I knew right as I took my first few steps out of the airport that this was going to be a good month. First, it was cold. Malaysia was a sweatfest. Secondly, our contact rolled up in an orange and white–(gross) #aggiereference–20 seater(ish) Toyota van strait out of Woodstock to pick us up. Thirdly, that van refused to start. Awesome. What takes the cake though is 14 world racers gathered around a hippie bus in Perth, Australia giving it all they've got to attempt to push start the bus to glory. And it freaking worked! Oh, and also it was pretty astounding news to find that we were no longer staying in tents outside houses, but that they actually found room to house us. Hot showers and A/C two months running. Praise Jesus! Seriously, he's been good to us.
The City of Perth.
Anyways, for the past week and for the rest of the month, my team is partnering with YWAM (youth with a mission), which is a well known missions organization for young folk like me. Last month we also worked with YWAM, so I just assumed that, like in Malaysia, there would be like 5 or 6 older people working in a small yet cozy little base there, and it would just be us serving around the base. Wrong. YWAM Perth has a brand new multi-million dollar base that was just constucted, with a kitchen service that serves lunch and dinner, equiped with classrooms in which hundreds of students doing a Discipleship Training Program, known as a DTS, come through each year, and a huge hall and stage for worships that take place twice a week. This place is nice. And there are people everywhere! Every night the dining area is full for dinner and there are always kids running around and birthdays being celebrated. It's awesome. It's community.
The base. It's nice right?
Perth itself is a pretty awesome city. For one, it's Spring here with no humidity, yet we are right by the Indian Ocean. Everyday is perfect, and it's cold at night. I seriously asked God for weather like this in Malaysia, and not but 2 weeks later I'm living in it everyday now! The culture here is somewhat materialistic, especially when you take a quick walk down town, and it seems like every Aussie has a different look and style to them. Very unique. Apparently, it's European…I've never been, but that's what I heard. The people of Perth are also very recreational. There are parks everywhere, and miles of crystal clear, white sandy beaches filled with extremely tan people because of the massive hole that exists in the ozone layer over Australia. I feel like someone taught me that the ozone layer was weaksauce here somewhere down the line, but I wasn't prepared for the extreme radiation. It's not hot, but it BURNS!!
Tried to take an artsy photo symbolizing the cities recreational culture amidst a busling materialistic city backround. I'm an artist. rofl
One of the downsides of this city is that it is expensive!! The cost of living here is soooo high! Just to give you a little insight, McDonald's workers are getting by on a meager $20 per hour. Sign me up. Seriously though. We were taking about it, and if you came to this city with like 8 others, split the costs of living, and just worked, you could probably make a killing. Then you could move to Malaysia and be a king! (3.11 ringet=1 dollar) Plus, Perth is an extremely isolated city. Look at a map. It's Perth…and then nothing. So, that means all things get imported, which means import expenses. Which reminds me…THERE IS DR PEPPER HERE!! Im draining one right now! Hazaa! But only at the base. I'm pretty sure it's for all the American DTS students. Anyways,The good thing for our budget is that every shop around here closes at like 6, (which is nuts!!) so late night food run temptations have pretty much been eliminated. Still, our budget is pretty tight this month.
The Indian Ocean my friends. It's soo blue!
Overall, this place is just a blessing. I love it here. The weather is great, the people are great, the ministry is wonderfully challenging (next blog), and God is building my team and I up here. Being around this familiar culture, language, and lifestyle does bring back a lot of memories that make me miss home. However, I'm just so blessed to be on this race, and I am being made new by God literally everyday while having one heck of a good time with my new family away from family. The reality is, there are a lot of people in this city that need to have the peace and joy that I have found in the love of Jesus. You can just sense it here if you are paying attention.To be called all the way from La Grange, TX to take my little part in carrying that burden is an honor and a challenge, but God is leading me. And I'm so glad because I would be helpless and in constant anxiety without Him. Thank God for Perth!
Me in "Foggy London Town". It's basically an old school British Alleyway right in the middle of an outdoor mall. It was quite the dreary day. I had a cup of joe.
