Hairdo Update

It's growing, yay!

P.S.: I love his sexy dimples!

Homesick

Yesterday marked our two years anniversary in Sydney. Two years! I can't believe it... A lot of people ask us "So does Sydney feel like home?", or "Do you feel settled?". Some people ask "Do you ever feel like going back?", or "Do you miss home?". Strangely, most of the time I don't know how to answer those questions because two years feels like a long enough time for me to have missed a lot of important events and milestones in the lives of all the loved ones back in the U.S. Time and distance seem to have inevitably caused a certain kind of "disconnect". It seems so long ago that we packed or bags and waved good-bye to our friends and family who blessed us and wished us all the best. I can tell it's been a long time because the emails and phone calls have been fewer lately (hint, hint ).

But at the same time, it is still too short for us to feel like we have built a strong solid base here. We feel like we have barely scratched the surface here; there is still so much to learn about life and people here. It takes time to nurture the relationships we've built here thus far, and we're constantly trying to build more. Also, old habits die hard so we still find ourselves getting frustrated from time to time when things don't "work" the way they do back in the U.S. Like the other day we arrived an hour late to a picnic because we couldn't figure out how to get to the other side of the park! Strange and confusing mixed-emotions...

So where IS home? Is home where the heart is? Is home where the loved ones are? Is home where happy memories grow? I read an interesting excerpt about a post-war family who moved from place to place in search of a place to settle. "On one occasion, the family was standing in a train station surrounded by their tattered suitcases, boxes and bags when a bystander approached the family's six-year-old daughter and remarked, 'You poor darling, moving about so much with no place to call home.' The little girl looked up in surprise. 'You are mistaken,' she replied, 'I do have a home I just don't have a house to put it into.'" It is interesting how this little girl's response resonates with me because since the time we have been "floating" in preparation to come live/serve in Australia to this day, our motto has been "Home is where our king-sized bed is."

So why is it that I can't even explain where home is and yet still have this longing for a home? It can only mean one thing: I am homesick for heaven. Do you sometimes feel this way?

Each day brings me closer to life's curtain call,
When the face of my Lord I will see.
I'll no longer be homesick, for I will be home,
And with Jesus forever I'll be.

(from "Homesick for Heaven", a poem by Betty Jo Mings)

It won't last...

I mean the hairdo, not the romance between these two.

Sharing is Caring

One of the things we love to do is open up our home and invite friends and people we meet to break bread with us. In fact, we have an "open door policy" in our home and people are welcome to drop by anytime and stay for as long as they'd like. Recently we hosted a Spanish-themed potluck dinner and I had to post the photos that our guests took because they came out simply awesome!

The following dishes were made by our friends:


Tuna Empanadas


Tortilla de Patatas


Almond Cake

These were the dishes Jim and I made:


Garlic and Butter Calamari


Red Onion and Orange Salad


Paella Valenciana

Mouth watering isn't it?!

Life is Sweeter When Shared With Loved Ones

As soon as our two MTW interns left, our fellow teammates (and dear friends) came down to Sydney from Brisbane for Tony to attend a conference and also to get a passport for their newborn at the U.S. Consulate. After taking care of business, they extended their stay to take a much needed short vacation break and we had the privilege of hosting them. The timing was perfect because we were able to take a few days off too! We had a wonderful time and cherish the sweet moments we spent sharing our lives with one another.

The beautiful family: Tracy, Tony, Aidan and Kathryn.

Waiting for lunch.

Drinking a "babychino" like a true Aussie kid.

The boys acting like "Nacho Libres" at a Mexican fast-food place called Mad-Mex.


Baby Aidan bundled up like a burrito.

The girls at Watson's Bay.

Chillin' in the sun at a playground.


Day trip to the Blue Mountains.

Our Growing Family

These two darlings have been sleeping in our home and eating our food for the past month and a half!


Erin, 21 years old from North Carolina, arrived the first week of June. She is kind of stoic and contemplative, is a natural with children, and loves chocolate and peanut butter.


Ben is only 17 and is from New Jersey. He is a very bright young man. He devours food and books equally, loves singing and salsa-dancing, and as you can see loves to goof-around.


It has been a blessing having them with us as we've had the priviledge of witnessing their eagerness to follow after the Lord's will for their lives and their desire to be used as God's instruments. They'll be here until the end of this month, and we'll miss them a lot when they leave.


Thankfully we still got Buddy, the apple of my eye.

Top Five Things I Miss the Most

#1: Toilet seat-covers in public bathrooms.



#2: Self-pay stations at gas pumps.



#3: Friendly customer service.



#4: Laundromats with giant commercial washers & driers to wash my blankets.



#5: Freeway Interchanges.