There is so much to think about right now. I have no real way of describing what happened today. It was wonderful and glorious. But how do I let you know what I went through today and have you truly understand what is going on in this country and across the world?
Today we spent time with the Leadership Development Program of Compassion International. This program has basically taken sponsored youth and put them in a program that will help them through their college years. We met Jonathan and Alexandra who are in their senior year of college and are already working in their profession of choice. Jonathan is now a math and physics teacher in a high school and Alexandra is a child psychologist in schools and hospitals.
We visited the schools and Compassion projects where they grew up and are now working. It was an amazing sight to see them come almost full circle in the Compassion world. Their hope is to someday become a sponsor themselves.
We played with children, gave hugs and gifts and listened to songs. We played soccer in the street, ate lunch with children that were being sponsored by people in our group. The youth encounter staff even began a sponsorship today and met with the girl. It was amazing.
There is so much joy in these kids. And I have realized that poverty really has nothing to do about money. Yes it is a cause of it, but these children and their families are not poor in spirit. They truly have hope and dreams far beyond just today.
What I have realized is that there are people that are poorer in my own community and church because they are so far away from God. They have everything in the world, they are rich by anyone's definition except their own. And because they have everything, they they have no need for God or anyone other than themselves. Stuff only gets in the way of our relationship with God. Take all of that away, like I have seen across the world in India, Mexico, New York, Louisiana, and now in Ecuador and God is the only thing you can really rely on. Family and God are what it is all about. Taking care of each other, serving the least of these and giving until it makes you uncomfortable is what God calls us to to.
Will this change because of my words. No, but it may plant a seed. You are loved by God. We all are. But in America, we are so alone. We surround ourselves with material things and hope they make us feel better. God is the only way that we will ever be loved enough. Through Him, knowing Him, and serving Him by serving others is how we show the amazing love and acknowledge God's grace that was given through Jesus Christ.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and telling more and more about this amazing thing God is doing in Ecuador.
Blessings and Love,
dain
More pictures are up on my FLICKR PAGE
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ecuador and Compassion International
We made it safe to Ecuador and are loving every minute of it. We flew from Minneapolis to Atlanta (where I searched out the Chick-fil-a in the airport) and then headed south to Ecuador.
We landed around 10:30 pm central time and so far I love it. As far as ease of travel for Americans this is the place to be. Same currency, same electrical outlets, and for the people in the midwest, same time zone! This is great. The only thing we have to really worry about is the altitude. We are in Quito which is about 9,200 feet above sea level. So lots of water and lots of sunscreen.
The city is beautiful and surrounded by mountains and a volcano. The volcano was last active in 1998 so no worries. We are traveling with a Compassion International group filled with speakers and event planners from around the United States. We have met some wonderful people and are having a great time.
Today we went to the Ecuador Compassion Headquarters and received a wonderful tour. The place is amazing and very hard working. Here is how it works.
Compassion finds children all over the word that need help to get out of poverty and get a good education. People from around the world can sponsor a child for around $38 US a month. This provides, for the children, food, education in addition to school, and leadership training when they are older so they may enter the work force. On top of all of this is the education about Jesus and preaching the Gospel to all of these children and parent of the children.
What we saw today was the other side of the sponsor money. We saw the children that were being sponsored and what facilities they learned in, where they lived, and some of the classes they take. It was amazing. They children were full of joy and so happy to see us. We played with the kids and sat in on their classes. They made gifts for us and we gave gifts to them in return.
We also did a home visit to some of the sponsored children's living space. For me, I went to Carlos' home where he, his mother Martha, brother, sister and cousin lived. It was so small and hardly enough space for all of them. One bed for 5 people, a stove, radio, and closet was all we could see in this one room.
But while we were there the children that were being sponsored received their letters from their sponsors in the USA and Canada. It was like Christmas and the joy was contagious. They received pictures, letters and stickers from their sponsors. I was a sight to see.
We also gifted, through Compassion, a grocery bag full of daily needs to Martha who was very grateful. The one room apartment they live in is $40 a month and Martha makes just over $100 in a good month. That doesn't leave much to live on. That is why Compassion is so important for the children.
I was amazed and so grateful to see and meet these children. It was a wonderful day.
We ended with dinner and a beautiful view of the city as the sun went down.
Tomorrow we meet older children in the Compassion program. I am very excited.
Blessings to you all!
dain
For pictures, follow this link Dain's Flickr
We landed around 10:30 pm central time and so far I love it. As far as ease of travel for Americans this is the place to be. Same currency, same electrical outlets, and for the people in the midwest, same time zone! This is great. The only thing we have to really worry about is the altitude. We are in Quito which is about 9,200 feet above sea level. So lots of water and lots of sunscreen.
The city is beautiful and surrounded by mountains and a volcano. The volcano was last active in 1998 so no worries. We are traveling with a Compassion International group filled with speakers and event planners from around the United States. We have met some wonderful people and are having a great time.
Today we went to the Ecuador Compassion Headquarters and received a wonderful tour. The place is amazing and very hard working. Here is how it works.
Compassion finds children all over the word that need help to get out of poverty and get a good education. People from around the world can sponsor a child for around $38 US a month. This provides, for the children, food, education in addition to school, and leadership training when they are older so they may enter the work force. On top of all of this is the education about Jesus and preaching the Gospel to all of these children and parent of the children.
What we saw today was the other side of the sponsor money. We saw the children that were being sponsored and what facilities they learned in, where they lived, and some of the classes they take. It was amazing. They children were full of joy and so happy to see us. We played with the kids and sat in on their classes. They made gifts for us and we gave gifts to them in return.
We also did a home visit to some of the sponsored children's living space. For me, I went to Carlos' home where he, his mother Martha, brother, sister and cousin lived. It was so small and hardly enough space for all of them. One bed for 5 people, a stove, radio, and closet was all we could see in this one room.
But while we were there the children that were being sponsored received their letters from their sponsors in the USA and Canada. It was like Christmas and the joy was contagious. They received pictures, letters and stickers from their sponsors. I was a sight to see.
We also gifted, through Compassion, a grocery bag full of daily needs to Martha who was very grateful. The one room apartment they live in is $40 a month and Martha makes just over $100 in a good month. That doesn't leave much to live on. That is why Compassion is so important for the children.
I was amazed and so grateful to see and meet these children. It was a wonderful day.
We ended with dinner and a beautiful view of the city as the sun went down.
Tomorrow we meet older children in the Compassion program. I am very excited.
Blessings to you all!
dain
For pictures, follow this link Dain's Flickr
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Going down south.
We are headed down to Ecuador for the next week with a Compassion International trip. Heather and I are going down there with Youth Encounter (Heather's work) to see what they are all about. Youth Encounter and Compassion are teaming up to get more kids sponsored through each of their organizations. I think it will be great. Check back for pictures and stories from this short little jaunt to the southern hemisphere and South America!
Blessings,
dain
Blessings,
dain
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The final day in Sydney
Well we knew this day would come. Sad to think that we spent some great times with friends and are now headed back to the US, we wish we could stay longer. But rather than sit and be sad about the fact that we were leaving, we still had places to see and souvenirs to pick up.
Now, Heather and I have been married for almost a year now and we have found out a lot about each other and the family cultures that we both come from. One difference that I came upon this trip was the importance of souvenirs and gifts for the family. I think it might stem from one of Heather's love languages because she is much more into the fun little gifts than I am. With that said I do enjoy a good souvenir but prefer all the pictures I take to be what I bring back from places.
Anyway, the day began at Eva's once again. We saw a few familiar faces and lots of new ones as well. Thankfully we found a parking space on the same block so it wasn't far to take the luggage. We had breakfast at the first cafe' we ate at in Sydney, Joe's. It was so good the first time that we had to go back, that and we had to say thank you for the great advice for the walk we went on. I had french toast again with english breakfast tea and Heather had the eggs and toast with bacon, wow it was good!
We then loaded the car and went to find a post office to buy stamps and we found one right around the corner. Heather did a great job at parking the car with me spotting because the whole parallel parking thing is really different with the steering wheel on the other side.
Next it was off to downtown Sydney and a "quick" stop at a shop for some gifts. Problem was the parking place we found was really confusing and didn't look right and there was no street parking so after becoming a little frustrated Heather and I switched as drivers, she stayed to get the souvenirs and I drove around the block. That worked well. But we still had to find parking so we could go to Malny Beach on the ferry. We found a spot right near the ferry dock at a hotel parking lot and hurried to grab the ferry. We sat in the aft (back) part of the ship and watched as the skyline and Opera House disappeared in the distance.
We then switched to the bow (front) of the boat to see the Manly Warf come into sight. We also noticed that to our left we could see out into the open ocean. "Wow" I thought, "the next big thing that direction is South America". And with a little bit of the open ocean came some pretty good swells. The boat was rockin'!
We arrived at Many Wharf and walked the short distance to the beach where we saw a beautiful and very empty beach. Normally this beach is packed with people at all times of day, but apparently last night and this morning was one of the coldest days in Sydney on record so that made fewer people want to come and be outside. For Heather and I it was beautiful, cool and crisp. A beautiful day for a walk on the beach and some frisbee.
