gobble gobble

My Thanksgiving holiday down under definitely tops the list as one of my most memorable Thanksgivings that I’ve celebrated. Initially, I was quite saddened that I would not be spending one of my favorite holidays with my family and close friends in Nashville; yet, our grand merriment here in Perth sure lifted my spirits! Josh and Hayley hosted the dinner celebration at their house and roughly 40 people showed up to enjoy the food and fellowship. Amidst the crowd were faces from America, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand, Japan, China, and the Czech Republic. I found it interesting and exciting to be surrounded by so many cultures and backgrounds.

I spent a good deal of Wednesday preparing and cooking my favorite Thanksgiving dish—my mom’s sweet potatoe casserole with marshmallow topping. I was excited to share part of my edible Thanksgiving tradition with my new friends in Australia. Being that I am not a seasoned cook, I mildly feared that it would not turn out as good as my momma’s; however, I was delightfully surprised upon tasting it.

Unlike most sweet-toothed Americans, Australians typically eat sweet potatoes as savory dishes, so it took some explaining and encouraging to get people to taste-test this sugary dish with a gooey white topping. I am proud to say that I got several compliments and the casserole dish was scraped clean by the end of the meal. Victory! Along with the staple turkey and dressing, we had a scrumptious mix of various meats, vegetables, breads, pastas, and, pies for dessert. Needless to say, no one went hungry.

Since most of the people at our get-together were celebrating their first Thanksgiving holiday and did not fully understand why Americans created such a blatant excuse to eat gargantuan amounts of food all day, Josh took some time during dinner to explain why we actually celebrate Thanksgiving. He told the story of the Pilgrims feasting, rather than fighting, with the Indians upon arrival to America on the Mayflower.

After the explanation, we went around the tables and each told something that we are thankful for. Answers such as “friends”, “family”, “sunsets”, “freedom of choice”, and “clean water” were shouted out. I chose to identify “Australian hospitality” as my current blessing. I am beyond grateful for all the new friends here who have taken me under their wings to drive me around, have me over for dinner, show me around the city, lend me bedding and furniture, and just be a much needed support system during the adjustment period into this new and exciting culture. It has helped me transition smoothly and avoid any crippling homesickness.

On a more somber note, Amy and Sam leave tomorrow for a 10-week jaunt around Europe—Rome, Paris, Vienna—and America—Salt Lake City and Nashville. I’ll admit that their leaving will create a void here in Perth. Yet, I wish them fun times and great memories to be had.

Well, it’s almost 100 degrees outside right now and I can vaguely here the ocean calling my name. I think I’ll head out for a relaxing beach stroll this evening. Any takers?

Blessings to all,
kater*

Blue Crush

It’s been two weeks since I have last written an update. I can tell that I am settling into a “normal” lifestyle here because I don’t have as much time to sit around the house and type on my computer. Initally, blogging was a convenient time-filler when I was stuck in the house without a car and no one to hang with. Gone are those days, thankfully! Yet, that means I’ll have to be more intentional about taking the time to update all you eager readers back home…so without further delays, let me recount some of the highlights of the last two weeks.

India Fundraiser Dinner Dance:
Last Saturday, Westchurch and another local congregation called Perth Church put on a dinner/dance in order to raise funds for the yearly mission trip to India, which will next take place in August 2008. This event was held at a local leisure center, where roughly 100 people showed up for a night of feasting and boogying on the dance floor. For the past several months, the main organizer Mario had given dance lessons on Sunday afternoons, so many of the participants were confident in their fox-trot, cha-cha-cha, and jive steps. I, on the other hand, had to brush up on my skills as the night unfolded. A group of us got to the location around 4:30 pm to set up for the night’s festivities and people started arriving around 6:30 pm. I was the lucky ticket collector who greeted everyone upon arrival.

During the actual meal, the crowd was serenaded by a couple of local singers, doing their best to cover popular hits of the 70s and 80s. But, the most entertaining part of the night was the professional dancers who came to perform. The first duo was a 9-year-old couple that rocked it out to Christina Aguilera’s “Candy Man” in a full-on Latino vibe. I literally could not believe my eyes when I saw these tiny tots dancing with each other in complete passion and style. For our second performance, Mario somehow snagged the Junior Australian State Champions. The two 15-year-old dancers recently competed in London for a world title and came in 42nd. We were getting to watch the 42nd best dancers in the world perform at our little fundraiser. Incredible! Their show included nine separate dances of ballroom and Latino styles. The costumes were breathtaking, full of sparkles and flowy, sheer fabric. Their postures were impeccable and they moved together in such sync and grace. My mouth was wide open throughout the whole performance out of utter awe. Honestly, after watching this couple dance, I wanted to book front row seats for that cheesy reality television show, Dancing with the Stars. Or maybe sign up to be a contestant…

