Halfway Mark!

Monday marked one month of being in Australia! I cannot believe that I have been here for one month already, and I cannot believe that I only have one month left. While I know that my mom is more than looking forward to having me home, and while I am missing home and some of its comforts (mainly food and a clothes dryer), I'm really going to miss this place. Not just this place, the people. I have made some extremely valuable relationships that I never imagined I could have on this side of the world. I have truly gained a whole other family here in Pakenham, and I am going to miss them a lot. Okay, enough sad stuff....

First order of business...I left my camera cord in Augusta. Sad, sad day. So, unless I take a picture with my iPhone or use someone else's, I won't be uploading any pictures in this hemisphere. However, look for HEAPS of them when I get back (trying to use the Aussie lingo as much as possible).

Last week was crazy busy. I moved for the third time and then again for the fourth. Last week I stayed with a really lovely lady. She's a widow, and she lives about twenty minutes out of Pakenham, in a nearby city called Berwick (pronounced Ber-ick, the w is silent). I enjoyed my time with her, however I wasn't there much because of the busy week I had. We had a meeting about our trip to the Outback, tea (dinner) with a sweet family, Cinderella showing which was put on by one of the schools we help at, and much more!

This week has also been busy. I'm staying with the youth pastor and his wife, Peter and Julie, and their kids, Lauren and Tim. I really love this family. Julie is such a blessing, and having that mom figure means a lot to me, especially when I'm 10,000 miles away from mine! Lauren is my age, and she and I have really clicked. We both love Coke, and we both really like the show Friends. We haven't had a lot of time to hang out together this week because of our busy schedules, but she's going on our Outback trip so I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.

Maggie and I went into Melbourne last Saturday to see our friend Taylor who is working at a church on the other side of the city. I borrowed a few of her pictures, so here they are:

Flinders Street Train Station...I think this is just one of the most beautiful stations! We go and come from here each time we come into the city, and I always enjoy looking at it. 

As Taylor wrote on Facebook..."reunited and it feels SO good!"

Taylor and I enjoying some Starbucks! 

(I have no idea what's going on with my smile in this picture)

That's pretty much all that's been going on in Pakenham! We head to the Northern Territory (the Outback) next week, so please be praying for that...if you know me well, you know I don't do the outdoors all that well! :) 

Quick Update!

Hello friends!
So sorry I haven't updated this like I promised...one difference about the land down under is that internet is not as common/available as back home. There's no Panera to just chill at and use their free wifi. I'm actually at a home right now that doesn't have wifi...I know this sounds ridiculous but I'm so used to having wifi or at least 3G on my phone that it's weird not to have it! I looked ridiculous yesterday at the mall because it was the first time I had wifi on my phone in over 2 weeks, and I was quickly sucked back in! Pathetic!
I have come to really love this town. Pakenham is so different than any place I've ever been to, but it is definitely starting to feel like home. I don't think I could drive here anytime soon, but it's still a great place :)
I'm staying with the most ADORABLE family this week! After being spoiled with Maggie for the past ten days at a home where it was just the two of us with a sweet couple who are definitely our surrogate parents for the summer, I was a bit nervous to head into a home with two little kids. But I just adore these people. I don't want to leave them on Sunday! They have two little girls, Phoebe, 6, and Jemima, 4. They are so cute. I want to take them home with me. Seriously!
Besides coloring and playing with miniature tea sets, I stay pretty busy :) Mondays we spend the morning at the church doing random jobs, and then in the afternoon we head to a local food bank to help out in various ways. Tuesdays are our days off. Wednesdays we do a "brekky" (breakfast) club at a local primary school, then we spend the rest of the day at that school. On Wednesday nights, we have a young adult Bible study. Thursdays we go to a Christian school and help out (this might just be my favorite day), and Fridays are spent doing brekky club, more office work at the church, and youth group that night. Saturdays are our other days off/tourist days...this Saturday I'm going to a sanctuary that has only Aussie animals there! And Sundays are spent at the church, changing homes, etc.
Well, that's about all for now! I've got to go do some coloring or something like that :)

Target, Cadbury, and a few other Aussie things!

So, if you know me pretty well, you would know two things: one is that I shop at Target ALL the time and the other is that I'm a pretty picky eater! I knew that coming to Australia would affect both of these things, and let's just say that they have!

When I found out I was coming to Australia, one of the first things I did was to see if they had Targets. No lie. I really love to shop at Target that much. Just ask my dad...he's forbid me to go there at times because I spend too much money there, but that's another post for another day. So, when I found out that Australia did have a Target, I was ELATED and I couldn't wait to see what it was like. Yesterday, Maggie and I went shopping with our host family at this mall about twenty minutes away from Pakenham. We went to Target, and it is quite different than the Target I'm used to. It's a department store! While they have super cute clothes, it's just not the same. But, I guess it can suffice my Target desire for the next two months :)

Eating...I have tried more "different" foods in the past ten days than I ever thought I would. Lamb, pumpkin, sausage rolls, pumpkin soup, etc. For the first week here, I was eating like a bird (and I still am at times) and thinking "how am I going to get through the summer with this food?". I've definitely gotten better, but I've been craving some Mexican since before I left. I finally got my chance to eat some yesterday! It wasn't near as good as Moe's or Barberito's, but it definitely hit the spot for my craving!