Our time was short on the beach because we needed to get back and catch the ferry so we could catch our plane eventually as well. So we started back and Heather wanted fish and chips so as she waited for them to be done I went and looked at post cards. Time passed and passed and I started to be a little concerned that we were going to miss the ferry. Out window of time was not very big and we needed to begin picking up the pace so we would make our deadlines. Heather agreed and we bolted as soon as she had her food. We crossed the street to the wharf and arrived just as the boat was pulling out...we missed it. This was not good. We needed to have the car back by 1 pm and the ferry ride was 15 minutes and the next ferry out was 12:45. Things were starting to look a little too tight for my liking. But there was nothing really we could do about it, so we walked back to the gift shops and bought a few post cards and Heather noticed that this shop in particular had all the things she purchased earlier in the day. We were not very happy with the way things were going.
We did make it on to the next ferry and got the prime seat in the front of the boat. We sat down and watched as the skyline came back into view. It was a beautiful day and the view of the harbour was amazing. I loved the ride.
But the moment we landed we were off and running again back to the parking lot and into the hotel to pay for the parking. We got back into the car and prayed that we weren't too late and wouldn't miss our plane. We punched in the airport on the GPS and we were off. We really needed to fill up the car as well but nowhere along the way could we find a gas station. It was frustrating so we bit the bullet and paid the refill fee as we pulled into the car return. We dashed into the ticketing part of the airport and realized that we had no idea where to go. It was totally different than anything I had ever seen and we most likely looked like a pair of chickens running around without our heads. We found the United counter just as they were getting ready to close check-in and said we were going to San Francisco. We got our tickets and express pass through security and were off again. It's a good thing we had been walking a lot this past week because we felt in shape for the rush across the airport. We arrived to a friendly looking gentleman who told us to relax and take a deep breath and that the plane was not going to leave without us now...whew we made it.
The flight home was enjoyable and seemed to go a little quicker than the way over. I saw three movies and a few shows, took quite a few naps and Heather and I witnessed a woman fainting wile we were up for the toilet. Heather almost caught her and I rushed for the flight attendant who was serving drinks. His cart was quickly parked and spilled at the same time. So I cleaned up the mess while he attended to the newly fainted women. I was glad she fell in one of the few open spaces in the plane so she could be helped. She was fine, but all I remember thinking was "where in God's creation are we going to land if we have to?"
The rest of the flight was uneventful and with a small layover in San Fran we were on our way home to Minnesota. It was a truly great trip and I really can't wait to go back and see more someday.
Thanks for everyone who kept up with our travels and pictures. We will try and keep major event and fun things posted on this blog in weeks to come. We celebrate our first wedding anniversary on Sunday the 21st so we are excited for that as well.
God Bless and we hope you are having a wonderful summer,
dain and heather
Now, Heather and I have been married for almost a year now and we have found out a lot about each other and the family cultures that we both come from. One difference that I came upon this trip was the importance of souvenirs and gifts for the family. I think it might stem from one of Heather's love languages because she is much more into the fun little gifts than I am. With that said I do enjoy a good souvenir but prefer all the pictures I take to be what I bring back from places.
Anyway, the day began at Eva's once again. We saw a few familiar faces and lots of new ones as well. Thankfully we found a parking space on the same block so it wasn't far to take the luggage. We had breakfast at the first cafe' we ate at in Sydney, Joe's. It was so good the first time that we had to go back, that and we had to say thank you for the great advice for the walk we went on. I had french toast again with english breakfast tea and Heather had the eggs and toast with bacon, wow it was good!
We then loaded the car and went to find a post office to buy stamps and we found one right around the corner. Heather did a great job at parking the car with me spotting because the whole parallel parking thing is really different with the steering wheel on the other side.
Next it was off to downtown Sydney and a "quick" stop at a shop for some gifts. Problem was the parking place we found was really confusing and didn't look right and there was no street parking so after becoming a little frustrated Heather and I switched as drivers, she stayed to get the souvenirs and I drove around the block. That worked well. But we still had to find parking so we could go to Malny Beach on the ferry. We found a spot right near the ferry dock at a hotel parking lot and hurried to grab the ferry. We sat in the aft (back) part of the ship and watched as the skyline and Opera House disappeared in the distance.
We then switched to the bow (front) of the boat to see the Manly Warf come into sight. We also noticed that to our left we could see out into the open ocean. "Wow" I thought, "the next big thing that direction is South America". And with a little bit of the open ocean came some pretty good swells. The boat was rockin'!
We arrived at Many Wharf and walked the short distance to the beach where we saw a beautiful and very empty beach. Normally this beach is packed with people at all times of day, but apparently last night and this morning was one of the coldest days in Sydney on record so that made fewer people want to come and be outside. For Heather and I it was beautiful, cool and crisp. A beautiful day for a walk on the beach and some frisbee.
Our time was short on the beach because we needed to get back and catch the ferry so we could catch our plane eventually as well. So we started back and Heather wanted fish and chips so as she waited for them to be done I went and looked at post cards. Time passed and passed and I started to be a little concerned that we were going to miss the ferry. Out window of time was not very big and we needed to begin picking up the pace so we would make our deadlines. Heather agreed and we bolted as soon as she had her food. We crossed the street to the wharf and arrived just as the boat was pulling out...we missed it. This was not good. We needed to have the car back by 1 pm and the ferry ride was 15 minutes and the next ferry out was 12:45. Things were starting to look a little too tight for my liking. But there was nothing really we could do about it, so we walked back to the gift shops and bought a few post cards and Heather noticed that this shop in particular had all the things she purchased earlier in the day. We were not very happy with the way things were going.
We did make it on to the next ferry and got the prime seat in the front of the boat. We sat down and watched as the skyline came back into view. It was a beautiful day and the view of the harbour was amazing. I loved the ride.
But the moment we landed we were off and running again back to the parking lot and into the hotel to pay for the parking. We got back into the car and prayed that we weren't too late and wouldn't miss our plane. We punched in the airport on the GPS and we were off. We really needed to fill up the car as well but nowhere along the way could we find a gas station. It was frustrating so we bit the bullet and paid the refill fee as we pulled into the car return. We dashed into the ticketing part of the airport and realized that we had no idea where to go. It was totally different than anything I had ever seen and we most likely looked like a pair of chickens running around without our heads. We found the United counter just as they were getting ready to close check-in and said we were going to San Francisco. We got our tickets and express pass through security and were off again. It's a good thing we had been walking a lot this past week because we felt in shape for the rush across the airport. We arrived to a friendly looking gentleman who told us to relax and take a deep breath and that the plane was not going to leave without us now...whew we made it.
The flight home was enjoyable and seemed to go a little quicker than the way over. I saw three movies and a few shows, took quite a few naps and Heather and I witnessed a woman fainting wile we were up for the toilet. Heather almost caught her and I rushed for the flight attendant who was serving drinks. His cart was quickly parked and spilled at the same time. So I cleaned up the mess while he attended to the newly fainted women. I was glad she fell in one of the few open spaces in the plane so she could be helped. She was fine, but all I remember thinking was "where in God's creation are we going to land if we have to?"
The rest of the flight was uneventful and with a small layover in San Fran we were on our way home to Minnesota. It was a truly great trip and I really can't wait to go back and see more someday.
Thanks for everyone who kept up with our travels and pictures. We will try and keep major event and fun things posted on this blog in weeks to come. We celebrate our first wedding anniversary on Sunday the 21st so we are excited for that as well.
God Bless and we hope you are having a wonderful summer,
dain and heather
Monday, June 15, 2009
Canberra to Sydney
Our final day of traveling in the car and it proved to be a doozy. We said our good-byes in Canberra and realized that we needed to perform the age old Minnesotan ritual of "warming up the car" as the temperature had dropped to near freezing last night. We had a quality frost on the car, one that truly meant it was cold outside. So with the car warm and us on our way we found a petrol station and filled up.
Our next stop was Wollongong in New South Wales to meet with Pastor Fred. Now Pastor Fred is a friend of Heather's and was a contact of her Youth Encounter team when they were in Australia in 2004. They spent a week or so in Sydney at St. john's Lutheran Church and Pastor Fred made a wonderful impression on Heather that she thought it would be nice to look him up. Fred has since moved away from Sydney to a really southern suburb, if you could call it that, and taken an extended leave from the ministry so he had lots of time to sit and chat.
We made it into Wollongong around 12:30 in time for tea and lunch so we sat at the kitchen table and talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly having to do with the frustrations in Pastor Fred's life at the moment. We heard stories about how Fred felt empty spiritually and unfed. And when it came to reading the Bible or anything with spiritual connotations rather than filling him up he felt as thought it passed right through him and into something he could use for a sermon. He was more concerned about the spiritual life of others and had been neglecting himself. The amazing thing I realized while watching and listening to Fred was how true this was for most people in the ministry including myself. I felt sorry for all those wonderful people out there that never get the chance to recharge their christian battery like I am presently doing on sabbatical. So when Fred said that he was leaving St. John's it wasn't because of some big falling out or another calling per-say, it was because he felt the need to spend some quality time with God that he had been missing for who knows how long. It was a very refreshing statement to hear.
