Ah, November 25th. My favorite day of the month, and it also happens to be Thanksgiving. I love when it falls on the 25th! Today my family from Graham came to our house, and Wade spent his last Thanksgiving as an ACU student with us. Wade and Brad York spent their first Thanksgiving with our family their freshman year at ACU. Brad started going home after that, but Wade spent last year with us as well. It's always fun to have someone from outside our crazy circle included in the festivities (eating & watching TV). I am going to miss those guys next year!
Of course it’s always good to reflect on how the Lord has blessed you, as is the tradition around this time. I have realized lately that I need to do it more often. While I know that I am supposed to be in Abilene for this time, I often think about the future and when I get to leave. But if I only look to the future and what might be, I will completely miss out on what is happening now, and what the Lord might be trying to teach me now. So here is a list of the things I am thankful for this year (in no particular order):
• My family- a girl couldn’t ask for better parents to live with, and my bother of a brother isn’t too bad either.
• My job- this has been the most incredible, unexpected blessing of this semester; Shelley, my “boss”, is so gifted, and the other people I work with are awesome.
• Old friends- I am grateful for my best friends from high school, Carrie & Erin, and that we have only grown to love each other more over the years.
• New friends- I have made a few new friends since moving here, and I am so excited that the Lord put them in my life!
• Rosa’s- this yummy, new Mexican food place that just opened up here; I won’t lie- it’s only been opened 2 weeks, and I have eaten there at least 9 times.
• Woodmont- who am I that the Lord blessed my life with two years at Woodmont? I love my FOGWHCC family!
• Highland- if I had to leave Woodmont, then Highland is the next best thing; Mike feeds us such a rich meal each Sunday, and the strangers are starting to look like family.
• Anne Elizabeth & Nathan Wade- these are the two precious children I have been babysitting every Tuesday afternoon over the past semester; my job is to take care of them each week, but I always learn more from them than they do from me; they are moving to NC at the end of the year, and I am going to miss them terribly!
• Jessica Duty- my soul sister; we spent the summer in Perth together, shared a bed for most of the time, and shared our hearts each night before going to sleep. I love this girl.
• My new sister- Lindsey Webb, my sweet friend from ACU days, is coming to live with us next semester! This is an answer to prayer for her, but I am just as excited as she is!
• My degree- sometimes I forget that I am a big girl now, and actually have a college degree; when I transferred, it took me awhile to get used to the idea that my diploma would say “Lipscomb University”, and not “ACU”; but now I am so proud that I studied at Lipscomb and will be honored to (someday) hang my diploma in my office.
• Aussie friends- though I was only in Perth for 2 months, I made some lifelong friends; at least once a week, I get to instant message with an Aussie friend or receive an encouraging email; thank you, Lord, for bringing us together!
• Wednesday night class- these are the kids that chose not to be in the musical, and I am selfishly glad that they made that decision! I have learned more from teaching them than any other time I have taught, and I pray that the Lord has used me to teach them something as well.
Yikes, that is a heap of blessin’. Most of these things wouldn’t be so if I were not in Abilene. Thank you, Lord, for my time here. I pray that I will be a blessing to others, just as you have blessed me.
11.25.2004
11.08.2004
Last night I participated in my first Taize worship. I first heard of it after seeing it advertised at Trinity Pres in Nashville, and always wondered what it was. Then I saw that Highland has them once a month on Sunday nights, and called to find out exactly what it was. If someone had described Taize to me as the latest and greatest new worship style, I'm not sure I would have bought into it. However after finding out the history behind it, there was a greater significance in participating. My favorite part of the evening was the readings of scripture: the Lord speaking to Abraham, Moses, and Joshua, and a couple of psalms. Typically when scripture is read in a church service, you are listening to see how it relates to the sermon or what you can get from it. But the Old Testament is a great compilation of stories passed down through generations. And sitting last night and listening to God speaking to His children made these stories come alive. This is how they were supposed to be heard. If there is a Taize service near you, I highly recommend checking it out.
