Once again, I will share portions of my Australian adventures....This is day 16. I have enjoyed over 2 weeks of living with my daughter and her 4 housemates. Sarah and I have shared a small bedroom, and my daughter has generously given up her bed for me while she has slept on a mattress on the floor. While I have been here, I visited Sarah's "Connect Group". Connect is a small group of Hillsong students and church attenders aged 25-35. A dear friend of Sarah's treated us to an English High Tea at a vineyard in the area. Another friend who is from Oregon had us over for lunch my first week in Australia. I have eaten homemade Korean, Swiss/German and Burmese food during my stay in Australia. We took a day trip to Palm Beach and after lunch hiked up to a lighthouse. We have gone grocery shopping and hunted out the atm's in the area. I have attended services at Hillsong Hills campus, Hillsong SW campus and a small Burmese church that meets in a Baptist church. I have heard Sarah sing at the SW morning service, the Burmese Church service and the Women's ministries choir. I attended class with Sarah on Tuesday of this week and a chapel service.
When Sarah first arrived in Australia a year ago, she stayed with a very special family, the Ananins. Paul and Miriam are cousins of our friends the Dikihs. We enjoyed a meal and an afternoon with them in Granville. Sarah and I took the train from Bella Vista to Granville.
Eight days ago, Sarah and I went into the city of Sydney. We had a ride to Paramatta where we planned to take a ferry into the city. At the ferry dock we discovered our trip was delayed and we later learned it was because the tide was not high enough for the ferry to enter. While we waited, we warmed up at McDonald's with a cup of tea and then wandered around taking pictures in a park. When we got back to the ferry terminal, we visited with a retired Cessna airplane salesman who was presently teaching conversational English to young Chinese students. He also shared with us the history of Australia. The ferry finally arrived after 3 hours of waiting, but it turned out to be a very relaxing ride into the city. It was fun catching a first glimpse of the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera house. After de-boarding the ferry, we spent some time in the Opera House warming up in the beautiful restroom that had lighted toilet paper dispensers, beautiful sinks and hot water! We also checked out the gift shop. After taking more pictures, we walked through the Botanical Garden and ate in a little outdoor cafe just outside the garden. We spent some time under the Harbor Bridge watching people tour the bridge. We found out later it costs $200 to go on that tour. Before heading back on the ferry, Sarah and I had a glass of sparkling water and wine. As we boarded the ferry, the sun was setting. We were able to get some good pictures of the Opera House and bridge at sunset. When we arrived at Paramatta, we walked to the bus station and caught a bus back to Bella Vista. The bus took us practically to the front door of Sarah's house. Our trip to Sydney was a highlight for me. Sarah and I were able to have continuous good conversation and an excellent time to reconnect.
The next day, we drove to the Blue Mountains. We ate breakfast at a quaint cafe called the Common Ground. We hiked down into the canyon of the Blue Mountains, took more pics and drove to a park where we were told we would find kangaroo. After spending some time hiking around a park and almost ready to head back to Bella Vista, we saw two tour buses park and 50 or more people followed some tour guides to a clearing. Assuming they were also looking for kangaroo, we followed them. At 3:45, a family of kangaroo appeared. The mother, father and little Joey seemed to arrive almost on cue. After showing off their grazing skills, they hopped off into a grove of trees. The next day, a new student who is also a professional hairstylist came to the house to give Sarah a haircut. It was fun getting to know Cody and watching him do a masterful job cutting Sarah's hair.
On Saturday, I joined Sarah with her street team ministry. I was able to spend time with Sarah and a lady she has visited over the months. The lady named Linda is my age, but is pretty much house bound due to health issues and a difficult past. She is an intelligent woman and a retired nurse, but continues to live a hard life. She had tears in her eyes as Sarah and I left her that day.
It has been a blessing to meet Sarah's friends, teachers, and mentors. I was also able to spend an evening with one of Sarah's housemates having dinner at the restaurant where Sarah works. Sarah was able to take our order, serve our meal and visit in-between hosting the other tables. The owner of the restaurant treated me to an extra glass of wine and we were given dessert compliments of the owner. One of the chefs visited us at the table and the owner also invited us back to meet the head chef. They all shared their love for Sarah.
As difficult as it is to have my oldest child so far from home, I know God is working in and through her. She is totally in the center of His will. These last two weeks have been a gift from God!
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