Fred said one thing that really stuck out to me in our conversation. He was concerned that even in the Christian church we have drifted away from a Christocentric and preaching a more universalistic mentality towards God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. One example he gave was in the songs we sing. He noticed that in a normal grouping of songs in a Sunday service it was a rarity to hear the name of Jesus sung. Now this is not really the problem, the songs are good and about our saving Lord but what about the people in this world of different faiths? Fred told us a story about how he was at a Lutheran gathering and he noticed an Indian woman at this conference he was attending. Fred listened intently and realized that Jesus specifically wasn't really being talked about by name. There were tons of references to God, Lord, Savior, Love and helping your neighbor but the name of Jesus wasn't hardly heard. So Fred approached the woman he saw before and found out she was a Hindu among other things and asked what she thought of the speakers. She said that she could agree with most everything that was said today, and that really made Fred think.
Fred continued to talk about how he felt the Christian church he a part of in Australia was so focused on being inclusive and "seeker friendly" that they had taken Jesus, the real reason we celebrate and are saved out of the picture. Wow, this was interesting and I could have listened to him talk for a much longer time, but Heather and I needed to be off. So after a quick tour of his house and new construction projects we were on the road again to Sydney.
View of Wollongong from the bluffs above!
But before we got to Sydney we had to make a few stops. The first back out in the Blue Mountains to pick up my tripod that i left in a cafe' we ate in and then to Hillsong Church for an informational night about the church.
The Blue Mountains were great again and we found the tripod, whew and we arrived just in time for the program to begin at Hillsong. We found out lots about the church and the best part for me was to feel very welcomed and even recognized from when we were there last week. It was amazing that a huge church that has 4 campuses in Australia and 3 others across the world could feel so small and wonderful. In the end it made me miss being at Word of Peace because even though it was a great experience I realized that I missed the community I was a part of back home.
We left Hillsong and found ourselves at the mercy of the GPS again and a few toll roads and the Harbour Bridge later we were downtown Sydney again headed back to Kings' Cross for one more night at Eva's Backpackers.
Have a wonderful day, tomorrow is Manly Beach, crazy downtown driving, and the trip home.
Blessings,
dain
Our next stop was Wollongong in New South Wales to meet with Pastor Fred. Now Pastor Fred is a friend of Heather's and was a contact of her Youth Encounter team when they were in Australia in 2004. They spent a week or so in Sydney at St. john's Lutheran Church and Pastor Fred made a wonderful impression on Heather that she thought it would be nice to look him up. Fred has since moved away from Sydney to a really southern suburb, if you could call it that, and taken an extended leave from the ministry so he had lots of time to sit and chat.
We made it into Wollongong around 12:30 in time for tea and lunch so we sat at the kitchen table and talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly having to do with the frustrations in Pastor Fred's life at the moment. We heard stories about how Fred felt empty spiritually and unfed. And when it came to reading the Bible or anything with spiritual connotations rather than filling him up he felt as thought it passed right through him and into something he could use for a sermon. He was more concerned about the spiritual life of others and had been neglecting himself. The amazing thing I realized while watching and listening to Fred was how true this was for most people in the ministry including myself. I felt sorry for all those wonderful people out there that never get the chance to recharge their christian battery like I am presently doing on sabbatical. So when Fred said that he was leaving St. John's it wasn't because of some big falling out or another calling per-say, it was because he felt the need to spend some quality time with God that he had been missing for who knows how long. It was a very refreshing statement to hear.
Fred said one thing that really stuck out to me in our conversation. He was concerned that even in the Christian church we have drifted away from a Christocentric and preaching a more universalistic mentality towards God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. One example he gave was in the songs we sing. He noticed that in a normal grouping of songs in a Sunday service it was a rarity to hear the name of Jesus sung. Now this is not really the problem, the songs are good and about our saving Lord but what about the people in this world of different faiths? Fred told us a story about how he was at a Lutheran gathering and he noticed an Indian woman at this conference he was attending. Fred listened intently and realized that Jesus specifically wasn't really being talked about by name. There were tons of references to God, Lord, Savior, Love and helping your neighbor but the name of Jesus wasn't hardly heard. So Fred approached the woman he saw before and found out she was a Hindu among other things and asked what she thought of the speakers. She said that she could agree with most everything that was said today, and that really made Fred think.
Fred continued to talk about how he felt the Christian church he a part of in Australia was so focused on being inclusive and "seeker friendly" that they had taken Jesus, the real reason we celebrate and are saved out of the picture. Wow, this was interesting and I could have listened to him talk for a much longer time, but Heather and I needed to be off. So after a quick tour of his house and new construction projects we were on the road again to Sydney.
View of Wollongong from the bluffs above!
But before we got to Sydney we had to make a few stops. The first back out in the Blue Mountains to pick up my tripod that i left in a cafe' we ate in and then to Hillsong Church for an informational night about the church.
The Blue Mountains were great again and we found the tripod, whew and we arrived just in time for the program to begin at Hillsong. We found out lots about the church and the best part for me was to feel very welcomed and even recognized from when we were there last week. It was amazing that a huge church that has 4 campuses in Australia and 3 others across the world could feel so small and wonderful. In the end it made me miss being at Word of Peace because even though it was a great experience I realized that I missed the community I was a part of back home.
We left Hillsong and found ourselves at the mercy of the GPS again and a few toll roads and the Harbour Bridge later we were downtown Sydney again headed back to Kings' Cross for one more night at Eva's Backpackers.
Have a wonderful day, tomorrow is Manly Beach, crazy downtown driving, and the trip home.
Blessings,
dain
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Canberra Day 2
I think the best way to describe this day was "nothing major really happened." For once we didn't head out the door at an early hour, or go to see all the sights, or even walk anywhere. It was so nice to have a day where we sept in and had a leisurely day talking with Tanya and taking care of Liam. The conversation was wonderful and the stories ranged from what has been going on in the Lutheran Church in Australia, to the local Bible camp happenings, to weddings to the death of Tanya's best friend Amy. It has really been an up and down year for Tanya and family but the Lord has really provided in marvelous ways.
Little Baby Liam
The two best parts of the day were the food and the movie we watched. First the food. For lunch we had pumpkin soup. This is a fantastic Aussie dish that is made from Butternut Squash or Yellow Pumpkins as the Aussies call it. It was so good and well worth the adventurous spirit it took just to imagine a soup made from pumpkin. Dinner was also good with a roast, steamed and baked cheesy vegetables and some really good soda drink.
Afterwards we looked at wedding photos and then sat down for desert and a movie. The movie we watched was a very Australian movie called The Castle. It was a movie mostly about a family who lived next to the airport and their house was going to be repossessed by the government to add to the runway. The court battles and family hyginks that ensue are rather hilarious and touching. I am looking forward to finding it and showing it to some of our friends.
The day ended after that knowing we were headed to Wollogong the next day to meet with Pastor Fred so it was off to bed with us. Another great day in Australia.
Little Baby Liam
The two best parts of the day were the food and the movie we watched. First the food. For lunch we had pumpkin soup. This is a fantastic Aussie dish that is made from Butternut Squash or Yellow Pumpkins as the Aussies call it. It was so good and well worth the adventurous spirit it took just to imagine a soup made from pumpkin. Dinner was also good with a roast, steamed and baked cheesy vegetables and some really good soda drink.
Afterwards we looked at wedding photos and then sat down for desert and a movie. The movie we watched was a very Australian movie called The Castle. It was a movie mostly about a family who lived next to the airport and their house was going to be repossessed by the government to add to the runway. The court battles and family hyginks that ensue are rather hilarious and touching. I am looking forward to finding it and showing it to some of our friends.
The day ended after that knowing we were headed to Wollogong the next day to meet with Pastor Fred so it was off to bed with us. Another great day in Australia.
Melbourne to Canberra
Now begins the journey from Melbourne back to Sydney. We rented a car and under the instruction of Rory we are to get the car and head through the Roundabout of Hell to Jenny's place of work to drop off the key. No problem right? Well, we did get the car and we did manage to also get a GPS unit to help us find our way. The way was through the roundabout of hell and I was quite nervous. Heather was the first to drive and I had my head on a swivel so that we didn't run into anything or turn the wrong way.
We made it to Jenny's work place and then it was off to Rory's school to say good-by. It was a lovely and very modern looking school. Most of the classrooms were exposed to the outside and very open. So if anyone were to ask, "can we have class outside today?" the answer would be, "we are outside!" After a couple of hugs and some direction of how to get out of town and a quick stop at a cafe' for lunch, we were on our way north to Canberra.
The eight hour drive proved to be uneventful and very beautiful. We spent the first 3 hours looking at the countryside and the vast amounts of grazing pasture for cattle and sheep. We were told to keep our eyes out for kangaroos as they tend to hop across the road and be obliterated by cars. We were hoping that would not be us. Luckily, we came upon none to speak of.
We arrived in Canberra around 11:00 pm and found our friend Tanya's house with only a few missed turns. We stayed up talking and catching up while ogling over the new 5 week old Liam.
Finally after a long day we decided to go to bed and be ready for a nice day with Tanya and Liam in Canberra, the capitol of Australia.
