As I begin writing today it's difficult for me to believe that I've only been in Fremantle for less than two weeks. It really seems much longer than that right now because I'm still processing all the changes and up until this weekend really didn't feel like my normal self here. I guess it has to do with the whole changing of cultures, etc, and just getting used to things.
And oh yes... I don't think I've mentioned that I'm not actually living in Perth, but in a smaller town called Fremantle that is very close to Perth. From what I've seen of it so far it's pretty cool--even on rainy days like today.
Hopefully the weather will clear up tomorrow because it's Anzac Day, and we're planning a day out at King's Park. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The day they celebrate marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces in WWI. There are some pretty good cookies they make here, called Anzac biscuits, and I can't wait to eat some tomorrow :)
Sunday night I had my first time with the kids, which was good--aside from one of the toddlers screaming because she didn't want to stay with me! That reminds me that I need to make another clarification... The church I'm working with here is not Japanese! Although I was originally supposed to be working with a Japanese church, and MTW has one in Perth, I am working with a very new church plant that meets in the house of the pastor's family. To some of you Southwest folks I'm sure this sounds a bit familiar :)
Please continue to pray for the church here, especially the younger generation that they will just have a passion for sharing their faith and see that as a priority in their lives. And just pray for me as I continue to build relationships within the church and with others as well.
If you're not on my email list and would like to be, please send me a message: meglan2@yahoo.com
Monday, April 23, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
More coherent... hopefully :)
Hello friends... In my last post I think I was still a bit jet-lagged, so hopefully I'll be a bit more coherent now, even though when thinking over the past few days like this it's difficult not to ramble a bit. In a way, it feels like I've already been here three weeks, even though time has flown very quickly. The Linkston family has taken me in like one of their own children and included me in every aspect of their life. I really feel at home with them, probably partly due to the fact that they're Americans and they're from the South as well. But each of them have really been the body of Christ these past few days in helping me get adjusted to life here.
I am really enjoying getting to know the family, which I realized after my last post I didn't tell much about. The Linkstons have five kids, and one of their daughters is in high school in the States. The rest of their children are all under the age of eleven--three girls and a boy. So they have a very lively household! The kids have been on a 2-week break since I got here, so we've been doing something fun almost everyday to keep the kids entertained. This week we went and had morning tea with family friends at the park, went fishing out in the Swan River, and went to the library. It's all been quite fun.
On Sunday nights, everyone gathers at the Linkstons' house for church. This might sound unusual, but it actually fits in with the way Australians live. They like having their Sundays to do things, so it is easier to get them to come to a worship service that meets on Sunday night. Often, the church meets outside, but it actually rained (very unusual), so we had to improvise and meet inside the Linkstons' house. It was so great to meet the families in the church and see the faces of what I'd been hearing about for so long. And after our actual worship service each week, we have a meal--a covered dish type thing, and so it's an even better opportunity to build relationships with people in the church. Which is exactly what I want to do.
I'm probably going to be living with a family in the church soon--an Aussie family--probably in the next week or so. There are several families who have offered for me to come stay with them, but because of specific ministry opportunities with this family I believe it would be good to live with them. So please pray for that transition and those opportunities.
There's lots more to tell I suppose, but I've got to go because I was just told we're leaving the house in about ten minutes. I can't post pictures right now because I can't use my wireless card here. But as soon as I can, I will!
I am really enjoying getting to know the family, which I realized after my last post I didn't tell much about. The Linkstons have five kids, and one of their daughters is in high school in the States. The rest of their children are all under the age of eleven--three girls and a boy. So they have a very lively household! The kids have been on a 2-week break since I got here, so we've been doing something fun almost everyday to keep the kids entertained. This week we went and had morning tea with family friends at the park, went fishing out in the Swan River, and went to the library. It's all been quite fun.
On Sunday nights, everyone gathers at the Linkstons' house for church. This might sound unusual, but it actually fits in with the way Australians live. They like having their Sundays to do things, so it is easier to get them to come to a worship service that meets on Sunday night. Often, the church meets outside, but it actually rained (very unusual), so we had to improvise and meet inside the Linkstons' house. It was so great to meet the families in the church and see the faces of what I'd been hearing about for so long. And after our actual worship service each week, we have a meal--a covered dish type thing, and so it's an even better opportunity to build relationships with people in the church. Which is exactly what I want to do.