I was introduced to Cadbury chocolate the other day. OH. MY. GOODNESS. So beyond stinking good! I don't think I can adequately describe how amazing this chocolate is, but take my word for it that it is the best thing in the entire world. Maggie and I went into a specialty sweets store yesterday, and we couldn't even find Cadbury. Apparently Cadbury is like our Hershey's, so I can't even imagine how great the expensive chocolate is!

Aussies are very "green" and much more "environmentally conscious" than Americans. One of the ways that they are is by not having clothes dryers. Talk about a little different experience...laying your clothes out on a rack in the lounge room to dry! Oh, and in case you wanted to know, a comforter is known as a duna over here.

While the majority of this post is about trivial things, I am learning a LOT about myself and how the Lord created me for certain things such as this time in Australia. The Lord is constantly stretching me in different ways each day and revealing more and more about Himself. I'm starting to get much more adjusted in more ways than one---I pressed snooze about five times this morning (sound about right, Mom?). I so appreciate your prayers, and while I'm doing well now, I know there will be harder times to come, so I ask you to keep praying!

I read the book Love Does by Bob Goff on the way over here. Such an amazing book. I highly recommend it, and all of the proceeds go to his non-profit organization that frees children who are being trafficked in India and Uganda. It's seriously one of the best books I've read in a looooong time. I'll leave you with this quote...

God asks what it is He's made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, "Let's go do that together." 

First Week in Australia Recap

Last Saturday after dealing with a fever and sickness all through the night, I said goodbye to a super sweet group of friends (which I have a good picture of but I'm not on my computer updating this therefore no picture), and headed to the airport with my parents, not really knowing what to expect. Thankfully, check-in and security were a breeze, and my parents even got to go back to my gate with me! I was glad because I couldn't imagine saying goodbye then sitting for three hours waiting on my plane. Eventually, though, I said "see ya later", and headed to L.A. I made it to L.A., found my team (whom I love and really miss), and we boarded the biggest jet I've ever seen to make our 14 hours trek to Sydney.

We arrived in Sydney at 6:15 Monday morning, so we missed part of Sunday? I'm not really sure. The whole time change thing confuses me. We met up with our contacts, Mark and Karen, and another friend of theirs, Mandy. I love the three of them SO much! They are great, godly, and being with them just felt like I was at home. Our team consists of five people--four girls and one guy. We bonded so well and so quickly over the two days we were in Sydney. I'm with one girl here in Pakenham, but I miss the other three, as well as Mark, Karen, and Mandy a LOT!

While in Sydney, we did a lot of training, orientation, and we absorbed a lot of information. I didn't really feel like we were in Australia because only Mandy has an accent! We were kept in this little "bubble" in a way, which was great to "transition" into the country. On Tuesday afternoon, we headed out to Wollongong, where we went to the beach and enjoyed the city. Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed back to the Sydney airport so we could all spread out for the rest of the summer. Maggie (my ministry partner for the summer), Taylor (another girl who is in a suburb of Melbourne as well), and I said "see ya later" to our team first and got on the plane to Melbourne, pronounce here "Mel-bun".

So, I've been in Melbourne since Wednesday afternoon, and it has been a whirlwind in those past few days. Maggie and I were given our schedules for the summer, and then she stayed at one home and I was taken to another. We had tea (dinner) with the youth pastor and his family, and then had a Bible study with the older youth on Wednesday night. Thursday, Maggie and I headed to a local Christian school for the day, and while there, Maggie's host (who is a special needs teacher at the school) got a call that the two of the kids of the house I was staying at got sick so I'd be moving in with them! To say I feel nomadic would be a little bit of an understatement...ha!

We've been very busy ever since we touched down on Monday, so I opted out of an "excursion" for the day and am just enjoying some time to rest. I'm realizing that I'm much more of a homebody than I would have labeled myself. I really love being home, and not only that, I love being with my parents. While I know that God has definitely called me here, it has been hard these past few days to see why I'm here. So, prayer warriors, please pray that I'll be myself and show the Aussies the love of Christ. Also pray that I can "move past" my homesickness and work each day for the glory of God.

A few Aussie things:
-paddock=pasture
-the homes are different; I'm not sure how to describe it, besides the master bedroom being at the front of the house and the toilet being in a separate room from the shower, sink, and tub, but they are.
-"I sit the test"=I took the test
-Everyone has tea with everything and they have tea multiple times a day (and not our Southern sweet tea)
-it is COLD!!!!! I didn't think I'd miss that Georgia humidity but I do!

Love from Down Under!