Beach Swim:
So, the weather has been really nice and pleasant the past several weeks; however, we had a ridiculously hot spring day on Sunday that topped off at roughly 105 degrees. ‘So, what do Aussies do when it is sweltering hot outside?’ you must be wondering. Well, they head to the beach! Sam, Kim, Taylor and I spent our Sunday afternoon at Scarborough Beach, enjoying the sun on our faces and sand in our toes. It is still so surreal to me to be able to decide on a whim to go play in the ocean, which is only a 5-minute drive from my house. There were two major shocks upon my arrival to Scarborough. First off, the place was incredibly crowded. Like, more crowded than Destin during Spring Break. We could barely find a place to lay our towels down and even when we did squeeze in, my feet were practically in the girl’s face in front of me. Yet, no one made a fuss. Something about being at the beach puts everyone is a good mood. Second, the waves were enormous. Okay, maybe not ‘enormous’ but by my limited standards, they were dauntingly large. My Aussie friends considered them “baby waves” and coerced me into braving the surf. Not only were the waves quite massive, but the water was freezing. Honestly, I had goose bumps the entire time. I think my body became used to it only for the sheer reason that it quickly became numb. My first time out there, I complained and was actually quite scared.

Those close to me know that one of my biggest fears is large bodies of water, especially when I can’t see what’s around my feet. I dislike lakes because I am scared a fish will bite me or a snake will brush by my leg. I am scared of the ocean because I don’t want to get stung by a jellyfish or bitten by a baby shark. Gosh, I even get nervous around seaweed. So, it was expected that timidity would overtake me and force me back onto the sandy shore.

Yet, I conquered my fear and got right back out there, this time hoping to enjoy the experience. Sam gave me a helpful hint that saved me from being tousled by the surf, strategically fighting to keep my bathers in the right place and air in my lungs. When the wave is almost upon you, you sink to the bottom of the ocean and lie flat against the sandy floor. Then, the wave rushes right over you and you come back up to the top undisturbed. It is brilliant and after learning that life-saving technique, I started to really enjoy diving into the waves and floundering about.

My new set of wheels:
One of the most exciting things about this past week is that I got a car. One of the elderly men from Westchurch donated his white Toyota Corolla to the church and I am the lucky duck who gets to utilize it. Sweet! It was a little dodgy at first, but I took it to the shop yesterday and got a complete and thorough check done. They put a new set of brake pads in and changed all kinds of fluids and bands. I’ll pull the “girl card” on this one and admit that I really have no clue what they did since I know pretty much nothing about cars and how they operate. Yet, I do know that it doesn’t sound like metal screeching against metal when I press on the brakes and my air conditioner now blows cold air—a major plus!

After seven weeks of either walking or depending on others’ for rides, I have a huge sense of freedom being able to choose where I go and when I arrive and leave. On the flip side, it was nice riding with people during my first several weeks here because it helped me get oriented to the city and accustom to the roundabouts and driving on the opposite side of the street. As of now, I feel pretty confident about maneuvering through the city on the left side of the road and right side of the car. Driving has forced me to learn how to get to and from certain places. I’ll be honest, I was not blessed with a good sense of direction: my family will testify to that, for sure! Having a car just makes me feel that much more settled and at home here in Perth.

Last night I went to a small get together at my friends Matt and Nicole’s house. There were about 20 of us there. We sat around eating yummy snacks, fellowshipping, and wrapping up the evening by watching a Nooma video and engaging in some great in-depth discussion that stemmed from the video. Nooma is a DVD series by the preacher Rob Bell. He’s published about 15 of these 10-minute clips. They are spiritual in nature, but challenge people to think outside of the box about Christianity and God. Check out Nooma.com if you are interested. I think this series is great for devotionals, Bible studies, or just for thought-provoking purposes.

Alright, all you blog-readers, I’m going to wrap this one up and get on with enjoying my sunny Saturday. I wish you well as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. Speaking of Thanksgiving, Josh and Hayley are hosting a massive Thanksgiving dinner Thursday night. I think over 30 people have already RSVPed. I am super excited because I can’t imagine forgoing this glorious familial holiday just because I am not in America. Have no fear, Josh, Taylor, and I will hold down the fort and carry on the tradition of gluttony!

