A Bug's Life

It’s the start of week four, and Jordan and I are beginning to feel at home in our new place. We are beyond thankful to have found a privately-leased apartment that’s within biking/busing/walking distance to the university. Thank you all for your prayers!

Having our own place to stay is such a burden off our backs; but honestly, I don’t know why it was such a burden in the first place. It shouldn’t have been. First off, we were warned it would take at LEAST a week to find a place, apply and be approved. Secondly, we’ve got God on our side! After all, He directed us here smoothly and He promised to rendezvous with us - and that he is. There are a few people that Jordan has met in his class that are just moving into a place now, while others won’t be able to move in till mid-February. So we are blessed!

We arrived on Thursday, January 9th, and on the following Thursday, January 16th, we signed a rental agreement for:

                                              Unit 4/124 Sir Fred Schonell Drive

                                              St Lucia, QLD

                                              4067

(the address if you ever decide to ship something our way hehe) 

People seem to be impressed by how much we’ve accomplished in our first few weeks (mostly thanks to their assistance with transportation), and so all praise to God for working it out for us. Honestly, we are thankful that we weren’t accepted for the granny flat in Taringa because the roads from the flat to UQ are insanely hilly! Biking to school would have been more than just a means of transportation! 

And the crazy thing is that we were not even planning to inspect our current apartment. After seeing an ad online, we contacted the owner to get some details of the unit. He responded with a date in which we could view the apartment, but since there were no pictures of it posted online, we were hesitant of its physical state. On the 15th, Jordan biked around town to view other apartments when the owner of the apartment contacted him. Jordan decided to give the apartment a shot, and here we are! And as a bonus, the owner and his wife are teachers in nearby private schools! It’s great to know that they are around for maintenance and teaching tips!

Day 1: We don't have much but it's a
    roof over our heads. Our first purchase:

    a used patio set. At least we have 

    somewhere to sit...

As we are beginning to settle in Brisbane, we are simultaneously beginning to experience the reality of Australian living. 

• The fact that wifi is difficult to find, even in public places as companies usually secure their wifi for employees only. 
• The fact that some people walk barefoot in public. I LOVE being barefoot, but I don’t know how hygienic it is to be taking your feet from the car to the park to the grocery store, gathering and spreading all the bacteria. It builds a strong immune system I suppose.  
• The fact that malls operate with regular business hours: 9-5. I would imagine Saturdays to be quite busy at the malls if no one is able to shop after work.
• The fact that we now drive and walk on the left. It’s actually funny how much reacting to the right is a default. Now it takes a bit more intentionality to look the right way when crossing the street or when reacting to get out of someone’s way. 
• The fact that tiny turkeys walk around the property and dig through the leaves. Their presence is synonymous to the squirrels of Ontario.
• The fact that the wildlife is stereotypically dangerous. With unknown creatures in our midst and being unknown to their role in the food web, we are showing ourselves as obvious foreigners: fearful of everything. 

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

On the topic of wildlife, why do movies have to personify creepy crawly creatures as being cute? I understand that bugs such as ants, cockroaches, and spiders, have their own predator-prey life to deal with and animated films educate children on the habitat and lifecycle of insects; but honestly, they are gross. 

In ‘A Bug’s Life’, viewers end up cheering for the colony of ants as greedy grasshoppers attempt to steal their food supply. Similar to back home (at least in Lynden), ants are a problem in the homes as they make their way onto kitchen counters, bathroom walls, and bedroom floors. A week ago I set up a few ant poison stations around the house, and you know what, I did end up cheering for the ants! For when I see Flik and his cousins scurrying about - perhaps with the queen, they are gathering up the poison and bringing it to the colony. Muhaha. Now that’s a reason to cheer! 

In Charlotte’s Web, a few tears are shed from Wilbur - maybe even you too - as Charlotte dies and leaves behind her young. I don’t fear spiders, at least not the spiders in Canada, but I certainly won’t cry upon their death. However, the world of spiders is somewhat complex in Queensland. 

For the first night in our new place we were sleeping on a single mattress on the floor. It was the first day and all we had with us besides the borrowed mattress, was our suitcases of clothes. And a laptop. We pulled out the laptop and watched a movie, trying to remain still so both of our entire bodies would remain on the mattress. 

