Brooke's Australia Adventures Update #9

Brooke’s Australia Adventure Update # 9 – February 3, 2008

Dear friends,

Greetings from the land down under and from a soggy, mild summer here in New South Wales. In so many ways this summer has been an atypical one for this area. Our Christmas was filled with rain and wind and yet at the same time the drought has been broken it seems and levies are filling up with water, even as farms and homesteads have been flooded at times in the process. Australia is an interesting place filled with dramatic weather changes that comes from living on the least habitable continent, but it is an enduring place where the people have come to understand that they have to be adaptable and responsive to the land and climate, perhaps that is one reason Aussies are so laid back. One day last month right when Brendan came over before we were going to church an amazing sound like a boulder hitting my roof sounded. All of a sudden there was hail everywhere, ice pieces the size of golf balls and bigger pounding down. My tin roof made such a racket and it was unreal. Yet, to have the green the country is experiencing now on the coast makes all the unusual weather worth it. There is so little we humans are really in control of in our lives, although we seem to think we are masters of our own destiny. The weather is one constant reminder that we are vulnerable to forces beyond our own control and that we must respond when things change and don’t exactly turn out the way we had planned, even if we expect it will since usually this time of the year the weather is always… As I have began 2008 I have realized that for the first time, in a very long time, I don’t know what this year will bring… although I have hopes, I have no way of knowing concretely even where I will be living this year.

Isaiah 30:19-21
“O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way: walk in it.”

Since I have last written there have been many wonderful things that have filled my days to make me know I am loved and known here in Australia, and given me the opportunity to reflect on my amazing year here. Yet, unexpectedly, even though I wasn’t planning on the feelings coming, I have also in the past two weeks realized how much I miss home. Home, being a word that of course brings up connotations of family, but home also being my church family in DC, all the amazing people I lived life with there for the past 5 years and with the National Prayer Breakfast occurring this week in Washington, missing the people that welcomed me into their world from all over the world. The parents of the family I currently live with, Jeremy and Alison Saxton went over to the US this year for the NPB and it is wonderful being able to spend time with Elna, Rupert and Ed, their three children while they are away, but I am wistful as I remember that was my last US experience before coming here. My one-year anniversary of living in Australia is going to be celebrated on Wednesday, as is my 28th birthday. New years, and birthdays and anniversaries do call for celebration and reflection and consideration on what is coming next. For me, I believe my next trip will be back home. I have realized part of what has been keeping me from entertaining thoughts of returning has often been my pride. Pride that I am not coming home to share news of a fantastic job I will return to Australia with. Pride that I would be coming home the way I hoped I would. Pride… pride… pride and yet, what I have realized and remembered is that so many of you have been praying for me and love me all through all the ups and downs of my life. So, it doesn’t matter if I come back in victory or defeat, I can rest and be renewed and have some perspective in coming home and regroup and plan for what is next, or really just listen.

“On the day of your birth, the Creator filled countless storehouses with rich ointments, luscious tapestries, jewels worthy of a queen’s dowry and antique coins of incredible value. They were set aside for your use and yours alone.”
- Maya Angelou

This quote was on the cover of my mom’s birthday card to me and it does help me be reminded that God has an incredible plan. It is easy to get so caught up in what is not working out that to step away from that and be reminded of the good that is planned seems a bit foreign. What is the truth is that I am loved and there’s a purpose even in the midst of the facts. The facts are that I have to leave this gorgeous country in the next month because my visa is ending. The fact is I have not even gotten interviewed for the development jobs I have put my resume in for, and there haven’t been that many that I have even put in for because the jobs are scarce here. The fact is Brendan and I aren’t certain of our future, but there is love and that is what has kept us walking together, but some definite sacrifices have to be made and decisions in the coming months if we are to be separated by continents and oceans. Yet, the greater truth is God is in control and His plans are for good.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

A friend from DC responded to my last update by commenting that the people of God seem to be often in transition. Perhaps that is part of sojourning on this planet. Our lives are short, and we do want them to mean something and often what is required is that we hold everything loosely. Live fully where we are and continue to trust that as we get moved about, it is for a reason.

