Gotta Love It!

It has been a little over two months since we've found a new place and moved in! It seems like so long ago that I was whining and complaining about how hard it was to find a place to live. It really was a humbling experience because I came to realize how easily I get focused on myself instead of the big picture of God's plan for my life. I'm like the Israelites who were being led by God through the desert to the Promise Land, but they were constantly complaining...HUGE lesson learned!

So the place we finally rented came with its challenges (btw, we got the doggy-smell-house; refer to previous entry) but I won't go into all the negative details because, in the end, it turned out to be the best fit for us and then some! We couldn't have asked for a better location, better lay-out, better size, etc., etc., etc. We are still amazed at how the Lord provides for us in abundance. We can definitely say that the house is a lot better than what we were looking for, but at the time we were looking - given the circumstances - we felt that this had to be it. It actually worked out great since we'd be using it for many purposes: to hold Sunday worship (which we did stop since finding an outside venue for our church!), to gather for Bible studies and ministry meetings, to hold dinner parties for friends, to host a myriad of guests who have started to come through since May, and finally to begin life as a family of four (including our first "baby" Buddy). So after weeks of cleaning and organizing, we still have boxes left to unpack and pictures to hang, but all in all we praise God for His goodness.

One of the things that we did not forsee was all the construction work going around us. I kid you not, there's construction work going on in each of the four houses around us: there is a new house being built right across from us, the neighbor to our right is remodeling his house (adding a second story), there's a townhouse/condominium being built right behind us, and the neighbors to our left decided to chop down all the tall trees in their front lawn! It gets noisy around here ALL day! I'm just praying that most of the construction will be over by the time we have our baby! Yikes.

Oh, in speaking of construction work, I'm reminded of a couple of the things that I LUV about Australia. First it's their "Tea Time". It is taken seriously here. Regardless of where you are, whether at work, at school, or at a conference, etc., morning tea is usually at 10 a.m., and everyone will stop dead in their tracks to sip tea and have some buiscuits (cookies) or cakes. In the afternoons it is usually between 2 and 3 p.m. Colloquially, tea time can be referred to as a smoko, which in times past was understood to mean a cup of tea, maybe something sweet or a sandwich, and a cigarette. This term is commonly used by tradesmen and the building industry. I kid you not! At 10 a.m. on the dot, all the noise around our house will stop, and when I look out the window, I see all the tradesmen (with their fluorescent vests and hard hats on) drinking tea (or coffee)! Which leads me to the second thing I love about Oz: everyone uses actual ceramic tea-cups or mugs, none of that disposable stuff, even the construction workers! Don't you love that?

Anyway...until next time!

Rental-Hunting Saga

We've been house-hunting since the first Saturday of this month and...NOTHING, ZILT, NADA so far! Some of you may find it hard to understand why it's taking us so long. You may even be thinking "they must be really picky" or, as Jim has once put it, "they must want champagne on a beer budget".

Well let me tell'ya, finding a place in Sydney is madness! First, you have to spend hours on end on house-hunting websites looking for places that match your criteria (which by the way, you learn to compromise because you realize you really CAN'T get "champagne on a beer budget"). Then, you make a list of the places you'll be "inspecting"- as they say in Oz, and do your best to organize your list by the time of "inspection" for each property. You see, each agent only gives you a 10 to 15 minute time for each property, so sometimes you barely have enough time to make it to the next property; and if there are two properties you like that are showing at the same time, then you're basically "scr---d".

Jim and I have become pros at this thing: we have our handy list on a sheet of paper with room to write in descriptions or notes about each place, some water to hydrate ourselves 'cause we know we'll be at it for the next 3-4, and possibly snacks 'cause God only knows whether we'll have time to stop for some lunch! We even have an understanding that we'll move in quickly, look at the place, schmooze the agent so that he/she can have a good impression of us and remember us should we end up applying, and get out and move swiftly to the next property.

On the way to the next property, of course we are constantly talking about the places we've seen so far. It can get pretty confusing as we're moving FAST. So inevitably, we end up using nicknames for each place based on certain... characteristics of the house that "stands" out.

Here's a list of some of the most "memorable" houses we've inspected (and nicknamed) this past Saturday:
- Doggy-smell house
- Granny-house
- Wharf-house
- Cockroach-house
- Box-in-a-box house
- Crooked-house

- Dungeon-house
- Greasy-Korean house
- White picket-fence house

Are you using your imagination to picture what these places might have looked like? Based on the names and your imagination, which one would you have picked to live in? Can you believe we applied to 4 of them?! We'll see what happens this week. Praying hard with fingers crossed! On my next post I'll reveal which ones we've applied for, and let you know if any of our applications got accepted. Stay tuned! Hopefully this drama will end soon!

So the naming begins...

I have been called by many names in my life time, but "a dancing humpty-dumpty" is by far the most...interesting (for a lack of better words). Who called me that, you might ask? None other than the hubs.

We're in the Land of Oz!

So we've arrived in Sydney, Australia this past Wednesday aboard the new Qantas A380, the much talked about jumbo jet. The flight was uneventful and there were no hiccups whatsoever, unlike the very first time the A380 flew from the U.S. to Australia (we know a couple of "culprits" who cost the airline thousands if not millions of $s).

We were over jet-lag in a couple of days and Jim was running non-stop from the get-go. We were so blessed that our dear friend and teammate let us stay in her apartment while she's in the U.S. for the entire month of March! We love the spirit of community and family that we have among our church-plant team, as well as with our circle of friends here. The apartment is in the city, with an awesome view of the Sydney CBD's skyline and Darling Harbour. It's also very close to the very first place we stayed in when we first landed in Sydney at the end of 2006!

Right now, a couple of things are our number one priority for us during this early stage of transition back into Oz: finding a place to live, and finding a good maternity hospital and doctor for myself. The last couple of days I've been busy researching online, making phone calls, etc.

Today (Saturday) we spent all morning visiting potential rental homes in/near the area we lived before. It was a hot and long morning, but because we had done it before, it wasn't so bad. Actually, we ended up really liking one of the places which we feel would suit us, and we're are putting together all the paperwork so we can turn in the application on Monday. Please, pray we us so that the owners/agents may look at our application favorably. Also, please pray that I may be able to find just the right doctors/hospital. :)

Tomorrow is our very first worship service with our church family. We are so grateful for how the Lord is leading us. Despite the hurdles and trials we face, we feel His hands in so many areas of our lives. We may be bummed about one thing but then realize that He's granted so many of our other wishes and dreams. I am also looking forward to re-joining a ladies Bible study I've been attending about 6 months before I left for the U.S.

One of my biggest prayer requests as I have returned to Oz is for the Lord to show me day by day how He wishes me to glorify Him by my serving others and by my letting Him known through my life. It is shameful to admit that somehow I feel it is easier for me to think of living my life that way here than it was while I was in the U.S. Thinking back, I remember being busy moving around from place to place and being flooded with things to do and people to see (not to mention being sick and uncomfortable for the first two months while I was going through morning-sickness). Did I serve others or let God be known to others in my daily life in the past four months?... Can't say for sure.

But I am grateful for and cherish all the face to face time I've had with many people, including some surprise visits with people I hadn't seen in years, and encouraging new friendships! I am grateful that we got to spend a lot of time with family, especially celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year, and many birthdays together! I am grateful to have found out we'd be parents and were able to share the news and celebrate in person with family and friends! I am grateful that we were able to see and hear about the amazing things the Lord is doing in and through the lives of so many of our loved ones!

In the end, God loves me so much more than I love Him! This is a great lesson I learn everyday. :)

Brushing up on my "Aussie" as we anticipate going back very soon!

Wow! Time flies when you're busy!

So it's been seven months since I've last posted anything. Now is as good a time as ever to pick up on chronicling about life again as we have many things to look forward to in the next year (and years to come for that matter). Firstly, as some of you readers may have heard, Jim and I are expecting a baby who's due at the end of July! Also, we've been in the U.S. for the past 3.5 months, and during that time so much has happened; so many lessons learned!

In the month of December, we have kept ourselves busy by visiting with friends/church families in SoCal. We also got to spend the holidays with family, and that's when we revealed the "huge" secret we had kept to ourselves for the previous two months! Then, in January, it was all about traveling out-of-state (mostly Jim as I only joined him after my 1st trimester was over, just in case).

It has been a whirlwind experience! Are we tired? You bet. Are we "sick" of it? Sometimes, especially 'cause it's tough sleeping in different beds from week to week, and we long for our "stuff" and our big boy Buddy. BUT, as I said before, God has taught us so much during this time of our lives...we have come to finish each day with just one utterance: God is good!!!

Stay tuned for more posts (and hopefully pictures too)! I promise. :)

Meet Charlie Brown, one of our Labrador's many "pet" toys.

Now you see it...

...now you don't.

Should I be relieved we have no kids?