I Come From A Land Down Under!

Since we got to Sydney things have calmed down quite a bit. It's been colder and more rainy here, so we haven't been out on the beach like in Cairns. But there is still so much to see that we keep busy easily.

Last week we went to classes at Macquarie University for 3 days to have lectures covering Australian history and modern civilization. Those classes were really interesting as the professors built off of what we know about American history to fit Australia's history into it. Not only did we gain an understanding of Australia's history, but I feel like I understand American history better now too. We learned all about their English origins and how they have treated and dealt with the aborigine people over time. In many ways their history is a lot like ours, and in many ways it's very, very different. Their priorities and goals have been very different than ours while they established their own government and society, which has created two very different countries stemming from the same source. At the same time, they now have many of the same ideals as Americans do, so they are working now to find a way to move forward in their culture.

Yesterday I went to Paddy's Market, which was similar to the Silk Market in China but less chaotic. I found some good souvenirs there and stopped to watch the Bottle Man outside. You can go to www.myspace.com/bottleman to see his videos. In the evening we met with the group studying in Australia from Harding University. It was good to hang out with them and exchange stories of our different adventures, and we have plans to see them again tomorrow and hang out around Sydney. They will also be in Hawaii the same time as us, so maybe we'll get to see them even more before we get home!

Tonight for dinner we are going out to Pancakes on the Rocks for a little birthday celebration. Afterwards we're hoping to pick up some tickets to see a ballet tomorrow at the Sydney Opera House. Later this week we are headed to host families again for our last few days in Australia! I think everyone is starting to feel a bit homesick as these last weeks wrap up especially around Thanksgiving time. We are planning our own Thanksgiving meal, so we'll still get to celebrate our Americans holiday from Australia. It'll just come 17 hours early for us!

I miss you all and can't wait to see everyone when I get home. If you're in Oklahoma, come to the Student Center on December 8th at 7pm to greet us all when we get there!

Amy

P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, SYDNEY!

Last week, while white water rafting I conquered a 7 meter waterfall, which is the highest you can legally go over in a raft in the world! Our guide, Chunk, was hilarious and made the trip really fun. The last time I went white water rafting was with my Aunt Sarah, and the rules she drilled into us then were helpful to remember this time around - things like "Do As I Say!" and "Don't Let Go Of The End Of The Paddle!". It was interesting that about 3 times during our trip down the river and once before we started, the guides said prayers to the spirit of the river. The New Zealanders are very spiritual people, but do not see the need in going to church. All of the prayers were offered in the name of "the Man upstairs...whoever that may be for you." The similarities and differences between each culture we have encountered so far is so interesting! Every culture finds a spiritual being or someone greater than themselves to pray to, but they haven't been very strict or firm in their thinking about who that is. So many cultures are open to the idea of God, but just need to be informed like when Paul explained to the people of Athens that he knew the God they honored as THE UNKNOWN GOD. (Acts 17:16-33)

Now, we are in Australia and have been keeping busy here as well. Our first destination was Cairns, and we spent time at a small lagoon then took a catamaran cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. We didn't go to the beach to swim because the waters are full of jellyfish right now, so the lagoon was a great alternative. Tons of people were there, but it didn't feel crowded. So, we had fun swimming around like in a pool and laying out in the sun to dry off. Don't worry, we all kept each other in check reapplying SPF 30+ sunscreen very often, especially since all the locals kept telling us that the UV was in the danger zone and we could easily burn within 15 minutes of being exposed to the sun.

On our cruise, we spent about 2 hours driving out to our destination on the Reef relaxing out on the deck or inside in the shade. Snorkeling was included in our day trip, but we were also given the opportunity to scuba dive if we wanted to. I've been snorkeling before in Hawaii, but when we started snorkeling it was also starting to rain just a little bit, so the water was really choppy. I decided to give scuba diving a try, and it was so incredible! I was nervous that I would panic under the water after trying to snorkel in the waves for a while, but the guides were very patient and gave us plenty of time to practice and went over our hand signals and testing us just under the surface. I had bought an underwater camera since it's not everyday that you go see the Great Barrier Reef, and I hope when I get them developed they look as awesome as the real thing! There were so many bright and beautiful fish that swam right around us, and we had the chance to touch lots of clams and other weird creatures at the bottom of the sea. I even saw a sea turtle swim just over us! It reminded me of Finding Nemo, and I wondered what the fish thought of us. They didn't seem bothered at all that we were swimming around, and in fact they seemed just as interested in us.

Now, we are in Sydney, and we will be taking classes at Macquarie University the next 3 days along with our own free time to tour around. It's so fun being here because it feels so much like home, but it's still just so exciting to be in Australia! Today I felt sick, so I stayed close to the hostel, but several people went out exploring and came back with stories of petting koalas or accidentally running into a movie premiere where they saw Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman! It's strange to think that this is the tail end of our adventures, but we still have so much to do and see. Hopefully I get to feeling better very soon so I can enjoy Sydney.

