Blessings of the Day: The Lord's eternal love and grace never fail to amaze me. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that save a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now i see.Somehow i lost the gift of blogging. Don't feel like writing don't feel like doing anything. I seem to switch from online writing to my own personal journal. I think the privacy of writing one's own words in a book is much more better than online. But I still like to record down my trip in Australia which is nearly a month ago. But instead of going day by day, I think I will jot down the significant events in the journey that has left a deep impression in my heart.
The Rocks
Chinatown
Pastor said he was going to beautify the pasta
Prawns in VSOP & homemade wonton
Joan: I Love Mashed Potatoes
We are at Hyde Park
Beautiful Blue Mountains
We had such a wonderful time of fellowship. Pastor and Janet were two very wonderful couple who took good care of us throughout the 4 days. Their warm hospitality helped me and Keegan got in settled very quickly. Every meal, whenever we said grace, we always thank God for the wonderful couple who had ministered deeply in our lives. Pastor took time and showed us his artworks that he had done in school. Every piece of art work he had painted, reflects strongly his passion and the love for Christ. We couldn't help but felt very touched and inspired. A few times, for some funny and weird thoughts, I would ask Keegan "Do you think we come at the wrong time and we shouldn't have disturb them?" Keegan would assured me that I was thinking too much and surely enough, Janet dropped me an email after we left by telling us that they were very happy to see us after so long. The most enjoyable time with the couple was every single meal we had together. We cooked and enjoyed one another company. Pastor was a fantastic tour guide and we were so amazed. Everywhere corner he turned, he rattled off non stop about the point we were at. We jokingly said he should apply to be a tour guide and he could bring people around. Without them, it was impossible to visit all highlights by ourselves. After 4 days of intensive travelling in and out of Sydney, I think Sydney wasn't that hard to explore after all.
Posing with our new Kola friend
Together in Blue Mountains
With the artist - that his painting behind us
When we travelled to Brisbane, I must admit I felt a little bit lost. I wished I had spend the whole week in Sydney instead to spend more time with Pastor and Janet. They had took so good care of us and suddenly we are on our own. Joan even shared with me "PY, i feel so stressed" "Why???" "I scared I am not a good host and a good tour guide!"
Joan with her best friend, Fish & Chips
We decided to enroll to Hogwarts School
But tata both Joan and I were so wrong. Firstly, I felt excited cos finally we could explore Brisbane on our own without driving around. Travelling using the public transport. In Sydney, we hardly had the chance as Pastor and Janet would drive us around. Joan on the other hand displayed a new her. She brought us around to the town to get our next few days groceries for breakfast and dinner. She brought us to her life group (aka to singapore cell group) and to town to eat fish and chips and to catch a movie. When we looked at her room - which was a garage by the way. I suddenly felt like hugging this sister in Christ of mine. Witnessing how she came to Australia on her own to study and live here, this was certainly not easy i thought. I began to ask her how did she feel when she first came here. She recalled "Shoot! This is for real. I am in Australia! Every night, I would cry myself to sleep. I missed home." It took her 6 months to really get to know her life group members well before she start to open up. I told her - "I admire you Joan. I can never do it if i come here to study" She had proved herself and had really grown up. Before she went to Australia for her studies, she was a very mature girl. Now she became even stronger and more mature. She learned to cook on her own, chores, get her own groceries, getting to know people in church and to study. Joan is a girl whom I had felt that she played quite an important role in my life. As a young christian back then, she was the first friend whom I get to know in Bethel. I thought she was same age as me, later i knew she was 4 years younger than me. Her constant encouragements always perks me up and encouraged to go on and not give up. Her faith with the Lord were always so strong and close. Joan i said was a woman of God. Needless to say, Pastor and Janet are also my good friends who had mentored me during the first few years of my christian walk. The trip hold many good memories with them.
Hot Thick Chocolate *yummy* too bad too full and we only manage half a cup
Our strawberries ice-cream
Through this trip, we got to know Nelson better too. He is also another one of the funny BB guy. This guy once said "Tell me all your secrets. Secrets are safe in Brisbane" Thank you for being such a wonderful friend who offered to drive us around and visit those places. Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast will be impossible without your help.
At the beatiful King Cross Beach
It was also my first trip with Keegan to such a far place. Many of my friends thought we were on honeymoon trip. Haha but of course not . Looking back, Keegan shared this with me: "I never expect to go such a far place with you. But it was really fun and enjoyable travelling with you." It was a very challenging time to plan the trip with Keegan. Working together to plan this was quite a test to our relationship. But I was glad we pulled it off.
Keegan & Me
God is great. Through this trip we learnt so many things about His word through the two different churches we attended over there. In Sydney church, we learned about not to be a snob. Whether you are rich or poor - we are all the same before the Lord. In Brisbane church, we learned about the funding your own ministry and in the season of waiting - which is between the season of sowing the seeds and season of reaping the harvest. These are all valuable lessons that we had brought back. We realized even when we moved from places to places, God's hands were with us and always teaching us new things everyday.
This had to be one my best trip i ever had. Friends, Fellowship, Fun and God.