Before heading off to sleep, we turned on the lights - I don’t remember what for - and I gasped. 

Jordan quickly responded, “What?!” with wide eyes. 

“Look up,” I whispered. 

The Huntsman above our heads.

Directly above Jordan’s head was the most gigantic spider we have ever seen. It’s big body was dark and furry with legs skinny but strong. Jordan screamed and leapt out of way, leaving his wife to problem-solve the future of this arachnid. I found a long piece of styrofoam and attempted to squash the creature from below. Styrofoam is no weapon. The spider responded with lightning speed and began to scurry down the wall, eventually hiding behind the curtains. Jordan and I began to whack the vertical strips of blinds in hopes that the spider would fall. It didn’t. It tucked itself in the corner of the sliding door. With my styrofoam sword, I ‘coaxed’ the spider out onto the floor and then successfully squashed him along the floor into the wall. Victory. 

Now the main question: how did this ridiculously creepy creature enter the house? We inspected the house but our question remained unanswered. Needless to say, we did not sleep well that night. Jordan woke up multiple times throughout the night, turning on his iPhone flashlight to inspect for any more spiders … which of course subsequently woke me up. 

The following morning we went into town to shop for furniture, office supplies, and groceries. One of the first things we bought: killer insect spray. This spray has certainly come in handy. While I was rinsing my feet in the shower, I came face to face with a cockroach on the shower wall; and I nearly stepped on another cockroach as I hung laundry on the line; and while I was washing the dishes, another massive spider of the same family crawled across the countertop. They all ended up on their backs, lifeless.

Growing up in the country has its advantages. Upon the death of cockroach #2, Jordan humbly stated, “Babe, I’m glad you’re the man.” 

However, I have been told that these gigantic, disgusting Huntsman spiders are the good ones. The locals actually like to see these guys around because they are predators to the tiny, but deadly red-back spiders. One bite from this little guy will kill a child and certainly send an adult into the hospital. Why do the tiny ones have to be the deadly ones? I can handle the presence of small spiders. Plus you can squash them with a finger without feeling their individuals limbs. I know the big Huntsman are supposed to be the good guys, but I don’t know if I can ever feel comfortable knowing there is a palm-sized spider crawling above my head as I sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Highlights of the Week:

Youth Conference

Youth Alive Conference at CitiPointe Church. A little taste of
home: similar events, same songs, same God.

Fun fact: CitiPointe and Hillsong are the two largest churches in
Brisbane with thousands of members, both in the same suburb.

Beach Day

Peregian Beach

These jellyfish and their mini counterparts were washed up
on shore. Swimmers are told to be careful not to get stung ...
it's the waves that push them on you though! :S

Although we love the water, it will take us a bit to get used to
swimming with these jellyfish.

Overlooking Sunshine Coast at Noosa.

Surfers. Jordan is determined to buy a board while he is here!

A few young adults from Impact Ministries and Fuel Church.
Beautiful views with these beautiful people. 

Shopping

Kmart is where it's at! Cheap, cheap, cheap!

Stocked up at Ikea! We originally wanted to save money by
purchasing used furniture but without a vehicle it was difficult
to see items all over town. Renee offered to take us to Ikea
with the church van, so we made one massive, successful
trip! 

Setting up Shop

Our bed took a week to arrive, but it was worth it for 50% off!

Once we set up the couch, we adopted it as our bed for a few
days. We are working on getting a sofa bed, but for now
this is big enough for two visitors to sleep on :)

Family pictures can never match their presence, but it's the
best I've got for now.

This bathroom is small, yet somehow the ants and cockroaches
think there is room for them too. Nice try. 

'Free' laundry this year!!

Sunday (January 26) was Australia Day, the official national day of Australia where the citizens do not celebrate the creation of the nation, but rather British sovereignty over the Eastern seaboard of Australia. For some Aboriginals, it is remembered as invasion day, and is therefore not a day of celebration. But nevertheless, Australians celebrate the day with a BBQ and cricket games. We spent the morning at church and then many of the members from Impact Ministries and Fuel Church made their way to Luke and Renee's place for a BBQ: a little bit of cricket, rugby, water v-ball, ping-pong wars, and a lot of laughs! 

