An Aussie Christmas

I feel very blessed this Christmas season to be here in Australia, even though I miss my family terribly right now. It barely even feels like Christmas without my family, friends, Christmas lights on every other house, the cold wind blowing, and the chance of snow in the forecast. The closest I'll get to a white Christmas is a white sandy beach. But hey, that doesn't sound too bad.

I'll be travelling down to Melbourne with my host family for Christmas. I'm really excited to go and see a different part of Australia, and spend some time in a big city. It'll be my first time living with a Aussie family too. It's also the first time being away from my team for more than a day.

The hospitality from my host family and the church community here has been overwhelming. Our whole house is full of sweets these days. I am so grateful, everyone has been so supportive of my team. And I'm not forgetting all my supporters from home. I want to thank anyone and everyone who has prayed for me and my team this year. A very Merry and Happy Christmas to you and a blessed New Year!

Love Becca

The Three Drovers

Across the plains one Christmas night,
Three droversriding blythe and gay,
Looked up and saw a starry light,
More radiant than the Milky way;
And on their hearts such wonder fell,
They sang with joy "Noel! Noel!"

The air was dry with summer heat,
And smoke was on the yellow moon;
But from the heavens, faint and sweet,
Came floating down a wondrous tune;
And, as they heard, they sang full well,
Those drovers three, "Noel! Noel!"

The black swans flew across the sky,
The wild dog called across the plain,
And starry lustre blazed on high,
Still echoed on the heavenly strain;
And still they sang "Noel! Noel!"
Those drovers three, "Noel! Noel!"

On this Thanksgiving Day I am Thankful......

I am thankful for the rain which fell yesterday, making it feel like a cool autumn day.

I am thankful for Barbra and Sterling who most graciously invited my team over for the most splendid, sensational, superb, phenomenal, awesome, amazing Thanksgiving Day meal in the whole of Australia.

I am Thankful that Moriah didn't get to upset when I locked her out of our house last week. I thought she was home, but she wasn't. Luckily for her it is ridiculously easy to break in by climbing through our Lounge room window. I am now paranoid of being robbed.

I am thankful for all my prayer support from back home. It's been such an encouragement these past two months.

I am thankful for my friends who keep in contact even though I'm across the ocean.

I am so thankful for my family and their constant support. I am so blessed to be able to talk to them every week and let them know what I'm up to.

I am thankful for God leading me to this opportunity to be here in Australia.

I am thankful for my team, Shae, Steph and Ashley, for putting up with me and being there when I need someone to talk to.

I am thankful to Canberra Baptist Church for being so hospitable towards my team and I. Everyone here is so generous and kind.

I am thankful for my health and my youth.

I am thankful for the Christian community that surrounds me and encourages my faith to grow.

These are just some of the things I'm thankful for.

The Cousin From Snowy River

I had a wonderful day today at Morling Lodge, the retirement home I volunteer at. I’ve gotten to know most of the residents that come to morning activities that I help out with. So when I walk into the room I’m greeted by a steady stream of “Hello” “Good morning” and “How are you Bec?” My shortened name has gotten shorter. Becca is apparently a strange name here. Anyway, my favorite resident was back this morning! His name is Gunars and he’s the cutest little old man. He calls me lucky because once he won two games of bingo in a row when I was sitting next to him. He was away with friends for the last few weeks.

The residents I work with bring huge smiles to my face. They get so into Bingo, Bocca Ball and Carpet Bowls, it’s just hilarious. Today I was sitting by a sweet old man named Des. He was showing me pictures of his family. He came to a picture of his cousin who was an actress. She looked really familiar. She turns out to be the actress who played Jessica in The Man From Snowy River. Awesome. This Aussie film about the mountain men of the outback is a movie I remember watching with my family growing up. If you haven’t seen it, you should watch it.

I Saw Sydney Opera House and an Echidna

On Wednesday night my household set out on the road to Sydney. Moriah was invited to speak at The Beecoft Forum of the Major Issues And Theology Foundation, and we got to go with her. The topic for the evening was War and Christianity. There were four Speakers at the dinner. Rev. Moriah Hurst, a Baptist Minister with a pacifist Mennonite background, Chaplain Barrie Yesberg, the senior Fleet Command Chaplain for the Royal Australian Navy, Camilla Schippa, an international development worker who held senior positions at the United Nations for over 10 years, and Rev. Sion Gough Hughes, a minister of a Welsh Church in Melbourne who before the ministry was a professional soldier and was in active service during the first Gulf War. So it was a night of intense conversation about faith with incredibly intelligent and experienced people. All of whom are very passionate about there work and what they believe in.