11.03.2004
On Wednesday nights I teach the 2nd and 3rd grade Bible class. It's only about 20 kids, at the most, because the rest are participating in the Christmas musical. Typically it goes pretty well. The first couple of classes were shakey, but I think they were just getting used to a new teacher. Now we have a routine down, and they are starting to really enjoy our prayer time at the beginning of class and learning to respect one another as we share our prayer requests. Over the past couple of years, the idea of mission work has been something I have thought about more and more. I am now learning that I don't have to leave the US, or Abilene, or Highland to do mission work. For the past few weeks we have had 3 guests in our class that have come from a land that is foreign to myself and the rest of the kids. They live nearby in some apartments and come to Highland as a part of an outreach program of the university ministry. Talk about opening yourself to a new culture! Honestly our classtime hasn't gone quite as planned since these boys have joined us. The first week, it took myself AND my 2 helpers to get them under control. Last week our group took a little "field trip" around the building, and I didn't have a choice but to leave them behind with a helper. Each Wednesday night I leave frustrated, not because my class didn't go as planned, but because I am at a loss of what to do. My main goal is that these precious boys know that we love them, God loves them, and that Highland is a safe place for them. However I don't know how to give them that attention that they need AND teach my class. Right now the only thing my 2nd and 3rd graders have learned are probably some new swear words and some sketchy things that are going on in the boys' homes. So far the BEST thing that has come from our new neighborhood friends is that me, my helpers, and my kids have had to step out of our comfort zones. If my 2nd and 3rd graders walk out of the church building knowing more about truly loving our neighbors and don't really remember who rebuilt the temple... I think the world will be a better place for it. Please pray for me tonight!
10.28.2004
10.20.2004
Since pretty much the last time I kept this blog up was while I was living as an Aussie, I thought I'd give all 3 of you who read this an update about my life.
I am living in Abilene, Texas, with my wonderful parents and working part-time as an assistant in the Children's Ministry at Highland Church of Christ. My original plan was to move back and begin working on a Masters in Education. However, one lesson I have learned during my 22 years on this earth is to not get too comfortable with the plans we make. The Lord definitely had something different in mind for me. And it's so great! I LOVE my job! Shelley Neilson is the children's minister I work for, and it really is a priviledge to get to work with her. Not only is she extremely knowledgable about children and families, she is theologically trained and understands the spiritual implications of this vital ministry. The other people I work with in the office are also incredible. Though it's only 19 hours right now, there's a pretty good chance that those hours will increase within the next couple of months. That's definitely something to be praying about!
This is the first time in 17 years that I haven't been a formal student. Growing up I was a HUGE reader. During my childhood summers, the reading program at the library was more exciting than church camp or family vacations! However starting in about 8th or 9th grade, reading for fun started to decline because all of the assigned reading I was receiving from school. I'm not sure I read more than 4 or 5 books throughout my college career that I chose for myself. Now I am once again discovering the joy of reading! I won't lie- I am a slow reader. Especially if it's a thinking book, such as a non-fiction book about history or theology, etc. It just takes me awhile to process what I read. Nevertheless, I am really loving reading again. So far I have read "A New Kind of Christian," by Brian McLaren and "The Anointment Child," by Francine Rivers. I highly recommend both books! Currently I am reading the sequel to "ANKC", "The Story We Find Ourselves In." So far it is really good and makes me think back to some classes I took at Lipscomb. (Yes, I have even been thinking about Biblical World and Critical Intro!) The other book I am reading is "The Purpose-Driven Life," by Rick Warren. If you haven't heard of this book, you must live in a cave with internet service. I am not very far into it, but it hasn't been the world-rocking book that I heard it to be. However I do think it is good and has a very great message for lots of searching people. I have a "wish-list" going of books that I plan to read in the future. Let me know if you have any suggestions of books to add to this list! :)
And finally... Houston may have lost tonight, but there is still one more chance! At least if this underdog doesn't pull through, the Empire was taken down by the Red Sox. That is beautiful. Go Astros!
I am living in Abilene, Texas, with my wonderful parents and working part-time as an assistant in the Children's Ministry at Highland Church of Christ. My original plan was to move back and begin working on a Masters in Education. However, one lesson I have learned during my 22 years on this earth is to not get too comfortable with the plans we make. The Lord definitely had something different in mind for me. And it's so great! I LOVE my job! Shelley Neilson is the children's minister I work for, and it really is a priviledge to get to work with her. Not only is she extremely knowledgable about children and families, she is theologically trained and understands the spiritual implications of this vital ministry. The other people I work with in the office are also incredible. Though it's only 19 hours right now, there's a pretty good chance that those hours will increase within the next couple of months. That's definitely something to be praying about!