I have truly had an incredible few weeks and I do need to share those with you also. It is always amazing to me, no matter how much God has always taken care of me, to see Him do it again and again. In these past few weeks when I wasn’t sure how I would be able to take the train even or put fuel into my car, a babysitting job would be offered, or some way the resources would be there. I was even able to have money to spend on Christmas presents and celebrated both with the family I stay with as well as Brendan’s family. What a gift Brendan’s family has been to me this year. We drove up to Newcastle on Christmas Eve and were able to spend the whole day basically with family and food. We started with Brendan’s mom, dad and brother just opening gifts with us first. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful and thoughtful gifts his parents gave me – including earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. Brendan also surprised me with beautiful earrings and wonderful and stimulating books – including one about the Rwandan genocide written by Bishop John Rucyahana – an amazing man I had the privilege of knowing from my time in DC through the Church of the Rez. Then the morning progressed at his sister’s house and all of his dad’s side of the family of 20 people or so (the Macedonian side) came over for a big Aussie BBQ. How different it is to celebrate Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere when all the kids are on summer holidays and everyone is in shorts and thongs (sandals). It was a warm atmosphere and his grandparents also spoiled me with more jewelry – a gold watch and earrings (these Maceos love gold and jewelry!). From there we enjoyed a brief respite to digest before heading out to the country to Brendan’s mom’s side of the family where 40 or so gathered to have an Aussie roast dinner. It was a beautiful spot with lots for the kids to do running around and even having a soccer field set up for a game, along with a pool. After all of that Brendan and I went for a walk along the pier at Stockton Beach looking at old shipwrecks and having the chance for some quiet. It was a great day. After Christmas of course came New Years and what I had been longing to see for quite a while since I was young actually, the opportunity to see the fireworks in Sydney Harbor. We went to our friend Ryan’s house in Drummoyne, a gorgeous waterside suburb for a party out behind his condo. Sydney is great because they actually have 2 sets of fireworks, one at 9 PM for the kids to see before they get shuffled off to bed and of course the late night ones at midnight. It was a great celebration for our friends too because Ryan and Alice had gotten engaged that day, so it was even more special. The fireworks were not disappointing, they lived up to the hype and expectation I had hoped and it was so special to share a kiss with Brendan, the first of the year. We camped out with a few of the friends that night there alongside the water and woke up to the hot sun early the next day. Then, of course came the amazing holiday I was able to begin the year with. As I’ve said before, I have so many thanks to give to Brendan’s family and this holiday is just another major way I am indebted to their hospitality and generosity. Brendan and I left for holiday on the 5th of January and went first to Newcastle. From there we took two days to drive up the north part of the New South Wales coastline, stopping at all sorts of holiday spots I’d heard of through my year. First, we went to Forrester, where my friend Bec was from and saw the little seaside town Brendan’s family had gone for a few years. Then we traversed on to Port Macquarie, where my hall mate Jess this year had done her internship. Finally, that first day we pulled into Coffs Harbor, a lovely spot that is known for a tacky tourist Big Banana – that is incidentally, the first and oldest of many big things in Australia such as the Big Mango, Big Prawn, Big Merino and so on cast around the highways and byways of the land. In Coffs, we spent the night with my friend from International House, Lucy Murtha and her family who live on a banana plantation. She generously gave us a tour through the rain and we spent a nice evening with her and her family. The next day we continued north and stopped in Lennox Heads, another tranquil beach spot that Brendan’s family had holidayed at for many years. Here there is a 12 km beach that is directly across the street from a massive freshwater lake called Lake Ainsworth. This lake is surrounded by Tea Trees so the water is a murky brown from the oil and leaves your skin soft and supple. We enjoyed our dip there and continued to the very famous and popular surf town of Byron Bay, also known for its hippie lifestyle. Here we enjoyed the markets and tie-dye and continued north to Brunswick Heads for lunch at a pub. Finally, our journey ended on the Gold Coast of Queensland in Coolangatta, our destination for holiday with his family. His