We stayed in Sydney for all of Thursday and left Friday morning. So all day Thursday was devoted to seeing the sights of the city. We started the day at Manly Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Sydney. Let's just say I will never look at another beach the same way again. Also, its a good thing we went to the beach near Moriah's parent's house the night before. It would have been embarrassing freaking out at Manly. My team really likes the beach. We caught a ferry from Manly into the heart of Sydney. Awaiting us was the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera house. Two icons of Australian architecture. It sort of surreal seeing the Opera House. It's a building I've dreamed of going to since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but I never thought I would make it all the way to Australia. I guess I was wrong.

It was a great trip and we came home exhausted. We then only had about 6 hours before departing on another adventure. My team went with the Canberra Baptist Youth Group out to Caloola Farms, a beautiful little camp just outside the city nestled in the surrounding hills. It was youth camp weekend, comparable to youth retreats at FMC. It was a long weekend full of games and sports, music and bible study, laughter and fellowship. After four years of being heavily involved in a youth group, youth camp felt like home. All the kids are really great and have so much energy, especially for new games. I taught them Mennonite Madness. It got pretty heated in the end. I won. Oh yeah. It was a fantastic weekend. I even found myself participating in running games like Borrow the Balls and Capture the Flag. Who would have thought. On Sunday morning we were spending time outside thinking about the bible study we just had and one of the boys spotted an echidna. Along with the platypus it's the only mammal which lays eggs. They're not often seen in the wild, so it was pretty sweet. They look like porcupines, but they don't have quills, it's just their hair.

PASS at MARSS

Last Wednesday I went to the Migrant And Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT Inc. I had a meeting with the coordinator of the Program for After School Studies. Its a program for students from non-English speaking backgrounds who need tutoring. The coordinator, Andrew, was so nice and asked me to start that afternoon. So now I'm a tutor three afternoons a week from 3:30 to 6:00. I've already gone three times and I am headed back this afternoon.

Some of the tutors that have been there longer have specific students that they help. Since I'm just starting I wait around until someone needs help. I told Andrew that my best subject to tutor was Maths. I have helped four students in English, Biology and Organic Chemistry which I absolutely adored and afterwards I really missed my Honors Chem II class. No Math yet. The students I tutored were all in high school. I have no idea where any of them were from or what languages they were speaking to their friends. The biggest problem is sentence structure. They know the English words but putting them together in a sensible structure on paper is when they get confused. I find myself trying to explain verb tenses and run on sentences. Thank goodness for Mrs. Cox.

MARSS is in Civic which is kind of the downtown area in Canberra. I catch a bus that's down the street from my house. The buses are very scheduled and are usually on time. However, they only come about every hour so you have to watch your bus schedule or you'll be waiting forever. I did not have that explained to me the first time I took the bus. I'm now a pro and love going into the city. The PASS program was the first place I applied when I got here but my paperwork was lost somehow and they never notified me. But all is sorted now and I'm really excited to have another place to volunteer.

Morling Lodge

So yesterday I actually spent time doing volunteer service. Not that I mind sleeping in, hanging out at my house, reading, going for beautiful, leisurely walks in the cool spring afternoons. No I did not mind that at all, but I'm excited to start doing something else. So I got up early and went to Morling Lodge, a lovely little Baptist Retirement Home. Unfortunately it takes about 40 minutes to walk to Morling Lodge, uphill. And having spent the last two weeks relaxing and laying around it was a very long 40 minutes. But that's besides the point. I'm starting out working with the activities. We played Bocca, which is like Boules, for the first hour. All the residents there were really sweet and friendly. Then we did some stretching and played a game of beanbag toss. Not a bad day.

Then I had to walk home. It was much better than the walk there because it was downhill and I could go pretty slow. But it was much warmer this afternoon than in the morning. Overall the weather has been so much better. Spring is finally here and I might have to shave my legs so I can start wearing shorts. Anyway, I'll be going to Morling Lodge every Thursday morning to help with activities and visit with the residents. That is all for now.

A Little Bit of Roo....

First of all let me apologise to all those who actually check and read my blog regularly. I have failed epically in my duties as a blogger. But as anyone who really knows me remembers, I don't like doing thing if they're being forced upon me. I guess I was just not ready to say anything till now. It's hard to describe what we've been doing these past three weeks. Our schedule is a random array of meeting new people, exploring Canberra and learning about the culture. However, I will do my best to give a summary of a bit that we've been up to.

Arrived in Sydney on Tuesday the 22nd of September at 6:16 am. After 15 and a half hours of little sleep and much movie watching, I was able to move my legs farther than the eight paces it took to get to the bathroom.
We drove a scenic route along the coastline for a bit and then inland to Canberra. Moriah wouldn't let us sleep. We had to adjust our systems to the time change. I didn't like that rule. Not a great first opinion. To distract us Moriah took us to Floriade, a flower festival. Flowers make you sleepy. It was gorgeous and the whole time I was in a kind of dazed trance just wondering through the park.

