How you goin' mate? We are goin' good!So...it's been a little over four weeks since we arrived. By now Big B has his Aussie accent almost perfected. :) I did have to tell him to just call me "love" instead of "mate" since we figured out that's the female version. Baron got a little confused when someone from church came up to him and said, "So, you must be Jeremy's mate?". He had to think twice to answer yes to that! LOL.
OUR NEW HOME...
ways time has flown by and in other ways it seems we just got here. Our time of settling in has come with many blessings and many adjustments too! Here's a picture of our house that we are sharing with Jeremy & Elea.Talk about simplifying...we've gone from a 4,400 sf home in Scottsdale to renting a room at the other end of the world that's about 150 sf! But of course we share the kitchen and other living areas. It took us a bit to settle in but we feel like we've got a feel for the lifestyle here.
BEAUTIFUL BUT HOT (FOR
NOW)...We live about two miles from the ocean. Since we've been here it's rained probably 50% of the time...which means it's also humid. They are at the tail end of summer so it's also hot...and humid. Us Phoenicians are having a hard time adjusting to the humid heat (did I mention it's humid?). But it is still very beautiful. The Whitsunday Islands are just off the coastline - there are 74 of them! Big B has gone fishing with some guys and got to see some of the islands...we're planning to go on a day cruise soon to explore. One Sunday we hung out at a resort...this is Big B hangin out.
SWIMMING...
Unfortunately the ocean right now has loads of jelly fish...the kind that have a nasty sting. They are very small - the size of a pinky nail. So we have to wear "stinger" suits to swim in the ocean (one of those adjustments I was talking about...). They are pretty entertaining to see someone wearing though! We also go to a nearby waterfall to get refreshed too.
QUIZ...
Do you know the equivelent US word for these Aussie words?
- Torch
- Nappie
- Serviettes
- Togs
- Cheerios
- Long black
- Sultana
- Coriander
- Capiscum
- Cyclone
Finish reading this blog to find out the answers...
OUR WHEELS...
We love this van! It perfectly suits our needs for this moment in time. Big B has taken great care to give this van a new makeover (at least as much as possible)...and it is building our muscles because it doesn't have power steering! (More on Big B's Little Mate shown in the picture in a bit.) Our wheels has taken us on several trips so far...to the beaches, waterfall, shopping - even to crocidile estuaries (except we didn't get to see any, shucks!) and to the wrong side of the road (of course only Big B has done that - they drive on the other side here!).
CYCLONE!!!
I'm giving away one of the quiz questions, but we had a CATEGORY 5 (the HIGHEST) cyclone (which is their term for a hurricane) come near our area last weekend! They haven't had that kind of cyclone come near here in 30 years! It came on quite abruptly and as it got closer we made preparations to hide in our small storage space (yes, all 10 of us!). We prayed and prayed and commanded that cyclone to go back into the sea in Jesus' name and that no harm would come to the land and homes. Guess what? It completely passed us by, we didn't even get any exciting winds and rain! God is SOOO GOOD! Although the guys were a little disappointed that we didn't get more action, I was very content without any action!
BIG B'S LITTLE MATE:
Meet Little Mate, the son of J&E. He is Big B's little shadow (age almost 5)...asking lots of why questions and wanting to help with everything (he's definitely got the gift of serving)! Little Mate got to know Big B when they stayed with us in Scottsdale for a few months. Since we are now living at Little Mate's house, there's lots of time for them to buddy around.
MEET LITTLE LOVE...Little Love is the daughter of J&E (almost 2). She has lots of energy, runs everywhere she goes, loves shoes and loves attention!
MORE FUN FOTOS:
SO WHY ARE WE HERE, ANYWAYS?
That is a question Big B and I have contemplated a few times since we got here...wondering, did we make the right choice...adjustments are hard...we're living in a foreign country...some things are different than we imagined...how are we supposed to rest??...so why are we here again? (I say this with a bit of a chuckle but it is also honest reflection). As we've discussed these lingering statements, we keep coming back to this: GOD TOLD US TO!
So, here we are, settled into our little suite (as we lovingly refer to it) with our few belongings (at least compared to our previous life). And we have started to ask ourselves, what are we to do now? Amidst the simplicity of it all, we are taking more time to spend with the Lord. We are here to serve and use our giftings but we know there's more to it than that. That is the deep, lingering question that we have. We can stay busy doing the things God's called us to do right now but even beyond that there's the desire in our hearts to really make a difference for the Kingdom.
Our Father has been so faithful to us and He's never forsaken us. He is right here with us in this foreign land, guiding and directing us. We are enjoying our new life, even if it is for a season. And we feel SO BLESSED to have this opportunity and be in such a beautiful place with beautiful people!
By the way, this is the first time I've blogged, so it actually took me a few hours to put this together! Hopefully next time I'll be able to get more pics up.
For now I'll leave you all with this..."Don't let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God, and trust also in me." John 14:1. Trust is required no matter what is going on in my life...and our Father is taking me to new levels of trust.
Cheers!
(ANSWERS TO QUIZ:)
- Flashlight
- Diaper
- Napkin
- Swim suit and towels
- Little sausages
- Coffee - black
- Raisen
- Cilantro
- Red pepper
- Hurricane
