America

My adventures in Australia (this time around) have come to an end. To describe what I'm feeling in one word would be: devastated.

I love Australia so much and am counting the minutes until I'll be able to return. Being on the plane for 13 hours and then another 3 hours to Dallas was miserable because I already missed it. To be honest I missed it the second I walked through security.

Saying goodbye to my boyfriend (that I've been dating for 3 months today!) and his family was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Physically walking away felt impossible, but we'll be together before I know it and the Lord is good.

Since being back I've become very frustrated with life here. I've been in Australia for the past 6 months and forgotten about a lot of things that come with the American culture. Just to name a few that bother me:
-obsession with money
-too many tv channels
-American accents
-American accents on every since commercial
-no diversity
-trash everywhere
-TRAFFIC
-hierarchy

Not that I'm not happy to see my friends and family, but this place doesn't feel like home. Australia feels like home.

Who knew?

Five months ago I was packing my bags on my way to Fiji. I was looking for a home-stay gift and freaking out about what to get them. I was nervously packing my bags, worried I wouldn't have enough summer-time clothes. And I was praying God would be glorified. I thought 5 months sounded like eternity.

Five months later, I can't even remember what I got my home-stay family, it turns out it actually gets cold in Australia and tank tops aren't acceptable articles of clothing for 50 degree weather, and I'm extending my stay to remain in Australia longer. Who knew?

You know when something in your life happens, and it's so big that you begin describing things as 'before this happened' and 'after this happened'? Other then Jesus and the work He has done in my life, Australia might just be that thing for me.

I've fallen in love with the country. With the people. With the location. With the history. Everything. But I've already been through that a few times in older posts.

These past five months have changed me. I see the world in a new light and see the Lord in a whole new light. I've been able to experience what a relationship with Christ looks and feels like when the only support system you have is the Father. Since I've become a Christian I've always tried to constantly be in the scripture but during the past five months I've seen what that actually looks like.

I've also begun dating a boy here. His name is Rhys and he is really great. He loves Jesus, has a great family and makes me laugh more then anyone I know. Things will be hard when I move back to the United States, but both of us know the Lord is good and He will use this to teach us patience. We'll both hopefully grow closer to Christ while we are apart and offering it up to Him daily will be the only way we can survive. How lovely. (P.S. he is the good looking one on the right in the photo)

Since I've been in Australia I've constantly been on the move. With school, or AIFS stuff we are always busy. To be completely honest for the past few months I've been praying for a way to stay here, to finally do my own things.  I originally looked into changing my flight and it was going to be around $2,000 so that was out of the question. I then thought up a million different ways I could stay....the airport closing down, a freak snowstorm keeping all the planes on the runway, you name it, I'd thought of it. But I knew I couldn't put limits on God and so I continued to give my desires to stay in Australia to Him daily. This went on for months and nothing changed but in my heart I knew I wouldn't be leaving Australia on the 29th of June, I just didn't know how I was going to stay.

About 2 weeks ago I was in the laundry room and ran into another AIFS student, we got to chatting and she randomly told me that changing our flights was only $80 if we go through Qantas. I was shocked. How had I overlooked this? Regardless, the Lord was giving me the exact thing I'd been praying about for months. Just on a silver platter. I called up Qantas the next day to verify before I got my hopes up and they confirmed it was only $80. After long talks with my mom and even more prayer we decided to change my flight allowing me to stay a few extra weeks. I called Qantas to officially move my departure date and while most flights were full, I got a spot on a flight on July 20th at 1pm (arriving in Dallas at 5:40pm on the 20th). Whilst I definitely miss everyone back home, this seems to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope I have the support from the friends and family.

So there you have it. New boyfriend. Extended stay in Australia. The Lord's faithfulness. All wrapped up in a little blog. Hope you enjoy. Can't wait to see everyone in a month from today!

Wait, you're meant to find joy in sufferings?!

Lately times have been hard. There's no getting around admitting that.

I do miss my family and friends back home, but no part of me really desires to leave Australia. I love it so much here. It brings me to tears. More often I've been mourning how much I'm going to miss it here. I know when I get back to the states I will be completely heartbroken. In no way am I saying that I don't love or want to see everyone back in the States, this has nothing to do with them and I love them more then ever! It's more about my passion for this country and the people I've met.

I've been recently forced to deal with the fact that I can't keep up some relationships in the same way when I get back home. Seeing people every day, hugging them, etc. is something that is not possible and sometimes Skype just isn't enough.

The thought of these relationships being cut off has filled my heart with sorrow. Don't get me wrong I am fully aware that moving back to the states isn't the end of these friendships or relationships but putting a one year pause on everything isn't my idea of fun. Romans 5:3-5 has been incredibly comforting "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.". But to be honest it's the second part that I've really taken to heart. The part about suffering producing endurance, and endurance producing character and so on, but the part about rejoicing in our sufferings hadn't really hit me.

On top of all this, the anniversary of Joey's death was Monday and I think it was the hardest one thus far. I struggled a lot and spent a lot of time weeping. Knowing that Jesus wept (John 11:35) when Lazarus died has lightened the burden, but that doesn't mean it isn't still really hard.

During the past few weeks it's been a struggle to get out of bed. Not in a 'depressed' way, but more of a 'I don't want another day to pass by bringing my closer to my departure' way. I also have issues with going to sleep because I hate working all day and spending so much time building up all these good emotions and finally being ok with the outcome of leaving, just to go to sleep and start from scratch the next morning.

While contemplating everything, I've come to the most incredible realization. God's faithfulness.

Something I've been praying about for 3 years has come to finally be.

You see, I've had a desire to 'rely on God so much that if He were to not come through I'd fall flat on my face -- every day'. And this is finally coming true.

I've found that the last fews weeks have been the hardest weeks of my entire life...drawing me closer and closer to the Lord. I've spent more time in prayer then I ever have in my life. I've learned how to completely rely on the Lord so much that if He didn't come through I'd be crushed. I can't get through the day without scripture and constant prayer. There isn't anything that keeps me going every day besides the Lord. I've been forced to rely on Him more then ever before.

What an answered prayer! It feels so good to know that what is getting me through each day is the same Thing that created the Heavens and the Earth.

I find new meaning to verses like 2 Corinthians 12:10 where Paul states, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." and finding joy in sufferings is easier then I ever imagined.

Praise the Lord.

Worst Blogger of the Year

This picture was taken right after we got off the plane!

I'm not going to spend much time discussing how horrible I am at keeping up with blogs because I feel like it's obvious. That being said let's not dwell and move right along with a much needed update!!

Things in Sydney have been great. Never a dull moment.

I pretty much planned out my life about 9 months ago. I decided I'd finish school with a bachelors of social work in December of 2012. Study abroad Spring 2011 in Australia (just for fun!), then study abroad again during the Summer of 2012 in Mexico to finish up my Spanish minor. After my undergrad, I'd go to grad school for the one extra year and get my masters (because let's face it, it's impossible to do anything with social work with just a BSW). After finishing school for good I'd move to Austin, Texas where I'd start my job with Hospice (you can find out more about what Hospice is here), while also working with an adoption agency on the side. (I've always had a huge heart for adoptions and I'm so passionate about it!). At some point I'd get married and do that whole thing but I'd let that just fall into place when it felt like it. So that was the plan.

