sitting around and talking.
As I close on my 2nd full day here in the land of OZ, I look forward to tomorrow and my first Sunday at Great Hope Baptist Church here. The church is small so there will be many opportunities to form great relationships with the people there.
Words that I am learning as I get settled in:
nappies = diapers
thongs = flip-flops
dummy = pacifier
barbie = grill
More to come!
My day was rather relaxed. I was able to make several phone calls to family and friends and chat it up with them. Greg was able to get me a fabulous setup on Skype to where I can make unlimited phone calls to anywhere for only $10 a month. I had already had Skype and was using it computer to computer, but now I can call anyone's phone and it's the same as talking on a regular phone...and Greg is paying for it! I don't feel so disconnected from my home in America now! After my phone calls, I helped Aunt Joyce get ready for my first Australia BBQ...and yes we used the "barbie" to cook our hamburgers and sausages. Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce's 2 sons and their wives and children were all over and we had a very enjoyable time sitting around and talking.
As I close on my 2nd full day here in the land of OZ, I look forward to tomorrow and my first Sunday at Great Hope Baptist Church here. The church is small so there will be many opportunities to form great relationships with the people there.
Words that I am learning as I get settled in:
nappies = diapers
thongs = flip-flops
dummy = pacifier
barbie = grill
More to come!
Friday, July 25, 2008
First full day
So after a not so normal night of sleep on Thursday night, I got up at 4:30 am and started my day. There are plenty of things to do at that time of the morning: read, pray, facebook, skype with Greg and my family. With the time difference, I'm trying to figure out how to schedule talking times with people. It's difficult until you get the hang of it. I know that when I'm getting up in the morning around 7 am, everyone else is typically getting off work around 5 pm the day before me. So right now, it's actually early Saturday morning, but yet for everyone else, they're still working on Friday! It's crazy, but it's fun!
Today I went to the grocery story for quite the experience. Food is very expensive here and I spent $63 on I don't know what. It seems like when I came home, I didn't have much to account for my money spent. I was able to pick up a handful of things though for breakfast and lunch. The Sims are very generous here and feed me, but they have told me to feel free to buy stuff that I like too. So I will admit, I went very American while shopping. I bought things such as hotdogs, raisan bran (only it's called something different here), and various other things.
I came home from the store exhausted. Ate some lunch and decided to lay down for a nap, but couldn't sleep. So tired and yet couldn't sleep. Rested for a good while and finally got up. I had a full evening ahead of me if I felt rested. Friday nights are youth nights at the church. The youth are not so young. Tash is 17, Andrew is 19, and I'm not sure of the ages of Ruth and Matthew. They lead the kids club that happens on Sunday nights and they are also in charge of the church music for the month of August. So they got together tonight to practice and I hung out at the church during that. I got to jump in and use my rusty piano skills and even did a little bit of singing. After music practice, we settled down for an informal bible study. They are going through a study regarding the church and what role it plays in our lives. So after a long night at the church, we finally got home around 11 pm. It's now 1 am and I am trying to kick the jetlag. Sleep will be precious tonight!
Today I went to the grocery story for quite the experience. Food is very expensive here and I spent $63 on I don't know what. It seems like when I came home, I didn't have much to account for my money spent. I was able to pick up a handful of things though for breakfast and lunch. The Sims are very generous here and feed me, but they have told me to feel free to buy stuff that I like too. So I will admit, I went very American while shopping. I bought things such as hotdogs, raisan bran (only it's called something different here), and various other things.
I came home from the store exhausted. Ate some lunch and decided to lay down for a nap, but couldn't sleep. So tired and yet couldn't sleep. Rested for a good while and finally got up. I had a full evening ahead of me if I felt rested. Friday nights are youth nights at the church. The youth are not so young. Tash is 17, Andrew is 19, and I'm not sure of the ages of Ruth and Matthew. They lead the kids club that happens on Sunday nights and they are also in charge of the church music for the month of August. So they got together tonight to practice and I hung out at the church during that. I got to jump in and use my rusty piano skills and even did a little bit of singing. After music practice, we settled down for an informal bible study. They are going through a study regarding the church and what role it plays in our lives. So after a long night at the church, we finally got home around 11 pm. It's now 1 am and I am trying to kick the jetlag. Sleep will be precious tonight!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I'm finally here!!!
So after 2 days in airports, 4 planes, and 24 hours of actual flying time, I made it to Australia with no problems whatsoever! When I arrived in the land of Oz, it was rainy and chilly. They are experiencing their winter right now, but winter for Australia means temperatures of 50's and 60's - no extreme cold temps. Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce were there to pick me up at the airport and as I slid into the back seat of the car behind the passenger seat on the wrong side of the car, reality started to set in as we drove off and we were on the "wrong side" of the road! It is definitely taking some getting used to riding on the opposite side of the car and road.
We came straight home from the airport, had some lunch, and I started to unpack and get settled in. They set up a nice little room for me complete with bed, dresser, closet, heater and ac unit. It's a cozy little place and will be even more cozy when I get some pictures up of those that I love!! Anyway, got settled, showered up, and had dinner and by 6:30 pm, I needed major sleep. So I headed to bed, slept a good 4 hours or so, woke up at 11:15 pm, checked my email, and then went back to sleep. I woke up again probably around 3 am and I was awake for the rest of the day until after lunch. This jetlag is killer! Australia is 14 hours ahead of the time that I'm used so it definitely takes some adjustment.
Uncle Ed is giving me several days to adjust and rest up and then starting next week, I should be good to go. At that point, I'll be put to work! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to come down here, work with the Sims, and experience church planting on a whole different level. I'm excited to see what God's going to do and pray that I can be used in so many ways here for His glory. How exciting to know that HE has sovereignly led me to Australia because HE has a plan and purpose for me. What an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity!
We came straight home from the airport, had some lunch, and I started to unpack and get settled in. They set up a nice little room for me complete with bed, dresser, closet, heater and ac unit. It's a cozy little place and will be even more cozy when I get some pictures up of those that I love!! Anyway, got settled, showered up, and had dinner and by 6:30 pm, I needed major sleep. So I headed to bed, slept a good 4 hours or so, woke up at 11:15 pm, checked my email, and then went back to sleep. I woke up again probably around 3 am and I was awake for the rest of the day until after lunch. This jetlag is killer! Australia is 14 hours ahead of the time that I'm used so it definitely takes some adjustment.
Uncle Ed is giving me several days to adjust and rest up and then starting next week, I should be good to go. At that point, I'll be put to work! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to come down here, work with the Sims, and experience church planting on a whole different level. I'm excited to see what God's going to do and pray that I can be used in so many ways here for His glory. How exciting to know that HE has sovereignly led me to Australia because HE has a plan and purpose for me. What an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity!
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