How did I get here?

So it's been a pretty hectic first few days but I got here in one piece. The plane left LAX at around mid-night so I'd been up for 22 hours by the time we took off. Of the 14 hours it took to get to Brisbane I was probably only awake for 4.

We had the arrival day and the day after to adjust. Rachel and I have been on the move ever since. Keith Lancaster from Acappella is here with some friends teaching song leading and four-part harmonies to bolster A capella singing in the coC's which has been a lot of fun. The first night we arrived I was sitting in the front row in the middle of singing a song when I got a tap on the shoulder. It was Mike asking me if I wanted a ride to my host home. I had passed out sitting up in the middle of singing. I felt awful but I've gotten to know Keith better since then and he understands where I was coming from .

Church on Sunday was great. It wasn't held at the building but because of the singing workshops it was held at a local k-12 christian school. Congregations from many denomonations were there all singing together and it sounded beautiful. Afterwords a large number of the congregation met for a picnic in an Ocean side park called Wellington point which is just georgous. (I'm working on photos, at the moment I don't have a way to get stuff from my computer to the internet because I've been using other people's computers) Sunday night we went downtown to West End church which was explained to me as a gathering of people who didn't feel like they fit in at a traditional gathering. We had a good time singing together and me and Rachel were able to introduce ourselves a little. This ministry is something we're going to be participating a lot in while we're here which is very exciting to me. It started out as a college-aged ministry but most of the entendees ended up being homeless and patients from the local mental hospital wondering which is a great ministry in and of it self.

I was able to drive for the first time yesterday. We're borrowing a small little 80s Mazda hatchback while we're here. On my first drive I only drove on the wrong side of the road! But I've had a little more practice since then and the only tricky part I think will be the round-abouts which are abundant.

I'll have my hands in many minitries while I'm here but my primary job will be making friends and drawing people closer to God through friendship and example. There are so many people I will have the privilage of getting to know better and help along the walk of Christ. Well I have to run. I'm at the library and the timer is running down. God bless and I'll try to post again soon.