Then I went to Australia.

Ever since I stepped off the plane I've felt an immense feeling of belonging. I haven't been shy about how much I love Australia, but how could I be? When you know, you know. And I know that I love Australia. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about this feeling or how this would fit into my life but I started to pray daily about the Lord revealing His Will to me, and what He wanted me to do about the great country of Australia.

About a few weeks ago I found out just what that might be. While talking to a friend that lives in Sydney I found out about how hard the adoption process is in Australia. My heart was initially broken for these kids and for this country. Since then I've read a few articles about it (http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/36942.html is a good one) and done some independent research (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption_in_Australia is good for a general overview) and I honestly believe this is why I came to Australia. This is the reason God called me here in the first place. I want to change this.

That sounds impossible, doesn't it? Regardless, this is something I've felt the Lord put on my heart and it's something I want to see through. Between 2008-2009 in Australia 68 children were locally adopted. I couldn't find a recent statistic for the United States but I did find that in 2001 alone approximately 127,000 children were adopted. The adoption process here in Australia is around $40,000 and can take about 8 years. Most couples have resorted to adopting from other countries.

Call me naive for believing that I can make a difference but when you are given such a clear image of the Lord's Will can you honestly turn away and say no? Especially with verses like Romans 8:23, "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." and Ephesians 1:5 "He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will," resonating within my heart. We are adopted children(!), and that realization sparks something deep inside me.

So that's where my heart is. If yall could be praying with me that would be incredible. (For my future in Australia, the adoption process, the right people to reveal themselves that can help make a difference/connections, for the Lord's Will to be done in Australia, for the children in the system, for the families applying and the government's role/soft hearts)

Thankful for the few who still read this! Love!

April flowers bring May showers....of blessings

On the way to the Sydney Opera House!

My time in Australia is nearing an end. I have a little less then 2 months left and the days seem to be flying by faster and faster. It seems like it was just yesterday I was in Fiji daydreaming about finally getting to Oz. With that being said I intend to make the most of my next 2 months here!

So many fun things have happened so this post will be a jam-packed, random one but still good. For starters,  I thought it might be nice to update everyone on the prayer request I mentioned at the beginning of this journey and while I'm at it, add a little more! I'll strike out the ones done or achieved so we can Praise God for answered prayers!

-God to be glorified during this 5 month trip ongoing
-Comfort for my family (especially my mom!!) ongoing
My flight to LA and then Fiji
The family I am staying with in Fiji for 10 days during my Environmental Studies class
The other study abroad student I am staying with in Fiji with the host family
My classes in Fiji
My flight from Fiji to Sydney
-My roommates in Sydney ongoing
That I will find/have a support system in Australia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My flight to Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef/My flight from Cairns back to Sydney
Safety in the Great Barrier Reef (this actually ended up being during all the disasters in Japan)
-My classes in Sydney ongoing
-Friends I meet in Sydney and in Fiji to see the love of Christ poured out through my actions ongoing
-General safety ongoing
Hopefully being able to go to New Zealand during one of the school breaks (not gonna happen...but no worries! I'm having the time of my life!)
-Remaining in constant prayer during the entire trip ongoing!
-Encouragement to continue reading daily ongoing!
-Not getting sick or needing to go to the hospital in a foreign country ongoing
-Flight back to US
-Great memories and friends ongoing
-God's Kingdom to grow ongoing

added prayer requests as of 5/5/11

-God's will to be done above every and any prayer request we may think up
-Cornerstone Church to reach Pyrmont and make a notable difference in Christ's name
-Cornerstone Church to be attractive to residents of Sydney not because of cool stuff or even the nice people, but because of the Truth being preached from 10:15-11:15 am
-A revival for Pyrmont/Sydney/Australia
-Lifelong bonds & encouragement to keep in touch
-My mom's flight to and from Australia in June
-YoungLife Australia
-Fire to continue building in my heart for Christ & knowing Him deeply
-Camp Kedron campers

I'm so thankful for what Christ has been doing in Australia and in my heart. We're going through Acts at Cornerstone and while I'm reading it during my personal time I've been so encouraged. I've read Acts a few times but openly said it wasn't really anything cool to me. After reading it this time I think it's one of the coolest and most encouraging books in the entire bible! How could I be so blind! Praise God!

On to other things way less important:
I went to the Sydney Opera House! It was pretty neat because, frankly, how many people can say they've seen a show at the Sydney Opera House!
I found a flesh eating spider in my bed. Well that's debated but I'm convinced. And yes it was terrifying.

I guess that's pretty much it. I thought there were heaps more things to say but they seem to be slipping my mind since I'm running on 0 hours of sleep (that's what happens when you wake up with flesh eating spiders in your bed...you're scared to ever go back to sleep)

The Lord is Faithful.

Photo by: Kieren Ash

First of all, I want to apologize for not writing in, what feels like, years! I have heaps of things to catch up on so stick with me, reading this post will be well worth it.

About a month ago (March 19th!), I went to a bar with a couple of my friends and after hanging out for about 10 minutes one of the girls (who had been drinking prior) felt too drunk too handle and asked me if I would leave with her and make sure she got home safe. I wasn't really excited about the bar and I wanted to help her out so I told her that we could leave that way the others could stay out until whenever. We left the bar and ended up at McDonalds to get food and wait for one of her friends to come and pick us up. After about 2 hours a guy and a girl sat next to us and sparked up a conversation. They were both Australia (as was my friend) and we all got along really well. Our conversation was very lighthearted, we didn't talk about religion at all, but got to know each other and spoke about our family background and whatnot. We exchanged information and they had to go catch a bus so we walked them to the bus stop and said our goodbyes. I honestly thought that was the last time I'd see or talk to them which made me pretty sad because they were really nice people.

We all added each other on facebook and soon after, the guy sent me a message asking if I could meet him at Wynyard (a train station in Sydney) on Sunday. I asked my roommate if she'd go with me and she said she would so I agreed! The morning of, Kelly accidentally slept in, but I thought I'd go ahead and meet my new friend at the train station. After all, it was Sunday morning around 9 am and I felt pretty safe. Above that I really felt the Lord pushing me to go. I was picked up by him and his sister outside of the train station and they told me all about the place we were going.

Church. I'd been praying for months about a church and the ones I tried out, I wasn't too fond of so I was excited that the Lord literally just laid this one in my lap. My friend told me it was in a pub because it was a really new church plant and they were just getting off the ground. I was keen so we made our way to Pyrmont (the city the church.

We got to the church/pub and when I walked in I started meeting heaps of people around my age who legitimately loved the Lord. The conversations weren't forced like the other conversations I'd had at other churches, and above that they reminded me of my friends back home. I ended up getting into a conversation about my church background and I told them I attend a church called "The Village" back home to which they responded with "Matt Chandler!?!?". My heart started racing. No way did I just find a church through a guy I met at 2 am in a McDonalds....that just so happened to know the pastor of my church. It gets better.

I find out not only do they know Matt, but they are apart of the same church network as The Village. Acts 29. There are 2 Acts29 churches in the country of Australia. Two. This one, Cornerstone, doesn't even have a website or any type of advertisement.

