On to Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast!
After NZ, we had a 10 day layover in Brisbane. We stayed at the YWAM Brisbane base and had the opportunity to reconnect with several people that we had met at other YWAM events. Big B and I gave a class one day on "Business and Finance" - we also did one-on-one consultations with those who were interested in having their own side business to supplement their income (all YWAM staff live off of support from churches, friends, family, etc. and with the economy the way it is, they are looking for other ways to earn money).

We also had the privelage of catering SUSHI for our good friends' engagement party...congratulations Juan Woo!



















And we visited the Sunshine Coast...three times, but unfortunately it was either rainy or chilly each time so we didn't swim at all there. But it did have long, sandy beaches and big waves! We also saw a bunch of kite surfers and wind surfers on one beach - I think we counted 25 at one time! It was really fun to watch them - it's Big B's dream to kite surf!

Here's my precious friend, Rhoda...she's from Canada but married an Irishman and they will be moving to Ireland to start a YWAM base in Dublin next year! We can't wait to visit them there...

I know, I know...you probably think we fell off the face of the earth as it's been so long since we've updated. Guess we have really been taking it easy! Actually, it's been a bit busy lately, believe it or not. So, there are several things to update you on:

Our visit to New Zealand...all I can say is WOW! If you ever have a chance to visit NZ, do it! This was a beautiful country - we only wished we could have stayed longer. It was just what I imagined and more...beautiful rolling green hills with sheep speckling the pastures, mountains with snow tips falling into the ocean...oh, so amazing. We spent our time on the South Island. The weather was a bit chilly but we were ready for some cool weather! We spent two days in Christchurch which was a modern yet quaint city...the city square was filled with boardwalks of shopping and coffee shops. We also headed to Waipara Valley, which has a bunch of wineries/vineyards, and on the way we stopped at a few beaches - very cool to see the mountains with snow tips touch the ocean! And we almost literally ran into sheep on the road - they were being hearded to get their hair cut! We also soaked in the hot springs at Hamner Springs. The people were very nice and we met some wonderful Christians too!

Camping...Aussie Style! This post has a ton of pics and videos! :)

We just got back from a long weekend of camping with our Aussie friends. We had so much fun too! There were six of us - actually there were only three Aussie's, one South African and two Americans (pics below). LOL.

We went to a beach campground called Cape Hillsborough. It was Australia's Labor Day weekend so the place was 100% full. I tell you, these Aussie's really know how to camp! The camp "resort" had a kitchen facility, pool, nice toilets and showers, not to mention electrical and water hookups at every site. And, yes, that is furniture that you see in the picture -hey, it was the Aussie's idea! Our Aussie friends had all the "hook-ups" in camping gear. We even had a large canopy for lounging (in our very comfortable loungers)...we played lots of games, listened to good tunes and had lots of laughs under this canopy. Plus we were right at the beach!

KANGAROOS and GREAT BEACHES!!! In the area of Australia where we live, they have the farthest water distance of high tide and low tide anywhere on earth...which means at low tide, there are long stretches of beach area. The video with the kangaroos is at 6:15 am and you'll see it's just after high tide. Also, this area has kangaroos that are fed each morning by the camp resort - the first one is a kangaroo and the second one is a wallaby (the smaller version of a kangaroo) - oh, did you notice the baby in the pouch also eating just like it's mom? :)

In these pictures, it is low tide so there's large stretches of beach - Big B played baseball with the "grown ups" and built sandcastles with the kids...and what did I do? Lounge on the beach, of course!

When the tide is low, there was a spot to hike across to another island. The first video below is on the island...at high tide the place where Big B is standing would be about 3 feet under water. The second video is at the top of the mountain/island looking over to the other side. It's awesome!

Free to Just Be...

Our missionary friends have left for a two-month journey in Norway. They are there for some training and will be having their third baby. So, that means we have some down time to Just Be! We have been having some beach time. These pictures are from Hideaway Bay...Baron enjoyed some fishing and picking coconuts! And then we watched the beautiful sunset! Ahhh...what a life!

EASTER FEST...IN THE RAIN!

Another adventure for us...and guess what? It was in the rain! Four of us, including Big B and myself, drove 14 hours (we left at 2:30 am) to Toowoomba where there was a Christian music festival that is called Easter Fest. It's a large event that hosts 30,000 people a year. We went there to promote YWAM Whitsunday and help out at the YWAM "Chai Tea Tent" (see pic below). Big B and I worked various jobs for three days...security, car park, chai tea tent roamers. They weren't exactly glory jobs but we were able to spend more time with our YWAM friends and serve where needed. The highlight of our time was when we got to see Audio Adrenaline (yes, they had a reunion!) and they were REALLY good (that's me in the pic at the concert)! There were lots of other bands there with about 5 different stages. Unfortunately, it rained a lot of the time so it was pretty muddy. Not to mention, we were camping too! Needless to say, we were pretty tired at the end and ready to come home but it was a fruitful trip...that's what it's all about, right?

WHITEHAVEN BEACH VIDEO

OK, this video is kind of goofy and a little hard to hear but you'll at least get to see the views! (Go to previous post for more details...)

FUN IN THE SUN!!!

So, we finally got to see some of the infamous Whitsunday islands! Yeah! It was incredibly beautiful, the water was beautiful azure blue and clear. We went with the YWAM group - all 26 of us - and headed out on this Ocean Rafter. We snorkeled at two islands - the most amazing coral reef I've ever seen - beautiful colors of pink, red, green, yellow, blue! Then we went to the Whitehaven Beach - the most purest, whitest sand! Apparently it's 98% pure quartz as it came from a volcano - it imploded instead of exploded. It's the purest, whitest sand known to man. Oh, it was breathtaking! We ate lunch and then headed off for a hike up to the lookout point - that's where you see us on the deck. By the way, do you know what movie was filmed at Whitehaven beach and the Whitsundays? Fool's Gold...pay close attention the next time you see it and you'll get panaramic views of what we saw! AMAAAZING! Oh, check out the next blog for our video...