Australia DAY ONE

*Travel

*Jet-lag

*Housing

*Communication

We left the house at 4:30 AM Tuesday, and got here about 6 something PM Thursday. Strange, we flew over the date-line in the Pacific so we lost Wednesday forever. Traveling for 30 plus hours kinda beats ya up.




The first plane ride had a disturbing amount of turbulence. More disturbing due to the fact Matts Granpa, just the other day, thought it would be funny to joke and ask us briefly if we really thought that plane travel was safe. Matt of course, in his love for history, brought up gory stories from WWII where few men survived after plane wrecks. I had immediately went back to this conversation in my head, when the plane was bouncing up and down like an ol’ chevy driving down a pot-holed road in Pennsylvania. (I will STILL miss your ‘picking’ and stories granpa!)


This flying stuff, is rather funny and foreign, but often ends up being for a majority of the time, a solitary-reflection time that makes me feel a little more human. Realizing that I am not the only one in this odd in-between stage surrounded by strangers. One small part of that: I watched Blindside tiny screen in front of me. It reminded me so-so much how I felt adopted into the body of Christ. If you haven’t seen it. You should.


So we have landed.
Safe and Sound.


Discovering again that if one takes one’s body to the other side of the planet where day is night and night is day, there are ramifications to be had.


Jet lag.


It is officially Friday morning here, 4 AM Western Australia time. At home its about 4PM Thursday. Obviously my body thinks its time to be awake, after crashing and burning at about 7:30 or so. Neither Matt or I slept too much in the vertical sitting position on the plane.


The jet lag should take a few days or so to completely get over.


All and all though, we are simply content to be here, despite the fact our bodies are confused.


Also on the bodily confusion side of things- as soon as we hit the ground and the Air Con turned off. . . We could FEEL the late afternoon sticky humidity. Unfamiliarly gross as the sweat raced towards our pours, but very odd due to the fact that at home snow was on the ground not too long ago. (There was a lady in an Aussie airport returning home that thought it was interesting that we could have flooding with no rain- due to the snow melting- an oddity to her because they don’t get snow many places.)


Anas (ON-‘us’), originally from Denmark, picked us up from the airport with a glee little smile on his face and ready for quick hugs. He was the only one available for a pick up. A little by default he shared, because everyone else was at Commissioning Night. This is the official, celebration and dedication to send out the previously trained group of people. This happens every three months. I guess they had delayed Commissioning Night because massive flooding and damage that occurred here on the base.

He took us back to a small industrial building (previously a print shop) that had been turned into a series of contemporary looking rooms that all share a kitchenette and a couple stalled bathrooms.

Our room is about 10ft by 12ft (I haven’t converted to meters yet ;) ) and a very high ceiling, with a double bed, a few shelves, and a left over bunk bed from the previous inhabitants. Probably from a visiting family I have concluded. Down the road, after our long term visa kicks in, we will be able to possibly take on a small efficiency apartment. More pictures (from last time)
Last years blog reflection on the place where we stayed. Same place.



Today -once the rest of the world wakes up we will probably go to a coffee shop that we know of, that has free internet and good-cheap coffee. Mom’s gotta know that I’m ‘OK’ some how. Once we have signed up for internet at the base we will be able to communicate from there. (SKYPE anyone? Throw us your information/contact details if you haven’t yet. patient.in.affliction@gmail.com)


Hopefully we will be able to catch up with old teammates later on today, as many of them are just coming back from outreach and about to go home, or many of them are about to go on out reach and about to


Once everyone gets here, to start the next season of training, then the REAL challenge will begin.






AGAIN, Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of praying us in this far and partnering with us to see the Great Commission happen.


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