I listened to the sermon and I was sold. Adam, the pastor, spoke about the Truth of the Gospel instead of just lovey-dovey general messages. After the sermon I met a guy named Dan who, after a nice conversation, asked me if I would be a leader at a week-long Youth Camp. After I had a chance to pray about it and sleep on it I accepted! For the past few months I've been really upset about missing YoungLife camp this year, and this was so similar it was almost unreal.The next Saturday (just 6 days later) I hitched a ride with another leader and was on my way to Camp Kedron.

Camp was incredible. The food was wonderful. The people were amazing. And most importantly the Lord was the focus. The other leaders I met at camp were life changing. They were encouraging and welcoming the entire week. On Friday (the last day of camp) the camp "dad" & "mom" (which happened to be Adam, Cornerstone's pastor, and his wife Amy) brought me a birthday cake and the whole camp sung to me! A great end to a great week.

The next day, my birthday, I went bowling with a bunch of the leaders from the camp (Amy, Adam, Vanessa, Dan, Kieren & his girlfriend Maddi) and then out to dinner with two other leaders (Rhys & his sister Allie) along with an American from the AIFS group. It was a great birthday.

Yesterday I went to church again at Cornerstone and I've got to admit I'm going to be devastated when I have to leave the community I've formed here. After church I went to Amy & Adam's apartment for tea and ended up staying the whole day! We had great conversation, made dinner together and then ended the night with champagne on the roof of their apartment...which happens to be a garden overlooking Sydney.

During the past 2 months I've made heaps of friends in Sydney but none like the people I met during this last week. I've felt drawn to Australia this whole trip, but I was disappointed that I didn't have a good community with uplifting friends. Now that I've met friends with eternity at mind, I feel even more called to live in Australia.

I don't know about you but there are heaps too many things making up this story to boil it down to a just plain coincidence. I started praying for a church about 2 months before I left, one random night I was out at a bar and my friend wanted to leave, I ended up meeting a guy who goes to this church every once in a while and he just so happened to invite me to church. A church that not only knows my pastor back home but is part of the same church plant network. A church that isn't online and doesn't use advertising. I met a guy who invited me to work at a camp, after I'd been pretty upset about missing YoungLife camp this year. I also was running out of money and this camp was free for leaders and I had a place to sleep with 3 meals a day. How can someone turn a blind eye to that? How can someone just say that is a coincidence. No. That's the Lord, being faithful.

21 Things I've Done That I'm Proud Of

1. Became a Christian
2. Got Baptized
3. Studied Abroad/took a huge leap of faith
4. Graduated High School
5. Climb mountains
6. Served God, wholeheartedly
7. Beat teen-pregnancy!
8. Managed to live 1 year on my own
9. Learn the 50 states in alphabetical order
10. Found incredible friends
11. Read the Bible, cover to cover
12. Remained Vegetarian for 4 years (and counting!)
13. Played on a Volleyball team ranked 4th in the state of Texas
14. Traveled outside the United States
15. Be a mentor
16. Planned out my future with the mindset that God is in ultimate control
17. Never broken a bone in my body
18. Kept a steady daily prayer journal for over a year
19. Watched every episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch...at least 4 times
20. Went to a World Series, Rangers, Baseball Game
21. Continued on in my faith even when life got hard

21 Things to Accomplish In The Next 21 Years

1grow in Christ every day
2get married
3adopt a child
4be ok with being in my 30s
5learn how to exercise daily
6show my love for Christ through my actions
7sponsor a child
8be ok with being in my 40s
9love deeply
10find a job that will bring people joy
11skydive
12give more then receive
13finish college
14develop deep & meaningful relationships with friends
15live in Australia (not just study abroad)
16visit all 50 states
17get over my fear of the dark
18give up something big when it really matters
19stop doing meaningless stuff/wasting time (watching tv, on the compter, etc.)
20keep in touch with some of my friends from my 20s
21challenge myself daily

3/28/2010

Photo by: Kristin Bohacek  

I'm gonna take a break from Australia updates and share a clip from my prayer journal on this day last year,

Jesus. Today was the best day of my life. I told 200 people about my love for You! March 28, 2010 will forever be the day I made our love known. The joy You have put in my heart is incredible. I can't say it enough, I love You! I love You! I love You! You are my King & I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with You. I never want my love to end. I feel a glow on my face of true happiness. I honestly don't know of a time I was happier. I pray for guidance through my life & wisdom. I love You, Jesus. Thank You for the opportunity You gave me to physically show what You did for me. DYING & coming back to life. Lord I will choose every day to die to me & live for You. I love You. In Your Arms, Rebecca

Busy Bee

I've been such a busy bee these last few weeks, but things have finally settled down.

Classes are great. I think I went into detail about this before but if not heres a quick explanation. They don't have classes MWF or TT like we do, they are usually just one day for lecture (about an hour) and then a tut (lab) and the times vary but most are an hour. In the tuts you have a presentation and have to pretty much teach the class for 15 minutes about that weeks topic. I've done one of my presentations already and it went very well!

We went to Cairns last weekend and I was able to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef! It was wonderful! Since it's their rainy season the town was a little gloomy but we found our own fun and had a blast. One of the days we were in Cairns we went on an all day tour around the city and were able to see (and play with) tons of kangaroos at a wildlife reserve.

The weekend before our Cairns trip we went to a parade down Oxford street called "Mardi Gras" We didn't know that you have to get there 5 hours early and we weren't able to see any of the parade! Regardless it was fun to be in the city with everyone and we met some great friends!

When we aren't attending crazy events we go to the beach, hang out on campus or watch movies.

I haven't really hit a snag yet or found something I didn't like here. It makes me nervous because I'm already dreading leaving!

I found the YoungLife here and got involved with their club! On Friday I went to club and this Thursday I'm planning on doing contact work at the school so that will be a lot of fun!

Other then that, nothing else seems to be new. I'll update more when more stuff happens!

Much love.

Australian Bucket List

Go to the Great Barrier Reef
Pet a Kangaroo
Kiss a Kangaroo
See a wild Kangaroo
Visit Cairns
See the island Steve Irwin was murdered at
Know the train schedule
Be able to navigate around Sydney without a map
Find a job
Hold a Kola
Climb the Harbor Bridge
Walk across the Harbor Bridge
Go to an event at the Sydney Opera House
Go snorkeling
Camp in the Blue Mountains
Go to 10 different beaches
Go Whale watching
Go Dolphin watching
Attend a Rugby game
Go to Hillsong Church
Visit the Capital
Give directions to locals
Eat a (Veggie) Meat Pie
Go to Mardi Gras
Walk from Coogee to Bondi Beach
Get an epic jumping picture in front of the Sydney Opera House & the Harbor Bridge on a clear day
Master the word "No" in the Australian accent
Climb Mt Kosciuszko
Visit Melbourne
Stay in a Hostel
Surf
Watch all 8 episodes of Summer Heights High
Ask a girl wearing a school uniform if she's friends with Ja'mie King
Rent a bus/car and drive/camp
Make an Australia a s'more
Go to the Australia Zoo (Aka, Steve Irwin's zoo/home)
Go to Hornsby (and every other stop from Hornsby to Central via Macquarie Park)
Learn some Aussie lingo Ay Reckon I've learned heaps!
Go to the Gold Coast
Hang out in the Outback
Drive a car
Spend the afternoon sipping drinks and people watching at Darling Harbor
Go on a wine tour
Find a "favorite wine"
Become a "regular" somewhere
Visit the Customs House
Go to Luna Park
Rent Mary Kate & Ashley's movie Our Lips Are Sealed
Reenact Mary Kate & Ashley's movie Our Lips Are Sealed
Go to Paddy's Market
Touch the good luck tree "Golden Water Mouth" in Chinatown
See a 3D movie at the Worlds Largest IMAX
Watch the sunrise at a Sydney Beach
Watch the sunrise over the Harbor Bridge
Turn 21!
Watch fireworks over the Harbor Bridge
Go Cliff Jumping
Walk from Chatswood to Macquarie Uni (+11k)


More to come...