Note: I am writing this from the comfort of the United States as we have returned on June 12th. Stay tuned for the final days of our trip.
dain
We made it to Jenny's work place and then it was off to Rory's school to say good-by. It was a lovely and very modern looking school. Most of the classrooms were exposed to the outside and very open. So if anyone were to ask, "can we have class outside today?" the answer would be, "we are outside!" After a couple of hugs and some direction of how to get out of town and a quick stop at a cafe' for lunch, we were on our way north to Canberra.
The eight hour drive proved to be uneventful and very beautiful. We spent the first 3 hours looking at the countryside and the vast amounts of grazing pasture for cattle and sheep. We were told to keep our eyes out for kangaroos as they tend to hop across the road and be obliterated by cars. We were hoping that would not be us. Luckily, we came upon none to speak of.
We arrived in Canberra around 11:00 pm and found our friend Tanya's house with only a few missed turns. We stayed up talking and catching up while ogling over the new 5 week old Liam.
Finally after a long day we decided to go to bed and be ready for a nice day with Tanya and Liam in Canberra, the capitol of Australia.
Note: I am writing this from the comfort of the United States as we have returned on June 12th. Stay tuned for the final days of our trip.
dain
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Melbourne Day 2
Waking up and not having to share a bathroom or wait a really long time for one to open up is really a luxury. I really like staying with Rory and Jenny.
Today is Queen's Day, God save the Queen. Where Australia celebrates the birthday of the queen. God save the Queen. And it is a national holiday, God save the Queen. And you have to say God save the Queen after everything, God save the Queen. The funny thing is no one really knows why they do this holiday and even if it is her real birthday and nobody says God save the Queen. So basically it is a holiday that everyone loves because it makes for a long weekend.
We took the morning to have pancakes and got ready for a cold rainy day. Our plan was to make the footy pilgrimage to the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). This is a fantastic stadium that holds 100,000 people and today Melbourne was playing Collingwood. We arrived just in time for the first bounce and the game was on. If you don't know anything about Australian Rules Football (Footy) then here are a few things to know. Basically the game is on a huge oval playing field (pitch) and there is a goal for each team. The game consists of each team working the footy (football shaped ball that is not as pointy on the ends) to their goal and kicking it through the middle part of the goal. You can pass the ball with a volleyball type bump or by kicking it and if you catch it off a kick that is called a "mark" where you receive a free kick or you can run with it. This game is full contact, which makes it rather rough. So in the end it is a combination of Ultimate Frisbee, soccer and hockey.
The game was not close. Collingwood smashed Melbourne who has not won a game this season. The rain fell hard and we were very thankful that we were under cover. We stuck it out for the whole match and had a great time rooting for everything! A great time was had.
After the game we headed down to the river and had a BBQ. The city has gas grills set up in the parks that are free so we took full advantage of the grill and cooked some fantastic food including veggies and kangaroo meat. It was all good! The meat was not as "gamey" as I thought it would be. It was actually very close to beef in consistency so I enjoyed it a lot.
It was then off to the Melbourne Center for the Moving Picture, which is a nationally and internationally known museum for movies, right up our alley. The museum was closed but we were there for something else, Fanboys! Rory, Heather and I are huge Star Wars fans so we thought it would be awesome to see it together. It was great and the ultimate Star Wars geek movie.
We spent the rest of the night walking around Melbourne seeing the sights and stopping in cafe's for some great coffee. We also saw the Crown casino, a huge casino that makes a lot of money for the city and is very lavish. They even have this fireball display in front that shoots huge balls of fire into the air. It was pretty cool.
The end of the night came when we arrived at home and warmed up with coffee and scones. It was a great day and we had a blast seeing and being "normal" Ausies for a day.
Tomorrow we drive in Australia up to Canberra...pray we don't forget to drive on the correct side of the road.
dain
Monday, June 8, 2009
Melbourne
For the second leg of our trip we headed to Melbourne to visit our friends Rory and Jenny. We got up crazy early (4:00 am) so we could catch the Sydney shuttle at 5. We were out and ready to go at 10 till and we waited and waited and waited till we started to get a little worried. There were plenty of taxis passing by the hostel but no shuttle. We were relieved when the shuttle rounded the corner and we climbed in with the other passengers. Turns out because of the holiday weekend everyone was out for the night and since Kings Cross is the "place to be" for dance clubs and strip joints and since the clubs were beginning to close, well that made for really bad traffic and a lot of drunk people. We eventually made it to the airport in plenty of time and had a great flight to Melbourne on Quants.
Once we arrived we were greeted with open arms by Rory who took us back to his flat in Ivanhoe. We spent the morning relaxing and catching up until the four of us headed out for the afternoon of touring Melbourne. We headed downtown to the markets and stores that were quite numerous. We tasted all kinds of fun food and almost bought lots of stuff...but didn't. We stopped at a cafe' and had some great coffee, something that Melbourne is know for.
Later that evening we headed to church with Rory and Jenny. We had dinner at a house nearby with some friends of theirs. The church service was quite good and fun to see a group of young adults worshiping together. Rory and Jenny really like this group and I can see why. After hanging around for a while after the service we went to the favorite pizza place, which was very active because of the long weekend. The pizza was great! I had a capsicum or red pepper pizza, Heather had mushroom, Rory had a salmon pizza, and Jenny an olive version. They were all good. I tried a local beer too, very nice. It was hard to carry on conversation because of the noise so we were homeward bound. Another hour of chatting and having fun and it was time for bed after a very long day.
It is great to see good friends. Tomorrow footy game and Fanboys!
dain
Once we arrived we were greeted with open arms by Rory who took us back to his flat in Ivanhoe. We spent the morning relaxing and catching up until the four of us headed out for the afternoon of touring Melbourne. We headed downtown to the markets and stores that were quite numerous. We tasted all kinds of fun food and almost bought lots of stuff...but didn't. We stopped at a cafe' and had some great coffee, something that Melbourne is know for.
Later that evening we headed to church with Rory and Jenny. We had dinner at a house nearby with some friends of theirs. The church service was quite good and fun to see a group of young adults worshiping together. Rory and Jenny really like this group and I can see why. After hanging around for a while after the service we went to the favorite pizza place, which was very active because of the long weekend. The pizza was great! I had a capsicum or red pepper pizza, Heather had mushroom, Rory had a salmon pizza, and Jenny an olive version. They were all good. I tried a local beer too, very nice. It was hard to carry on conversation because of the noise so we were homeward bound. Another hour of chatting and having fun and it was time for bed after a very long day.
It is great to see good friends. Tomorrow footy game and Fanboys!
dain
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Sydney Day 4
A truly fantastic day! I think we have finally had the good weather Australia is known for. It was beautiful, warm cloudless and a slight breeze from the ocean.
We started out the day heading over to the Harbour Bridge so we could climb one of the pylons that hold up this massive structure. Inside was a museum of the construction and history of how long it took just to get the thing built. In the end it is not the longest steel arch bridge (it missed it by 38 cm) but it is considered the biggest because of the sheer size and weight. It was build during the depression (yes the depression was not just in the US) and it was considered the thing that got Sydney if not Australia through it. It is truly an amazing structure. We climbed to the top of the pylon and got some amazing views of the Harbour, downtown and the Opera House. The number of sail and motor boats in the water was beautiful.
We finished the climb and headed to The Rocks, a quaint part of old Sydney just by the bridge where an outdoor market was taking place. We found all kinds of great stuff including some great food. And apparently there is a scent and a tree called the Daintree, who knew? Answer: the crafty people that made some awesome smelling potpourri.
After that it was off to the Paddy Market (the one I mentioned in an earlier post) for a time of souvenir shopping. I think we found something for almost everyone, and for those who we didn't find something for, it's not for lack of shops. We successfully saw every store and had fun listening to people barter and try and sell there wares. (with Lebanese accent) "I guarantee these carrots will last two weeks in the refrigerator if not you find me and I will give you $200!" That is a good selling point if you ask me.
Finally we had to get on a train for the Hills so we could go to church at Hillsong. We caught the train then hopped on the Hillsong bus and with some friendly people onboard we took the 20 minute trip from the train station to the church. We eve got a snack on the bus! We arrived to a parking lot full of cars and entered one of the buildings. We were not in the main "convention center" which was fine, because it was a smaller service.
The evening was great, we felt very welcome and met a few other people from the states. The music was good and the message was fun to listen to. The atmosphere was very laid back so it was just good to be there. Afterwards I met with Nick for a few minutes, he is the Youth Pastor for Senior High. I am looking forward to talking to him some more in the future.
In the end, it was a short visit, but a good one. We took the bus back to the station with another snack and arrived back at the hostel where we were greeted by a hoard of people in the kitchen/eating area. Tomorrow it is off to Melbourne to see our friends Rory and Jennie.
Blessings,
dain
We started out the day heading over to the Harbour Bridge so we could climb one of the pylons that hold up this massive structure. Inside was a museum of the construction and history of how long it took just to get the thing built. In the end it is not the longest steel arch bridge (it missed it by 38 cm) but it is considered the biggest because of the sheer size and weight. It was build during the depression (yes the depression was not just in the US) and it was considered the thing that got Sydney if not Australia through it. It is truly an amazing structure. We climbed to the top of the pylon and got some amazing views of the Harbour, downtown and the Opera House. The number of sail and motor boats in the water was beautiful.
