Australian Adventures!

In the second instalment of my travelling adventures, I have gone that little bit further east to Australia! We undertook a three week mission trip to the other side of the World. We hit Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane all in one trip. What an experience! We were a team of five, not including Alex (in charge of the trip) and Mike. In Melbourne, we were serving at the Soul Survivor festival, an offshoot of our festivals back in England. We were running a caf for the week, but also helping out in whatever way we could. Great fun! In Sydney we were again at a Soul Survivor event, called Soul-in-the-Bush. This was an outreach project run in seven different towns outside of Sydney. Our group was split up between these towns, which gave us a little bit more independence and risk in what we were doing. Myself and Simon were based in a town called Tamworth. In the third week, we travelled north to Brisbane, where we had a mini holiday, staying with relatives of Natalies. We explored the surrounding areas, and had a great time relaxing after two exhausting weeks of serving!

I feel so privileged and blessed to have been able to be a part of this trip, and made such good friends whilst out there. I wouldnt change anything about it. One of the big things that has come out of this gap year with Soul Survivor is the opportunity and chances Ive had to experience Church all around the world. It has been quite incredible, seeing God move in the same way he does here all the way on the other side of the world. I hope this travelogue/diary is as well received as the last one, and I hope you enjoy reading about what I experienced as much as I enjoyed experiencing it!

Monday, 9th April 2012 The Adventure Begins.

Australia! The day of travelling to the other side of the world was finally upon us, and we were all super excited. My own enthusiasm was slightly dampened however, by the fact that I felt pretty ill! A sore throat and a blocked nose do not make for good travel companions. We had to wait the whole day to leave, as our flight wasnt until ten in the evening. I definitely would have preferred to leave earlier in the morning, as that day was just one long waiting game. But when time came, it meant I was more than ready and raring to go. We all gathered together at Natalies house, before driving together to the airport. I actually found saying goodbye to people quite hard this time round, which was surprising. I think it was because when we to Asia, almost everyone on the course was going too, especially those Im closest to. This time round however, there were only five of us altogether. The other four are great company however, so there was no reason to worry! We got to the airport with no problems, checked in, and once again it was a waiting game. Having travelled

through Asia only a month or so ago, waiting and travelling came pretty easily.

We were excited to be flying with Singapore Airlines, a supposedly good and reputable company, and they didnt disappoint. The in-flight entertainment was top notch, with loads of movies and TV shows to watch. Over the course of the two flights out, I watched five films, and maybe fifteen TV shows, as well as reading a few chapters of my book. What I didnt, or rather couldnt do, was sleep. I got maybe four hours of sleep across two and half days, and even that was in fits and starts. I genuinely dont know how I managed that, especially off the back of a super busy week of outreach with the Church for Love Watford.

Felt the effects of that for a while! The stopover in Singapore was for three hours, and we took full advantage of those hours by eating in Burger King and trying out all the products in the massage shop! We stayed in there until the shop assistants tried to make us buy something or get out. Ive come to realise that whenever people ask me if I like flying, I always say yes, although I think I might have to change my answer soon. I dont mind it, Im not scared or anything. But its just the monotony of it all that annoys me. Spending such a long time in the same small space is not pleasant. Still, it is a small price to pay to get to the other side of the world. Wednesday, 11th April 2012 The first day Upon landing in Melbourne, I realised we had somehow missed a day! Where had Tuesday gone!? Time zones always have, and probably always will confuse me. We literally bypassed a whole day!

It baffles me. But anyway, after collecting our luggage, we went through and looked for our lifts. There were two guys from the Church to pick us up, Mike and Corinne. They are great guys, and they drove us to the camp. The camp was a lot smaller than I expected. I knew it wasnt anywhere as near as big as our festivals in England, but I expected it to cover more space than it did. Im not saying this as a bad thing, by the way! I think there are good and bad points to having larger and smaller events. One of the positives of having a smaller festival that is pretty prevalent here is that you can recognise and talk to the young people more than once, because it is that much smaller, so you see more of the same people, which is good for building relationships. This was definitely one of the plus points of the festival. We decided as a group that we would try and fight the jetlag and stay up through the day then sleep properly at night. This was a good plan in principle, but meant that when it got to the evening, I was pretty much a zombie!