Australia's Quirks

I thought I might enlighten everyone on the differences of Australia and America.

1) The portion sizes are very different. (Probably why Americans are so fat) A full meal is about 1/2-3/4ths America's portions. You don't get free soda refills. I've lost at least 10 lbs.
2) THEY DON'T HAVE GRAHAM CRACKERS. Hence, no smores.
3) Everything is bigger (besides the people). The birds look like they ate 3 other birds and morphed into a huge mutant bird. I saw a lizard in my house the other day and thought it was something that escaped from a zoo. It was AT LEAST a foot long, and very thick. When I asked someone to remove it, they said it was a NORMAL, HOUSEHOLD lizard. Not ok. The ants look like king ants. Usual size? AN INCH. And don't get me started on the spiders.
4) They don't have fast food on every corner and definitely don't have a value menu
5) Taking a year off before college is "normal" and pretty much everyone does it.
6) If you dance with a guy at a club, yall are pretty much dating.
7) Things usually start late
8) No one knows where anything is. If you ask 5 different people how to get some where all 5 of them will give you different directions...that don't lead to the right place.
9) It's normal to leave an apartment with food & your electronics/kitchen appliances when you move out
10) EVERYTHING is expensive. But, jobs pay a lot more. Minimum wage is around $17.00/hour
11) They know more about America then most Americas.
12) Work stops at 5 pm. For everyone. The malls close, unless it's Thursday which is "shopping day". This really proves the theory that Australian's work to live and American's live to work.

I'll post more later when I remember.

Same Song, Different Country

On Wednesdays I don’t have class so we’ve dubbed it “Beach Adventure day”. We decided to go to Watson’s Bay this week and it was beyond words. It’s semi-secluded so we shared the beach with maybe 20 other people. There is a nude beach about 300 meters away from our spot and some people were confused so we saw a few naked women but it was hilarious to see the boys following them around.

We ended up playing with a little boy, only 1 years old! He was the cutest, and we played with him for about an hour until his dad came over to say they had to go. As they were leaving his dad called his name to get his attention. Joey. This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about Joey here. I still think about him daily, and miss him immensely. After I got home I put my ipod on shuffle and “Still Here” by Natasha Bedingfield came on my shuffle which is a classic song that brings me back to the memories I have of Joey. This seemed to be the cherry on top, but all in all I’m thankful I’m here and I’m thankful that Joey’s memory seems to be living on, even in the land of Oz.

So far, so great!

I have so much to update!

So on the 16th I went to my academic orientation and found out I was enrolled in a class that has a very high percentage of students failing out! No good. Other then that my schedule is pretty solid. The way class works here in Australia is very advanced from the states, yet VERY simple. For example, you only have a lecture 1 time a week (usually) and you don't have to come. After class they put the audio from the lecture online for anyone to listen to that missed the lecture and since attendance isn't mandatory you could pretty much skip all your lectures and just listen to them on your own time. Then you (usually) have a lab type class with a group of kids from your lecture where you go in depth and apply it. It's such a great idea. I went to my advisor and switched classes so now I'm in a Cultual Studies class. Woo! After Orientation most of the study abroad students went to a bar called "The Ranch". It was alright. It looked like a bowling alley and the guys were so creepy. When we finally decided to leave we had to catch a bus back to our townhouses and it took for ever.

Thursday all the study abroad students attending Macquarie Uni got to go on a cruise around the Harbor. Incredible. Words can not describe it. Sydney is beautiful. We hung out on the Cruise from 7-10 and once we got back we decided to walk around and find something to eat. We got a little lost, and by a little I mean a lot lost. We were in a good part of Sydney and then all of a sudden we were in a bad part of Sydney and had no clue how we got there! Yikes! When we finally found a train station we hopped on the wrong train and had to be directed to the right train. I absolutely love Australia but Aussies are horrible with directions. I think it might be because they don't really care about being on time and they are just too relaxed to be worried. It gets frustrated but, it's all a part of the culture! "No worries!". Once our train stopped we got off to wait for the right train and we found out that the next train wouldn't be back for 30 minutes! Waiting was fun, how could you be mad in a place like this?! Finally got on the right train and made it hope safe and sound!

Friday was a GREAT adventure of a day. It started with a "City to Surf Tour". We were picked up on campus and taken to this historical landmark called "Mrs. Macquarie Chair". Basically Mr. Macquarie (who was in government) created this chair for his wife to sit and see the harbor. We took some awesome pictures and it was an incredible sight to see the harbor bridge and the opera house. Definitely going back! Then we went to Bondi Beach (Sydney's most famous beach), it was pretty neat! We were able to eat lunch in Bondi and I went to this vegetarian restaurant! My card wasn't working because Bank of America put a hold on my account (even though I told them I'd be in Australia twice!) so I spent most of lunch on hold with Bank of America which made me even more mad since I was paying international calling fees. They finally activated my card and I got some food, I apologized to the workers for being so angry and explained it wasn't them. They told me "no worries" and then after making me a smoothie they told me they made it with love so I'd have a better day. I'm telling you, this place is incredible. I almost started crying! After hanging out at Bondi for a while we left and went to this cool cliff. It had a reputation in the 80's for being a famous place to commit suicide, but we didn't understand why since there was a perfect view of Sydney right behind the main rocky area! Soon after we drove around Sydney more, ended up at a bar where we all got a free drink! Oh and our tour guide was wicked sweet! Loved this day.

Saturday a few of my friends and I ended up going to a beach called Manly Beach. It was about 20 times better then Bondi, and the weather was perfect! They were having a sand volleyball tournament where every team had to dress up in a theme. Just like YoungLife camp!!! It reminded me of home, and was awesome to see all the differed costumes! We stayed at Manly for about 5 hours, I got a little burnt but all in all, awesome day. We had originally planned on going out that night but after being in the sun we were so pooped!

The days just keep getting better and better. Sunday we went down to Sydney and walked around all day. All in all we decided we walked between 8-10 miles! Somehow ended up in Chinatown at one point but eventually made it to our original destination, Tropfest! Tropfest is THE largest short film festival in the world! There were about 100,000 people hanging out and it was such a cool sight to see. Since it was free we just found a nice spot in the grass and watched short films for hours! We started a massage train and these 3 German people asked to join and ended up giving us their bottle of wine as a "thank you"!