I'm probably going to be living with a family in the church soon--an Aussie family--probably in the next week or so. There are several families who have offered for me to come stay with them, but because of specific ministry opportunities with this family I believe it would be good to live with them. So please pray for that transition and those opportunities.
There's lots more to tell I suppose, but I've got to go because I was just told we're leaving the house in about ten minutes. I can't post pictures right now because I can't use my wireless card here. But as soon as I can, I will!
Friday, April 13, 2007
In Australia at last....
Well, I have finally arrived in Australia. My flight seemed like one really long day, and I'm still adjusting from the jet lag. Right now it's about 7:45 pm on Friday night here, and it feels like I lost about two days. But that's okay. It's worth it to finally be here and be somewhat settled.
The flight over was pretty good. Going through the various airports was not that bad. The only one I really had difficulty in was Los Angeles. I thought I was never going to find my way to where I was supposed to be, but thankfully I eventually got directions from someone who told me the right place to go, and it all worked out. Otherwise, I didn't have any problems. The airports in Taiwan and Kuala Lumpur were amazing. I felt like I was in a mall with all the different shops--including Starbucks. It was pretty nice to go in and have a cuppa after all that time on the plane. It felt like a bit of home, actually.
When I arrived in Perth, I was just glad to be on the ground after all that time on the plane. I wasn't even sure who to look for after I got my baggage and went through customs because I had never met the family I'm staying with before. Thankfully, though, they were standing out there waiting on me with a handwritten sign with my name on it with some other people from the church. Even though I was pretty tired, it was so nice to see that they had come out to welcome me--especially with it being almost midnight.
So we drove home--a twenty minute drive--and I pretty much went straight to bed. I cannot describe how wonderful it was to sleep in a BED! This morning, or early afternoon, I woke up and felt a little better, but I believe it's gonna take another night to get me back to normal--on their schedule here.
Today, some of the college-age people from the church took me around Fremantle, where I'm living, and gave me a tour. It was a lot of fun. We went to the river and I tried playing the didgeridoo at this shop in town. I wasn't too good! They had a good time poking fun at the way I talk. Apparently I sound pretty fun when I say y'all. Ha. Anyway, hopefully soon I will post some pictures for all of you to see.
The flight over was pretty good. Going through the various airports was not that bad. The only one I really had difficulty in was Los Angeles. I thought I was never going to find my way to where I was supposed to be, but thankfully I eventually got directions from someone who told me the right place to go, and it all worked out. Otherwise, I didn't have any problems. The airports in Taiwan and Kuala Lumpur were amazing. I felt like I was in a mall with all the different shops--including Starbucks. It was pretty nice to go in and have a cuppa after all that time on the plane. It felt like a bit of home, actually.
When I arrived in Perth, I was just glad to be on the ground after all that time on the plane. I wasn't even sure who to look for after I got my baggage and went through customs because I had never met the family I'm staying with before. Thankfully, though, they were standing out there waiting on me with a handwritten sign with my name on it with some other people from the church. Even though I was pretty tired, it was so nice to see that they had come out to welcome me--especially with it being almost midnight.
So we drove home--a twenty minute drive--and I pretty much went straight to bed. I cannot describe how wonderful it was to sleep in a BED! This morning, or early afternoon, I woke up and felt a little better, but I believe it's gonna take another night to get me back to normal--on their schedule here.
Today, some of the college-age people from the church took me around Fremantle, where I'm living, and gave me a tour. It was a lot of fun. We went to the river and I tried playing the didgeridoo at this shop in town. I wasn't too good! They had a good time poking fun at the way I talk. Apparently I sound pretty fun when I say y'all. Ha. Anyway, hopefully soon I will post some pictures for all of you to see.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Memories
I was running some errands today, and I had a flashback of when I was in Australia four years ago. I honestly can't believe it's been that long ago. a) Because that was my sophomore year of college, and surely that couldn't have been four years ago :) and b) that trip to Australia is just still so vivid in my mind... So pardon me while I reminisce a bit. For those of you who either weren't there or haven't heard the stories this will give you a little bit of an idea on what has motivated me to go.
