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Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #1

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update #1 – Sunday, February 25, 2007

Dear friends,

Greetings from the land Down Under! It has been three weeks to the day since I left Washington, DC to settle in this far off land and two weeks to the day since I came to live at International House on the University of Newcastle’s campus. To be honest, I am still very much settling into life here and seeking to learn what exactly my role will be in this new place. Identity questions seem to be the biggest ones here as I once again – for the third time as an adult start over in a new place and seek to learn from a new culture and establish relationships. But before I fill you in on all the new things from this continent I think I want to first catch you up on the entire goings on that took place in my final weeks in North America and the goodbyes that took place.

First of all, I feel I must be one of the most fortunate people to have been able to enjoy an extended goodbye and also travel to see family members like I had the opportunity to do. In the final weeks of my time in the US I flew up to Canada and was able to properly visit my Aunt Donna in Toronto, my Uncle Glen, Aunt Margo and cousins Emily and John in Kingston and my grandfather in Montreal. Each visit with each family member was extraordinarily intimate and I felt as if I was able to share my heart and what I’ve been doing the past several years (some of these family members I hadn’t seen for a few years) and the vision I had to go to Australia. I was also able to hear what each of them were doing and feel I was a part of their lives and could celebrate with each of them what they were doing and where they were going. From playing cards with my aunt, uncle and Cathy, to seeing old friends from our church in Kingston, to eating a nice dinner at the Montreal casino while snow was falling outside with my grandfather and Florette and Fernand, all of the memories are implanted firmly. I felt free after that trip to go and more sent off for Australia than I had felt before. Reconciliation is always hard work, but in families it is important to continue to make the efforts to keep short accounts and to be in touch – as the scriptures teach us – as far as it depends on you – to live at peace. I felt that I had brought and received peace and blessings from my extended family members.

Following this trip I finished up my time working at Redeem and did all the lasts – meals with friends, coffee dates around town, presented at a Rotary meeting in Rosslyn, and prepared for the National Prayer Breakfast. My travel plans were all made around two central dates – one was the National Prayer Breakfast which took place on February 1st – I wanted to be sure I could be in DC for this and the other was my 27th birthday on February 6th – I wanted to be sure to be in Australia to start off a new year completely in a new place. So, this left me with leaving on the 4th – the Sunday after the National Prayer Breakfast. The time this year, as with other years was an amazing and overwhelming season of activity, reuniting with old friends, serving in different capacities and seeking to introduce my friend Jinyoung to the time that is the National Prayer Breakfast. Jinyoung is a friend that I met in October when I was in California for a women’s conference. She was on her way to work with Iris Ministries in Mozambique and stayed over at the house of the pastors I was with. During those 36 hours we did a 10-mile run and realized we shared many things in common including some family stories and a passion for our generation of leaders to know about Jesus’ model of leadership. We kept in touch while she was in Mozambique and she took me up on my offer to come to DC and for the last month or so that I was in Washington, Jinyoung was my companion for at least half the time. It was a great pleasure introducing her to people that can help encourage the projects she is working on in Africa including drilling water wells and I was glad to have been able to share friends that I have been blessed with. This year, like in past years she and I were able to serve in the Latin America suite, helping with the East African delegation at a home dinner, helping with registration and ushering various meals. Coming into the week I was prayerful that the Lord would just put me where He wanted me to be and let me not be in His way. This was the perfect way for me to end my time in Washington because it brought full-circle many of the relationships that have been established over the years – from friends from Florida and National Student Leadership, to time at the Southeast White House to being able to host Bishop Alexis and Dr. Grace from our sister church province in Nygatare, Rwanda at the Africa Dinner. Jinyoung and I were also able to volunteer on the Friday after the NPB at the Cedars Open House and once again enjoy serving communally all the different delegations of people coming from around the nation and the nations. Two major highlights for me include having some intimate time with my mentor Gena Hovey who has lived in Oregon the past few years and so our contact has been limited to phone calls and so to see her and meet her daughter Lizzie was so fun. The other was being able to reconnect once more in the flesh with Pastor Jackson Senyonga – my previous boss from Uganda. He and two friends, a pastor and a marketplace business leader and I sat down and were able to share some time and pray me off into what the Lord has for me in Australia. I felt released from Pastor Jackson’s ministry fully at that time and sent off and that was truly amazing.

