Sermon from October 13, 2013

Here is a link to the sermon I preached on October 13. The scripture was Jeremiah 29:1,4-7. The idea was that we basically skip to the 11th verse: "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper and not to harm, for hope and a future." What we often fail to do is take into account the path it takes to get there, often times planting ourselves where we did not expect.

Sermon from Sunday, October 6th, 2013

Going to play catch-up the next couple of days, starting with posting sermons from the morning service. Here is the sermon based on the passage, Luke 17:1-4.

The last couple of weeks

From our first Sunday

In many ways, the last two weeks have been the time when realistically we should have been settling into a rhythm. Only as we set to do so, everyone in the country went on vacation. They have year-round school here and the academic year just is done. When kids go back to school on Tuesday, 8 October, they will have been promoted.

Worship on Sundays have been great as have been the regular weekly adult Bible studies that I have been a part of. On September 22nd, I preached on the Shrewd Manager. Here is a link to the audio clip.

It has been different with no office to go to. I've been visiting members in their homes at their invitation as well as stopping in to see people who have not been able to make it to church regularly. Having no regular responsibilities has also given Leslie and I the opportunity to make day trips here and there.

Monday, September 23rd we took the train into Sydney and walked around. It was fun but rushed. I did not fully understand the train schedule so we took a 3 hour train ride there, had 3 hours in the city, then another 3 hours back on the train. It was fun to see the varying landscapes of the coast.

Davis and Leslie in front of the Sydney Opera House

Tuesday was morning prayer and visits. Wednesday was a day around Gerringong, sermon writing, and preparing for Operation Christmas Child/Samaritan's Purse Sunday.

Thursday and Friday were more administration and some grocery shopping (it's always an adventure to see how different/same everything is).

Saturday, the Anglican church in town had a spring festival that was fun to spend time at.

Sunday, we then had the church's Operation Christmas Child/Samaritan's Purse Sunday. The church and community packed 88 boxes and raised the money to ship each one. They will be going to Papua New Guinea, which is a country that closely boarders Australia (for those like me that needed a geography remedial lesson).

 These photos are a snapshot of the Sunday.

Then, Leslie and I were off that afternoon to Sydney for a night away. Thanks to some friends in the church who volunteered to watch Davis, we left and got to stay in another member's unit there. We had an amazing dinner at Hartsyard and then went to see Foals at the Enmore Theatre thanks to some of our friends who gave Leslie a very generous gift before we came. It was a fun night.

Monday morning, we did the Sydney Bridge climb which was an amazing experience. We saw the city of Sydney from the highest point and got a history lesson in the process...all while climbing 56 stories, up and down, over 2 hours.

Wednesday we were off again to visit our friend, Nicole's parents in Canberra. It's like our Washington DC (only open for business). It's the nation's capital and 100 years old. We were graciously welcomed into their home and Davis loved playing with Nicole and her sister's old toys as well as learning the Vegemite song.

Tomorrow we will celebrate World Communion Sunday at Gerringong while others around the world remember the Holy Mystery that we share in the sacrament.

For those who don't know, Leslie is also keeping a blog about our experiences. She also take better pictures than I do. You can take a look here: www.lifewhereweareplanted.com.

Oh yeah, Go Braves!!!