CAMPUS, SEA AND FELLOWSHIP IN AUSTRALIA April 4, 2012

Considering places for an Easter-Week retreat, the warm wind rustling through the eucalyptus leaves and the quiet privacy of this campus certainly would make this spot a superb choice. God has gone before us to choose this spot for us. The campuses of KNU and this NTC are very different. KNU campus is a go-go with students up and down the halls and the elevators, in the laundry room, bouncing basketballs on the two courts below the guest apartment. It’s location is smack dab in the midst of bustling city life, with coffee shops, restaurants, department stores, cell phone boutiques, etc. all within a two-minute walk from campus, even three Nazarene churches on campus. The NTC/Australia students are on break so we share the kitchen with only one other set of guests, an Indian family with three children, and interface in the building with only them and the Talbots, and find share campus with only the administrators. What a great retreat setting!

From our readings this morning, this verse spoke particularly to us, as we find ourselves farther away from home, geographically, than we have ever been, 12 time zones from Seattle, 15 from East Coast of USA, yet seeing God at work in us, in this place, down-under, at the other “end”:

Isaiah 52:10 God has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. He has rolled up his sleeves. All the nations can see His holy, muscled arm. Everyone, from one end of the earth to another, sees Him at work, doing His salvation work.

Praise Him!

The administrators made the school van available to us so we borrowed it and the Australia Atlas and drove East to the beach at Victoria Point. Bob Thompson told us which way to go to it, and the coffee shop to stop at on the way. We drove to the closest beach – Victory Point. Bob had calmly observed, “It’s not much of a swimming beach.” This is the understatement of the year! I think walking 25 feet through the muddy muck between shore and water would make apt scenes for “American’s Funniest Videos”! So, we ate our sandwiches in the van, then meandered South down the coast for 15 miles and saw other fishing beaches and other ferry crossings to the islands just off the coast which do boast golden sand that we can see from the shore.

The town to the East of the college is called Victory Point. We stopped at the shopping center there to see if we could get internet and a senior coffee at McDonalds. Yep, it had free wi-fi. What’s more it had our choice of senior coffees – for free! That was a pleasant surprise!

We shopped other stores looking for products from Australia We found several packaged in Australia but…you guessed it…made in China. Harumph. We’ll keep looking for Australian things.

Back on campus, late in the afternoon, Jon put his cold/flu down for a nap while I walked down the road again to see if I could spot those two wallabies again or, perhaps, a koala in one of the trees. Nope. But then I walked slowly to the small open meadow behind John’s Timbercrete Bricks. Across the open space, a wallaby with babe in pouch met eyes with me! So cool. She didn’t stay long; she hopped into the bush. But I saw her! Even though the giant posters in the airport yesterday told us there are more than 2,000 varieties of spiders in Australia, and warned that if we saw one of them with its foot in the air, we should smash it quick (!), there is something very amazing about having wallabies in your back yard. Think of it. Instead of squirrels and deer, out our windows we could see these wondrous jumping creatures, shyly looking back at us. Too cool.

At 6:00 p.m. we walked to the home at the front of the campus where Dr. David & Chris McEwan hosted us for a lovely evening of food and fellowship. David is the Dean who does motorcycling. We noticed that in his office decorated with racing pictures. Jon shared with him about our closest biker friends -- Randy Hayes, Pastor Dave Rodes, cousin JD Johnson -- and his desire to get into biking sometime. How fun to find that some of our dearest friends are also their friends – Geoff & Jane Austin, the Tarrants, Fili Chambo, Ken Walker, and others. Praise God for His family.

As we walked a bit in the dark from their home to our lodging, we listened for creatures, presuming  they were there, but not hearing any of them. That was probably better. I’m not sure how I would have slept if I’d come face-to-face with an Australian creature, cute as they may be – in the dark. =)