THE LONGEST DAY, AUSTRALIA TO FAIRBANKS, April 10, 2012

We left NTC/AU at 5:30 a.m. then flew Korean Air from Brisbane to Seoul and got to go to the Prestige Lounge again. Our flight from Seoul to LA was also Korean Air, then Alaska Air to Seattle to Fairbanks. Our Tuesday had 48 hours -- 40 of them in transit. We watched several pretty good movies and each read a good book -- Jon read from Leonard Sweet, I read a book by the President of World Vision, A Hole in the Gospel. We were happy to see our niece, Tamara Stokes, as soon as we walked into the airport in Fairbanks, to see the Northern Lights as our brother, Cameron, drove us to his house and to fall into a comfortable, king-sized bed for many hours.

Thinking back about our whole trip, we have a few closing observations. First, it was worth it! We did it as economically as possible and it was a great blessing to us. We recommend the idea to others because we got to do things, go places, that we have wanted to go for a long time. Jon has wanted to go to Australia since I met him. I’d go back to see more of the continent, but the taste we had was very, very good. We also would do cruises again, probably with a couple of friends or family.

Overall, we could not have made this trip around the world without the help of several people. Financially, it was made possible by the sale of our house in Quincy, so we have Joel & Shelby Brunt, Nathan & Lauren Scott to thank for that. The Administrators of KNU and NTC/Australia hosted us warmly and generously. Friends at those schools, both new and old, were wonderful to us. Emotionally, we were supported by our children and our niece, Sheila, who all were gung-ho about our going, our neighbors, Caryn & Jim, who kept watch on our house, Aunt Jinny and my brother, Bill, who kept watch on my mother. We counted on the prayers of our West Seattle elders’ team and youth, our PNC book study group and pastors, our prayer-for-missions home group and our enthusiastic cheerleaders/friends, Gary & Eleanor, and Robbie & Randy.

We gained some significant friends on this trip, friends who will become part of our future. We hope to host them in Seattle sometime. We come away from this trip with a greater degree of understanding of “Asia” and “Asia-Pacific”. For example, I know what it’s like to eat “nakshi” (live octopus) =)

We come away with renewed spiritual strength and determination for the task at hand in Greater Seattle. We come away more convinced that the next chapter of our lives will be important and that our next steps will be based on the values of

• Christ-centeredness,
• family,
• glocality,
• Gen-Xers,
• true green,
• mercy,
•  aging

We will continue to love God first and the “least, the last and the lost” everywhere including the state of Washington and Northwest, USA. We are both more and more pessimistic, i.e. more optimistic about the need for relevant, holistic Christian ministry, more pessimistic about the condition of the planet and the plight of the poor, including Malawians, refugees, and the homeless. The trip has ended. The rest of our life is begun!