Sick of Public Restrooms.

Approximately 50 days left in Australia, it is already week 7! The assignments are beginning to pile up along with the trip planning so I've been staying very busy. This weekend is Melbourne. The goal is to drive the Great Ocean Road. We could have easily booked a tour, buuuut I wanted to be adventurous. We shall see how we go. We are staying with my friend Jordan down there. He said he would take us roo chasing--this could very well be the best time of my life.

Melbourne in the morning!

God is good!

Paradise is feeling a lot like home.

Australia is beginning to feel a lot more like home. The food is beginning to taste normal, and by that I mean I am getting used to food that is less salty and fat saturated--this is a good thing. Other than that, I am not tripping over doorways anymore (the carpet never meets the tile when you walk through a doorway here), I've gotten the public transport system down to a science, and have gotten most of the lingo figured out for the most part. Everyday last week it seemed though that I thought I saw someone that I knew from home. Family members, friends, or just people on Hope's campus. I'm not sure if this is because Australia is beginning to feel more like home or if I just miss home and am hoping to see someone from West Michigan. Either way, Australia is such a great place. It has taken a lot of getting used to and it took a lot of work to get this far, but it has been such a rewarding experience. I feel like everything back home will be so much easier now that I have stretched myself beyond my limits--at least I am hoping so.

I still can't believe that I'm here. Studying in paradise. The other night I was leaving the cafe from dinner and looked out over the lake in the middle of campus. Hanging just over the bridge in the sky was a full, yellow moon. It shone down on the lake. The air was crisp, a bit cooler than most nights; a perfect night. Headed back to the blocks, I stood at the top of the hill, just before and gazed at the tree-studded mountains that stretched beyond the university. Under the palm trees, I made my way through the courtyard, up the stairs and into my room. Thankful for all of God's blessings, I fell asleep. God is good.

Cyclone Yasi.

Cyclone Yasi will hit the coast of Northern Queensland at 10pm tonight. Prime Minister Julia Gillard says that the next 24 hours is going to be terrifying. This cyclone is a category 5 and is comparable to Hurricane Catrina. Australia has not experienced a category 5 cyclone since 1918. Pray for the people of QLD, this storm is going to be devastating. 10,000 people have evacuated so far including patients in hospitals. Some people are staying in Cairns and Townsville. They have bolted up their doors and windows. 4,000 soldiers are on standby in Cairns and Townsville. Pray for the people of QLD. They are still recovering from the flooding that occurred only 3 weeks ago. This storm is more life threatening than any other storm in recent generations. Pray for the people of QLD.

Thankful.

Australia is so beautiful. I am so blessed to be here and to have such great family and friends to support me back home. I wake up early every morning from the sun shining through my window and most mornings I think that I am home in Michigan. Suddenly I am brought to reality by the Australian raven that lives outside my window. Through his painful screeching he reminds me that I am in Australia--one of the great wonders of the world. I don't mean this as one of the seven wonders or a single monument, but the country as a whole strikes the rest of the world as such a mystery. And I'm finding out that it really is such an extraordinary place. This country is so amazing. I am truly blessed to be here. I am thankful. 

May God's Grace Abound in You.

2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all GRACE abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."


There are countless arguments as to why the Christian faith is weak. Arguments involving the accuracy of the Bible, the divinity of Christ, modern science, resurrection from the dead, the virgin birth, the list goes on. Non-Christians can go on and on about these issues because the Christian religion is such an easy target. And while there are plenty of ways to refute these beliefs about the fault of Christianity, these ways are not why or how I believe. While arguing with a guido about such arguments (a guido is an Italian American man usually residing in New York or New Jersey. He wears shirts that are too tight and unbuttoned 5 buttons too low to show off the chest that he spent hours and hours at the gym obtaining, he spends more time on his hair than his girlfriend, and continues to "hit the clubs" long into his mid to late 30's. Often attracted to the female version of himself, the guidette) these thoughts stopped me in my tracks. After explaining his upper hand to me--the fact that he was both Jewish and Catholic (what a powerhouse!), having knowledge of both the Old and New Testament since Catholics ONLY believe in the New, I immediately lost my endurance. I was frustrated with his incompetence and rudeness. I found my effort pointless. What Paul writes in 2 Corinthians never spoke so clearly. God is the giver of eyes of faith and a heart of discernment through Grace. He gave me eyes to read the Bible and to believe the inspired words in my heart. You can argue all you want but ultimately the "tweaking" or "pricking" of the heart is done by God and the workings of the Spirit. I had never been so appreciative of that Grace. Still remembering those in prayer who need guidance, I am so glad that God chose me. What a gift! 

Monsoon

After an hour tutorial, I spent the afternoon at Burleigh Heads Beach. After a long bus ride of unsure turns, we arrived to what is now our favorite beach so far. Standing on the coastline, if you look to the left you can see the tall buildings of Gold Coast and to your right you can see rocks spilling over a cliff into the green ocean. I still can't believe that I'm actually here. I told myself that the beach would be a good indication of the reality of Australia, but the beach makes it even more unbelievable.

I was woken up from my nap by Kerry's pointing to the sky in the distance. A dark cloud was hanging over  moving steadily toward us. Since we had never experienced a storm in Australia before, we thought it best to catch the bus and head home. Heading to Robina, it began to downpour. It was like a monsoon! At the Robina Town Centre bus stop we had to take of our thongs (flip flops) to keep from slipping and run into the mall. 

I am surprised at the secular culture of Australia. Given the most beautiful beaches in the world with some of the most powerful rains (at times) a question to whether or not God exists is senseless. 

"O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

Tomato Sauce.

15 January 2011

Today I squeezed an entire packet of ketchup all over myself. I was sitting down to a sunday afternoon lunch at the cafe with my burger and chips served with a packet of ketchup. I was pleased to see this as ketchup has been a rarity in the time I have spent dining here so far.

There are ways of getting around embarrassing instances because living in Australia there are many things that I have yet to be accustomed to including food packaging but the "I'm an American" excuse does not apply here, even a monkey could have played this one out more smoothly. This particular package was called masterfoods tomato sauce--ironic I thought because this ketchup packet owned me. Ketchup squirted everywhere--dress, neck and face. I should have just pretended that I was bleeding--at least then people wouldn't have looked at me like I was an idiot, rather they may have been the least bit concerned--or maybe not—after all, they are Australian and are used to gruesome violence.

It's amazing how quickly humans recover after traumatically embarrassing moments. Without even thinking about it, I gathered my arms together to cover the awful mess and did the ever popular head thrust and gaze. You know, the abrupt jolt of the neck where we pretend that something suddenly captures our attention and then we gaze after it as if we are watching a meteorite plummet from the sky. Everyone is guilty of it and I used it as my recovery mechanism. I seemed to have had everyone in the cafe fooled until I darted my eyes across the table to the cute aussie watching me with his mouth agape. I thought to myself, please don't laugh, please. 

No sound of laughter escaped but I'm sure he was holding back. 

I attended a church called New Life Uniting Church for the evening service, and although I didn't enjoy the music selection, the message regarding the disaster in Brisbane struck me. As of today, 16 people have died in the flood and 14 are still missing. The number of casualties is expected to rise because the search of these missing people has been going on for days. 75% of the state of Queensland is considered a "flooded area" but Robina has not been touched. Monday when the flooding began, I had arrived at Brisbane airport. Shuttling to Bond Uni the rain came pouring down. I feel fortunate to have made it safely. God is good. Prayers to those searching for loved ones and for those who have lost them. Prayers that the state of Queensland can make a full recovery.