So in the afternoon, we got a tour of the site and where everything was, as well as where we were staying. We stayed in small shared cabins, which were basic, but good for what we needed sleep! We were also showed the venue we would be running for the week a caf called 5 loaves. We were showed the ropes as to what to do and how to run it. Fortunately, we werent required to work straight away. I cant imagine it would have gone very well given the state we were in! We had dinner as a group, and Mike and Alex joined us, which was nice. Although I have a distinct recollection, and the others keep reminding me of it too, that I fell asleep whilst Mike was talking to me. I could feel my eyes going and my head nodding..and I eventually succumbed to it. It cant have been more than ten seconds, but I was soon woken by the others laughing, and Mike giving me his fake angry routine. I didnt feel bad - just even more tired! So we went to the main meeting, and although Im sure it was good, it was the wrong decision to go. We (or at least I) should have gone to bed. I fell asleep in the worship

(standing up!).I fell asleep in the talk..and I fell asleep during the ministry time. Fortunately I wasnt praying for someone! At one point, just as the ministry time was starting, I was sitting down asleep, and Natalie had her head on my shoulder (also asleep). Apparently, I snored/snorted rather loudly, as well as twitching somewhat jerkily. This obviously woke Natalie, who was confused already, but then I apparently told her to shhhhhh, then turned away and carried on sleeping! I could hear the sniggers from the people in the row behind, but I really didnt care at that point. As ministry time went on, the others left for bed (apparently telling me, but I was clearly asleep and didnt hear them!). I eventually dragged myself up, and left the meeting early to succumb to the tiredness. Sleep had never felt so good!

Thursday, 12th April 2012 The work begins I woke at seven, after a beautiful sleep. Breakfast was at seven thirty, so I had time for a shower beforehand.

Breakfast was good, and myself, Alex and an Ozzie guy called Pete invented a new breakfast delicacy two hash browns in a toasted sandwich. We called it the Tash! After breakfast it was up to the caf. We opened at eight! Closing was at half six, so a long day ahead indeed. We drew up a rota in the afternoon, so we would all get a decent amount of time off to explore the festival too. The caf itself was easy enough to run, as it was just selling and keeping track of what items need stocking up. We were only really busy at lunch and dinner time too, so the days were always going to be pretty quiet I think! So my day was pretty much spent in the kitchen serving, which was cool. I didnt think it needed to be open all of the time, but we were doing what wed asked.

The ozzies are really nice. I definitely felt welcomed. They were always making sure we were doing ok, and if we needed anything. The meetings today were good. Lex Buckley led worship at both, which was cool. I had forgotten how good a worship leader she is. Ministry time was cool too, with at least half of the congregation going up for prayer. In the evening we hung out together for maybe about an hour or so, before going to bed. Still very tired!

Friday, 13th April 2012 Dancing.? Another early morning! Up at seven for a shower, then breakfast.

Ran 5 loaves for the day. That was pretty much the summary of the day. Although the evening wasnt ideal. One of the guys on team asked me and Simon to look after the dance venue Smoove for the evening. This was ok in principal. However, it turned out that it was a venue where all the 14-16 year old girls wear hardly anything and.dance. This would have been great.eight years ago. As it was, we mostly just stood at the side chaperoning and looking awkward. Brilliant. Went straight to bed. Saturday, 14 April 2012 A half day?!
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It was good to get out into the camp during the day, and get a real feel for what it was like round the site. We actually got to try our hands (or rather, feet) at tightrope walking. Unfortunately, it doesnt look like walking the rope is my life calling, as I was truly terrible at it. Simon however, was very good, and we are encouraging him to pursue a career in the circus We then climbed a good tree! We made a load of Tim and Simon videos too, which was cool. Got some good footage! The evening meeting was good. Well, the worship was at least. Once again, I fell asleep during the preaching. The others were all raving about the speaker though, so its no reflection on him, I was just very tired! That actually made it a clean sweep. I had fallen asleep in every evening meeting that week! I like to think of it more as recharging during the preaching, so Im ready for the ministry time.

Again, this was a day of serving. We did however, run out of food! This is somewhat of a flaw when it comes to the business of running a cafe. So we opened up for the morning, sold everything, and then finished up!

Its good logic. We had a good time of just hanging out in the evening, talking and being silly with a childs squeaky toy. Little things are often the best entertainment.