The message at church was focused on harvest time, reminding me that have a mindset of harvest. "Wake up and look around. The fields are ripe for harvest!" (John 4:35). It's so easy to pray for God to send workers, but not so easy when we might be the workers. Part of me wishes I heard this message a couple months ago before I left, because I feel as though I didn't do enough back home. I feel that I am much more intentional about planting seeds - of faith, of God - in people's lives, but then I really don't know how to follow up. There are friends and family back at home that I wish I would have been more bold with - it's their soul for goodness sake. In all reality, my pride doesn't matter, I just need to learn to be more obedient. 

"God doesn't want superstars; He wants you to follow instructions. 

He wants willing workers."

On Tuesday, Jordan officially began his classes! He had the opportunity to meet his course coordinators/directors as well as some fellow first-year students. An exciting dream come true! I am praying for God to bless his mind and spirit so that he may excel in his studies, doing so to God's glory. I feel medical students can easily be caught up in the egotistic culture, feeling better than others for studying medicine. Yet God calls each individual to a field of work and when God is calling you to a job, it's significant to Him (and should be significant to you) regardless of how significant or insignificant the world sees it as. So I'm praying that Jordan and the other students see this as such a privileged opportunity for service, not status.

While Jordan has been bombarded with information-overload at school, I have spent the hours filling out job applications for teacher and teacher aide positions. I learned that I am only on the supply list till May due to the restrictions of my working holiday visa: 6-months with one employee. I initially was disappointed as the peak months for relief teaching are April-September; however, I also discovered that I can apply for the Skilled Migration Visa because I DO have enough points for permanent residency. I can apply as the primary applicant with Jordan as my dependent, and if we get approved (a very lengthy process), then we both will be considered permanent residents! For me this would mean having no working or studying restrictions. For Jordan this would mean the possibility of reduced tuition! Umm...yes please! 

Reasons to Rejoice:

• We have a home!! 
• With our home mostly set up and a school routine in process, we have had some time to relax - a beach day, a few days of sleeping in, and a couch to be comfy on!
• Jordan's dream is coming true --> doctor in training!! 

Points for Prayer:

• Pray that Jordan is continually renewed with mental and spiritual energy throughout his studies. It will take some time I imagine to develop a routine and rediscover ideal study habits. 
• Pray that Jen will not become discouraged as she waits for a job - but pray for one to come quickly :)
• Pray that Jen is able to complete the documentation for the Skilled Migration Visa as quickly as possible. It will takes a few months I reckon, but pray for approval as the cost is quite steep. 
• Pray that both Jordan and Jen will focus on humbling themselves in service, ensuring their goals are not self-centred but focused on the kingdom

Thank you all for your support, love you all!

RollerCoaster Tycoon: Australia

“Nothing brings a couple closer together than being homeless.” - Jordan

It’s been one full week since our adventure to Australia began. And my goodness, what an absolute whirlwind of a week it has been - a whirlwind of events, of energy, of emotions. Most of me would like to share all the great things God has been working out here, but part of me just needs to be honest with you. It isn’t roses and butterflies. Rather a mixture of frustration, laughing, crying, and absolute dependence on God.

Sometimes it becomes really easy to question God’s presence or His working when things seem silent, but we know from our smooth pre-departure preparations, our flights, and our connections with church family in Brisbane, that God is most certainly on our side.

Let me take you back in time and recount the journey alongside me.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014: Depature

Part 1: Toronto-Vancouver

In light of historical weather trends, when Jordan and I booked our flights for January 7^th, we assumed that we would miss the significant portions of winter weather. Far from it! Can you believe that December alone brought us feet of snow, an ice storm, power-outages, a polar vortex, and near-record lows?! While the weather allowed for a beautiful white Christmas, it was creating havoc on the airport tarmac. Delays upon delays just before we were scheduled to fly out. 

But hear this out.