This is the first time in 17 years that I haven't been a formal student. Growing up I was a HUGE reader. During my childhood summers, the reading program at the library was more exciting than church camp or family vacations! However starting in about 8th or 9th grade, reading for fun started to decline because all of the assigned reading I was receiving from school. I'm not sure I read more than 4 or 5 books throughout my college career that I chose for myself. Now I am once again discovering the joy of reading! I won't lie- I am a slow reader. Especially if it's a thinking book, such as a non-fiction book about history or theology, etc. It just takes me awhile to process what I read. Nevertheless, I am really loving reading again. So far I have read "A New Kind of Christian," by Brian McLaren and "The Anointment Child," by Francine Rivers. I highly recommend both books! Currently I am reading the sequel to "ANKC", "The Story We Find Ourselves In." So far it is really good and makes me think back to some classes I took at Lipscomb. (Yes, I have even been thinking about Biblical World and Critical Intro!) The other book I am reading is "The Purpose-Driven Life," by Rick Warren. If you haven't heard of this book, you must live in a cave with internet service. I am not very far into it, but it hasn't been the world-rocking book that I heard it to be. However I do think it is good and has a very great message for lots of searching people. I have a "wish-list" going of books that I plan to read in the future. Let me know if you have any suggestions of books to add to this list! :)
And finally... Houston may have lost tonight, but there is still one more chance! At least if this underdog doesn't pull through, the Empire was taken down by the Red Sox. That is beautiful. Go Astros!
10.18.2004
How could I not blog after tonight's amazing games?!? First the Sox take down the Evil Empire (thanks to Mike Cope for that nickname), and then the Astros become victorious for the 3rd time in a row!!! Can I get a hip, hip, hooray for the underdogs? I know that many people who know baseball much better than I do realize the great historical importance of a World Series game between the Cards and Yankees. But I just think it would be even BETTER if it were the Astros and Sox!!! A girl can dream, can't she?
By the way, my mom, my friend Sarah, and I went to the movie theaters and saw "Shall We Dance", with Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Serandon. When I hear that JLo is in a movie, I typically try to avoid that film. However she is really good in this movie, and I highly recommend it! (Besides, Richard Gere is the romantic lead... do I need any other reason to see it?) I think it could even be a good date movie, because I'm pretty sure that guys will like it, too.
Go Astros!
By the way, my mom, my friend Sarah, and I went to the movie theaters and saw "Shall We Dance", with Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Serandon. When I hear that JLo is in a movie, I typically try to avoid that film. However she is really good in this movie, and I highly recommend it! (Besides, Richard Gere is the romantic lead... do I need any other reason to see it?) I think it could even be a good date movie, because I'm pretty sure that guys will like it, too.
Go Astros!
10.15.2004
So the Astros are down by 2 games and they face the Cardinals again tomorrow night. Some people have teased me for rooting for the Astros, being that I am typically a Rangers fan and NOT a fan of the city of Houston, but I would like to defend my choice. First of all, I am a Texan, therefore I will side with the Texas team. Second, the owner of the Astros, Drayton McLane is from my hometown, Temple. I have met the man! But here is my most important reason for cheering on Houston- they are the underdogs. I almost ALWAYS root for the underdogs. When the expected champion wins the game, what fun is that? Where is the excitement? I love it when the underdogs take home the trophey and prove that they can do it! And (here's where I make an attempt at getting deep) isn't that a theme we see throughout scripture? How many times does God use the underdog to accomplish great feats? How would God's power been seen if He were always on the side of the strongest man or most powerful nation? So as the Astros once again warm up for their game tomorrow night, I will proudly be supporting them. Go Astros!
10.14.2004
OK- I give up! Or maybe I give in. Many people have asked me to keep up this blog, and I have been very hesitant to do so. Why? Because I don't have anything to say!! Well, at least not anything interesting, in my opinion. However I really love reading other people's blogs, even if I don't know them. And many times they are not saying anything important or ground-breaking... so I decided that maybe people out there really would like to read my nonsense. And maybe every once in a while, it might be something interesting. :)
No promises, but I will try to make this at least a weekly thing. We'll see how it goes. I definitely invite you to post any comments that pop into your head. Go Astros!
No promises, but I will try to make this at least a weekly thing. We'll see how it goes. I definitely invite you to post any comments that pop into your head. Go Astros!