It was sad to say goodbye to the friends we had made over the course of the week. I genuinely hope that we manage to stay in touch. And so..week one was over! We got a lift from camp into Melbourne City to our hostel. We went out for a meal in the evening, which was nice. I tried Kangaroo steak! It was good, though Im not quite sure what meat I could compare it to. It would have been nicer if it had come with chips. We took a walk along the river afterwards, and had ice cream. This was good fun. Me, Alex and Simon took a turn for the silly. We made up our own language and danced down the riverbank. The locals didnt know what to make of it! We were back to the hostel and in bed by ten past ten, as we were all pretty shattered. So it was on to week two, and Sydney-bound!

Sunday, 15th April 2012 Last day in Melbourne! Last day! We were up, breakfasted and showered by half eight, ready to go. It was just one more meeting and pack down to do. The meeting was really good. Great celebration worship, then instead of a time of teaching, they invited any of the young people who wanted to go up and share a testimony of what they had experienced during the week. It was very encouraging to hear so many good news stories. After the meeting, it was time to work! Its funny to think that Soul Survivor Melbourne takes one afternoon to set down, whereas ours takes a full two days! We got it done fairly quickly, then it was time for goodbyes!

As a reflection on the trip so far, it has been good. I love to serve, and we have certainly done that well so far. It has been great to pray for so many young people too, although it does get very tiring! It makes for such a different trip dynamic, having only a few of us. Especially when we dont particularly know each other too well. The next two weeks will be interesting

everything with only five minutes to spare! Alex will tell you it was perfect timing, but it was definitely a close run thing. The flight lasted only an hour, so it was pretty easy going. Virgin had changed our flights for some reason, so Corinne and Becki were on a later flight to the rest of us. But it all worked out ok. Once we had all arrived at Sydney airport, we were met by out host driver, Stef. She is very cool. We all liked her immediately. We split up at the airport, Alex going with one person, Corinne and Becki going with another, leaving me, Natalie and Simon with Stef. We definitely had a great group.

Monday, 16th April 2012 One city to the other We stayed in a hostel in Melbourne for the night, as our flight was on the Monday morning. The hostel was particularly nice, and we were up and out by six thirty. We got a taxi to the airport, and we certainly cut it tight! We eventually got there and through check in and

Stef has a Subaru! Shes our age, and has a super nice car! We all packed in and set off for the town of Tamworth. The drive was just over six hours, so was a long one, but we made it fun!

All of us instantly got on with Stef, and were all singing, laughing and joking almost straight away. We stopped off a couple of times for food and rest. It was great travelling across a bit of the Australian outback. We were on the lookout for kangaroos, but there was no sign. Stef even took us along some back roads into the bush searching for some, but had no luck. We eventually got to our Church destination just as the meeting was starting, so we sat and settled into the worship. I dont know if it was just us being tired, but the meeting seemed pretty dead. We hoped the kids would get more into it as the week went on. We got a quick McDonalds afterwards, before heading to our temporary home. We were staying in one of the guys parents houses, and very nice it was too. We stayed up a while before going to bed. Sleeping on the floor! Tuesday, 17th April 2012

Soul in the Bush starts. We were up at seven thirty, and Stef took us kangaroo hunting again! This time we had a set plan go to Marsupial Park. The name says it all! And it certainly didnt disappoint. We saw AND fed kangaroos! It was so cool, they are so cool! The two tame ones we fed were only six months old so quite small, but a good size, coming up just above our waists a good size for feeding and photos! What a great experience. We saw some bigger ones too, but they were roaming about freely and looked pretty mean, so we kept our distance from those ones! We also saw and danced with cockatoos! If you bob your head at them they do it back, so we had great fun with that. They also said hello to us! Got it all on video.

particular was a girl called Sam, who is one of the youth leaders of one of the youth groups that were there. She was very enthusiastic and interested in talking to us. We liked her! There were Emus there too, and they were flippin scary! Theyre just like dinosaurs! They were definitely trying to intimidate us. One started rubbing itself up against the fence to me, and the other tried to peck out at Stef! After our morning adventures, we headed to Church. Sadly, this is where Stef and Natalie left us. They were driving onto another base project. It was sad to leave them, as we had had great fun as a foursome the past day and a half. We all liked Stef. And so, me and Simon were on our own! The meeting was good, again not particularly dynamic, but better than the last night. Might have been because were slightly less tired! After the meeting we had lunch. We started talking to people, and began to make friends. A couple of the guys made an effort to talk to us, which was nice. One in Still, we were there to serve, and were more than ready to throw ourselves into whatever was in store for us. It was also a great opportunity to get to know the young people well too. The first day of olive tree pruning went well. It was literally one big field full of trees, which we made our way round cutting and snipping away at the weeds and rogue branches. The weather wasnt great for it, but we soldiered through. Got to know my team a little too, and they are a good bunch. After work, it was back to Church for dinner and another meeting. This meeting was good. There were more people, they engaged with the worship, the talk was good, Then it was onto our projects. I was part of an olive tree pruning team. An exciting sounding team if ever you saw one, eh?

and the young people responded to ministry too. Good times all round! We got to laugh and joke around with some of the young people afterwards too, which was really cool. It was good to begin building relationships with those we would be spending the week with. So we were settling in nicely! It was back to the house, and a beer before bed!