Monday we had to start school (sometimes I forget that's why I'm here). I loved the way the classes are set up! I was really tired for my 1st two lectures but I went to O-Week (Orientation Week) and got a bunch of free stuff/food. Yum. Hillsong was there so I met them and finally found out how to get involved! Looking forward to that email. I then had my first "Practice" where I was the ONLY american student! It was pretty cool, a lot of people wanted to teach me about Rugby and I thought it was so neat how welcoming everyone was! After class one of my roommates and I spent about 5 hours cleaning our kitchen since they have this weird custom of leaving food when they move out and EVERYTHING had spoiled.

Today is Tuesday! Finally up to date! I went to class, ordered pizza and went to Sydney! We went to this club called "world bar" and had a blast. They serve drinks in teapots and then you can share with whoever you want! We tried getting a bus back to Uni but the busses take a break from 2am-5am so (as sketchy as it sounds) we had one of the guys we just met drive us back! He was more then willing! (And don't worry he didn't try anything!) We had "a laugh" the whole back back to our townhouses about the american accent vs. the australian accent. All in all it was a great night!

I wish I could articulate this better but this place is just out of this world. I love it so much, I miss my family and friends a lot but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to move here after I graduate college.

Tomorrow we're going to the beach and I'll be sure to give yall an update soon!

To the land of Oz

I’m here. I arrived yesterday after a 4 hour long plane ride and let me tell you it was worth it. It is incredible. We landed at about noon and then it took 45 minutes to get through security, get our bags and go through customs. I didn’t want to “declare” anything when entering the country because then I’d have to go through quarantine but when I walked up to get my passport stamped the worker saw the bracelet I made in the village and made me go through quarantine anyways because it was plant. Outrageous. When I got to quarantine and told them why I was there they just laughed. Not the way I wanted to start a relationship with Australia but it made up for that extra time it took when I walked outside and realized I was in Australia.

I love it here. I was getting a little homesick but since Australia is so similar to the states it definitely helped. They have Target, Ben & Jerry’s and Borders bookstore. The people are so friendly, and have a great sense of humor. The “Macquarie Village Center” is across campus (about a 15-20 minute walk) and the best way I can describe it is a mall mixed with Grocery Stores on acid. There are 4 levels, but each level has a ½ level. There is a Target on the bottom floor, a “BigW” (Australia’s version of walmart) on the 2nd floor, a Woolworth’s (like Albertsons) on the 3rd floor and a movie theater on the 4th floor. Or something like that. Then there are tons of department stores. TONS of food places. Regular mall stores. Kid stores. Dollar stores. Book stores. Electronic stores. Literally anything you would need is in this center. I wish they had that in America. I’ve only been here for about 30 hours and it’s already Australia-1 United States-0. This center would put Mall of America to shame. The only negative thing is the fact that pretty much everything closes at 5:30 except on Thursdays and everything closes at 9.

We walked to the mall yesterday but I didn’t buy sheets because we ran out of town and I thought it’d be easier to just buy them from the Villages I’m staying in. When I went in to buy the sheets I found out they are poor quality and WAY over priced. I tried to go back to the center but it was pasted 5:30 so everything was closed! I ended up sleeping on top of the skirt I had to wear in Fiji, with a small throw I bought just incase, and I filled one of my purses with dirty clothes and used it as a pillow. Nothing something I ever want to do again. Pictures will be up soon.

I was able to sign up for internet last night but it’s based off how much you use, not monthly so I can’t upload tons of pictures because it will drain my usage. I’m pretty bummed about that but there is free wifi on campus I’ll be able to upload pictures whenever I go on campus (5 minute walk). I can’t really look at facebook because that drains the usage too. I literally only get online if I need to see something and not just to waste time. I guess that will be good for school and my social life. Even when I write blogs I have to do it in word and then transfer it over to my blog website so it doesn’t use up my time. That’s a little frustrating, but I’m just going to need to set up a schedule to skype with people so I’m not just sitting on skype.

Besides all that, the village I live in is great! It’s huge and I get my own bathroom! Lots of fun. I wish I could decorate it but the only option I have is hanging up sheets or posters that I’ll be able to bring back to the states! Today during orientation I was already thinking about how I could pitch it to all my family and friends that we all need to move here. It is truly a love place. Not only that but it has a great vibe going around. All of the other villages have parties all the time that people just walk right in to. Everyone leaves their door open and people will just walk in and start talking to you. Love it. I had to have a serious brainstorming session and I decided I at least need to go back to the states to finish school. Haha, I’m sure if I could I would just stay here forever. It’s crazy to admit that because I love Texas so much, but Australia is just so incredible.

We finally got cell phones today! The only numbers in my phone are the numbers of the people in the AIFS program, it’s sort of comical. We’re almost like a cult! They ran out of the $29 phones so I had to buy the $79 one! So expensive! But worth it. It has a walking GPS on it so if I get lost (which will happen daily) I’ll be able to find my way back. Also, I’ll have this phone for 5 months so I’d like to be able to check my email and get the most out of it. Most of the people that got the $29 phones are regretting it because it literally only calls and texts. I’d consider it a win-win. There will be a meeting on Thursday about finding a job and I’m definitely going to that since EVERYTHING is so much more expensive here. Although, I did find a bike for $98 and I know I could sell it to someone on Craigslist when I leave so I’d love it if I could do that!

So that’s pretty much my life in Australia so far. Pictures are posted here Album 1, Album 2, Album 3 & Album 4

Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll be there tomorrow

Went to an Eco-Park aka Fijian Zoo today! It was fun, but long and tiring. Especially after all the dancing last night. I fell asleep the entire way to the Park (about 2 hours) so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little grumpy while walking around in the heat. The first thing we saw were turtle and I love turtles. I was pumped to get to see them, but then I heard our tour guide say that they live 100 years but they only live in the zoo for 3 or 4 and then they release them into the wild. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about turtles but I do know a 1 thing for sure. You can’t take in a turtle and then release it into the wild because it wont be able to survive on its own after it’s had it’s food handed to it. I know this because when I found out my turtle will live until he is 45 I looked into another living situation…like “freeing” it. Not a possibility. With a mixture of my grumpiness and little knowledge of turtles I asked the tour guide if that was safe to release it. He said it was and they give it one month “training” to fend for itself. I’m not buying it. The other animals were cool but we all felt like it was a waste of time since we were starving, tired and just wanted to go to the hotel in Nadi.

Once we finished up the eco-park we went to a hotel and ate a little lunch. Very good. They gave us some ice cream for dessert and I was very pleased.

We hit the road again and stopped at this Hindu temple to have another tour. It was pretty interesting. Hinduism is one religion I really know nothing about so it was a good learning experience. They have a lot of gods. It made me really glad to only have one God.

After the temple we finally made it back to the hotel. Everyone pulled out their computers right when we got off the bus so the internet was so slow! We had, had enough of the hotel food so we ordered pizza. In reality it was probably horrible but we missed American food so much that while we were eating it we thought it was the best pizza in the world. After pizza we watched these fire dancers, and it wasn’t the lame kind you see in the States. Fire dancing is life for certain tribes. It was out of this world. When the dancing was over Shelby (one of my roommates from the homestay) and I watched Across the Universe. The little reminders of America always warm my soul.

I can’t believe that I will be in Sydney tomorrow. I won’t have to live out of a suitcase anymore. I’ll finally have a home. I’ll have reliable internet. A cell phone. Don’t get me wrong it’s been great to take a break from technology, but I’m excited for structure in my life again. 5:50 am tomorrow I will be on my flight to Sydney! I can’t believe it’s here.