We finished the climb and headed to The Rocks, a quaint part of old Sydney just by the bridge where an outdoor market was taking place. We found all kinds of great stuff including some great food. And apparently there is a scent and a tree called the Daintree, who knew? Answer: the crafty people that made some awesome smelling potpourri.
After that it was off to the Paddy Market (the one I mentioned in an earlier post) for a time of souvenir shopping. I think we found something for almost everyone, and for those who we didn't find something for, it's not for lack of shops. We successfully saw every store and had fun listening to people barter and try and sell there wares. (with Lebanese accent) "I guarantee these carrots will last two weeks in the refrigerator if not you find me and I will give you $200!" That is a good selling point if you ask me.
Finally we had to get on a train for the Hills so we could go to church at Hillsong. We caught the train then hopped on the Hillsong bus and with some friendly people onboard we took the 20 minute trip from the train station to the church. We eve got a snack on the bus! We arrived to a parking lot full of cars and entered one of the buildings. We were not in the main "convention center" which was fine, because it was a smaller service.
The evening was great, we felt very welcome and met a few other people from the states. The music was good and the message was fun to listen to. The atmosphere was very laid back so it was just good to be there. Afterwards I met with Nick for a few minutes, he is the Youth Pastor for Senior High. I am looking forward to talking to him some more in the future.
In the end, it was a short visit, but a good one. We took the bus back to the station with another snack and arrived back at the hostel where we were greeted by a hoard of people in the kitchen/eating area. Tomorrow it is off to Melbourne to see our friends Rory and Jennie.
Blessings,
dain
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sydney Day 3
If we thought we had walked far before, day three proved every day before to be nothing in comparison! We began the day where we left off - back at Darling Harbour and the Wildlife World. But on the way there we decided to actually walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens rather than just around it. We were not disappointed. It was amazing. There were plants from all over the world and in such huge form too. I can't believe some of the things we saw. The cactus and tropical plants. The sheer number of different types of Rhododendrons was crazy. Some of the plants were in bloom but because it is "winter" most of the plants were not in bloom. But I could only imagine what it would look like. We even stopped to smell the roses. They all smelled different. Who knew? Answer: a rose connoisseur.
Next we walked to the Wildlife World where we saw some of the most amazing and dangerous animals on the face of the earth. The animals were all native to Australia. Some interesting facts. There are more dangerous animals than non-dangerous animals in Australia and 65% of the animal activity in this country happens at night. The highlight of the day was when we got to see Koala's being fed so they were awake and very cute! We even got to pet one. Very awesome. We continued seeing huge spiders, yikes and a number of Kangaroos. It was a great time.
When we finished at the Wildlife World we headed over to Chinatown for dinner and some needed rest. We found a food court in a "mall" and started looking at all the pictures of the food, thank God for pictures. I found my favorite (sweet and sour pork) and Heather found hers (Wonton Soup). Both portions were amazing and we didn't finish the soup because it was "the combination" with shrimp, squid, wontons, vegetables, beef, pork and a heap of noodles in this wash basin of a bowl. Truly well worth the money. "It was the best Wonton soup in the world" - Heather
Next was the walking tour but along the way we ran into an indoor flea market that put all markets to shame. It was quite the place with tons of booths and cool stuff. We hardly had time to look before it closed down. We are going to go back on Saturday.
So the walking tour was next. Sydney is putting on a night time walking tour called VIVID that shows off some of the great places in Sydney by lighting them in really cool ways and then having modern light art between locations. We started by getting lost and going the long way to the observatory but ended up finding some awesome views once we made it to the start of the tour. All in all we ended up at 25 different "exhibits" of smart lighting that were all very fun. The culmination was the Sydney Opera house lit up...well....like a huge work of modern art or a lizard. It was amazing to look at.
We finally decided that the day should be done and we should get home because of our extreme tiredness. We still had a few miles to walk to get home to the hostel but we toughed it out and despite sore feet, knees, calves, and bodies we made it and crashed. Hence the reason I am posting this blog a day late.
What a day and we got tons of more pictures that will slowly load over the next few days. Check out my Flickr page for more pics.
Blessings and Blue Mountains tomorrow,
dain
Next we walked to the Wildlife World where we saw some of the most amazing and dangerous animals on the face of the earth. The animals were all native to Australia. Some interesting facts. There are more dangerous animals than non-dangerous animals in Australia and 65% of the animal activity in this country happens at night. The highlight of the day was when we got to see Koala's being fed so they were awake and very cute! We even got to pet one. Very awesome. We continued seeing huge spiders, yikes and a number of Kangaroos. It was a great time.
When we finished at the Wildlife World we headed over to Chinatown for dinner and some needed rest. We found a food court in a "mall" and started looking at all the pictures of the food, thank God for pictures. I found my favorite (sweet and sour pork) and Heather found hers (Wonton Soup). Both portions were amazing and we didn't finish the soup because it was "the combination" with shrimp, squid, wontons, vegetables, beef, pork and a heap of noodles in this wash basin of a bowl. Truly well worth the money. "It was the best Wonton soup in the world" - Heather
Next was the walking tour but along the way we ran into an indoor flea market that put all markets to shame. It was quite the place with tons of booths and cool stuff. We hardly had time to look before it closed down. We are going to go back on Saturday.
So the walking tour was next. Sydney is putting on a night time walking tour called VIVID that shows off some of the great places in Sydney by lighting them in really cool ways and then having modern light art between locations. We started by getting lost and going the long way to the observatory but ended up finding some awesome views once we made it to the start of the tour. All in all we ended up at 25 different "exhibits" of smart lighting that were all very fun. The culmination was the Sydney Opera house lit up...well....like a huge work of modern art or a lizard. It was amazing to look at.
We finally decided that the day should be done and we should get home because of our extreme tiredness. We still had a few miles to walk to get home to the hostel but we toughed it out and despite sore feet, knees, calves, and bodies we made it and crashed. Hence the reason I am posting this blog a day late.
What a day and we got tons of more pictures that will slowly load over the next few days. Check out my Flickr page for more pics.
Blessings and Blue Mountains tomorrow,
dain
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sydney Day 2
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There really is nothing like a full nights rest! And that is what we got last night. Comfy bed and not too much noise outside helped as well. Breakfast in the Hostel and then it was off in the rain to the Opera house and whatever else we wanted to do today.
The path we took, as recommended by Joe was fantastic. There were all kinds of paths and walkways that were right on the water. We walked by Woolloomooloo wharf were we had to dodge the rain quite a bit. I also had a first today, aside from the fact that everything is a first since I've never been to Australia, but I was standing on the side of the road, well actually it was the middle of the road on a median and I was splashed by a truck that drove by. It soaked my already soaked pants and, well, I laughed.
Next we continued down the path along the wharf and came around the corner to one of the most amazing views of the harbor, opera house and harbor bridge. It was beautiful. We took lots of pictures and waited out the rain that came back. It's a good thing we brought our rain coats.
Next it was through the Royal Botanical Gardens and past tons of people jogging. It seemed strange to me that there were so many people out jogging in the middle of the day and in the rain. Don't they have jobs, but maybe not. Maybe it was a early lunch break of something? We eventually got to the Opera House itself and looked around at the amazing building that it was. Very Cool!
The walking tour wasn't done yet. We went to the Rocks, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, downtown Sydney and the world famous Aquarium. They were all awesome, but I love the Aquarium the best. The animals and fish and shark and rays that were all twice the size of me astounded me. We got to go underwater to see them. The tunnels led us into a land that few get to see. A great tour. Plus on top of all the cool stuff we got to see Nemo, Dory, Marlin, Crush, Bubbles, Gill and the whole crew from Finding Nemo. It was a star studded day!
Heather taking a nap with Crush!Finally, it was back to the hostel and make dinner together. We made a chicken stir fry and it was tasty.
Looking back on the day I realized that I finally felt like I was in Australia when I came around the corner and saw the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Strange that the accents and constant reminders that I am in Australia didn't do it for me. But the moment I saw the iconic locations I had finally arrived. Seeing it up close was amazing and changed my perception on what the building is and that it in fact three buildings. Also, it's not white. It's actually a cream and grey combination. All in all a beautiful and amazing piece of architecture.
Have a great day, I am looking froward to tomorrow and maybe some more sun.
Once again you can check out more pictures on my Flickr page: Click Here
Peace,
dain
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sydney Day 1
What a wonderful first day in Australia! Really, I couldn't think of a better way of doing it. Arrive at 6:30 in the morning and then have the rest of the day to bum around and get our bearings. Throw in a shower in the morning and a nap in the afternoon and whaaapowww...you've got yourself a first day.
Heather and I started our adventure with breakfast at Joe's. Turns out, Australians can make a great French Toast and bacon. The eggs, tea and chai were also fantastic. Joe also gave us a map and some great ideas for tomorrow as we are planning on seeing the Opera house and some other places on the harbor.
After breakfast we walked around Kings Cross and saw the sights. Fantastic and lots of things to see. Turns out we are in Backpackers heaven because not only are there tons of places to stay, but also lots of "adult clubs" if you know what I mean. I am already glad that Heather and I are staying a little off the beaten track.
Next, because we are staying at a hostel we want to cook some of our own food. So we went on the look for a grocery store. What we found was Woolworths, a very fine establishment and all underground. A bit different than we are used to but a great variety. We got our breakfast fixings and have our spot in the fridge where we are staying.
