My Away Easter

So, yesterday marked two pretty significant points. One. My first Easter away from my family. Two. Exactly two months since I left home. All in all, I feel that I handled Easter pretty well! Going into the day, I was a little bit anxious, picturing myself having an emotional breakdown in the Sunday service (which was beautiful, by the way!). It really didn't seem much like Easter, for several reasons, the main one being that I am away from family. Also, the weather is backwards. Easter normally doesn't come after summer in CA. Aaaalso, we had no cinnamon rolls or sticky buns. But we did eat some pretty scrumptious Hot Cross Buns! I may just need to bring this tradition to the States! (But can they compete with homemade cinnamon rolls? Hmmm...) And while I probably was a tad more sensitive this weekend, comparatively, I am so thankful for my host family and my new friends who have made this transition not only bearable, but gave me the opportunity to actually have fun and not dwell on my homesickness.
Good Friday was the hardest. An emotional time already, I may or may not have had to wipe my eyes during that service. I was, however, so glad and grateful that I was able to go! I got a few hugs, and that made me feel a little better. It's amazing, when you are out on your own, how much simply saying hello and having a quick chat with people, even random strangers, can totally make your day. Before this trip, I realize that I really wasn't great at talking to new people. Sure, I would introduce myself in school classes, but those people I would be sitting next to and seeing several days a week for the rest of the semester, so I might as well learn their names. But ever since coming to Australia, I love meeting people! Even if it's someone who I probably will never see again, I have come to greatly enjoy starting up a conversation with them. It brightens my day. And I'm sure it makes there day all that more interesting. They are able to go home and tell their family that some random girl with a weird accent kept talking to them in the line at the grocers. Point of this lesson: talk to people! Because it's fun!
Easter Sunday was quite eventful and entertaining! After going to the later service at the church, I hung around for about an hour past the sermon's closure, just saying hi to people I had met before, meeting a few new faces, and generally just passing the time. I've gotten quite good at time-passing. And can I just take a minute to brag on this church! I can't even imagine being here without having found Lifestreams! It is the highlight of my weekend to go on Sundays, and the highlight of my week when I get to meet church friends for lunch (I've been doing that quite often, just about every Tuesday since I've arrived). I definitely believe it was a God thing that I stumbled across it. I was planning on doing some church-shopping to find the perfect fit, and this one was further away from the house than I thought at first (about 25 minutes). But my first morning, I met so many wonderful, welcoming people that I instantly felt connected! So I never had any need to leave! Truly a huge blessing! Anyways, Easter Sunday. After standing around in the cafe chatting until 1pm, a large-ish group of young adults went to have lunch, so I tagged along for some yummy Eggs Benedict (yeah, breakfast for lunch! Cuz that's how I roll) and some fun conversations. Afterwards, I went back to my friend's house and we watched a movie with her housemate. Then, I came home and relaxed for a short time before some of my host parents' friends arrived and we proceeded to have "steamboat," a dish in which everyone sits around a table and dips uncooked food into bubbling soup in the center, until such food is cooked! It's kind of like fondue + soup. Uhhh yum!

To top it all off, this next week is three-day work week! Easter Monday is today, and not many people work, then Friday is a national holiday, Anzac day. (A memorial day for Australian wars, if I'm not mistaken.)
Anyways, it's a pretty easy week!
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
xoxo

Surfing Lizards at Coogee!

A couple days ago, I had a me party at Coogee Beach. I had been dying to go to the beach for several weeks, just lacking the motivation to actually turn my desires into actions. But one exceptionally unbusy day, I summoned up the courage to venture out.

 As soon as I pulled into the car park, I knew I had come to the right place! It had been slightly overcast when I left the house, but by the time I got to the beach (a mere 15 or so minute drive!) the sky was blue and the sun was shining! It was perfectly warm, but not too hot, and the ocean water was lovely and cool.

 Apparently people don't come to the beach too much on a Tuesday at 11:00. I had much of it to myself. A few people were off in the distance, swimming or sunbathing...

... like that person with the feet, there.

 There was an awesome looking slidey-thing out a ways from the beach. I didn't swim to it, but I probably would have if there were more people in the water.

 The ocean was sooo calm! It felt like I was swimming in a very giant lake instead of the sea. And so clear! I was able to wade out to my hips, look down, and see my toes!

 I took a lot a pictures of the beach. I was really happy that I brought my camera.

 Okay, story time! (Everyone's favorite words, right?)