Today was a good day. The morning session was good, followed by lunch. We then went out to our different projects, so it was back to pruning olive trees! We were joined by another group today however, so we got a lot more done. It was cool to mix with the other group, especially as it was led by one of the girls, Sam, who I get on really well with. And the Sun showed his happy face today! It was a scorcher out there in the fields, which made working that little bit harder. But with the kind hospitality of our hosts, who gave us water, juice and biscuits, we managed to do pretty well! And that was the day. Upon arriving back at Church, some of the guys were playing basketball, so I joined in and showed them all up (well). It was great to actually play a bit of sport! I really enjoyed it, and I actually did ok, throwing three pointers like nobodys business! Then it was dinner, which went straight through me! It was some sort of lasagne, and it really was a case of in one end and out the other!

Wednesday, 18th April 2012 Here comes the Sun. I definitely started to feel as though I was forming good, solid relationships. With youth leaders and young people alike. They were all very easy to get on with, and all happy to chat. We formed a good friendship group with the boys from the worship band and a few of the girls who are youth leaders. We got on really well, and it was sad when we had to leave.

Also played the whole orange challenge. Its what it sounds like. Try to fit a whole orange in your mouth, and then eat it from there. Its a lot harder than it sounds. I lost. Evening meeting was good. Worship was particularly great, I think maybe because they played other songs rather than the ones that had been played constantly from the We are the free Soul Survivor album. The word was great too, all about injustice. Stirred people up, and we had a good discussion about it at the end. The friendship group that I mentioned we had formed got together and had a really good time talking about it, which we continued when we were home too. Spent the rest of the evening talking and listening to music. Then it was back to the house for beer and more conversation. Good times. Bed.

Thursday, 19th April 2012 HOW many trees?! We were up extra early, to go on a prayer walk up a mountain. This turned into a prayer drive, with prayer when we got to the top. It was very cool though. Stunning scenery, and a powerful time with God. The young people really enjoyed it, as well as us. Then it was to Church (via McDonalds) for a bit of worship and chill out. Then we split into our project groups and did a bit of proper prayer walking. We were assigned the main strip of town, so we walked along there for a bit, then into a park. It was a good time. Back to Church, and we headed next door for bowling! I came joint second out of seven people. Three strikes in a row - just saying. It was lunch next, then off to the olive farm.

It felt like we formed real relationships with people this week. Particularly on one account. Relaxed back at the house with a few of the guys from the worship band with a beer and some talk. Friday, 20th April 2012 To Bathurst! Another great day. I woke up extra early to be all packed up and ready to get to Church early. As did everyone else, much to my surprise! We got to Church, and all the cleaning up was already done Hallelujah! So we had breakfast, made lunch for the road and prayed. Then we were off! Me and Simon were being driven by Sam, so it was her, me, Simon and Ro (one of the friends we had made in the week) in the car. What a great combination. Definitely the best car journey Ive ever had. The music was playing, conversation was flowing, company was amazing, loved it. We all found out more about each other, we played games, and genuinely had heaps of fun.

We finished the whole field! Between the ten of us we did really well, and I was proud of our team for doing it so well without moaning or complaining. The owners of the farm, Wally and Trish were very appreciative of what we had done too, which was great. It was brilliant to serve in that way for those few days. I felt I got on with the youth group I was attached to well too, and have formed good and lasting relationships. Dinner time! The main meeting was really good. Worship was excellent, and we had the preaching via video link from another base. And the ministry was excellent too. The kids really grew as the week went on, and it was great to see that happen and be a part of it too. We had a chilled out time after the meeting, watching what looked like impossible basketball shots on YouTube.