Club Fiji

So tonight was our last night in Suva. 3 words. Crazy crazy crazy.

The day started with a trip to a random waterfall. Ta took us in his hardcore truck and we stayed there for 2 hours! We played on this rope swing and explored the area until Ta picked us up at 2 pm. On the way home Ta dropped us off in “town” and we met up with our sister to shop and walk around until we were satisfied. When we got back to the house we found out that our water got shut off and none of us could take showers which was a little sad at first since we’d been playing in the lake all day but we got over it pretty quickly when we remembered how lucky we were to be in Fiji. Our of nowhere our host family came in and gave us gifts to remind us “not only of them but of Fiji and our home there”. We waiting until the last minute before our big dinner with all the host families to see if we could shower but the water didn’t come back on in time. Instead we made our families jello shots and they loved them! We ended up being an hour late for the dinner but it wasn’t a huge deal because we were on “Fiji Time” (which is late. Always.)

We finally made it to dinner and one of the families asked us to sing a song for our families so naturally we chose "hot and cold" by Katy perry. Great impression of Americans.

After dinner we went to a club called Liquids and danced until the songs got old. When we got tired of Liquids we made our way to a club called O'Rileys and danced more. We finally left around 2 am and grabbed a taxi to get home. While driving home we saw some police (the first police we'd seen the entire trip!) and ended up getting pulled over! We had no idea why until the driver told us we had too many people in the cab and he was getting fined $100. He was so mad at us but I clearly informed him that he could have refused us when we got in the car in the first place! We finally made it home and ended up paying extra for the cab since he managed to keep the meter running while he was being pulled over. My head finally hit the pillow at 3 am, just in time to get 6 hours of sleep before the bus left for Nadi at 8! Successful night.

The Village People

Today we went to a Village. Like a legit, village. Self-sustaining. Village school. Village village. We were so lucky that they opened their way of life to us but it happened to land on a day after a night of dancing (surprise, surprise) so everyone was dead tired. And I mean dead tired. I wish the village would have lasted a few hours but it started around 10 and ended at 5 so we did a lot of sitting around and waiting. They were on Fiji Time which meant they were late for pretty much everything. Our lunch was 2 hours late and I think this is when culture shock really started hitting me. They didn’t have any vegetarian food, I was tired and hungry. They kept giving me Kava which literally tasted like dirt. I missed my family and friends. I missed how easy my life was back home.

Obviously I realize how lucky I was to experience Village life. I knew culture shock would hit me I just didn’t know when. I worked through it, especially when I realized I was experiencing culture shock and things were going to be okay. The Village people ended the night with a farewell dance and this man asked me for my number. No that wasn’t a mistype, it was a MAN. He was probably in his 60’s but he told me he wanted to move to America for me. He kept asking for my address for when he was moving to “be with me”. Crazy ending to a weird day. When I got home I took a 3 hour nap just in time for dinner and a relaxing night!

Scary Suva

Made it to the homestay! The family is awesome. Truly couldn't ask for a better situation. My Na and Ta (Mom and Dad) are caterers so clearly they can cook. My roommate from Nadi, Fiji is also my roommate here (probably because she is gluten-free) so it's great that I have a familiar face! When we first got to Suva (where we are now) we participated in a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony where we drank Kava. Pretty crazy since Kava is pretty much like a drug (it makes your tounge numb and gives you a small buzz but if you drink too much you act wasted!) after our instructors gave us the kava we meet our Na and she took us back to our house for the week.

I can't say this enough, the house is incredible. The four of us are staying in their guest house where we have a kitchen, bathroom, living room and two bedrooms with two beds each.

Dinner was out of this world. Ta made me an omlet that words cannot describe, then there was cooked potatos and carrots, green beans, bread, salad and chocolate cake! We had some family time after dinner but then they let us go to bed since we have an early morning and we had done the sanddoons that day.

Now's the scary part. You see the guest house doesn't have locks on the doors so the trouble started when Sasha and I were telling stories and we heard someone walk in. Or we think we did. We decided there is no way both of us could have imagined it. So we sat as still as we could for ten minutes. During this time we heard footsteps breathing and creaks in the floor! Finally we got up the nerve to go and see if anything was there. Wgen sasha turned on the light it flikered for a good 2 minutes before turning on. We were living out a horror movie. It turned out to be just us and our snoring roommates. Regardless. So scary. We decided to play a movie on my computer until it died. Movie of choice? Cats and dogs. Only seconds after it started ALL the neighborhood dogs started going crazy. Barking and carrying on. Oops. But hilarious and a perfect end to a scary night.

Bula!

Fiji is awesome. We arrived Saturday morning, went to breakfast where they had so much fruit to eat (on top of also having cereal, toast, etc). I took a shower after breakfast and made my way to the lounge where there is internet. Way too many people were using it though and it wouldn't work for me. Sad. Around 10:30 we had a "orientation briefing" where we found out that every island we are going to this weekend is giving us free everything. Free food, free transportation, free alcohol, free free free. Soon after the meeting let out a huge group of us went to "town". We took a city bus which cost 1 Fiji Dollar (about 55 american cents) and that ended up being an experience in itself. Number one, usually the bus doesn't spot for you unless there are more then one getting on. They literally just slow down and expect you to JUMP in. The door remains open the entire time and he floors it once your on, leaving you unbalanced. Back to explaining "town"... I wish there was an american equivalence. But words can not describe this place (don't worry I took tons of pictures). They had a HUGE fresh food market and while we were walking through everyone was so nice to us! Pretty much everyone says "Bula" when they see you which means "greetings" or "best wishes". It a fun thing to see all the citizens just embrace people of another culture.

Anyways, after we made it through the market we went to these little stands where people had jewelry (some handmade, some not). Kind of like 1 Monday, or a "trade-days" type thing. We decided to meet back in 15 minutes but I was talking to a women who owned a store and the next time I turned around everyone was gone. I started freaking out a little bit since I was in another country all by myself and completely clueless as to where the busses were but after a few minutes I saw my roommate and I ran to her side. We were kind of about being left by the group but we found tons of stuff to do and forgot about it soon after. We asked this guy to show us where the busses were and he took us to his hut/store (which was close to the busses) and he said he wanted to do a Fijian Ceremony for us. So we took off our shoes, entered his hut and he said some words in his native tongue. Then we had to clap a few times, and he said some words of encouragement and wished us a good journey. He started mixing together water and this herb that all natural called Kava (you should look it up here, Kava). We politely declined since we can't drink the water here and even though he was a little upset he understood. After that adventure we found our way back on a bus, came back to the hotel and hung out until dinner. We also found out a bunch of other people were stopped and asked to try Kava, regardless it was still a cool experience.

