G'day Mates!

     We apologize for not getting to update you all sooner! We have arrived safely in Geraldton, Australia :) The trip took a lot out of us & we are so thankful to have made it safe. Overall it took about 30 hours for us to arrive. The first couple of days we fell asleep around 7pm and would wake up around 4 &5 WIDE AWAKE........but it has somewhat evened out :) When we arrived at the Perth airport 2 of Todd's new teammates picked us up & drove us to Geraldton. It was a 4.5 hour drive through the middle of nowhere.
  
     When we got to Geraldton they took us to our host home. To much delight they drove us to the top of a hill that overlooks the ocean and much of downtown Geraldton :) The house is brand new and was designed by our wonderful host Stacey Heberle. We did not know what to expect at all coming as far as housing but the Lord blessed us with a great host and a beautiful place to stay as a bonus :)

     Our biggest adventure this week was learning to drive! Todd went first and did pretty well but kept confusing the windshield wipers for the turn signal :) Which looks really funny when it is 95degrees out!! The food has also taken some getting used to :) At first glance it all looks very similar, but so far we have had some bad luck :) It tends to somehow just taste different.

FUN FACTS:
1.) Fast food here is fast but NOT cheap! $9/meal yikes!
2.) No one says "You're Welcome" it's always "No Worries"
3.) "Thank You" is now "Cheers mate"
4.) No daylight savings time over here, they voted against it... said that it wasn't good for the cow's sleeping patterns and such.
5.) Aussie Rules Football (Footie) is very fun to watch!  And everyone here plays cricket, not baseball. 
6.) They love their barbeques over here, but when you go to a bbq, you show up around 8.. everyone talks for a couple hours and then we eat around 10.  So we usually eat before we go to a bbq too.  There is no rush over here for anything.  It really is no worries!
7.) "This arvo" is what they use for "this afternoon".

     Sometimes it does not feel like we are really here in Australia and so far away from all of you. But the  Lord is so faithful & is already teaching us so much. Before we left He gave me these verses for our family:

"But the Word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping his commandments and His statues and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord you God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord you God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Deuteronomy 30:14-20

     He reminded me of the things He has taught me. That Todd & I know His Word, we know what HE says and as he sends us into this land we are to CHOOSE LIFE. And by choosing life He means to choose Him, choose to spend time with Him in His Word (which He puts in our mouth and our heart) & CHOOSE to declare & glorify HIS NAME among this nation! This was such a comfort and encouragement to Todd & I when we were getting ready to leave home.

     Now that we are here and far from home it has been a little emotional. But again the Lord is teaching us and molding us. Everything is so foreign & different. We are very alone just the two of us. For one of the first times since we have been married the Lord has given me a whole new meaning of HOME. Since June, when we got married, we have lived somewhere new every 3 months.We have yet to actually settle, call somewhere home. And the other night when we were in bed and nothing was familiar.....Todd was. His voice, his smell, he felt like home. It was the most peaceful feeling. He is so familiar when nothing else is. I know he will take care of me, protect me & love me. And in that very emotional moment of missing what I consider "home" Todd resembled my heavenly Father - who is constant, never changing, will  never leave me nor forsake me. More than ever before the Lord truly opened my eyes to see what He means by the true, first love of Christ & His Church - His Bride.

     "And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, 'Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty Word for you, but your VERY LIFE, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.'" Deuteronomy 32:45-47