Woo hoo! Australia! So, it’s definitely been an adventure thus far here in the outback. A few days ago we traveled 4 hours from Wagait Beach to Katherine (and I did pretty good with my driving…wait I actually don’t think I should be driving without a license here, but oh well). We are staying with a local missionary named Rachel and for the past few days have been cleaning, visiting with the locals, and getting on each other’s nerves as we are all crammed into a small room with bunks :o). We are however looking forward to going to an aboriginal community for the next couple days and preparing youth activities, etc. Today part of our ministry was to help Rachel develop material to give to the kids (like a coloring book, and music CD’s). She is partnered with a ministry that translates English to Kriol and so we have helped with formatting, I am learning a lot about publisher! Right now I am sitting in the back of the truck we took from Roger’s and looking out into our backyard, which is a giant and very beautiful field and the sunsets here are like nothing I’ve seen in the states! It also sounds like Jurassic park :o)
I now need to talk a bit about the race in general and some of the “challenges”. Let’s first discuss climate and changes with it (let me also mention that we have never slept completely indoors until this week since our second week in Thailand-yes, we were in a building, but it has always been quite open, but I love the fresh air!!!)…in Thailand it was “dry” season, so our belongings remained dry, in Cambodia it was also the “dry” season, so same story…in Australia-WET, so all of our clothes have been damp as well as everything else…we had to pack all of our dampness into our packs for 4 hours…yuck, we get here and the clothes line is not covered…it rains all the time, we wash our clothes, they dry, then surprise downpour, poor clothes are wet again….some smell of mildew, most have character (paint, stains, tears…), we are tired of them all (no just kidding Lord-we are very grateful for our clothes!), we have no money to buy new clothes…so goes the battle of staying fresh! Second is the constant change and uprooting of “home” for a month and the good-byes and especially being that I just left my beloved Cambodia (I miss it everyday, however God has truly given me the un-natural ability to be IN this country mentally and spiritually and physically), I am so grateful for the privilege to do something like this and am reminded daily not to take it for granted! I say all of these things in jest, I am by no means miserable, just being challenged in new ways, which is always good :o).
I am also above everything else, getting to know my Savior more and more each day. Learning to hear His Voice and learning to be in constant communion with Him. I am excited to know that His plans for me are so much greater than the ones I can think up, even though they may not look GREAT in my eyes, they are always the BEST for me and will teach me the most. Jesus is the JOY of the very center of myself, sometimes when I think about Him randomly throughout the day, I get so excited and feel this deep sense of LOVE. I think it’s so amazing that He knows each of us truly and personally and LONGS for us to communicate and bring our burdens to Him, what an amazing Father! I am beyond words grateful to be His child! I also truly just ENJOY seeing Him in all the different people groups of the world, He loves us all exactly the way we are, He loves our different skin colors and languages and cultural differences, and yes He speaks ALL languages (one girl in Cambodia asked how she could speak to Him because she didn’t speak English :o)), God has SO many FACES and being on this race has allowed me to see that aspect in the people He has created for Himself, and through His beautiful creation! In the words of Third Day,
“You are my strong melody,
You are my dancing rhythm,
You are my perfect rhyme,
I will sing of You forever,
You are beautiful my SWEET SWEET SONG!”
Love You Daddy :o)
We did tons of yard work, I have lots of respect for landscapers now :o)
I made it myself :o)
This wallaby stood still long enough for us to take a pic!
In the words of Roger: “Praise God!!!” It was like this every evening :o)
These are our first week contacts Roger and Vivian :o)
Me driving to Katherine, note me being on the RIGHT side of the car and I was also on the LEFT side of the road :o)
View on the way to Katherine :o)
The clouds were incredible on the way there! Pics don’t do it justice…I think Jesus did that on purpose!
This is Tashana, she was very shy up until we got her back around her brother (below)
This is me and our contact Rachel, the river was very flooded as you can see :o)
This is the now happy Tashana :o)
Female sign at the Katherine Gorge (and Aboriginal above it)
Male :o)
Our team at the Katherine Gorge :o)
Tashana’s older brother Timothy “fishing” :o)
Painting a stage for a convention that will happen (later in the summer) at the farm we’re staying :o)
Rachel’s aboriginal sister Anita :o)
This is our back yard! Love you guys! Thank you also to all who comment on my blog, I read every one of them and really appreciate your words, they mean so much to me, sorry I don’t have a lot of internet time to respond to all of them :o)