I love you all, and I enjoy hearing from you about home!

Amy

New Zealand is Extreme!

The past two days have been incredible! We are taking a few days to tour around and do some extreme activities here in New Zealand, since that is their big industry here. We started off yesterday with black water rafting and today went for skydiving! I have never felt more personally challenged than the past two days as far as taking the plunge...literally.

For those of you that are wondering what black water rafting is, it's similar to white water rafting...but in a cave. We got all suited up in our wet suits, helmets and headlamps and headed off to the caves to climb underground with our intertubes. From there we moved slowly through the caves climbing along rocks, jumping off waterfalls, and drifting down the water in our tubes with our lights off watching the glowworms above us. Some of the parts were so low that we had to lie back in our intertubes and push ourselves along the roof just inches from our faces. At one point we got to look up from the bottom of a waterhole 65 feet under the surface. The water was freezing, but our wet suits kept us from feeling how cold the air was. (We could see our breath in the headlamps) The whole trip lasted about 3 hours with 1 hour underground, and we were all completely worn out by the time we were through.

Today we weren't under the ground, but way, way above it. 20 of our 26 travellers decided to take part in an optional day of skydiving (including our sponsors!). I went for the 15,000 foot jump and a camera man followed for the freefall portion of my jump taking video footage and still pictures, which I will post as soon as I get. The feeling was totally unreal and I can't even put into words the rush of emotion it was to climb into that plane, watch out the window as we flew higher and higher, then slide my legs over the edge and let myself be thrown from the side of the plane. My tandem jumper (the man attached to my back and did all the work) was so awesome explaining how it was all going to work and showing me the different heights as we went up like where he would be pulling the parachute open. In my head I was telling myself I was crazy and I should be completely panicking, but my body just couldn't keep up and I stayed calm the entire time. The view was incredible, and I can't wait to get my pictures back to show you all the scenery.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow, but I believe Thursday we are going white water rafting. I've gone white water rafting twice before, but this is going to be a level 5 river, and I am so excited to face the next challenge! Don't worry, I promised Mom I wouldn't push the limit too much. Haha!

I'm posting pictures from the past few weeks - Hong Kong as well as a ton of pictures from skydiving, so please check them out! I love hearing from everyone at home, and I miss you all so much. I'm having the time of my life, and I can't wait to get back to tell you all about it!

Amy

The Land of the Kiwis

Now we've already made it to New Zealand - after a delayed flight due to technical difficulties and a change of airplanes. We ended up sitting on the plane about 2 hours before taking off, then riding a bus and sitting at a new gate then settling into our second plane for the next hour to take-off for our 11 hour flight. We were a little restless and ready to go, but also glad to get dinner and get some rest. I know we all were suffering with jet lag yesterday, but we didn't have time to sleep or shower before we got started here. The North Shore Church of Christ is providing us all with host families in sets of 2's or 4's, but we went to a mall for several hours upon first arriving while they waited for the families to get home that evening. I know many people went to the movies or sat on the couches and benches drinking coffee and doing minor shopping for shampoo and such. (They had a K Mart in their mall) I took the chance to get a haircut after about 2 months of letting it grow out, and I nearly fell asleep while the lady was washing my hair.

Today we spent the day in downtown Auckland with a general idea of where some good shopping and the piers were. I spent most of the day with different people shopping around and having fun joking around with Casey, the 15 year old son of one of the families hosting us who was acting as our tourguide for the day. We were really sad that we hadn't gotten the chance to go watch the All Blacks play rugby while we were in Hong Kong, but their game was the same day we arrived. Many of us had hoped we'd be able to go. One day I'll get out and see a rugby game; those players are stout and intimidating!

Tomorrow we are going out to a beach, but it is still fairly chilly here - it's Springtime, going into Summer. I think I'll still brave it and test the water, but only enough to say I've done that on a black sand beach. Australia should be better beach weather.

I miss you all so much and love you more!!
Amy

Not Long in Hong Kong

Our time in Hong Kong involved a lot of walking and exploring. The most interesting aspect of Hong Kong is the obvious blend of Eastern and Western cultures from their time under England's control. Hong Kongers (yes, that is correct...I checked) speak Cantonese, instead of Mandarin like in the other Chinese cities we have visited so far. Most of them also speak English, and I thought it was very amusing that for the most part, they spoke Cantonese with a strong British accent instead of English with a Chinese accent.