7.18.2004
Only 10 more days left! It is Saturday night (July 17th) and we fly out on July 28th. In all honesty, it will be hard to leave. This has been an amazing trip, and my comfort zones, personality, and heart have been stretched (sometimes torn). But God is good and has taught (is teaching me) so much over the past 2 months. I pray that it continues even when I go home! Of course there are things I look forward to about being home: Cajun Cones, church at Highland, Chickfila, hanging out with my parents, Chili's, getting to go to the mall or the grocery store after 5pm, mexican food, BBQ, SUMMER, watermelon (there is way too much food in this list).
Since the Lipscomb team came, things have been non-stop. I have posted 2 new pages of pictures, and you will be able to tell that we have been busy. We spent one whole week at schools. Every Sunday we are in charge of church services, and Bible study on Tuesday nights. This past Sunday-Wednesday was camp at Lancelin, which we were also in charge of. Today we spent the afternoon at Banksia Juvenile Prison, a maximum security prison. Tomorrow we have 2 services we will be leading, and our last week will be spent at another couple of prisons, back at Banksia, and visiting some nursing homes. Unfortuantly no pictures from the prisons, but maybe some from the elderly homes. :)
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Water or no water, I WILL be soaking up the sun as soon as I get back to Texas! Take care and be sure to check out my pictures! :)
Love, Katie
PS- I'd like to give a shout out to Will Riggs for turning 19 on July 18th!!! Happy Birthday!
7.04.2004
Hey everyone! The Lipscomb team is here! Though they have been here since Tuesday, they are still struggling to get over jetlag. I think it's a bit contagious... Anyway just wanted to let you know that a few new pictures are up! Happy Fourth of July!! It's freezing here and fireworks are illegal! Cheers! -kmr
6.24.2004
I had high hopes for updating this post more often, but Australia internet is not quite as convenient as the US. Downloading & uploading costs extra, so posting my pictures and blog was running up the Nevills' internet bill! Well a couple of days ago Mr. Nevill announced that they now have unlimited downloading, and I immediately went and posted my pictures. So be sure to check them out!
After 2 weeks of volunteering at Beechboro Christian School, I have spent this week at Clarkson Primary School with Joyce Nevill. She teaches kindergarten, so I've been reading with the kids, putting together puzzles, and practicing writing my ABC's. It has been interesting to learn about the differences between private Christian and public schools. I find that I have to catch myself before saying something about Jesus or singing a Christian song with them. This school is in a lower-economic part of town, and after visiting with a few of their parents, I wish I could teach these kids about the Lord. Doing this volunteer work has been very beneficial and has replanted thoughts about my own certification...
I had a very awesome experience this past Tuesday. Josh asked me to give my testimony at our weekly Bible study, and even though I've been preparing for it over the past month, my stomach was still in knots leading up to it. After it was over I realized that it was an incredible blessing for me to recall the ways the Lord has worked in my life. My "testimony" might not be as eventful or exciting as others, but it is very special to me and makes me who I am and who I will be. I know that the events of my time in Australia will one day also become part of my story.
I am still being quite the nomad in Perth. Going to school with Joyce and living with Helen presented a transportation problem- so I moved a few things to the Nevills! I have been here this past week, but now I am going back to Helen's with Jessica for the rest of our stay. However this week at the Nevills has been interesting for not just myself. The Nevills only have Luke & Sam, and Josh (who lives with them) only has brothers. The guys were appalled when I painted my toenails during "Spiderman" the other night! But I know that Joyce has enjoyed having another female around. :)
The team from Lipscomb gets here next Tuesday at 11:45pm. Once they get here we will hit the ground running- and I can't wait! We have a bunch of public schools that we will be presenting at and on Saturdays we will be visiting a juvenile prison, plus heaps of others activities in-between. It will be great and we are taking this weekend to rest before the craziness starts!
I hope that America is treating each of you well! The winter here isn't bad, but I am missing summer!! However we WILL be celebrating the Fourth of July, even if we are wearing sweatshirts and don't have hotdogs. Australia is beautiful and if you can ever come, I would highly recommend it! So far my favorite thing is playing on the beach at nighttime. God is so good! I love you and thank you for remembering our work here in your prayers. Cheers!