After dinner we decided to go out to celebrate my roommates 21st birthday! We went to this club called "Lou Lous" and I had a cosmo! My first legal alcoholic beverage! We met these New Zealand people who were around our age and they were awesome! Told us what to look out for and where to visit. The bar we were at was on an island where all the resorts were so it was very americanized and when they closed the bartenders/workers told us they wanted to take us to a "real club". It was a hot mess. They made it seem that they were going to be driving us there but we had to get a cab. Then they made it seem like they were going to pay for the cab but when we got to the club we had to pay the $25 ourselves! While waiting to get in they asked if one of us would pay for them to get in which was $5 so (since they made it seem like they were going to buy us drinks) we spotted them the money. We get inside and Rocco (one of the other students who was pretty drunk from the first bar) opened a tab and before we knew it they were putting things on his tab and then giving us the drinks making it seem like they were buying us the drinks. We got a little tired of it...plus it smelled horrible (like armpits) so we decided to get a cab back to the hotel around 2 am. Rocco tried to close his tab and pay for it when he found out that it was going to be around $400! He asked the bartender how much that was in American dollars and they said $400! He then asked how much that was in Fiji dollars and we found out it was around $900! He card was declined (since it was so much in a foreign country) so they let him pay $100 cash. Regardless it was a mess. We couldn't believe how used we got by the locals!

Sasha (my roommate) and I finally went to bed around 3 am to get to sleep for the next day.

We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel, which was disgusting, but then we got on a bus to head to our own ISLAND. It was out-of-control-incredible. The island was very small and we could do whatever we wanted! We went on a glass bottom boat and saw some underwater life that cameras couldn't capture. The alcohol on the island was free so I had a small glass of wine with my lunch. We played a little volleyball but then Rocco and I decided to go Kayaking! I had a lot of wine left in my glass but we had to go right then so naturally I chugged it. (oops!) We get out life jackets on and headed out into the ocean! After a few minutes I wanted to make sure Rocco knew what we were doing so I asked him what we were suppose to do next. To my surprise he had never kayaked before. So now I'm a little buzzed, never been on a kayak with another pretty buzzed person who'd never been on a kayak. We say this guy who looked like Gin from LOST on a kayak pretty far away who was very good at kayaking so we thought we'd try to catch up with him. We changed our minds and tried to make it to this boat where some of our friends were diving off but when we looked back at the island we realized we were really far away. Too far. Both of us started freaking out so much. We tried to turn around but since neither one of us had ever been in a kayak it was a mess of a situation. We finally get a stride going back to the island and to my horror I hear Rocco shout "WE'RE SINKING". I look behind me and half of the kayak is under water. We try cupping the water with our hands and splashing it our with our hands but nothing seemed to be working. We finally saw shore and rowed as fast as we could. We ended up rowing right into rocks and got really stuck.We were walking distance from the island but there was coral all over the rocks and we couldn't just walk on the coral. We started screaming for help but everyone was just laughing at us. It was very traumatic. Oh and we saw a baby shark. Finally someone came out and saved us. Apparently throughout the day the kayak-insides had filled with water which caused to to sink. It started raining (like it does everyday) and we played with my waterproof camera.

We went back to the mainland and got ready then took a taxi to Hard Rock cafe to get REAL food and had another birthday celebration for my roommate. All in all, good day.

I hopped off the plane at LAX...and then the drama started

The plane from Dallas to LA was awesome. I got a motion sickness patch and it did wonders. I've never felt so good while traveling. On top of that they played 30 rock. The only issue I had was the fact that I didn't pee before we left and the whole flight I couldn't stop think about how much I had to pee. It was killing me. The flight was about 3 hours and I didn't go until we had 30 minutes left. Too long. We had some more turbulence then usual but because of the miracle patch I was fine!

Once we got to LAX things started to fall apart. It's no wonder why Hollywood is here. (so much drama!) First we had to physically leave the airport in order to find our airlines. Once we found air pacific we had to wait in a 45 minute line just to find out that we had to wait in another 45 minute line to pay. Pay what you ask? Well they decided to add a random baggage charge of $115. No one told us about this in advance. We were told our baggage was free. Some people had to pay as much as $300 for their luggage. When we finally got through, we had to go through international security. When we finally got to the part where we were going to push our stuff through the machines the alarm went off and everyone had to stop and wait 15 minutes. Once we got through security we ran to our flight which was now 45 minutes behind schedule. I guess they didn't want to start 'er up because when we got inside the plane it smelled of B.O. and was so hot.

The plane finally took off! The flight attendants brought us dinner and I was so thankful because we didn't know they'd bring us something to eat and we didn't have time to stop during all the chaos. We all got our own tvs and were able to pick what we wanted to watch so that was fun. I watched 13 going on 30 and time really flew by. I waited until 9 pm Fiji time and tried to go to sleep. I never thought I was going to get comfortable though. After about an hour of wiggling around I found a spot and crashed...for a few hours. Around 2:30 am the lights in the airport went on and they served us "breakfast" it looked disgusting and was pretty much 90% meat. I'm usure of what the other 10% was. So I pushed it away and went back to sleep for a few hours. Our flight finally arrived at 5:30am and once we got off the plane we had to find security...it wasn't too hard since there were 400 of us. Once that was over with I had to find my luggage, luckily I found mine! Then we had to go through customs and I accidentally got in the line where you "claim goods" so I ended up claiming my pretzels. Win. Win. Once everyone went through security we all got on a bus with our luggage which took about 30 minutes, drove LITERALLY across the street to the Airport Hotel and unloaded. I like my roommate, but I found out that we are going to have new roommates during our homestay which starts Monday. I'll post more about Fiji later.

So far, so hot.

I reject this Texas winter weather

I leave for Fiji in 2 days. I mean technically since it's 1 am on the 2nd I leave in only one day. 85 degrees. No snow. I have about 1 thousands things to do before I leave and there is no way I am going to finish it all. Why did I decided to wait until the last minute to finish everything? Oh, that's right, because that's how I do everything.

On Monday I had a gathering at Cici's in Frisco (where I do YoungLife) so I could say bye to the YoungLife girls before I leave. A bunch showed up and I was just overwhelmed by how lucky I am to do YoungLife in such a great area. At one point some of them went around a circle and said their "favorite things about me". Usually not my style because I'm known for disregarding every compliment I get, but it was a fun thing to see the works and time I've put into Frisco YoungLife hasn't gone unnoticed by the girls. I really am going to miss them and wish daily that I could change their high schools to make it better for them as Christians/new Christians.

Today I finished reading R.C. Sproul's commentary on Romans. It was great. I've been putting it off for months and I finally put my foot down and decided I wasn't going to take a 1/2 read book on a plane when I could just finish it in one day. So. Much. Theology. It took me about 10 hours to read 200 pages. That has never happened to me before. I am a pretty fast reader and so it was brutal to have to sit in the same spot for 10 hours reading. Nevertheless it was incredible. I definitely felt/feel the Holy Spirit moving in my heart. Good one God.

Through that study I've decided that my "theme verse" for this trip is going to be Romans 12:12,

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

Starting new adventures although can be exciting, can be hard and I think if I keep this verse on my mind constantly my goal will be as clear as day. Jesus.

I'm thankful for all the support my friends and family has given me and look forward to paying everyone back with lovely pictures of Oz.

T-Minus 6 days

Tonight is my going away party! Pretty excited. One of my good friends from Arkansas is driving down to Texas just to visit me before I leave. (I have truly been blessed with great friends) So that will be extremely exciting! I can't believe I will be boarding a plane in a few short days! This time will either fly by or move unbearably slow. I'm unsure of which I'd rather.

I recently found out that while I'm in Fiji there wont be any hot water. This is one of the worst things that I can imagine since I love taking scorching hot showers. I tried to take a shower today with cold water and wanted to cry. I think normal people would consider it "luke warm" but to me it was freezing. This truly will be an adventure.