First impression of Australia: Cold. It was freezing and rainy and it wasn't supposed to be. Everyone was always saying how warm and nice Australia's weather was. But do not be fooled like I was. It is a cold, wet place. Moriah assures us that soon summer will come and the heat wave with it. I have my doubts.



So like I said, most of our time is spent orienting ourselves to our new home and doing random things Moriah makes us do. Here are some highlights in no particular order:(actually just what order I remember them in)

Black Stump Music Festival
Around 2000 people came from around Australia to share in a weekend of Christian music and fellowship. Volunteered at Kids Stump helping lead Drama games. Heard some great bible studies, comedic talks and some fantastic Aussie music. Downside to the weekend was that it was constantly drizzling and sometimes pouring. We were camping in tents. I was wet about 93% of the time.

Tidbinbilla
So I mentioned in church the first week that I hadn't seen any kangaroos yet. The next thing we know a lady from the church offers to take us out to a nature preserve to see all the kangaroos we want. It was fantastic. That day was the day I fell in love with Australia. The scenery was gorgeous as we drove down winding roads through rolling hills. We saw a mob of about 60 kangaroos and were able to get really close to them. We also saw a father emu with five chicks following behind. Once emus bread the mum takes off and leaves the day to raise the kids. I like it. Other creatures we saw included a rock wallaby and lots of water birds. No koalas yet.

Canberra Baptist Church
Moriah is the youth minister at Canberra Baptist Church. On our first Sunday my team was commissioned and welcomed. Everyone was so friendly and hospitable. In between the services there is morning tea, which allowed us to meet and talk with a lot of people. We also attended youth group that Friday night and met the teenagers of the church.


Westley Uniting Church
This last Sunday we attended Westley Uniting Church. We live on their property. They also were very welcoming and hospitable. After church we were getting lunch ready and an elderly man drove up to our house. He said that he was moved by what we were doing and gave us a bag full of bread, meat and a 2 kilo bucket of honey. Then he proceeded to ask what else we needed and didn't really understand when we said we had all we needed. It was so touching for a stranger to take such an interest in our well being.

Overall everyone here is amazingly generous. I think some people here think that we are poor and starving, but in reality we eat really well. Especially after coming from JPUSA food for a month. People from the church have donated most of the furniture, appliances, dishes and linens in our house. We have been invited to dinner several times and also had groups over to eat at our house. Moriah sometimes brings random people over who swing dance in our kitchen and our living room. It's great fun. I have a room to myself which is awesome after sharing with five other girls in Chicago.

So there's a little insight into what I've been doing. I can't start volunteering until a police check comes through, but I hope I will be taken care of by next week. I am going to be tutoring kids after school, working with the Migrant and Refugees Resource Services. I am also looking into volunteering in a retirement home. There is such a wide range of service opportunities, I'm excited to get started. That's all for now. I will try to be more responsible with blogging in the future. Cheers.

Sundays

I have now been in Chicago for three Sundays. Next Sunday I will be on a ridiculously long flight headed to Australia. Headed for a whole new situation. Yesterday I talked with one of my teammates about the fact that we will be starting new lives in Canberra. It will be our home for 10 months. I've never had a home away from my family before.

Sunday is one of my favorite days. First of all it's "Grill Your Own" everyone's favorite meal. Also we have been trying new Churches out every week.

1st week - Uptown Baptist. They had a saxophone in the worship band. It was very charismatic and the preacher had a tone of energy.

2nd week - Willowcreek Mega Hugest Church I have ever seen. Their singing time felt like a concert complete with lights. The sermon was about making a goal to improve yourself this year. It was decent, but a little self important.

3rd week - JPUSA. Awesome songs from the 20s and 30s, kind of a bluegrass feel. Great sermon, short and to the point.

I haven't done a lot of church touring before. I have really enjoyed the dynamics of the different places where we have had the opportunity to worship.

One more week left and I'm starting to get really nervous. I try not to think about leaving too much. But be reassured that I'm only 2% scared 98% excited. Or maybe it's the other way around. I really don't know, but that's what makes it so intense.

Smiles and Frowns

So orientation is now more than half over. For me it's kind of sad. I really love Chicago and now have fourteen great friends I have to say goodbye to in two weeks. On the up side I'm going to Australia. So it's hard to feel too depressed.

Important things that happened since last I blogged:

-We went to a place called Emmaus Ministries which works to get male prostitutes off the streets. The couple that runs it (Al and Andy) are ridiculously talented. They took stories from their guys and turned them into songs and monologues. It was powerful.