So the day was pretty much a road trip across Australia (or at least, a little bit of it). The scenery was beautiful. We eventually got to Bathurst at about three. We registered, dumped our stuff, and went to explore. It was cool just hanging out and being silly. It was also good to see Natalie, Corinne, Becki and Stef again too. Me and Simon eventually got given jobs to do, though. We were on car parking! It was alright, because it only lasted twenty minutes or so. We were also ushers for the main meetings. An easy job and the six of us made up the whole team. Also got told that I was seminar hosting the next morning. I was apprehensive, but excited. Spent the evening hanging out in our car foursome, plus a few others. Bed.

Saturday, 20th April 2012 Showtime! A packed day! We were up early for breakfast, and then it was time to host a seminar! The idea of it was for me to basically introduce the speaker; so ask their name, where theyre from etc. But we had sound troubles with the PA system, so had about fifteen minutes to entertain maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty people. And I really enjoyed it! I just made fun of myself and the fact that Im British, and the crowd loved it. I did a little soccer knowledge competition, and a whos better, England or New Zealand? competition (just for Simons benefit). We won, of course. All in all, it was a great experience! It definitely makes me want to do more public speaking, so hopefully will get that opportunity in the near future.

Then it was time for the main meeting. We ushered! The meeting was really good. The worship was fantastic; God really knocked me out, fully. Even cried during worship. I think it hit me that we were leaving. And I didnt want to leave. I genuinely had the best time this week. Serving locally was great. And getting to know people was been brilliant. I wished the festival could go on another week. I wanted to cement relationships and just keep hanging out with the new friends I had made. Lunch. Then we cleaned toilets. It was a pretty quick job, if a little boring. Then it was soccer time! Our tournament idea went out of the window, and we just had two massive games on the go, with anyone and everyone joining in.

Was then taken out for dinner by Stef with the others. We went to an Irish pub down the road. I had a steak burger and chips. We were back in time for ushering, and the meeting was good. I sat with Sam. The worship really kicked off a party! I was supposed to be helping organise Capture the Flag after the meeting. My face dropped when I got asked to do it. But Alex came to the rescue. He told me to have the night off, to have some fun. Love that guy. And so I did. Spent a good evening just hanging out with the friends we had made that week. Fully enjoyed it. Stayed out until about midnight, before going to bed.

Sunday, 21st April 2012 Sorrow in parting..

Was up early, because Alex was leaving us! He was leaving early to get back to England, due to other commitments, so we woke early to say goodbye. We had a good shower session, singing One Direction across the cubicles. Went and found breakfast with Simon. Got offered a job! Keith, who had been our Bush Host for the week in Tamworth was telling me how his Church need young leaders to be youth leaders/pastors, and I would be more than welcome to do it! He gave me his details, emails, home phone, mobile number, address, everything! So Ive definitely got something to think and pray about! Whether or not that happens is the real question. Realistic ideas and pipeline dreams are so often very different, and it is down to God to help distinguish between the two. It was to the main meeting next. Fulfilled ushering duties. We were setting up for Communion, so had to be there earlier to set tables with bread etc. The meeting itself was great, really good worship again.

We split into our base groups for communion, had a really good time of prayer and breaking bread. Felt like family. Then we had a time of big celebration! Party worship! Then it was time to pack down. And this meant that goodbyes were imminent. I really didnt want to say goodbye to my new friends, because I really didnt want to leave. I can admit that I was scared of crying, I had become that attached to the people there. We had formed a tight little group, and even though it had been like, six days, it was horrible to think that we might not ever see them again.

We can always hold out hope that we meet again; the Christian world is a lot smaller than it might seem at times. But at the time of leaving, that is the furthest thing from your mind.

So we made sure we got each others emails and facebook details and all of that. And it was as simple as a hug goodbye, and a choked farewell. And that was that. I exchanged phone numbers with Sam, because there was a possibility that we could meet up the next day. Sam works in a caf in Sydney, and we are going to be in Sydney tomorrow. Praying that we can find that cafe. And so we left Soul Survivor Sydney, Soul in the Bush. It has been one of the best weeks Ive had in my short life so far. It was me, Simon, Natalie and Stef driving in the car again. Stef was really cool, and she took us through the Blue Mountains on the way to Sydney. We stopped and took photos and made videos. We finally got to Sydney, and stopped at Stefs house so she could get changed before we went out. We also stopped at Fuzzs house, so we could up some crutches for Becki. Then we went to meet Corinne and Becki. The hostel was ok. It was a little run down and dirty, and definitely a clubbers hostel. But we were only there for one night, and it served its purpose. Because of Beckis lack of mobility, we couldnt really stray too far from the hostel, but that was ok, as we were all pretty tired anyway. So we went to an Irish pub 30 seconds away and had dinner. Got to see a bit of football in there too! We went back to the hostel and stayed together a little while, eating ice cream. Then people went to bed, but I stayed up longer and bought some internet time. I explored facebook and chatted to a few people from back home, which was nice.