So, because there were so few people around, I was a little hesitant on going swimming, even though the water was perfect for it. But I was already in my swim suit and really felt the ocean calling me, so I waded out a ways, just deep enough to wear I could pick up my feet and float, and swim along the shore a little. It really was like swimming laps in a pool. It was that calm! As I swam, I had my eyes glued on the horizon and scanned the water constantly for ominous fins sticking out of it. And I think, looking back, I would have been kind of strange if I didn't see anything, staring that intently at the ocean. But anyways, I'm very cautiously watching the water when I see a big dark shape out a ways ahead of me. EEEP! Then I hurry back onto the beach and look back. I see a dark fin... aaaaand it looks to me like a dolphin. And it moves like a dolphin. But I can't see it great, so I stand there for a while longer, watching. After about 5 minutes I haven't seen the creature, so I ever so slowly head back into the water. I swim for only a could minutes when the shape pops up again, this time very close to me! Probably only about 20 yards or so. Well, you can imagine that I was up on the beach lickity split. Looking back, I saw a couple dolphins playing out in the water. A few other people walked by, and we all stood there and verified that they were, in fact, not sharks, and I edged my way back into the water and continued my swimming!

 After the beach, I walked over to this adorable little cafe! As soon as I sat down, I really wished for a notebook and pencil so I could do a bit of imaginative writing. The creative juju was really flowin. Plus, the people there were so wonderfully nice! I actually just went back an  hour ago. When I walked in, they looked up and me and said "Oh, hi, Emily!" That was great.

 My very yummy chicken-avocado sandwich.

The Surfing Lizard Cafe!

'Cause what else would it be called?

So, there you have it! My love for Aussie beaches is now very well established.

Ordinary Life Continues

It's been awhile since I wrote my last post on here! Oops. I guess I got a little bit sidetracked. I also really didn't know what to write about that would be relevant to my blog. Things are pretty normal here! As an example: today I went grocery shopping, did some laundry, and made some dinner. For some reason, it's not quite what I expected.
I'm not sure exactly what I was predicting ... In all honesty, before I left home I daydreamed about huge adventures out in the wilderness of Australia happening every few days, give or take. Don't know where I got that idea. (It's probably safe to blame the media.) Overall, life down under is very similar, if not the same, to life in the States. People get up, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, go to sleep, and start it all over again the next day. It's all very ordinary. Which is nice, in the sense that it makes it feel very home-like, what with the normal routine and everything. There is enough differences, however, to make it not home.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not disappointed or anything. I adjusted my adventure-thinking pretty soon after I arrived, I just couldn't place exactly what was different than I expected. Turns out "normal" is kind of difficult to spot. And this trip is still an adventure. A leaving home, meeting new people, and generally branching out kind of adventure! That's basically all an adventure is, right? Every good (or possibly bad) adventure story usually followed those basic plot lines. Character leaves the familiar. Character meets new people. Character learns new things. My adventure just isn't as dangerous as all those we read about! (Thank goodness!)
Every time I meet someone new, I get so excited! I don't know why, but I do. They are adding little bits to my story and making it more interesting or enjoyable or fun. And every time someone meets me, they usually are a little taken aback that I am here, of all places, by myself, working in a strange country half a world away. It's funny... If anything else had been different, if I had gone somewhere else on this huge, magnificent planet of ours, or if I had chosen not to come at all, I would never have met any of them! And they wouldn't have met me. But this applies to life in general. If we meet some random stranger at the grocery store (I've gotten to talk to the same cashier just about every week) we now know them. They are part of our life, even if it's a very small part. If we had gone to the store even five minutes earlier or later, we would not have met them. Things would be different.
Everything, huge or not, happens for a God-given reason. We don't know what it is, and that's the amazing beauty of it. I always picture an author writing a story. The author knows exactly what is happening with every single one of the characters, and know the ways they are connected, even if the characters themselves never find out. And if it's a good story (preferably one with a happy ending) the characters are grown in ways they never could have imagined or done by themselves, without the help of that unnamed someone in the grocery store.