Anyways, I'm really looking forward to blogging during my trip and wanted to get it started off with a bang!

Love.

It's only going to get worse.

2 Weeks until Study Abroad!

Am I ready? Absolutely not. Am I packed? No way. Am I excited. You bet.

I can't decided if I want to have a different blog for my Australian adventures or just continue to blog on this. I'll probably do that but completely change the layout and title. Let me know what you think.

I can't believe that in 2 weeks and a few short hours I will be on a plane to LA. Then on a plane to Fiji. I've heard some crazy things about Fiji so it will definitely be interesting. We can't drink the water there (which was kind of obvious) but I never thought about brushing my teeth. We have to use bottled water to brush!

Needless to say, the countdown has begun...

At His Feet

If I haven't beaten this horse enough, I have a photo blog. I try to update it daily but usually every couple of days I update for the past few days. I'm planning I will continue to update it while I'm in Australia to give pleasure to your eyes. (No telling about Fiji though due to living with a family and internet access..but I will update for the days I miss once I get internet access!) Anyways, so along with the photo I try to put a little blurb from the devotional I'm reading, Chris Tiegreen's "At His Feet" and todays blew me away. Easily my favorite one. Since I only put a small part from the devotional on the photoblog I thought I'd write out the whole devotional on my regular blog. Sound like a good idea? Perfect. (Also, has anyone noticed how good I am getting at keeping up with my blog!?) Here it goes!

"January 14th-Luke 10:38-42

"Martha,...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Luke 10:41-42

IN WORD: We are called to serve God. There is no dispute among believers about this; the Bible is very clear. He has made us for Himself, and Jesus frequently calls us to obedience and service. So Jesus' words to Martha may seem strange to us. Why does someone who has called us to obedience tell His servant to stop working, sit down, and listen?

The answer lies in God's priority for us. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to serve Him at the expense of knowing Him. Having made us for Himself, He does not at first fashion us for usefulness. He fashions us for knowing Him.

This is far removed from utilitarian thinking. When we make something, we usually make it for a practical purpose. Our only occasion to make something for the sake of its own beauty is when we are being creative and artistic. Parents can relate; few of us have children in order to have more help around the house. We have children to know them and enjoy them. So it is with God. He is first and foremost an Artist, a Craftsman, and a Father who enjoys His children. He is not a factory worker manufacturing a product.

Is this hard to grasp? We often see our Creator as a utilitarian God looking for an end result-- a practical end result. We view Him in terms of obedience and service. It's easier for us--that's how we would look at things if we were in His place. We are great fans of usefulness; when things are no longer useful, we usually throw them away.

IN DEED: What is God's view toward you? Is He only after your usefulness? No, the Artist wants to enjoy His work. He seeks satisfaction in His technique and creativity--processes which continue on in your life every day. He will use you well, but not before He has enjoyed your company. What is God's will for you? Jesus' words to Martha give us deep insight into His heart. He first wants us at His feet. Above all, He wants us to learn from Him."

P.S. Here's the link to my photoblog!

http://adayinthelifeofrlmccall.blogspot.com

If you'd like to subscribe to it click this link! Subscribe!

I like to Pray, Pray, Pray, Prapples and Prananas

As if I haven't spoken of it enough, I am leaving for Australia in less then 3 weeks. What started as a idea and motivated by an obsession with outback steakhouse commercials will soon be a reality.

A few moments after I got the email notifying me of my acceptance I spent a good amount of time with the Lord in prayer and praise. A few of you have asked me what you can be praying for and so I thought I might share a few of my prayer requests for this journey so they can be lifted up by my (favorite) brothers and sisters.

-God to be glorified during this 5 month trip
-Comfort for my family (especially my mom!!)
-My flight to LA and then Fiji
-The family I am staying with in Fiji for 10 days during my Environmental Studies class
-The other study abroad student I am staying with in Fiji with the host family
-My classes in Fiji
-My flight from Fiji to Sydney
-My roommates in Sydney
-That I will find/have a support system in Australia
-My flight to Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef/My flight from Cairns back to Sydney
-Safety in the Great Barrier Reef
-My classes in Sydney
-Friends I meet in Sydney and in Fiji to see the love of Christ poured out through my actions
-General safety
-Hopefully being able to go to New Zealand during one of the school breaks
-Remaining in constant prayer during the entire trip
-Encouragement to continue reading daily
-Not getting sick or needing to go to the hospital in a foreign country
-Flight back to US
-Great memories and friends
-God's Kingdom to grow

Thanks so much. Prayer is so important and I would feel so blessed to have you praying for me. Please let me know if there is anything I can be praying about for you.

P.S. if you are wondering what that picture is, it's a fish I had last year that I named Cairns so that every time I thought of him or fed him or cleaned out his bowl I would remember to pray for Australia and this trip. It ended with me being obsessed with him...over feeding him and finding him dead. RIP. Also, the background is a picture I drew of Australia. College rocks.

Current location: Engulfed in Snow

Whose idea was it to travel to the north via car during the winter?!

For the past 13 days I have been a traveling machine!
6 different beds.
8 times moving luggage in.
8 times moving luggage out.
927 miles + 2,481 miles (3,408)

This trip was suppose to be over today but because the snow wanted to "teach me a lesson" I'm "stuck" (but really, having a great time) at the Morrison's house in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

By the grace of the Lord I haven't gotten too lost, and I always seem to find my way back. The first few days of my trip were awesome, but I soon started to feel homesick. I kept looking at the date and realizing it'd be another week or so before I was back in my own bed and I felt slightly discouraged. I guess most people can see where this is going...

I can't even imagine being lost for 40 years like the Israelites. I'm not even "lost"...I've just hit a small "detour" and home feels so far away (probably because it's 10 hours). I've had to depend on God to remain grounded, not just once at the beginning of the trip but every day. While reading my devotional the other day (you can read a snip of it here) Chris Tiegreen spoke of the days when the Israelites walked and walked... and walked. And depended on the Lord for their bread. Daily. The bread that the Lord provided for them wouldn't last more then one day so they had to continue to trust that God would give them bread. How neat is that picture. God knew that if He gave them bread monthly they wouldn't rely on Him daily. Tiegreen talks about how this principle applies to so many different things. If one day of prayer covered the whole week, we wouldn't need a real relationship. If one day of repentance covered the whole month we wouldn't need a real relationship.

I'm thankful the Lord showed me this before I declare my independence and journey off to Australia to live on my own. And I hope that encourages other people as well, and reminds them that we can't just eat once a week (Sunday) and expect to be full for the next 7 days.

Good one God.

Party in the USA

This last year has been travel-city and now that my travels are coming to an end I thought I'd jot down the places I've been in the past year.

Alabama 

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia 

Kansas 

Louisiana
Massachusetts 

Mississippi

Missouri 

New Mexico

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania 

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia
West Virginia

Wyoming

That's a whopping 21 states!

Remodeling

Cue the typical New Year's blog post:

For the new year I decided to change some things around!

New name!
New layout!
More blogging?

Only time will tell.

I am also going to update my daily photo blog every day with a photo and a little quote from the daily devotional I am doing this year, "At His Feet"

Someone hold me accountable!!!