Love, Katie
PS- The pictures of the farm- Graham, the minister at Westchurch, took Jess, Josh, and me to his family farm, where his brother still lives. We spent time looking at bird nests, their farmland, looking at the stars at night... and eating mutton. Yes, Osman family, I ate mutton. Aren't you proud?!?
After 2 weeks of volunteering at Beechboro Christian School, I have spent this week at Clarkson Primary School with Joyce Nevill. She teaches kindergarten, so I've been reading with the kids, putting together puzzles, and practicing writing my ABC's. It has been interesting to learn about the differences between private Christian and public schools. I find that I have to catch myself before saying something about Jesus or singing a Christian song with them. This school is in a lower-economic part of town, and after visiting with a few of their parents, I wish I could teach these kids about the Lord. Doing this volunteer work has been very beneficial and has replanted thoughts about my own certification...
I had a very awesome experience this past Tuesday. Josh asked me to give my testimony at our weekly Bible study, and even though I've been preparing for it over the past month, my stomach was still in knots leading up to it. After it was over I realized that it was an incredible blessing for me to recall the ways the Lord has worked in my life. My "testimony" might not be as eventful or exciting as others, but it is very special to me and makes me who I am and who I will be. I know that the events of my time in Australia will one day also become part of my story.
I am still being quite the nomad in Perth. Going to school with Joyce and living with Helen presented a transportation problem- so I moved a few things to the Nevills! I have been here this past week, but now I am going back to Helen's with Jessica for the rest of our stay. However this week at the Nevills has been interesting for not just myself. The Nevills only have Luke & Sam, and Josh (who lives with them) only has brothers. The guys were appalled when I painted my toenails during "Spiderman" the other night! But I know that Joyce has enjoyed having another female around. :)
The team from Lipscomb gets here next Tuesday at 11:45pm. Once they get here we will hit the ground running- and I can't wait! We have a bunch of public schools that we will be presenting at and on Saturdays we will be visiting a juvenile prison, plus heaps of others activities in-between. It will be great and we are taking this weekend to rest before the craziness starts!
I hope that America is treating each of you well! The winter here isn't bad, but I am missing summer!! However we WILL be celebrating the Fourth of July, even if we are wearing sweatshirts and don't have hotdogs. Australia is beautiful and if you can ever come, I would highly recommend it! So far my favorite thing is playing on the beach at nighttime. God is so good! I love you and thank you for remembering our work here in your prayers. Cheers!
Love, Katie
PS- The pictures of the farm- Graham, the minister at Westchurch, took Jess, Josh, and me to his family farm, where his brother still lives. We spent time looking at bird nests, their farmland, looking at the stars at night... and eating mutton. Yes, Osman family, I ate mutton. Aren't you proud?!?
6.08.2004
I'm in Perth! My plane landed about 11:55pm on Thursday, June 3rd, but it took me awhile to get through customs and quarantine officials. I finally got to the arrivals waiting room by 12:45am and was greeted by 8 smiling faces! It was really great to see familiar faces in Josh Nipps and Jessica Duty. (Josh graduated from LU in December and is working as the youth minister at Westchurch over the next year; Jessica will be a senior at LU in the fall.) Six other members of the youth group also came along, and were so friendly and greeted me with huge hugs! After such a long trip, I can't tell you how welcomed this group made me feel, especially since most of them had never met me before.
That night I spent the night at Helen's house where Jessica is living; I will be living with the Ross family from June 10-18, then move in with Helen & Jessica after that for the rest of our stay. As soon as we arrived at Helen's house, Jessica began showing me all of the different things about the house. For instance for every outlet there is a switch, and the toilet has 2 flush buttons. (This is a family-friendly website, so I'll leave the reasons for the 2 buttons up to your imagination.) Right away Jessica also brought out some chocolate "biscuits" for me to try. They are called "Tim-Tams", and, thankfully, they are not the kind of biscuits I expected- they are cookies! And they are amazing. (It might be worth leaving a pair or two of shoes behind and replace their weight in my luggage with Tim-Tams!)