Jordan and I arrived at Pearson around 5 am, two hours prior to our Toronto to Vancouver flight, only to be told by a WestJet representative that “ALL flights have been grounded til 9 am”, and that other flyers who missed their flights due to previous delays would be accommodated. When I asked her what a delay would infer for our connecting flight from Vancouver to Guangzhou, the representative responded, “You won’t make it. You will most likely have to stay in Vancouver until another connecting flight becomes available.” Not the most pleasant way to start the morning. At least we knew a few people in Vancouver…

Honestly, in situations like these it’s absolutely pointless and ineffective to complain so we stood in line for the baggage counter, with our family lugging our 5 bags of possessions, and silently prayed for God to intervene and let our plane be on time. When we reached the counter, we had a WONDERFUL man who informed us that our flight appeared to be on time; and when he learned of our 35-hour trek across the world, he upgraded us to the Plus seating for the first flight! 

Last goodbyes to some family at the
airport. Hope to see you in a year!

Our plane was scheduled for take-off at 7 am. We boarded the plane around 6:40 and were warned of a few baggage complications, but by 8 am we were on the runaway lifting off to stop one of three! Once stabilized, our flight attendant offered us beverages and food and informed us that our flight 701 was the FIRST plane to take off when typically it is the ninth or tenth. When we landed in Vancouver, all the TVs were highlighting flight delays/cancellations at Pearson…over 600! Incredibly thankful to God working this one out for us!

Part 2: Vancouver-Guangzhou

Originally our layover in Vancouver was scheduled to be a couple hours, but due to the baggage complications in Toronto and the polar vortex affecting the jet stream, our flight landed later than intended. Jordan and I ran to the gate of our connecting flight just as the last 20 people were boarding. Because we landed so late, we had to sign a waiver understanding that our baggage would not make it on the flight; but at least WE made it! Thankfully we did not have to retrieve our own baggage in Vancouver, otherwise this week could have turned out much differently!

20 hours in: Fatigued and frigid.

Part 3: Guangzhou-Brisbane

From Vancouver to Brisbane, for 25 hours, we pondered the potential whereabouts of our luggage. But as we waited in the line for customs, our questions were answered as we saw all 5 bags make their way round and around the carousel. Side note: I may have squealed and clapped my hands like a school girl. How could one not? I was so thankful that Jordan, myself, and our remaining possessions made it across the Pacific concurrently and timely.

God is good!

As of now, this is all we possess. Beyond thankful
we all made it together!

Thursday, January 9, 2014: Let the Australian Adventures Begin

The days here are beginning to blur together with all our house hunting, but I have taken the advice of Pastor Kevin to write out our journey, especially the little details God is working out. The workings may be ‘little’, but certainly not insignificant! While I could create word vomit by detailing all our daily adventures, I will just try to give you an idea of what our week has consisted of.

Thursday:

Pastor Luke and Renee picked us up from the airport and drove us to Barbara's house where we will be staying for an indefinite period of time until we have success in the rental search and application process. It was absolutely wonderful to meet these three and their families as we previously only had email communication. These servants of God are genuinely caring, lovely, and giving of themselves; Jordan and I would be lost without them, so all glory to God for connecting us together!

Our temporary home with Barbara.
Located in Forest Lake, south of the Brisbane core. 

Barbara brought us to the mall to tackle our first important necessity: phones.

However, we stumbled upon a slight problem. While phone plans are much more reasonable here in Brisbane, the process of receiving one appears to be much more difficult. Since we were unable to bring our locked phones across the Pacific, we were somewhat obligated to get a phone-included plan (we really cannot afford to buy two phones outright). But in order to get any plan, you need proof of address; to get an address (rent an apartment), you need proof of income; to get income (supply teach), you need a phone. We appeared to be caught in a cyclical current.

Friday: 

Barbara graciously took us on a tiki-tour of the Brisbane hospitals to show Jordan the public and private hospitals where he could be interning. There seems to be quite a few hospitals here!! Maybe that's why their medical school class sizes are greater?

Obviously Jordan is pretty thrilled to be a medical student and eager to begin his studies, so we toured the St. Lucia campus of UQ to determine where his classes would be held. This campus is fairly extensive and beautiful - the buildings, the view, the greenery, indubitably a great campus to be at!

Home for the next two or more years!

The Great Courtyard

With no transportation, Jordan and I humbled ourselves and cycled the city - heading to two house viewings in Toowong - using the CityCycle bicycles. It's similar to the Toronto system and just as tacky. By law, cycling in Australia requires wearing a helmet, so just image us peddling these 3-speeds bicycles while sporting awkward, oversized, bright yellow helmets. Might as well write TOURIST on our foreheads.  