mother, father, brother and cousin were already there, having flown up the day before and we shared a unit together overlooking the beach. This holiday was definitely a familiar one to me, as it reminded me very much of Daytona Beach in Florida with the high-rise buildings and gorgeous beach. The waters in Queensland are warmer than New South Wales and the beach beckoned us every morning and evening. I was there with the family for five full days of swimming, attempting to surf with Brendan at a lesson, enjoying eating out and movies, and a day at an amusement park with Brendan’s 16-year-old brother, Troy and 17-year-old cousin, Peter at Dream World. It was a very relaxing week. Then, I geared myself back up for driving and began early on Saturday morning the 13th with a Canadian backpacker friend I had met in Sydney and continued north. We drove for eleven and a half hours that day to Mackay in north central Queensland. The next day we reached our destination in Cairns, Queensland’s tropical north and the best jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. There in Cairns, I met Olivia, a friend from my IH days and she had flown in from Kansas to have a holiday. Early the next day we started our PADI Open Water Dive certification course with a dozen others or so from 10 countries. Two days in the pool in Cairns allowed us to explore the town and gear us up for the reef adventure. We then had 3 unbelievable days on a dive boat on the reef with even more people from other nations. Our days were basically dive, eat, eat and dive some more with lots of time in the sun and getting to know our fellow passengers. We both ended up deciding to go beyond just the Open Water and become Adventure Dive certified which meant we were able to do a deep water dive of 30 meters, a night dive and an underwater photography dive. We were able to see so much from a white tip reef shark, a hawk billed turtle, clown fish, angel fish, bat fish, star fish, a blue spotted lagoon ray, a trumpet fish, a blow fish and on and on. It was an incredible time to do something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a little girl in my indoor pool in Canada playing with my dad’s regulator and diving for pennies, to be able to explore this underwater world. My father is a commercial diver and my brother even works in the business in Florida, but I had never had the opportunity before, so to be able to become certified in 8 dives in arguably one of the best places in the world felt like a dream come true. My family really funded this trip and I am so grateful for it. It was a great trip to be able to have experienced with Olivia too and get to know her better. Even though we were rocking all the way back down the coast from the experience, it was better than we could have hoped. On the trip down we were able first to stop in Townsville, a very humid and hot city where her friend is at the same YWAM base that my friend served at years ago. It was great to see the base and pray with her friend there for the ministry to youth that is occurring there. On we traversed that first day making great treks and making it to Rockhampton that night. God had a great treat in store for us as we were exhaustedly checking into our hostel and an American guy, Terry was checking in at the same time and invited himself along with us to dinner. It turns out Terry is a solid Christian going on a world adventure and hoping at some point in his journey to end up in Southeast Asia and seeing how he can get involved in helping with similar work I am interested in anti-trafficking of women. We had a fantastic and animated night with him and I was really energized in reflecting on my passions after that. From there we kept driving south and ended up in New South Wales the next day to stop briefly in Byron Bay and see the Lighthouse that marks the most easterly point in Australia and spent the night in Lennox Heads, across from the beach. Our last day took Olivia back to Newcastle and me back to Sydney, realizing that I wanted to go home and now reflecting, as I was in the beginning of this e-mail on what that means.

Perhaps it was hearing stories from home that prompted it, or being in tropical north Queensland the fueled memories of Florida, or diving that reminds me of my dad… but whatever it is, I think it is good to come home for a while and visit with those of you that I can. And of course, thank the amazing Rotary club that has given me this opportunity to learn more about myself and the world and seek to bring peace and goodwill wherever I have gone. Now that I am back in the real world, post-holiday, I am back to working at Opportunity International downtown and in Hornsby and seeking to enjoy however much time I have left.

Thank you friends, as always for following these journeys with me and for your prayers, thoughts, encouragements and exhortations. You help me to know that I am not alone.

All my love and friendship,

Brooke Gagnon

www.brookesintladventures.blogspot.com