Psalm 100:1
“Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

The last amazing thing that completely sealed my time off in DC and allowed me to feel fully sent out was a fabulous goodbye party/prayer send-off that my friends threw for me the night before I flew out. The day of Saturday, February 3rd was one spent packing and re-packing, weighing and choosing what to not take last minute… and then it was time to get dressed up and made up and chat with a friend that came down from Boston to celebrate with me. A huge thanks to all of my friends who helped make the night so special and especially to Pastor Dan for not only coming and for Elise bringing all the children to say goodbye to me, but for also leading such a heartfelt and Spirit led time of prayer and exhortation for me and truly it was a church service that night for all who attended, I felt as if we had the sacred among us. Pastor Dan touched on certain topics that are so dear to my heart and even certain things I hadn’t expressed to him that blessed me so deeply. I was moved by the intimacy with which I felt known and loved that night as friends prayed for me and came to celebrate the time I have had with them in Washington, DC the past four and a half years and to encourage me in this huge adventure I have now entered into. As I looked around the room that night at the people that were assembled and saw the diversity of race, age, church denomination and social group I was amazed at what the Lord had done. Since I was a young woman growing up in a very homogeneous part of a diverse state I had always desired to travel and be an active part of the world. Now, as I was preparing to move to a far-flung corner of the world, I was being sent off by such a group of dear friends from such different backgrounds that I could only rejoice at what was begun during my time in DC. Pastor Dan said that I had the ability to bring together Presbyterians and Pentecostals together and truly that night there was a mix, but there was also a sense of unity and family and I knew that whatever the future would hold for me, I had friends lifting me up and that I was being sent out on top and that was a phenomenal feeling. So, thank you friends, be you from my college days in Florida, National Community Church, Perspectives class, the Southeast White House, Church of the Resurrection or one of the other prayer groups or volunteer places I hold dear to my heart, thank you for your prayers and for letting me know my time in DC mattered and I will always have a home there.

Lamentations 2:17
“The LORD has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago.”


So, after nearly two years of planning and preparation, on Tuesday, February the 6th I landed at Sydney airport and whereas I had left behind chilly temperatures I was welcomed by humidity and warmer skies. I was also thankfully met by Annemaree (Bug), a dear friend that I had hosted during the NPB in DC back in 2005 and now during my year in Australia has become my hostess with the most-ess. Truly, she and her amazing family, roommate and friends have made me to feel that I have friends and family in Sydney and a place to stay whenever it is needed. I so loved having their home as a base that first week to do all the little things needed – purchasing a mobile (not cell here) phone, opening a bank account and of course getting adjusted to the time change and jet lag. Bug also welcomed me into her social circle and threw a birthday party for me on Friday night – inviting her friends to come and meet me and just generally helping me feel most welcome. Having been hosted by Chris and Dani these past few months, and now hosted again so well on the other side of the planet I have become even more grateful for the body of Christ and the fact that we are all family.

Matthew 10:11-13
“Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.”

