A Whirlwind in Oz

It is not exactly the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, but it sure feels like it! This cyclone is named Alison, who goes, it appears, non-stop when she is in her native land. Well, actually, she goes non-stop in her adopted land, also. My children talk about how I am constant motion and activity. I have met my match in my new bride - but, I knew that, of course, before we married and I wouldn't have it any other way. What a delicious natural disaster!

What a first week (not done, yet) it has been! After arriving Wednesday and recovering from the flight (well, I needed the recovery time, anyway), we headed for friends in the Blue Mountains on Thursday - the Hugh and Barbie I wrote about earlier. On Friday, Alison, Barb and I drove up into the Blue Mountains, which remind me, in many respects, of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. We saw the Three Sisters, a special rock formation of the sandstone that is so prevalent in this range and about which there is an Aboriginal legend. The temperature turned cold, as it should in this colder than normal Australian winter. Back at Hugh and Barbie's home, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and marvelled at the pictures from their recent 200 plus kilometers hike in the high mountains of Nepal. Exactly the kind of trek I like to experience - vicariously!

On Saturday morning, we were blessed to meet more ministry friends - George and Dim - awesome minsters for Christ! These faithful friends of Alison's provided incredible support. George had the same theology books on his shelf that I have! Later that morning, we went with Hugh and Barbie on a bush walk. We walked down one spot so grown over and narrow that there is almost no way I would walk that path in the summer with Australia's large number of venomous snakes and spiders! If you don't know about those, google them and prepare for reading-induced sweaty palms.

We got home to Sydney just in time to shower and head for the city for an awesome night on the town with Hugh and Barbie, who provided us with quite a wedding gift. After dinner right on the water at the Harbour, we walked a few blocks to the famous Sydney Opera House to watch the Broadway Play, A Little Night Music, starring Australia's own Sigrid Thornton (The Man from Snowy River) and Anthony Warlow (who has played the lead in Phantom of the Opera). None of us knew the plot to this play or we would probably not have gone, but it was fine theater, great acting, and great singing! As we exited our section of the theater, we walked into the lobby to find massive glass and a fine view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Beautiful, beautiful city, this Sydney, Australia.

Sunday after church (see last post), we went back downtown with Gil and Jo, two more of Alison's good friends. We took a ferry to Watson's Bay where we were generously treated to lunch at the famous Doyle's Seafood Restaurant. Delicious fish and chips! Gil regaled me much of the day with interesting facts about Australia, particularly Sydney, while the ladies shared their hearts with one another, both being breast cancer survivors and mothers of teenagers and sisters in Christ and - you get the idea. We went up to The Gap and looked out on the Pacific Ocean where we saw a whale (at least the other three assured me that spot in the distance was a whale). The Gap is a narrow expanse of land that ends in cliffs high above the Pacific and separates Watson's Bay from the Pacific ocean. More than a few Aussies have committed suicide at this place, jumping off the cliffs. It was so good to reflect on life in Christ and the joy that is in my life with my wife, my children and their families (Jonathan, Sarala, Ben, Brian, and Laura being the same as my own three) and the beautiful body of Christ - at Grace and around the world.

Sunday evening, Alison and I met with Kayla (sp?) Wall, granddaughter of GCC members, Jay and Ellie Wall. We first met Kayla at the fireworks extravaganza at the Moneypennys on July 3, less than 36 hours before we flew out of North Carolina, heading here. We learned that she was also heading to Australia for a semester at the University of New South Wales while they reside in Coogee Beach (what sacrifices these young scholars endure), just south of Sydney, so we planned to connect Down Under. Kayla and her friend, Bridgette, met us for dinner at the Circular Quay (pronounced "Key") at Sydney Harbour. It was great to watch Alison help these girls acclimate to their new home for the next five months.

As I wrap this up on Monday evening, we have just returned from dinner with two more of Alison's 1,237,538 friends in Australia - these two are Ross and Sarah. What a great night! I have met one really interesting person after another in this country (and enjoyed some wonderful food - lasagna tonight!). An aside - on the flight from LA to Sydney, we sat beside Tim, a flautist with a chamber group out of Chicago named "Eighth Blackbird." Did I mention him before? Interesting guy! One of the things he loves about living in the U. S. is that he says he is far more interesting in the States than he is in Australia - the accent, you know. So, I ask myself about these Aussies - is it the accent, or are these genuinely interesting people? It is ABSOLUTELY the latter! I'm blessed, though, because I am so used to finding the exact same kind of people in North Carolina, and, particularly at Grace. Ross and Sarah (whose four children - vibrant, I understand - were in bed) jumped right in to spiritual conversation, which turned to theology, which turned to the sharing of deep issues (where but in the body of Christ can that happen so quickly?), which turned to discussions of books and history and politics. Riveting!

Tomorrow is an off day. Sort of. It is a bit in flux, but perhaps we will spend the day at Manly Beach, reading (I am really inspired after the conversations this past week), praying, writing thank you notes to our good friends here and at home, talking and continuing to indulge in the blessing of getting to know one another more, and just being quiet at times and reflecting on God's Word while being sensitive to His Spirit. As for now, sleep callllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllls.