Byron Bay to Melbourne

God is good!! In Byron Bay we found a great little car within our price range... The car dealer got it ready to go the day after we first saw it (it wasn't registered yet).

So at 7am on Thursday 20th December we set off for Melbourne in our new wheels. We made many stops on the way to rest and eat, and we took turns driving, which helped us both a lot.

At 8pm (and after 1,000kms) we pulled into a caravan park in Goulburn, NSW and stayed in a cabin overnight (all the cheap caravans were taken, a fact Emma was glad of because she doesn't sleep as well in those compared to fixed structures). 7am Friday 21st December saw us setting off again to complete the 600kms that were left between us and our destination. The terrain between Gouldburn and Melbourne does not vary very much and is very sparsely populated compared to the NSW coast. The day before had been quite warm, but after lunch on Friday the rain hit us and didn't stop for the rest of our journey. [Photo, far right: Our new wheels parked in front of the YWAM base in Byron Bay.]

Kristin and Shalvin's wedding

Kristin was Emma's bridesmaid when we got married, so Em was really thankful that we could be at Kristin's wedding on Saturday 22nd Dec. She was honoured to read a Bible passage during the ceremony. [Em's the one on the far right, photo's not so good.]



Christmas Day

This year we celebrated Christmas by having a picnic on the Dandenong Ranges, complete with BBQ turkey & roast veges, reading the Christmas story, and the exchanging of gifts. The first photo on the right shows our view.





Catching up with old friends

Andy and Viv Harvey recently moved back to Melbourne and we have been blessed to be able to stay with them over Christmas. It was also great to catch up with Nigel and Rachel Tilley and their two boys. They are also many others whom we want to see and hopefully will get time to visit them in the New Year.

We are so thankful to God for all He has done for us and how He has safely brought us to Melbourne. We are enjoying being here again and are looking forward to seeing His plans for us here unfold.

Merry Christmas

May you know the peace and joy of Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ this year.

Jesus Christ was born - God came near.

Laidley to Byron Bay

In Laidley we spent some time with Emma's family - her Dad, brother Otto and one of her Uncles was there too. It was really great to see them all again. One day we climbed a small mountain with her Dad and his dog Zack. It was a very enjoyable day.

As we felt time moving on and our deadline for being in Melbourne getting closer, we looked for a way to get down to Byron Bay. Otto was going to Brisbane on Friday 7th December, so he could take us with him, which was a real blessing. From there we caught a bus to Byron, really cheaply, which was amazing.

In Byron the YWAMers were in the park having a free BBQ (which they do every week, we did this too when we were there two years ago), so we wandered over with our luggage and said G'day. They were happy to see us and welcomed us warmly.

The YWAM base is currently running a DTS (Discipleship Training School) so the house is full of staff and students (!). It was really different being in a familiar place again. Just over two years ago, we stayed here for three months and helped out as 'mission builders' after our DTS. A lot has changed. Our journey is so different from the DTS world now and so it seems odd to be in the middle of it again.

How do we get to Melbourne??

This was our biggest question since we arrived. We were wanting to have our own vehicle somehow, but we were open to flying or taking the bus if God closed all the other doors. So we were on the hunt for a car, trusting that God would give us the right one and that if it's not what He really wants then we wouldn't find one and have peace to fly. After checking out the local noticeboards for cheap used cars and getting nowhere, a friend took us to a local used car yard down the road from the base. A little red car with low kms and the right price caught our attention and after a short test-drive we took it. It's not registered, so they need a day or so to get it ready for us. By God's grace, we'll be off to Melbourne on Thursday at the latest.

Em - At first I didn't enjoy being in Byron again. I was feeling out of place and a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people who suddenly filled up our personal- and living-space. But through sharing my DTS and outreach experiences with the students here God has shown me what that season was about. I had never understood it or even thought about it before, but God had special little lessons in that season just for me. Thank you, Lord.

TRUST and FAITH are the two things that God continues to encourage us with and teach us about. It's so easy to lose hope when you look at circumstances that are beyond you, but when we lift our eyes to Him and remember again the faithfulness, compassion and loving care of our Heavenly Father, our spirits are lifted and hope is rekindled.

Cairns to Laidley

So here's some snaps of our Australian journey so far...

Cairns

Stoney Creek, a favourite swimming hole.








Ulf trying to camouflage himself as a kangaroo.










Rainforest - so beautiful and green, but very hot and sticky!







In the cemetary we found this large tree growing out of an old grave - a very meaningful picture of the kingdom of God - death and life.

Laidley

Emma and her Dad.









Otto's house. (Emma's brother) It looks like a shed (it is a couple of sheds together), but actually it's a house.






Otto and Ulf enjoying computer games.

Australia!!

On 28th November we flew from Frankfurt to Sydney and then onto Cairns!! The flight wasn't great for Emma as something she ate made her sick bigtime... but she's okay again now.

Australia is such a beautiful place and we're so thankful to be here. Even in Sydney Em was struck by the beauty of the sky - so blue!! And Cairns is even more beautiful - trees, flowers, birds, mountains, beach and ocean are all breathtaking here.

Emma's Mum is taking really good care of us and spending time with us and taking us to see some of the sights. We're staying in a caravan park for a week. Such a blessing!

On Friday 7th December we will fly down to Brisbane and stay at Em's brother Otto's place in a small town called Laidley. God has blessed us so much since we arrived - we a truly blown away.