But, most importantly, I looked up Sams caf, so I knew where to go in Sydney! I found it and stored it in my head, determined not to forget it! So me, Corinne and Natalie got the train to South Quay harbour, where we were going to get the ferry from, whilst Simon and Becki got a lift with Stef. We got some breakfast at the harbour, before getting on the Manly Ferry. (Manly is the place name by the way, not my judgement on how masculine it is!) On the ferry we saw Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House. Enthusiasm was dampened (quite literally) by the rain, however. Not a good day for weather at all. So we got off at Manly, and had a look around. I knew Sam finished at one, so my plan was to turn up just before, so we could see her at work, then go off somewhere. We got to Manly at about twelve, so we all had a little explore and walk around town. I bought a boomerang! A big one for a decent price too! Very pleased with that.

Monday 22nd April, 2012 Reunions Last day in Sydney! Woke up early after a bad nights sleep due to the noise level. So I showered and dressed and bought some more internet. I surfed a little while, and looked up the football scores. We had beaten Stoke 30 and were fourth in the table brilliant! The others emerged, and we went down to check out of the hostel. This was where we parted with Stef. It was sad saying goodbye to her shes very cool. I fully appreciate all the work and effort she put in for us, especially the amount of hours she spent driving us around! She and Natalie had become particularly close.

It finally got to quarter to one, and we found the caf. It was after a wrong turning and a little searching, admittedly, but we found it. Hello! We talked for a little while in the shop, and said hello to her work friends. She got this long, thin box out of the fridge. It was a selection of Macarons! She had made up her own box selection of sweet things for us. We went next door to get coffee, and sat awhile in there, just talking and being silly. It was great. We went to Nandos afterwards, and sat outside, the rain having subsided. We had a good time, just chilling all together. Simon got his Mac out, and showed Sam the video wed been making and a load of photos from back home. Then we had to go. We had a lie in yes! So we got up late which was nice.

We walked back down to the docks to get the ferry, and said goodbye to Sam. Again, it was sad and it felt strange having to do all again a second time. But goodbyes were said, and that was that. So we got on the ferry, back to shore, went back to the hostel, got our luggage and headed to the airport on the shuttle bus. We caught the plane, and flew to Brisbane! Once there, we found where we picked up the hire car, and drove to Natalies familys house. Tuesday 23rd April, 2012 Brisbane

We spent the day in Brisbane city, which was cool. Tammra (Natalies cousin), Belinda (Auntie) and Lauren (friend) showed us round a part of the city called the South Bank. It was a nice area, with an artificial beach on the riverbank and a promenade of shops and cafes. So we walked along the river, went to a museum, and ate good food. The museum was similar to the Natural History museum we have in London, just on a smaller scale, and with and obvious focus on Australia. We had a BBQ in the evening, which was really tasty. A lot of Natalies family were round and it was good to meet them, and share food and company. We watched Hot Fuzz later, and then went to bed. Very tired!

Australia is awesome. People, places, all of it.

Thursday 25th April, 2012 Zoo! Australia Zoo! It was time to hold a koala! We drove up towards the zoo, stopping at a place called Eumundi Market on the way, which was nice. It was this Australian modern/boutique market, selling all sorts of things. There were quite a lot of dodgy mystic/tarot places which we walked straight past. They didnt seem to be getting much custom anyway, thankfully. I say thankfully, of course I wish the people well, just not their particular line of business. Anyway, we got to the zoo! We met Steph Rayner there, which was cool. We were supposed to be meeting Belinda there too, but we went in ahead of her, and she couldnt find us, so went home. I dont think she was too impressed. But we pressed on.

Wednesday 24th April, 2012 To the beach! We were up early to leave for Noosa, and the beach! Sat on two different beaches for the rest of the day. Very relaxing.just what we needed.