Though going to bed at 2am, I was able to sleep until 11am the next morning, so I felt good the rest of the day. On this day we left for the Western Australia State Youth Games held in Bunbury, about 2 hours south of Perth. Jessica & I relaxed and watched Dr. Phil & Oprah until Josh picked us up for the trip. These games are comparable to LTC, because it is churches of Christ in the state coming together and playing each other in a number of sports. This was the 18th year these games have been held, and they are sponsered and organized by the Warrick Sports & Leisure Center, which is like a huge YMCA, except run and supported by churches of Christ. Youth ages 16-28 of age are allowed to participate, but because of just arriving in town, I decided to be the team cheerleader, not their star player. Westchurch took about 20 kids in all to play, and participated in games such as basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, softball, volleyball, netball (a combination of basketball & Ultimate Frisbee), and a triathlon. This was Westchurch's first year to participate, so I was quite proud of them when out of probably 20 churches who came to the event, we came in 3rd from last. We all had a lot of fun, and it was obvious that some kids from other churches live for this event, like LTC or summer camps. We stayed in a large gym with 3 other churches, sleeping in sleeping bags on the hardwood floor, with girls on one side & boys on the other. Most of the girls were very jealous of my earplugs, as I probably slept better than most- the boys were very loud! When Josh first asked me in an email about going to the event, I wasn't sure because of my having just arrived in town and dealing with jet-lag and all. However I am so glad that I went, because I was thrown into spending a lot of time with these kids right away and I already feel like I have known them for years.
The games lasted through Monday afternoon, because Monday was a WA (Western Australia) holiday. We arrived home on Monday evening, and I spent some time with the Nevill family. Woodmont Hills folks might remember Joyce Nevill or her sons from when they visited church on a couple of Sundays. Her twin sons (Luke is 7'1"; Sam is 6'6") were exchange students in Atlanta this past year, and Joyce spent a good part of April and May with Mark & Amy Phillips. Anyway their family is very precious, and they are taking very good care of me! That night Craig & Amanda Ross came and picked me up from the Nevills' and took me home with them. They live in a beautiful part of Perth! It is a resort area where kangaroos live in their natural habitat. Even Australians are surprised when they come out and see the roos just lounging in the yards. Over the next week & a half I will be going to school with their children, Candyce (age 11) and Jonathon (age 10). They attend a very small Christian school called Beechboro Christian School.
Well so far that's about it! The kids in the youth group are very close and love hanging out together, so Josh keeps the schedule packed with fun things to do. On Sundays we eat lunch together, then have some sort of activity. On Monday nights & Saturday mornings the guys have a church basketball league they play in. Tuesday nights is Bible study, then there are other various activities that go on from time to time. Though the Ross family lives a good 45 minutes away from the rest of everyone else, all of the kids have insisted that I come to everything and have volunteered to come out and pick me up so that I won't miss out. That is just how generous these kids are and how excited they are to have us here. Something to keep in mind is that though I use the word "kids", a good number of them are older than I am! The youth group ages from 16 to 25. When I arrived I just assumed everyone was under 18, so I even have to remind myself that some of them are older than me! I have done pretty well with jetlag; it didn't set in until yesterday, so please keep me in your prayers as I try to find the energy to keep up with these school kids! The Ross family is amazing and only moved to Perth a year ago from Cape Town, South Africa. So I am learning about 2 different cultures while I am here! The kids have all sorts of questions for me, and it is interesting the similarities between SA and the USA that are different from Australia.
Today (Wednesday) is my first day in the schools, and this is where I am posting from. I have been visiting all of the classrooms, and getting a feel for the school. I am not sure what the principal has planned the rest of the week! I am not able to get on the internet too often, which is why this post ended up being so long! I have having probably more fun than I should be, and I am already amazed to see the Lord's hand at work in this trip. I am already seeing how awesome the camp will be for this youth, and how much encouragement they need from us. Please pray that God will put the right words in our mouths as we lead the youth in Bible study, class, and just everyday encouragement and guidance. Thank you again for the support that each of you has given me, and I hope your summer is going well! (It is winter here, but not too harsh. More like our October & November.) I love you all! Cheers!
That night I spent the night at Helen's house where Jessica is living; I will be living with the Ross family from June 10-18, then move in with Helen & Jessica after that for the rest of our stay. As soon as we arrived at Helen's house, Jessica began showing me all of the different things about the house. For instance for every outlet there is a switch, and the toilet has 2 flush buttons. (This is a family-friendly website, so I'll leave the reasons for the 2 buttons up to your imagination.) Right away Jessica also brought out some chocolate "biscuits" for me to try. They are called "Tim-Tams", and, thankfully, they are not the kind of biscuits I expected- they are cookies! And they are amazing. (It might be worth leaving a pair or two of shoes behind and replace their weight in my luggage with Tim-Tams!)