The rest of the day we devoted to Hyde Park and Downtown Sydney. It was awesome, a beautiful city and pretty easy to get around. Here are a few shots of Hyde Park:
But I did learn a few things about traffic in Australia. First, look right. Traffic is coming from a different direction than I am used to and I almost got hit a few times. Talk about looking like a tourist straight away. (Straight away is Australian for immediately). They even have help because apparently I am not the only person that has no clue.
The way you know to cross is signaled by a Green walking guy rather than white, and a laser -beam sound coming from the button I just pushed. So to sum up: look down so you remember to look right, and wait for the laser.
Finally, dusk came and I got some awesome pictures of a huge Catholic Church and the down town area. The panoramic pictures are from the roof of Eva's where we are staying.
Now it is off to bed to try and get some real sleep, meaning laying down and not in an airplane.
You can check out more pictures of our trip on my flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/dmswanso
Blessings and good night,
dain
Monday, June 1, 2009
Made it Safe!
Well, our first day is Australia is here and we are ready to go. After a shower and getting used to the hostel we are staying in I think we will head out on foot and see what we can see. We already had a bit of a Mr. Toad's wild ride on the way here. Straight through downtown Sydney and stopping at all the other Hostels in the area (we had a few riders in our shuttle) and then it was off to Kings Cross where we are staying at Eva's Backpackers Hostel. Not a bad place. Nice and quaint I think. We have our own room and a nice view of the city out our window. We are planning on heading out on foot after we get our feet under us again.
More to come soon,
dain
More to come soon,
dain
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The day before...
As I lay in my bed waiting for my mind to calm down I think about all the craziness that awaits for Heather and I in the land down under. I am excited and a little anxious for our trip tomorrow. It has been a while since I have flown such a long distance. I went to India 6 years ago and now I am headed on my longest set of flights yet. I think Heather calculated that we will be in transit for almost 29 hours and it will take us 2 days to get to Australia thanks to the international date line. This will be my first time in this country, Heather's second. I am looking forward to seeing a country that I have heard so much about. I have been enamored with Hillsong Church in Sydney for some time now because of the music and ministry that is going on in Australia and all over the world. I think I am most excited about seeing another culture that is in so many ways the same as what I know, but still something totally different. That and I love the accent. My plan is to document myself and how well I can pick it up over the two weeks we are there.
Please pray for our safe travel. Because of the show Lost, I can't help but think of....never mind.
Be sure to check back soon for updates, pictures and maybe even some videos. Who knows.
Blessings.
dain
Please pray for our safe travel. Because of the show Lost, I can't help but think of....never mind.
Be sure to check back soon for updates, pictures and maybe even some videos. Who knows.
Blessings.
dain
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Update to "Wedding Plans" post
If you visit our blog, you've probably noticed that we rarely update it. Sorry about that!
But I did want to add an update regarding the request that we made to gift gifts to Youth Encounter and Samaritan's Purse, even though it's very delayed in coming. Most of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of you who sent gifts to us for our wedding! The generosity was overwhelming - we can't thank you enough. In fact, some of you we haven't even officially thanked yet....sorry about that! I guess we're quickly approaching the supposed year-long allowance for writing thank you cards - we really need to get on that! =)
But I also wanted to say thank you to all those who made donations to Youth Encounter or Samaritan's Purse in our name. At the wedding, we made the request of the guests to give a donation toward these causes as well, hoping that we would collect enough to buy 30 mosquito nets to help protect families overseas from malaria (which would take $300).
And when we counted the collection, we were amazed to have received over $1100! That gave us enough to purchase the 30 mosquito nets easily, plus buying a brood of chicks, Bibles for new believers, training for a local evangelist, and a bicycle for a local pastor to travel to nearby towns. All this and we were able to give over $500 to support Youth Encounter as well! And this was only what was collected on the day of the wedding - we know that several others gave gifts directly to Youth Encounter, Samaritan's Purse and other charities, which weren't included in this total. Amazing - thank you for your generosity!
So thank you again, with all of our heart, for the suppport shown to us at our wedding and to these great organzations. We're blessed to have so many generous and caring friends and family.
Peace,
Heather and Dain
But I did want to add an update regarding the request that we made to gift gifts to Youth Encounter and Samaritan's Purse, even though it's very delayed in coming. Most of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of you who sent gifts to us for our wedding! The generosity was overwhelming - we can't thank you enough. In fact, some of you we haven't even officially thanked yet....sorry about that! I guess we're quickly approaching the supposed year-long allowance for writing thank you cards - we really need to get on that! =)
But I also wanted to say thank you to all those who made donations to Youth Encounter or Samaritan's Purse in our name. At the wedding, we made the request of the guests to give a donation toward these causes as well, hoping that we would collect enough to buy 30 mosquito nets to help protect families overseas from malaria (which would take $300).
And when we counted the collection, we were amazed to have received over $1100! That gave us enough to purchase the 30 mosquito nets easily, plus buying a brood of chicks, Bibles for new believers, training for a local evangelist, and a bicycle for a local pastor to travel to nearby towns. All this and we were able to give over $500 to support Youth Encounter as well! And this was only what was collected on the day of the wedding - we know that several others gave gifts directly to Youth Encounter, Samaritan's Purse and other charities, which weren't included in this total. Amazing - thank you for your generosity!
So thank you again, with all of our heart, for the suppport shown to us at our wedding and to these great organzations. We're blessed to have so many generous and caring friends and family.
Peace,
Heather and Dain
Friday, January 9, 2009
Surprise Me God
This Sunday marks the beginning of a 30 day experiment in faith for me and the rest of Word of Peace, my church. We are following the book "Surprise Me God" written by a local author Terry Esau. I am about a third of the way through the book already and am very excited to see what happens in my life as I pray the prayer "Surprise me God"
I really don't know what to expect. I guess its going to be a surprise. Imagine that. My hope and prayer is that people will take this seriously and no longer think that God is some distant being that only shows up on Sunday or Monday or whenever you go to church. God is around us all the time and working in our lives in ways that we never realize because we are so busy all the time.
I will be keeping this blog daily with the hopes of giving people an idea about what God is doing and has done in my life. Just like the book, I am not expecting something amazing to happen every day, but I am expecting God to be there. That I can count on.
Well here we go....
Dain
I really don't know what to expect. I guess its going to be a surprise. Imagine that. My hope and prayer is that people will take this seriously and no longer think that God is some distant being that only shows up on Sunday or Monday or whenever you go to church. God is around us all the time and working in our lives in ways that we never realize because we are so busy all the time.
I will be keeping this blog daily with the hopes of giving people an idea about what God is doing and has done in my life. Just like the book, I am not expecting something amazing to happen every day, but I am expecting God to be there. That I can count on.
Well here we go....
Dain
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Wedding Slideshow
We had lots of people ask us about our wedding slideshow. We had tons of pictures and lots of fun putting it together. Here is the first part of the video. After it gets done playing, the 2nd and 3rd part of the video will be available at the bottom, on the left part of the slider - so you can click on those to continue. Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Wedding plans....
Heather will be posting HER side of the engagement story soon....but in the meantime, we wanted to put a little more detail about wedding arrangements here, before the big day:
We're getting married soon! =) And while we are honored to receive gifts, and there are many items we could certainly use to begin our lives together, we also recognize that by the world’s standards we are already quite rich, and have much more than we need to survive. Therefore, we’d like to encourage you to also consider giving a gift in our honor to one of the following organizations, which work to minister to those in need and share the Good News of Christ around the world. We will not refuse gifts of course, but please consider giving even 10% of what you would have spent on gifts for us to one of these places in addition to a gift. Thank you in advance for all the ways that you bless us, and support us in our love for each other and our brothers and sisters around the world!
"Partnering with Christian communities to strengthen their youth ministry."
Click on Sponsor Ministry, scroll to bottom for all options. This is the organization that brought us together, after we both served with their year-long ministry teams. This ministry is precious to us.
"Providing poverty relief and evangelism worldwide"
Click on Giving, then Gift Catalog. Consider helping prevent malaria, feeding a hungry baby or providing a hot meal, training a native believer to share the Gospel, giving a brood of chicks, or a wealth of other opportunities. You can even request an honor card to let us know that you chose to donate in our name.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The Engagement Story - Day 2
Day 2
The sun rose with a welcoming warmth. We felt as though this day was going to be a wonderful change from what we had experienced the day before.
I woke up and stretched my stiff body, opened up the tent and squinted in the glare of the late morning sun. We had slept in a little because we knew of the day we had ahead of us, and besides that we had no desire to wake up to an alarm clock in the middle of the wilderness. I made my way to the ranger box and took my book along with me for some morning reading and bathroom break. Upon returning I noticed Heather was still in the tent so I began starting a fire for breakfast. With the smoke steadily rising from the wood and ashes I had prepared I decided to go and wake Heather up so she wouldn’t sleep the morning away. Breakfast was the second of two gourmet meals of the trip. We created a wonderful breakfast skillet concoction with the rest of the food from last night and we were happy with the way the day had begun.