Answered Prayers

I have officially been in Australia for one month, and it is so incredible how the time has flown by, despite the stress and homesickness and huge adjustment period (which, I think, will continue on for a few weeks more). I feel like I just got here, but I also feel like I have been here a very long time, especially when I think about home. However, I am still meeting wonderful people every week and having a great time getting to know them!
This post already feels different to me. It seems more deep than the previous ones. And I am doing that on purpose. It's a good thing to be deep and contemplative some of the time, even though I am not good at talking about it in the least. Thus the blog!
I've been thinking a lot this week about just how amazing God is about answering our prayers. Over the last few months, I have seen this again and again, and it wasn't until recently that I actually sat down and realized what was happening.
It started a few months ago. I had the typical 20-year-old wanderlust going on. I prayed and prayed that God would send me on a trip or and adventure of some kind, so I could grow in myself and Him, and see some of His marvelous world before I had to settle into some unknown career. It took a little bit of time, but suddenly I was preparing for a journey to Australia! But it didn't stop there...
I prayed that, somehow, God would provide the finances for the trip. It was relatively expensive, what with the plane ticket and the visa and the insurance. But suddenly, my cinnamon roll business (which I expected to be very small) boomed and I made heaps of money selling cinnamon rolls! (Lol, I said heaps. How very Aussie of me.) But it didn't stop there...
I prayed for a safe flight, and God delivered.
I prayed that I wouldn't be overly emotional and crying the whole flight (It was a legitimate fear), and God delivered.
I prayed that I wouldn't lose my luggage or any of my belongings, and God delivered.
Once I arrived, I found that I was a bit overwhelmed by the change in culture and lifestyles. I prayed many times a day that God would help me do my job to the best of my abilities, and be able to connect with my host family. Now, even though we are different in how we do things, I feel much more adept at communicating with them than I was when I first arrived, and I have learned to do my job in a way that they accept and I am proud of. But it didn't stop there...
My first time going to church, I prayed God would show me whether or not this was the one I was supposed to be at. I had initially planned to search around to find the one that suited me. First time there, arriving an hour late, I connected with several people who knew my church from Modesto, knew a few of my pastors, and knew my friends. The connection was instantaneous, and I never felt the need to search for another church. This was the one. But it didn't stop there...
For the first few weeks, every time I went to church, or to a church-related event, I prayed to God that I would meet new friends, connect with people, and generally have a good time. Which seems a funny thing to pray, but it's really not when you're going in blind. Every single time I went to one of these events, I left with several new phone numbers and invitations to come back! The welcoming nature of everyone was a little overwhelming.
Now, that's about all I can say for now, but I am completely positive that it won't stop here... God's answer to prayer is incredible! I can't wait to see what else He does while I am here!


On another, less deep note...
It was a relatively slow week. I did go to a birthday party yesterday (Saturday), which was very fun, and gorgeous!

Our view from the park that the party was at! Right next to the Swan River, overlooking the city!

 The sky was absolutely amazing! It was a wonderful night to be out, enjoying God creation!

Hope you all are having a good week, and to be in contact with you soon!

Happy Sunday

G'day, my bloggies!
Someone actually said "g'day" to me this week! (It was the guy working at Subway) That was pretty exciting. I think that was one of the first times I actually heard an Australian say "g'day." Only took three weeks, no big deal.
Also, I was asked if I had ever met Katy Perry. Or if I had ever seen her. I said no, and graciously explained that I lived in central California, and quite a ways away from anyone famous.

I went back to Lifestreams church today, and can I just say, I am falling in love with these people! Honestly, these are some of the most wonderful, welcoming folks I have ever met! I got to know several of them during the week, and got invited to go along with them to activities and meals (in Aussie, they are called feeds; i.e. would you like to stay for a feed?). This morning I met a few more people and attended a lunch put on by the church, just for us new people. There is actually quite a large group. I'm getting a lot of free meals from them lately. :) I am blown away by the love and acceptance that is radiating from these people. So many people have come up and either want to get to know me, or already know me and want to say hi, or to introduce me to someone else!
I think it is definitely an act of God that I ended up at this church.

Looking foreward to seeing more of my siblings in Christ later on this week! It really makes the days fly by when you're waiting with anticipation for the weekend!

Making the Most

Wow, what a weekend! This could probably be considered my first actual 'weekend' since coming to Perth. Last week was nice, don't get me wrong... but today and yesterday I explored more and met more people, thus making this weekend officially awesome!
Starting off, yesterday (Saturday) I rode the train into the city centre of Perth. It was a gorgeous ride, and the weather was beautiful, and I could see the interestingly shaped buildings of the city rising up into the sky from my window, and the Swan River to my right. Needless to say, it was pretty great! God has made some beautiful scenery in this world, and he's made beautiful, creative minds to design impressive architecture for us to enjoy!

The view from my train window seat! (Not from the car! I don't take pictures while driving, people!) :)

 

Once in the city, I found myself greatly enjoying the atmosphere. It reminded me in some ways of San Francisco, but with a much smaller feel... of course, I only explored one tiny section. Literally, I stayed in one place the whole two and a half hours I was there. But I wasn't bored, so it was all good!

 

The city centre was dotted with several street performers and musicians, which was why I could spend two hours there, easily. There probably were about 7-8 individuals performing that afternoon, all on that small two-three block-sized area.

 

One young man was dancing to music with a softball-sized glass ball and four red plastic hoops. Which I realize doesn't sound very exciting at all, but when you saw it, it was pretty darn amazing! He made whatever he was dancing with, the ball or the hoops, look like they were floating! I thought he was an illusionist for a second.

Another man (the best performer, in my opinion) was a comedian/trick performer! He had the largest crowd. Honestly, I don't think hardly anybody just walked by him. He ended up riding on a unicycle that was 9 feet tall, juggling knives!