-Some people came to talk to us about mission work overseas and different cultures.

-Went to the Chicago Jazz Festival. Amazing talent.

-Researched Australia on Wikipedia. Australia Day is January 26th. It commemorates the arrival of the British at Sydney Cove in 1788 where British explorers unfurled their flag and proclaimed sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. See I am learning.

-I may have begun to drink coffee like drinks. I don't like coffee. But I may be drinking an iced mocah right now. Maybe.

-On a completely positive note. I'm going to a U2 concert on Sunday!!!!!! I'm kind of excited.

-On a more serious note. We had an assignment yesterday that was really difficult for me. We were told to go out in the city and be hospitable to people. That is a lot easier said than done because most people in Chicago aren't very friendly. Me and a friend walked around the entire afternoon smiling at everyone who walked by and looking for anyone who might need a helping hand. Almost every person I smiled at looked away, the rest of them looked at me like I was crazy. It made me miss Newton, Kansas where everyone says hi to you when you walk down the street, or at least smiles in your direction.
We weren't exactly trying very hard, but it was difficult to think of non-weird ways to help random strangers. Plus we were in the wrong part of town. We walked along the river to Navy Pier. It was the kind of place I could picture my family going on vacation. Tourist everywhere. Coming home to Uptown was such a change of atmosphere. People in need were everywhere. But even so I got more smiles in Uptown than down the Riverwalk. It reminded me of something important. I can't get too involved in my own little world. I need to be aware of what is going on around me. If I'm not I could miss out on something important. Like a smile from a stranger. After all, smiles are contagious.

Team Bonding

Today we had team meetings. The Australia team all agreed that we needed to spend some more time together getting to know each other in a deeper way. We decided to put aside intentional team time for just the four of us to talk. I really hope that we can find a bonding point and begin to relate to each other better. All four of us are so different in our personalities and our experiences.

This afternoon was spent doing camp like team building exercises with the South Africa team. I was expecting it to seem childish and pointless. But it actually was really fun. It has been unusually cold in Chicago and today the sun was warm and the sky was clear. It was fantastic to spend some time in the sunshine.

I pray that my team can make an effort to connect. Then when we get to Australia we can have a better understanding of where we all are in our lives and in our faith. I'm hoping that as time goes on we'll find common ground. I would appreciate prayer for my team's bonding time.

Oh my gravy, Australia....

I'm getting really excited for going to Australia. Moriah Hurst (the lady we're staying with in Canberra) emailed us the other day saying that all the young adults/college students were really excited that we were coming. Knowing that there are people in Canberra, excited for me to live there feels amazing. I've already made so many good friends here in a week, Australia can only be better.

My team spoke to Moriah over Skype last week. I was thrilled to hear we are getting host families for at least three months. It will give us the opportunity to completely engulf ourselves into Australian culture. It will be fantastic!

Today we went to the Christian Peacemaker Team's headquarters. We stuffed newsletters with envelopes, taped them shut and then addressed them. It was a long, repetitive task, but with my housemates it was fun.

Thank you to everyone who cares enough to read about what I'm doing and everyone back home praying for me. I know I would not be doing so well without your support.

The First Week in Chicago

So. I have a blog. How exciting.

I have officially been in Chicago a week. It's amazing to me that it's been that long. Yet again I feel like I have known my housemates for much longer. It's incredible. The first week and I know I have already made some life long friendships. All of us are getting along fantastically.

Chicago is an amazing city. Wandering around downtown is breathtaking. The sky scape is gorgeous. Last night we went to a Latin Music Festival in the park. It was fabulous! Three guys and a girl started break dancing in the isle. They were brilliant. There is so much culture here to take in. Everywhere I go I'm seeing new and exciting things.

We are living in an intentional Christian community called Jesus People USA or JPUSA (pronounced Ju-Poo-Za). It is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Over 450 people living together in a old hotel built in the 1920s by Al Capone. I don't know if I could ever live here but the people here seem to love it. It's always crowded and the food is not the best. The Radical Journey group is living in a flat in another building across the alley. I can turn the lights out with my foot while lying on my bed. Yeah, it's a small flat for 18 people. But we're doing a good job of giving each other space and bathroom time.

The first day was terrifying. I've never left home for more than a week before. But I can say without a doubt that this is where I'm supposed to be. I feel God working through me already. I'm putting all my trust in him.

My team spent almost an entire day sharing our faith stories. It was so helpful to hear where we all were coming from. It really helped me understand their personalities better. I hope as time goes on we can grow closer to each other and create stronger connections.

I'm so excited for another week of exploring the city and strengthening friendships.