Peace be with you all,
skt

Freddo the Frog

So, as I promised, here I am writing in an attempt for you experience my birthday celebrations 2nd hand. I spent the majority of my Saturday morning skyping with my parents and friends, which was wonderful given the fact that I couldn’t actually be in their presence. For dinner, Josh and Hayley had me for a nice birthday dinner. Kim, Sam, and Darienne came along to celebrate, as well. I got to embrace my inner child when they whipped out the bright green, yellow, and pink ice cream cake, topped with rainbow-colored sprinkles and a frog named Freddo. Not the tastiest thing, but the idea behind it was brillant. Before veering off the subject of birthday cake, I got a late birthday surprise on Tuesday when Fedex delivered my mom’s homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Seriously, my dear mother stayed up into the wee hours of the morning baking and strategically packaging this notorious delectable so that I’d feel a little closer to home. After I assembled the week-old cake, it still tasted as fresh as I ever remember. Listen folks, this lady is a gem of a woman!! Thank you momma! Alright, back to Saturday…after dinner we met several other friends at the local bowling alley for a little cosmic bowling action. Black lights, techno music, glowing bowling balls: what an exhilarating way to spend the evening. On Sunday morning, the church congregated after service to sing Happy Birthday to me, and I even continued to receive a couple packages in the mail this week. Ah, nothing like a week-long birthday celebration. Thanks to everyone who made me feel so loved and special.

Another special day this week was Halloween. Now, this holiday is not as widely anticipated and celebrated like it is in America. I only had one load of Trick-o-Treaters, but they sure made the evening unforgettable. My next-door neighbors have three little boys, ages 2, 3, and 5. So, along with their cousins and another neighborhood family, 9 little ones rocked up to my house and demanded something good to eat. Costumes included a fuzzy green dinosaur, a not-so-scary witch, a baby tiger, and a super hero. I sure miss those younger days, hitting up the whole neighborhood and coming back with a bucket full of sugary goodness. Even with my dad being a dentist, my siblings and I had a blast swapping and bribing each other with our chocolaty treasures. The one thing I missed doing during this Halloween season was carving pumpkins. As long as some of you back home found enjoyment in squishing the pumpkin pulp through your fingers, I can patiently wait ‘til next year to whip out my carving tools.

Thursday night, the Astro Girls got creamed in our indoor beach volleyball game. We are currently undergoing, uh, a transition period…Okay fine, actually, a couple of our vital members quit the team and we have been feverishly recruiting first-timers as of late. Last night our newbie team of 4 played a hardcore 6-man squad. They had no mercy, I tell ya. Anyways, this week marked the new season’s first game, so we have decided to change our name to The Internationals because all 4 of us are from different countries: Australia (Hayley), New Zealand (Karen), America (me), and Brazil (Rose). I am confident that once we work out the kinks and fine-tune our skills, we’ll be a volleyball phenomenon, resembling one of those stereotypical storylines of the underdogs emerging out of nowhere and sweeping the whole tournament.

Everyone in the Westchurch circle is getting really excited lately, anticipating the Tuesday arrival of Taylor Smith. He was out here last year volunteering with the church and is returning on a Religious Worker Visa to continue his mission work. I look forward to tag-teaming with him and hopefully pursuing some new avenues of service. Pray for safe travels and our work here together.

Before I close, I want to leave you with something that has blessed me with spiritual strength this past week. A passage that I have come across several times this week is Phillipians 4:19. Within two days of each other, both my devotional books quoted this scripture in the daily passages. Coincidence? I think not. Phillipians 4: 19 states, “and my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Many times I get anxious about the future, wondering how it will pan out, and I find myself trying to move in and control things that are ultimately out of my control. I end up wasting a lot of time and energy in worry and fear. This verse comforts me because it promises that God will provide for my every need. Here is an excerpt from my devotional book, The Language of Letting Go, that really speak to me and I thought could offer you some hope, as well:

“Everything I need today shall be supplied to me. People, jobs, what we have at our immediate disposal, are not our source. We have tapped into a Greater Source, a source of infinite and immediate supply: God. Our task is to allow ourselves to come into harmony with our Source. Our task is to believe in, and look to, our true Source. Our task is to release fear, negative thinking, limitations, and short-supply thinking. Everything we need shall be provided to us. Let it become a natural response to all situations, and all situations of need. Reject fear. Be open to abundance. Cherish need because it is a part of our relationship with God. God has planned to meet our every need, has created the need within us, so God can supply. No need is too small or too great. If we care and value our need, God will too. Our part is taking responsibility for owning our need. Our part is letting go in faith. Our part is giving God permission to meet our needs by believing we deserve to have our needs—and wants—met. Our part is simply to be who we are, and love being that.”

Hoping I leave you encouraged,
sarahkatetiner