The zoo was great. You got a real sense of enthusiasm from the keepers about the animals and their welfare. It was good to see the caring side, as well as the entertainment of it all. Australia Zoo is Steve Irwins legacy in Oz, and they certainly push that point. There are videos and pictures of him and his family all over the place. Being there took me back to my childhood, watching him wrestle crocs on TV! It was great! They had a good range of animals too. The focus was obviously on Australian specific beasties, like crocs, kangaroos, koalas etc. But they had an Asian and African section too, so had tigers, elephants, cheetahs, and giraffes. I took a lot of photos! The highlights of the day were holding a koala and feeding the kangaroos! There was a koala photo booth, and for $20, you could have your picture taken professionally and take it away the same day (the picture, not the koala!) . The koala was surprisingly heavy! But so so fluffy! Very cute.

The kangaroos were in an enclosure called Roo Heaven, which was pretty much a free roaming part of the zoo. The kangaroos wandered around, feeding off all the willing tourists including us! They just licked the food right up out of your hand. It was ticklish! But a great experience. The kangaroos were so tame, not bothered in the slightest by all the people taking pictures and bothering the animals. In fact, I think they loved it! Constant food, and lots of love and attention sounds like a good deal to me! Another big attraction of the zoo was their midday show. It was pretty impressive. They did a rather extensive bird display, which was cool. Theyve got some big birds! They did the usual tricks of flying in formation, flying from one place to another, catching bits of food in mid-air (particularly cool). But the main draw of the show was Monty the croc. He was massive! They went through the motions of showing us how crocs hunt and attack, which was great to watch. Crocs are so powerful! The zoo keepers were visibly nervous and wary too, which just goes to show how dangerous crocs are! We went into the wildlife hospital after wed finished the zoo, and that was particularly unspectacular. It was

literally one room, and with windows looking into a small part of the hospital. We saw a load of tables and equipment, but sadly no injured animals. All in all, it was a good day. We just chilled in the evening.

together in one film, and youre definitely on to a winner. Fully enjoyed it, despite the expense. Tonight was also a goodbye to Tammra, as she wouldnt be around when we left. It was another sad goodbye to someone who, although we had only known each other a few days, is most definitely a good friend. Packed up our stuff once back at the house, and went to bed.

Friday 26th April, 2012 Last day. A very chilled out day. Natalie and Tammra went out early to see her grandparents, so the rest of us had a good lie in. Tammra also left her laptop out for us to use, which was amazing. Internet! I managed to catch up on sports news and facebook. Felt suitably caught up on social situations. We went out in the afternoon to the shopping mall, more for just a wander round than anything else. Bought some food, but nothing else. But in the evening, we went to see The Avengers, and it was awesome! Put all those comic book superheroes

Saturday 27th April, 2012 Flying home. We were up and off by 9.15am, and were due to make good time to the airport. However, our trusty SatNav Gloria had other plans. She was clearly in a mischievous mood, and we ended up circling the car rental place, where we needed to drop the car off. God showed up though! We were praying that we would somehow find the car rental depot and whilst filling up the car with petrol, who shared pull up behind us but an Apex car rental van! So Natalie took the initiative and

went behind to speak to the driver. She asked if he was headed back to the depotand he was! So Natalie asked if we could follow him back, to which he replied Certainly! Thank you God! So we deposited the car, Gloria and all, and hopped on the shuttle bus to the airport. And away we went! Goodbye Australia! No problems at check in or security, and we were airborne.

Putting this together about a month after coming back from Australia, it is very strange looking back on the whole experience. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, and have had so much fun typing up and editing what I wrote whilst I was out there. Its been great to be able to look back on it all and remember all the good times that we had whilst out there. I would love to go back at some stage in my life. I dont know whether that will be sooner or later, but I loved being over there, and would relish the opportunity to work in some capacity in Australia. The people I met are such good people, and so far, I have stayed in touch with most of them. It feels very cool to be able to say Yeah, I have friends on the other side of the world. Working at the two festivals gave me a great insight as to how things work logistically at those sorts of events. It was a really good foresight into what my summer could look like, working at our summer festivals. This was such a different mission trip to the one I took to Asia, in so many ways. Both have given me so much

Reflections

experience and knowledge of how things work in the Church around the world. I think this is invaluable information, and cherish these trips in the highest regard. The guys who I travelled with were great the whole trip. We had ups and downs, not all of which I thought fair to include in this format. But above all, we served together. Alex, our leader for the trip, was excellent support for us throughout. I do feel as though Ive gained a brother, in Simon. We were there for each other throughout the trip, and I now think of him as family. I finish with a thank you to all who were involved with this trip. Those I went with, and those we met out there. You are all amazing people.