The breakfast was relaxed and Heather and I began to discuss the plans for the day. We decided to pack up and head to the other side of Ensign Lake where we would hopefully arrive early enough in the afternoon so we would not have the same congestion for campsites we did the night before. Cleaning up consisted of packing up all we had with us and leaving no trace of us being at this campsite. No trace is a relative term in the BWCA because of the wood that is collected and left by the cooking area and ashes from the burnt wood. And people can also see that we were once there by the deposits in the ranger box as well. =) But other than that, it is our goal to leave no trace of our presence when out in the wilderness. We loaded our canoe and shoved off the shore for our leisurely paddle to the other side of this huge lake.
Three hours later we had reached our destination. We had many options for campsites, but it looked as though we were going to still have a little competition from people that had set up camp for a long stay. We paddled around the large island in the center of the lake and began looking on the north shore of the lake. Passing a few small islands and taken sites we came upon a wonderfully secluded site that had no sense of being occupied. We decided to check it out and see if it would be suitable for a spot to spend the rest of the day and night.
My concern for the spot that we picked out for this day was traffic. Was there going to be a lot of people around or people passing on the way to their sites? I really wanted as much privacy for this evening, because this was going to be the night that I popped the big question.
We pulled up to the shore, secured the canoe and walked up to the campsite. The tent pad was off in the back and not in plain view. The cooking area was out on a bit of a point with lots of flat rock around it. It was backed by tall pine trees while the shore gently sloped down to the water. We also had a great place to jump off a rock into the water. It was perfect. So we gathered our stuff and took our time unloading and setting up camp, because well…we could. There was no rush this time because of darkness.
So I’m going to sit here next to Heather and pretend I am journaling, I am but it has a purpose. I am writing a love letter to her and then will read it to her later. Here goes.
Dear Heather,
How’s it going? Good, you’re looking very hot tonight! You’re welcome.
This has been a pretty good trip wouldn’t you say? I think it has been. We have taken lots of trips together. Do you remember our first one? I believe it was a trip into Grand Rapids in a Youth Encounter van. Just you and I. We talked, I thought you were hot and we were planning on meeting up with teams and staff to go and see a movie. Well, no one showed up and that was our first date. It was a good one and I think I held your hand. Way to go me, breaking the touch barrier. We had a couple of other days off together, but none as special as that first one during training.
We have had lots of other trips together too. We have driven lots of times up to see your parents. I remember the first time I met your mom. She was very nice. I think it was to help make Christmas cookies. That was fun. It wasn’t until a little later that I would meet your dad. Turns out…he’s a nice guy and doesn’t constantly sit around polishing his guns and thinking of tough questions to ask me. Trips up north are always fun. Sitting by the fire, watching a movie, falling asleep next to each other. Show shoeing, 4 wheeler riding, playing with the dogs and then coming back to the cities with 30 pounds of food and two 24 packs of mountain dew. Those were good trips.
And then there were trips to meet my family. The Colorado, Wyoming, Montana driving extravaganza. That was a fun trip too. Granted we spent very little time at each stop, but it was super fun. We even climbed Pikes Peak! We have seen the camps we worked at, the places we grew up and are now going places we have never been before.
This trip is always exciting because we get to spend time together without the distractions of everyday life. All the while spending it doing something we love in the middle of Nowhere, God’s Creation.
Heather we have had an amazing time together and have grown to love each other. We have shared so much. We have learned so much. And the greatest thing, we love God so much that we want to put Him in the center of our relationship. (Give the book to Dain)
Heather, I love you. You are my dream girl. You love the outdoors, you ski, canoe, bike and love the woods. You want a log cabin. You are beautiful beyond all measure. You love Jesus. You are musical, care for others, are hard working, are an outstanding kisser, and you can somehow put up with me. I can’t think of anyone more perfect. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
At that point I reached into my camera bag and pulled put the ring box, got down on both knees and said, “Heather Nicole Carr, will you marry me?”
Her hands went to her face as she looked at the ring and said “Oh my gosh, YES!” Then her eyes changed focus, her brain caught up and she realized that I had completely surprised her, and she hit me on the arm and exclaimed “You Suck! I mean…you’re awesome.” And she began to cry.
I took the ring out and tried to put it on her shaking hand. The ring was a little too small but that didn’t matter; we forced it on and spent the next few moments kissing and cuddling (while she cried and kept saying she couldn’t believe I surprised her) as the sun set opposite our campsite.
The rest of the evening was spent explaining all the planning and conversations I had with relatives to make this happen. One crazy part was that I almost couldn’t reach her dad in time to ask his permission before the trip! I only had her mom’s cell phone number, and it turned out her mom was out of town for the rest of the week. So I had had to steal Heather’s phone earlier in the week when she wasn’t looking, so I could get her dad’s cell number out of it, and give him a call to ask his permission. I would have asked in person the last time we visited Two Harbors, but it would have looked suspicious to ask John to just go for a walk out of the blue….
So we talked about all the facets that led up to this day, and Heather continued to be in shock that this was really real, and had actually happened, as we finished off the wine and settled in for our first evening as an engaged couple.
The sun rose with a welcoming warmth. We felt as though this day was going to be a wonderful change from what we had experienced the day before.
I woke up and stretched my stiff body, opened up the tent and squinted in the glare of the late morning sun. We had slept in a little because we knew of the day we had ahead of us, and besides that we had no desire to wake up to an alarm clock in the middle of the wilderness. I made my way to the ranger box and took my book along with me for some morning reading and bathroom break. Upon returning I noticed Heather was still in the tent so I began starting a fire for breakfast. With the smoke steadily rising from the wood and ashes I had prepared I decided to go and wake Heather up so she wouldn’t sleep the morning away. Breakfast was the second of two gourmet meals of the trip. We created a wonderful breakfast skillet concoction with the rest of the food from last night and we were happy with the way the day had begun.The breakfast was relaxed and Heather and I began to discuss the plans for the day. We decided to pack up and head to the other side of Ensign Lake where we would hopefully arrive early enough in the afternoon so we would not have the same congestion for campsites we did the night before. Cleaning up consisted of packing up all we had with us and leaving no trace of us being at this campsite. No trace is a relative term in the BWCA because of the wood that is collected and left by the cooking area and ashes from the burnt wood. And people can also see that we were once there by the deposits in the ranger box as well. =) But other than that, it is our goal to leave no trace of our presence when out in the wilderness. We loaded our canoe and shoved off the shore for our leisurely paddle to the other side of this huge lake.
Three hours later we had reached our destination. We had many options for campsites, but it looked as though we were going to still have a little competition from people that had set up camp for a long stay. We paddled around the large island in the center of the lake and began looking on the north shore of the lake. Passing a few small islands and taken sites we came upon a wonderfully secluded site that had no sense of being occupied. We decided to check it out and see if it would be suitable for a spot to spend the rest of the day and night.
My concern for the spot that we picked out for this day was traffic. Was there going to be a lot of people around or people passing on the way to their sites? I really wanted as much privacy for this evening, because this was going to be the night that I popped the big question.
We pulled up to the shore, secured the canoe and walked up to the campsite. The tent pad was off in the back and not in plain view. The cooking area was out on a bit of a point with lots of flat rock around it. It was backed by tall pine trees while the shore gently sloped down to the water. We also had a great place to jump off a rock into the water. It was perfect. So we gathered our stuff and took our time unloading and setting up camp, because well…we could. There was no rush this time because of darkness.
The afternoon was hot and we were due for a swim. The water was cool and refreshing and I could tell by the way Heather looked that our stress was finally gone from the day before and we were starting to work on getting rid of all the stress from the many months before without a vacation.
When we had become chilled from the cool water, we decided to lie out in the sun to warm up and dry off while enjoying lunch. Eventually, our laying on the warm rock turned into a nice afternoon nap. The day was going very well.
At this point I was busy thinking about how to secretly plan for the big question this evening at dinner. I though back to the cool water and realized it would be a good idea to chill the wine that I brought for the occasion in the lake. I got up and told Heather that I was going to take some pictures down the shore and she should continue to sleep. She did, and I grabbed my camera bag with the wine and headed down the shore. It wasn’t long before I found a great place for the wine. It was a rocky shore and I found a bunch of large rocks that created a basin to keep the Tera-paked wine. I pulled out the wine and placed it in the plastic bags I had with to keep it dry. The extra rocks around it provided a perfect cover for the wine just in case Heather came down the shore for a walk.
I headed back to the campsite and found Heather awake and in the shade ready to journal. I also pulled out my journal and joined her in the shade. Heather was diligently writing about our time in the BWCA so I figured it was safe to focus on something a little more important, the proposal.
I began writing a letter to Heather, because I knew with my nerves I would most likely stumble over my words and it wouldn’t come out like I had planned. I planned to read it to her when we were getting close to the end of dinner. But we had a bit of time before we would come to that.