After hitting some highlights of Sydney like the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and seeing Bondi Beach and doing the coastal walk to Coogee and trying to see all the friends I had in the city I felt ready to move up to Newcastle. So, on the 11th that is what I did thanks to a former Kairos friend Kimberly Spragg who drove me up to International House to get settled for O-week (orientation week). O-week is a big deal here at IH (as is shortening almost any word here in Australian or calling things by acronyms or nicknames). It was a time to try and get registered for classes, figure out this gigantic campus, navigate through the mosquitoes (mozzys here) and bush land that makes up the campus and learn a new city, new country and new friends. I was very grateful for my South African RA Sarah who was very kind to me through all the questions. O-week was also the major party initiation for all the students new to the college (what they call dorms here in Australia). So I got to meet my neighbors – many of whom who you might expect are between 7-10 years younger than me and are either first year Australian students or study-abroad American students with the occasional other nationality thrown in the mix. Needless to say it was a bit chaotic at first since many of the students are just being allowed to drink for the first time (especially the American students) legally. Also a bit of a cultural shock for me here was the lack of rules in the housing system. Seeing as I had served as an RA at my undergrad alma mater of Flagler College I thought I knew what was expected behavior, here in Oz – anything (literally goes)… the first day I heard from an RA that: “there’s no rules except no illegal drugs, but everyone smokes pot so just don’t do it in front of me”… interesting place! But really I am enjoying getting to know my neighbors – on my hall we have a 4th year Australian guy, a 2nd year student from Brunei, a 2nd year Australian girl, a study-abroad American student from Massachusetts and myself. International House here began in 1989 and it was started as a collaborative effort between the Anglican church, the University and the Rotary club – so that is a mix that I can get behind! It was based on other International House models that can be found in universities all around the world and began in the US with the hope of trying to provide a working and socializing community from widely different cultures to know and appreciate the diversity of the human family.

“In a world beset with problems caused by ignorance, racism and xenophobia, International House shows how mutual tolerance and respect can show a way to the future.”
International House handbook

I was just starting to get myself settled and had been very warmly welcomed to Newcastle by my host Rotary counselor John Hill and his wife Anna bringing over tea the first day when another Rotary scholar friend studying in Melbourne decided to come visit. So, Nichole came to the first Rotary meeting here with me in Newcastle and we both were welcomed with open arms. That week also included going out for a beautiful sail on a yacht (it was a racing yacht!) that Rotarian Brian’s neighbor Bob sails twice a week on gorgeous Lake Macquarie (this salt water lake is 3 times the size of Sydney Harbor!), a Valentine’s dinner over looking the lake with Brian and his wife Barbara and meeting up with other Rotary scholar friends Fleetwood and Kim in Sydney who are studying in New Zealand. Truly this Rotary family is a wonderful way also to be brought into a new place! Nichole, Fleetwood, Kim and I all met at the Rotary Scholar Send-Off last June in Florida and now are all in our programs in different locations. I am excited to be a part of this local club and will be participating with them on different service projects in Newcastle as well as throughout the area.

This past week I have begun my classes and now officially studying towards my Masters in Social Change and Development. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that many of my classmates are also international students and mainly from developing countries. The classes I am enrolled in this semester include: Social Change and Development, Gender and Social Change, Issues in Developing Economies and Transformative Leadership in Human Resources. The classmates I have come from Bhutan, Laos, Tanzania, Eritrea, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Uganda as well as Australia. I am already loving the readings which vary on topics like colonialism and imperialism to case studies on Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa. I am already seeing the work I have been doing come to life and my experience being relevant. I look forward to seeing what will develop between us all inside and outside the classroom this semester.

I know God is going to be doing much and am excited to learn and grow and continue to meet new people, as well as I pray influence the younger students around me, particularly in the area I live. I have already signed up to run a half-marathon in Melbourne with my hall-mate, participated in fencing, worshiped in a house church in Sydney with friends from the National Prayer Breakfast, helped at a homeless outreach feeding program in downtown Sydney and volunteered with Hillsong’s kids outreach to mainly aboriginal children in the roughest area of Sydney – so I would say that the Lord is leading me to wonderful outreach opportunities and fun ways to grow!

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray that I would have wisdom with how I spend my time and especially the resources that have been given me. I am always reminded that to whom much is given, much is required.

Much love,
Brooke

Last shots in DC

Family shots in Canada