They also have a long walkway above the city connecting several malls, bus stations and ferry ports, which made it easy for us to navigate our way around. Our hostel was up on top of a mountain on Hong Kong Island, and the shuttle only ran a few times in the mornings and evenings, so we had to be aware of the clock to get off the mountain or back on to avoid the long climb up or down. On Sunday morning, we decided to all climb down as a group to experience it at least once, and it was quite a trip. The entire way is either pathway or stairs, but mostly stairs. Of course we started out dressed and ready for church, but about halfway down it started raining. Hong Kong is very humid, so on one hand it cooled us off some, but with our raincoats on we sweated more and were all soaked by the time we made it down to the bus stop. At this point, we all just adapted by adjusting our clothes and pulling our hair up and emphasizing with each other.When church clothes means a cotton skirt, a t-shirt, and some shoes/sandals that are hiking-worthy, it's not as hard to dry out and realize there wasn't much to mess up to start with. Haha!

When we got to the church for the English service, they were excited to have us and said that they had easily set a record for attendance with our help that Sunday. We also got to witness the baptism of a lady that had been attending there for a while now and helped to welcome her to her new Christian family. The man that preached was also visiting, and was an ACU alumni. The service was fun, laidback and uplifting with a lot of singing and people calling out songs they wanted to sing from their seats then being asked to lead them.

We had several spots that were required sites to visit, so over a few days we went out to many places including Kowloon and Lantau Island. One day I went with a few people out to Stanley Market, which was fun mostly because of the long bus ride out there passing by Repulse Bay and sitting next to a nice couple from Houston. Our sponsors told us that the market had been a lot more exciting the last time they came...14 years ago. Haha, I think we all just enjoyed a few days to run around in a city that we could easily find our way around using only English.

Love you all!
Amy

Make Me a Servant

Our time spent in Ibaraki opened my eyes to the many opportunities we have to serve daily if only we watch for them. We came with a plan to teach English using the book of Luke, but that is only the surface of what we were able to accomplish in our time at IC. At the beginning of the month our devotionals on Wednesday nights were made up of our 24 OC students and about 8-10 IC students. By the end of our stay, our devotional was basically split evenly with OC and IC students. Many of the students that were coming at the end spoke better English, so my last LST session I spent singing more songs one-on-one with an IC guy explaining what the meanings were behind the words. It meant a lot to me that this guy wanted to take the time to learn what the songs and words mean because it gave me a chance to reflect myself while teaching many small lessons along the way. It reminded me of the first time I heard the story behind the song "Pierce My Ear". Here are the lyrics:

Pierce my ear, O Lord, my God
Take me to Your door this day.
I will serve no other gods,
Lord, I'm here to stay.
For You have paid the price for me
With Your blood You ransomed me.
I will serve You eternally,
A free man I'll never be.

I don't know how many times I sang that song before I found out the meaning behind the words. The song is based on Exodus 21:1-6, which states:

"These are the laws you are to set before them: "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

"But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,'then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life."

Without understanding the meaning behind the words, I don’t know why I thought those words made any sense, but after knowing the message, it became a personal request and promise to God each time I sang that song. I hope that my time explaining some of the songs or even the difference in writing “God” versus “god” – that while some may believe in other gods or even multiple gods, these false gods do not compare to our one and only God. That I hope is a concept that he took away because I know many Japanese especially have a hard time separating from Buddhism or their Shinto ways to serve the one true God.

One experience I had that I especially appreciated was the chance to put into action what I learned only one month previous from Gary Jackson. In his talking about my uncle I realized that I should use my talents to help God’s mission in whatever ways possible. The two long-term LST workers at IC, Gary and Linda Gearhart, were having computer problems, so Ryan suggested that I help them. My last Sunday in Ibaraki I went after church to their home and spent several hours repairing issues on their computer and teaching them how to maintain the things I had done to keep from happening again after I was gone. I realized then and there that what I had done not only made it possible for them to keep in touch with their own families, but who knows how many other people they can reach and contact via email and online resources. What may be a few hours of simple computer work to me means being able to focus their time and money on God’s mission for them in Japan. I was so glad that I was given the opportunity to quickly to put into practice and recognize it for what it was so soon after my lesson in Beijing.

I think the most important work we did was not even in our organized and planned missions time, but in the way we acted and presented ourselves to the IC Buddies and other people we encountered daily. My host family were not Christian, so my evenings with them consisted of discussing – among many other things - Christianity and my beliefs. Many times throughout out stay I heard the buddies asking people in our group about issues such as creation and baptism. We tried to explain in simple terms what we believe and why, and when available we used the Bible to show parables or stories that might explain better than we could ourselves.

I feel confident that my time in Ibaraki was well spent, but I know I could have done more too. How many times did I miss an opportunity to evangelize or just share my faith or talents with people? Good thing we still have a month to go! I can continue to keep my eyes open for those types of situations to be a servant for Christ and an example to the world.

Thanks for all of your support! I love you all SO much!
Amy