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.