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.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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.
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.
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