God did so many amazing things in me during the two months our team was there, and I am excited to see what He has in store this time around. I remember being somewhat apprehensive about the trip because I had never been overseas before and I barely knew anything about Australia. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the country, the culture, etc. Wow. Australia was so beautiful, and the people were so welcoming towards us. Right from the start our church family there welcomed us into their homes and offered to do practically anything for us. They even had a birthday party for me when they barely knew me, and one family offered their car to us the entire time we were there! These are just a couple of examples of how they demonstrated themselves as the Body of Christ.
I could probably write pages and pages about how much I loved being there, but the main thing was just how the Lord developed in me a desire to share the gospel with people all over the world. My whole perspective changed. My ministry partner, Christy, could tell you that it was really hard at times, but it was so worth it because God taught us so much about persevering and how to share our faith with people outside of those who act and think just like us (i.e. Bible Belt). Plus, just to see that Christianity is not viewed the same in that part of the world as it is in the U.S., or even the South was very eye-opening and life-changing for me. I say life-changing because I knew after that summer that the Lord wanted me to be involved in overseas missions... I just wasn't sure how.
And now, here I am going to Perth. I can't believe it. I can, but it's hard to believe, still, that it's actually here in just a few days! I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do. I'm sure that the experiences God has in store in Perth will be much different from the experiences I had in Townsville, but I can only imagine what He is going to do!
God did so many amazing things in me during the two months our team was there, and I am excited to see what He has in store this time around. I remember being somewhat apprehensive about the trip because I had never been overseas before and I barely knew anything about Australia. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the country, the culture, etc. Wow. Australia was so beautiful, and the people were so welcoming towards us. Right from the start our church family there welcomed us into their homes and offered to do practically anything for us. They even had a birthday party for me when they barely knew me, and one family offered their car to us the entire time we were there! These are just a couple of examples of how they demonstrated themselves as the Body of Christ.
I could probably write pages and pages about how much I loved being there, but the main thing was just how the Lord developed in me a desire to share the gospel with people all over the world. My whole perspective changed. My ministry partner, Christy, could tell you that it was really hard at times, but it was so worth it because God taught us so much about persevering and how to share our faith with people outside of those who act and think just like us (i.e. Bible Belt). Plus, just to see that Christianity is not viewed the same in that part of the world as it is in the U.S., or even the South was very eye-opening and life-changing for me. I say life-changing because I knew after that summer that the Lord wanted me to be involved in overseas missions... I just wasn't sure how.
And now, here I am going to Perth. I can't believe it. I can, but it's hard to believe, still, that it's actually here in just a few days! I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do. I'm sure that the experiences God has in store in Perth will be much different from the experiences I had in Townsville, but I can only imagine what He is going to do!
Monday, April 2, 2007
Leaving SOON
Hello everyone! I've started this blog in order to record my thoughts and keep everyone updated on what's going on while I'm in Perth. I leave in about a week, and it's still hard for me to believe! There's still a lot to do. Even as I sit here at my laptop, I'm going through the checklist of things I need to do before I leave. The main task is packing. Although I've been to Australia before, I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything in the two suitcases I'm taking! I know it will all work out somehow.
I'm really thankful for the peace God has given me about leaving. I think it's just another sign that this is the right time. I do worry at times about traveling or what life is going to be like once I actually get there, but He has helped me to trust Him that it's all in His hands. As cliche' as that sounds, it's true. He holds the future. Thanks to all of you who are praying for me, and I'll hopefully get to write again one more time before I leave!
I'm really thankful for the peace God has given me about leaving. I think it's just another sign that this is the right time. I do worry at times about traveling or what life is going to be like once I actually get there, but He has helped me to trust Him that it's all in His hands. As cliche' as that sounds, it's true. He holds the future. Thanks to all of you who are praying for me, and I'll hopefully get to write again one more time before I leave!
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