We were done journaling and we still had time to burn so Heather got out a book she brought along called “Finding the Love of Your Life” by Neal Clark Warren. We took turns reading about the proper ways of going about finding the love of your life, and things to learn about and work through with your potential spouse before you took the big leap. And according to the book Heather and I were doing pretty well. I even remember Heather saying “This will be really good stuff to know especially when (she stumbled) we…get married.” Heather was obviously thinking that the possibility of engagement and marriage were still far off. Whereas I was thinking that this information is going to be looked at in a very different light in about 2 hours. =)
We got through a good number of chapters and finally decided to start dinner. As we had been reading, one thing I noticed was that some fishermen had set up shop about 50 yards in front of our campsite where there was a shallow spot in the lake, and seemed to be content to stay there for a while, fishing. Drat….the perfect, secluded campsite, spoiled by some avid fishermen! I tried not to let it bother me, and hoped that maybe they would go away, as we began to cook. This evening’s menu consisted of a pasta primavera with biscuits. The pasta had a light oil sauce and tons of vegetables. It was something that I had picked out for the trip just for this night, and I was excited to surprise Heather with the accompanying beverage.
We finished preparing the meal and we gave thanks for the food and a great day. But before we sat down to eat I said, “I have to go get something.” That something was the wine. She had no idea and had a very confused look on her face when I came back and told her what it was. “You have wine? In the Boundary Waters? How did you get wine into the Boundary Waters? And without me knowing??” I responded, “I do have wine, and you carried it in! In my camera bag.”
Her huge smile (and confusion) were priceless! I opened up the chilled wine and explained where I hid it and where I got it as I served it up along with the meal.
The wine was good but after my first sip, my head started to spin and I could feel the nerves kicking in. I had started the ball rolling and it was hard to eat and drink knowing what was coming. Heather, on the other hand, was loving the wine and food, but didn’t notice that I was hardly touching mine (a good thing, or she probably would have been suspicious).
I needed a break, a chance to collect my thoughts, not to mention get my camera bag and journal. Well, God must have been on my side because I believe at that very moment He put within my bowels the urge to poop. I quickly got up and headed to the ranger box with a book to collect my thoughts and think for a bit.
After a while and a good prayer, I came back with camera bag and journal in hand. Heather was reading a book and had finished her food….and much to my delight, the fishermen were just starting to leave, and give us our privacy back! Great timing.
So I sat down and said that I had another surprise for her and handed her the journal. I told her there was a part where she needed to hand the book back to me so I could read some as well. She had a huge smile, and began to read it aloud…
When we had become chilled from the cool water, we decided to lie out in the sun to warm up and dry off while enjoying lunch. Eventually, our laying on the warm rock turned into a nice afternoon nap. The day was going very well.
At this point I was busy thinking about how to secretly plan for the big question this evening at dinner. I though back to the cool water and realized it would be a good idea to chill the wine that I brought for the occasion in the lake. I got up and told Heather that I was going to take some pictures down the shore and she should continue to sleep. She did, and I grabbed my camera bag with the wine and headed down the shore. It wasn’t long before I found a great place for the wine. It was a rocky shore and I found a bunch of large rocks that created a basin to keep the Tera-paked wine. I pulled out the wine and placed it in the plastic bags I had with to keep it dry. The extra rocks around it provided a perfect cover for the wine just in case Heather came down the shore for a walk.
I headed back to the campsite and found Heather awake and in the shade ready to journal. I also pulled out my journal and joined her in the shade. Heather was diligently writing about our time in the BWCA so I figured it was safe to focus on something a little more important, the proposal.
I began writing a letter to Heather, because I knew with my nerves I would most likely stumble over my words and it wouldn’t come out like I had planned. I planned to read it to her when we were getting close to the end of dinner. But we had a bit of time before we would come to that.
We were done journaling and we still had time to burn so Heather got out a book she brought along called “Finding the Love of Your Life” by Neal Clark Warren. We took turns reading about the proper ways of going about finding the love of your life, and things to learn about and work through with your potential spouse before you took the big leap. And according to the book Heather and I were doing pretty well. I even remember Heather saying “This will be really good stuff to know especially when (she stumbled) we…get married.” Heather was obviously thinking that the possibility of engagement and marriage were still far off. Whereas I was thinking that this information is going to be looked at in a very different light in about 2 hours. =)
We got through a good number of chapters and finally decided to start dinner. As we had been reading, one thing I noticed was that some fishermen had set up shop about 50 yards in front of our campsite where there was a shallow spot in the lake, and seemed to be content to stay there for a while, fishing. Drat….the perfect, secluded campsite, spoiled by some avid fishermen! I tried not to let it bother me, and hoped that maybe they would go away, as we began to cook. This evening’s menu consisted of a pasta primavera with biscuits. The pasta had a light oil sauce and tons of vegetables. It was something that I had picked out for the trip just for this night, and I was excited to surprise Heather with the accompanying beverage.
We finished preparing the meal and we gave thanks for the food and a great day. But before we sat down to eat I said, “I have to go get something.” That something was the wine. She had no idea and had a very confused look on her face when I came back and told her what it was. “You have wine? In the Boundary Waters? How did you get wine into the Boundary Waters? And without me knowing??” I responded, “I do have wine, and you carried it in! In my camera bag.”
Her huge smile (and confusion) were priceless! I opened up the chilled wine and explained where I hid it and where I got it as I served it up along with the meal.
The wine was good but after my first sip, my head started to spin and I could feel the nerves kicking in. I had started the ball rolling and it was hard to eat and drink knowing what was coming. Heather, on the other hand, was loving the wine and food, but didn’t notice that I was hardly touching mine (a good thing, or she probably would have been suspicious).
I needed a break, a chance to collect my thoughts, not to mention get my camera bag and journal. Well, God must have been on my side because I believe at that very moment He put within my bowels the urge to poop. I quickly got up and headed to the ranger box with a book to collect my thoughts and think for a bit.
After a while and a good prayer, I came back with camera bag and journal in hand. Heather was reading a book and had finished her food….and much to my delight, the fishermen were just starting to leave, and give us our privacy back! Great timing.
So I sat down and said that I had another surprise for her and handed her the journal. I told her there was a part where she needed to hand the book back to me so I could read some as well. She had a huge smile, and began to read it aloud…So I’m going to sit here next to Heather and pretend I am journaling, I am but it has a purpose. I am writing a love letter to her and then will read it to her later. Here goes.
Dear Heather,
How’s it going? Good, you’re looking very hot tonight! You’re welcome.
This has been a pretty good trip wouldn’t you say? I think it has been. We have taken lots of trips together. Do you remember our first one? I believe it was a trip into Grand Rapids in a Youth Encounter van. Just you and I. We talked, I thought you were hot and we were planning on meeting up with teams and staff to go and see a movie. Well, no one showed up and that was our first date. It was a good one and I think I held your hand. Way to go me, breaking the touch barrier. We had a couple of other days off together, but none as special as that first one during training.
We have had lots of other trips together too. We have driven lots of times up to see your parents. I remember the first time I met your mom. She was very nice. I think it was to help make Christmas cookies. That was fun. It wasn’t until a little later that I would meet your dad. Turns out…he’s a nice guy and doesn’t constantly sit around polishing his guns and thinking of tough questions to ask me. Trips up north are always fun. Sitting by the fire, watching a movie, falling asleep next to each other. Show shoeing, 4 wheeler riding, playing with the dogs and then coming back to the cities with 30 pounds of food and two 24 packs of mountain dew. Those were good trips.
And then there were trips to meet my family. The Colorado, Wyoming, Montana driving extravaganza. That was a fun trip too. Granted we spent very little time at each stop, but it was super fun. We even climbed Pikes Peak! We have seen the camps we worked at, the places we grew up and are now going places we have never been before.
This trip is always exciting because we get to spend time together without the distractions of everyday life. All the while spending it doing something we love in the middle of Nowhere, God’s Creation.
Heather we have had an amazing time together and have grown to love each other. We have shared so much. We have learned so much. And the greatest thing, we love God so much that we want to put Him in the center of our relationship. (Give the book to Dain)
Heather, I love you. You are my dream girl. You love the outdoors, you ski, canoe, bike and love the woods. You want a log cabin. You are beautiful beyond all measure. You love Jesus. You are musical, care for others, are hard working, are an outstanding kisser, and you can somehow put up with me. I can’t think of anyone more perfect. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
At that point I reached into my camera bag and pulled put the ring box, got down on both knees and said, “Heather Nicole Carr, will you marry me?”
Her hands went to her face as she looked at the ring and said “Oh my gosh, YES!” Then her eyes changed focus, her brain caught up and she realized that I had completely surprised her, and she hit me on the arm and exclaimed “You Suck! I mean…you’re awesome.” And she began to cry.
I took the ring out and tried to put it on her shaking hand. The ring was a little too small but that didn’t matter; we forced it on and spent the next few moments kissing and cuddling (while she cried and kept saying she couldn’t believe I surprised her) as the sun set opposite our campsite.The rest of the evening was spent explaining all the planning and conversations I had with relatives to make this happen. One crazy part was that I almost couldn’t reach her dad in time to ask his permission before the trip! I only had her mom’s cell phone number, and it turned out her mom was out of town for the rest of the week. So I had had to steal Heather’s phone earlier in the week when she wasn’t looking, so I could get her dad’s cell number out of it, and give him a call to ask his permission. I would have asked in person the last time we visited Two Harbors, but it would have looked suspicious to ask John to just go for a walk out of the blue….
So we talked about all the facets that led up to this day, and Heather continued to be in shock that this was really real, and had actually happened, as we finished off the wine and settled in for our first evening as an engaged couple.
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