Though going to bed at 2am, I was able to sleep until 11am the next morning, so I felt good the rest of the day. On this day we left for the Western Australia State Youth Games held in Bunbury, about 2 hours south of Perth. Jessica & I relaxed and watched Dr. Phil & Oprah until Josh picked us up for the trip. These games are comparable to LTC, because it is churches of Christ in the state coming together and playing each other in a number of sports. This was the 18th year these games have been held, and they are sponsered and organized by the Warrick Sports & Leisure Center, which is like a huge YMCA, except run and supported by churches of Christ. Youth ages 16-28 of age are allowed to participate, but because of just arriving in town, I decided to be the team cheerleader, not their star player. Westchurch took about 20 kids in all to play, and participated in games such as basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, softball, volleyball, netball (a combination of basketball & Ultimate Frisbee), and a triathlon. This was Westchurch's first year to participate, so I was quite proud of them when out of probably 20 churches who came to the event, we came in 3rd from last. We all had a lot of fun, and it was obvious that some kids from other churches live for this event, like LTC or summer camps. We stayed in a large gym with 3 other churches, sleeping in sleeping bags on the hardwood floor, with girls on one side & boys on the other. Most of the girls were very jealous of my earplugs, as I probably slept better than most- the boys were very loud! When Josh first asked me in an email about going to the event, I wasn't sure because of my having just arrived in town and dealing with jet-lag and all. However I am so glad that I went, because I was thrown into spending a lot of time with these kids right away and I already feel like I have known them for years.
The games lasted through Monday afternoon, because Monday was a WA (Western Australia) holiday. We arrived home on Monday evening, and I spent some time with the Nevill family. Woodmont Hills folks might remember Joyce Nevill or her sons from when they visited church on a couple of Sundays. Her twin sons (Luke is 7'1"; Sam is 6'6") were exchange students in Atlanta this past year, and Joyce spent a good part of April and May with Mark & Amy Phillips. Anyway their family is very precious, and they are taking very good care of me! That night Craig & Amanda Ross came and picked me up from the Nevills' and took me home with them. They live in a beautiful part of Perth! It is a resort area where kangaroos live in their natural habitat. Even Australians are surprised when they come out and see the roos just lounging in the yards. Over the next week & a half I will be going to school with their children, Candyce (age 11) and Jonathon (age 10). They attend a very small Christian school called Beechboro Christian School.
Well so far that's about it! The kids in the youth group are very close and love hanging out together, so Josh keeps the schedule packed with fun things to do. On Sundays we eat lunch together, then have some sort of activity. On Monday nights & Saturday mornings the guys have a church basketball league they play in. Tuesday nights is Bible study, then there are other various activities that go on from time to time. Though the Ross family lives a good 45 minutes away from the rest of everyone else, all of the kids have insisted that I come to everything and have volunteered to come out and pick me up so that I won't miss out. That is just how generous these kids are and how excited they are to have us here. Something to keep in mind is that though I use the word "kids", a good number of them are older than I am! The youth group ages from 16 to 25. When I arrived I just assumed everyone was under 18, so I even have to remind myself that some of them are older than me! I have done pretty well with jetlag; it didn't set in until yesterday, so please keep me in your prayers as I try to find the energy to keep up with these school kids! The Ross family is amazing and only moved to Perth a year ago from Cape Town, South Africa. So I am learning about 2 different cultures while I am here! The kids have all sorts of questions for me, and it is interesting the similarities between SA and the USA that are different from Australia.
Today (Wednesday) is my first day in the schools, and this is where I am posting from. I have been visiting all of the classrooms, and getting a feel for the school. I am not sure what the principal has planned the rest of the week! I am not able to get on the internet too often, which is why this post ended up being so long! I have having probably more fun than I should be, and I am already amazed to see the Lord's hand at work in this trip. I am already seeing how awesome the camp will be for this youth, and how much encouragement they need from us. Please pray that God will put the right words in our mouths as we lead the youth in Bible study, class, and just everyday encouragement and guidance. Thank you again for the support that each of you has given me, and I hope your summer is going well! (It is winter here, but not too harsh. More like our October & November.) I love you all! Cheers!