And I took pictures of all these things, but for some reason, my blog website isn't letting my upload them! Sad day! They are on facebook, if anyone really wants to see.

There was some incredibly creative people operating a 'Human Arcade,' another trick performer, and several guitarists sitting out on benches with their instrument cases open for donations. One of them actually looked a bit like an unknown Hemsworth brother. I don't think he was, but I got a little excited for a second.

 

And wow! Something pretty awesome just happened, so I am going to take a brief intermission to tell you about it! Sarah, the little girl I am nannying for, is sick right now, and has a fever. She was meant to go to bed over two hours ago and was laying there crying, not feeling well at all. A minute ago, I prayed that God would soothe her body and let her have some much needed rest. And before I had even finished the prayer, she stopped crying, and now I'm assuming she's asleep. That's the power of prayer at work. Our Lord is so good!

 

Anyways, back to the story... I did a little shopping in the city centre, got a sandwich and some frozen yogurt (yum!) and had a nice, relaxing time just cruising around listening to the music, then took the train back to the suburb.

 

Today, I went back to Lifestreams church, where I visited last week. And this Sunday, guess what? I actually got there before the service started! It was a very nice, encouraging sermon, communion time, and worship. And, can I just say how happy I was that I already knew all the songs! We sang How He Loves and a few others that made me very cheerful and encouraged. Afterward, I re-connected with a few of the people I had met last week, then got to know a couple of people from the young adults ministry, and eventually ended up going out to eat lunch with them, then hung out at various peoples houses until later that day! It was so refreshing to be spending time with my own age group! I knew I missed it, but I hadn't realized how much! 

 

So, that's my relaxing, eventful weekend! I never really have needed to appreciate weekends before... now that that has changed, I have discovered they are definitely worth making the most of! Yay for weekends!

 





In Which I Finally Got To Church

So, as I'm sure some of you know from my facebook posts, I was very excited to attend a new church this Sunday morning. I felt like I hadn't been in several months, and was getting a little desperate for some fellowship time of some sort or another. However, my first visit to this new church was a little different than I had expected...

Because I only started driving on Thursday, I had only really had a day and a half of practice. I am still not completely confident driving on the opposite side of the road, especially driving alone. My host mom asked if I would mind taking public transportation to church, until I was a more adept aussie driver. And that's where the adventure begins!

I had never taken public transport before, so I was a little excited and did a lot of looking at maps and everything. I took a train from the station, which was very close to the house (I was dropped off there by my host family). After getting off the train, I hopped on a bus, and missed my stop. (Of course) I was only meant to be on the bus for 2 minutes or so, but it ended up being more like 10. I then consulted the bus driver, and he gave me directions on how to get back to the stop I was supposed to get off at. So that took about 25 more minutes. I finally arrived at the proper stop!

From there, I walked quite a ways down a street called Henley... until I realized that I was walking the wrong way. So I turned around and walked back, crossed the street, and asked some very nice people doing yard work for directions. They ran and got their iphone to it up on GPS. (I was wishing I had an iphone at this point. Or something with wifi.) Also, may I mention that it was getting pretty warm out, probably between 85-90 degrees Farenheit. Im not sure exactly; everything's in Celcius here, but that's what it felt like. Luckily, I had a full water bottle and sunglasses and everything. I felt pretty darn prepared, actually.

Anyways, I finally saw the church in the distance! I was about 45 minutes late to the service, taking into account the bus fiasco and the extra long walk. The air conditioner was wonderful!!! Oh my, I love air conditioners! So I sat in the service for about 15 minutes, then it was over. I then went over to the guest table (they had free soda and cookies!) and met several very nice people, including a few couples who knew Modesto, First Baptist (back when it was called First Baptist) and several of the pastors there! I was pretty excited about that. Also, the person in charge of the young adult ministries was there. Her name was also Emily and she was from Tennesee! Needless to say, we were both pretty happy that we had met fellow Americans. It's funny how comforting that is, when living abroad.

I stayed and talk to people for about an hour after the service was over, having a grand old time. Then one of the ladies working the guest table (the one who had actually been to FBC) offered to drive me to the train stop so I wouldn't have to walk in the heat or deal with the buses! I happily accepted.

So, now I am back at the house! We just finished up a lovely BBQ with my host families friends, who were all very nice. I have met so many people today! It's great!

That's the story of my first trip to my new church. I think it is definitely a good one, and seemed very focused on Christ, and was absolutely very welcoming. Already excited to go back next week, when I hopefully can drive and actually arrive in time for the service!

This was definitely the most adventure-ful thing that has happened to me thus far!

Cheers, everyone!
(wow, that was Aussie sounding, wasn't it!)