I'm writing from Brisbane, Australia-- in a suburb called Rothwell.
It's just over a week since we got here
The trip was a long time in the planning and the flight felt interminable but now that we are here it's hard to remember how hard it all was. I had mixed feelings about coming. It's always a challenge to come on such a big trip. The biggest being leaving my mom for three and a half months. It's also not a vacation as most people think. But there have been some really delightful things about being here already and I am definitely looking forward to seeing loved ones in Victoria.
Some of my favorite things so far--in no particular order:
The views from the unit where we are staying in Rothwell, Queensland..
Sitting on the balcony watching small planes fly by.
There is a small airport with a flight school nearby. Being around small airplanes reminds me of my Dad. He had an airplane maintenance business for many years and I was his secretary for a few years in my teens and early twenties. So you could say small planes are in my blood.
Interesting flowers we saw on recent walks:
Watching and listening to the birds.
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| Last Sunday when we were out for a walk we saw a man feeding this flock of Rainbow Lorikeets bread scraps and stopped and had a chat with him. |
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| John got more close up shots |
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| Crested pigeons there too but they flew away when we got too close. |
We've also met some new people and caught up with previous acquaintances and friends and had several meetings. Here are a few:
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| This magpie wanted to share John's lunch |
Psalm 84:5 encouraged me on our flight here. Verses 3-6 are good too. But I especially liked verse 5:
"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."
We will be here in Australia for three and a half months. It feels like a pilgrimage. I'm glad I can find strength in the Lord and that he has blessed us so abundantly with caring people and enjoyable things to see and do.