CityCycle. There is a reason very few bikes are used. 

To make matters even more awkward, my bicycle was stuck in 3rd gear as Jordan and I tackled one of many hilly roads. By the way, Australia is much more hilly than we expected, so bicycling can be a serious workout! I managed to work my way up the hill with little speed but much energy, and by the time I reached the stoplight at the top of the hill, my blood pressure dropped dramatically and I became severely lightheaded. I walked the bike over to the nearby bus stop bench and sprawled out. Jordan was a little embarrassed and a little frightened as to what was happening inside my pale body, and just as a bus pulled up to pick up and drop off riders, I hurled my breakfast all over the sidewalk. 

Jordan wasn't the only embarrassed one...

Saturday: 

We are eternally grateful to Barb and Renee who have housing us and running us around town for endless house viewings and errands. We spent all morning at house viewings, then returned to Renee's to continue our online hunt and for a little dip in the pool. The days are pretty warm here - apparently this summer weather is near record-breaking for significant parts of Australia. I'm finding it quite interesting how there are simultaneous polar vortexes and heat waves causing record temperatures on both sides of the world!

During our online search on GumTree (it's equivalent to Kijiji), we stumbled upon a granny flat, fully furnished within our price range and within biking distance to school. We viewed the home, spent time with the couple in charge of renting, and left feeling really optimistic that this would be our new home!

Pastor Luke and Renee went above and beyond and temporarily added Jordan to their car insurance policy. So Saturday afternoon, Jordan and I left for town, attempting the right-side drive ute, and braving the left-lane roads. Jordan really is a great driver and with reduced speed, he began to get the hang of it! The unfortunate part is that I am the one that will be needing to drive, not him... not so sure if I'm ready to tackle the roads!

Trucks are a rare breed in Brisbane. A ute is a typical 
hybrid between a car and truck, a utility vehicle 
with the guts of a car but the capacity of a truck.

Sunday:

Great to be back in church! The pastor that we connected with is pastoring a church plant called Impact Ministries, a small community of believers, but a community indeed! As this is currently summer vacation from school, Impact has teamed up with Fuel, another small church in the area, to host services together; and so Jordan and I had the opportunity to meet young adults from both churches, some of whom are studying in the fields of education and medicine! 

Pastor Nathan of Fuel encouraged us with a message of GOD CAN, a muchly-needed reminder that with a God like our God, there is no reason to doubt. Honestly, it was a message Jordan and I (and most certainly I) needed to hear because we were beginning to feel a little defeated with house hunting. We learned that the granny flat from Saturday was given to another couple and we began to question why God didn't align it for us. But the sermon reminded us to substitute doubt for scripture, believing that God remains true to His word and true to His people. In worship, we sang 'God is Able' and the chorus became more impactful than ever:

God is with us

He will go before

He will never leave us

He will never leave us

God is for us

He has open arms

He will never fail us

He will never us

God has brought us to Australia with such smooth transition and so we have faith that He will provide us with the perfect home in His perfect timing. Hindsight is always 20/20, but when our visions for the future are Christ-centered, God overrides our lack of clarity and directs our step with HIS perfect vision. We KNOW God is with us, for us and going before us, and so we are placing all our trust in Him for every step we take here in Brisbane. 

"The purpose is in the process" is a much harder truth to accept when the process is difficult. Thankfully we have wonderful church family here to support us, and even though they barely know us, they are genuinely eager to bless us as they have been blessed and are praying with us and for us. 

Monday: 

Exciting news for the beginning of the week: 

1. I had a successful interview with ANZUK and am fully registered on the supply list for private schools in Brisbane. I am currently working on registering with TRACER, the supply system for state schools in order to increase my teaching opportunities.

2. Jordan purchased a hybrid bicycle! At least one of us has a personal mode of transportation other than our sore feet. Once we get settled into a home, we are planning to purchase a bicycle and/or car for myself depending on our location and access to public transportation. 

Jordan's new ride: Hybrid Merida Cross.

Tuesday:

The most successful day thus far. Our lack of communication and lack of address was proving to be quite frustrating as it was inhibiting our applications for rental homes. With Barbara in tow, we went to the Ministry of Transportation to use Barbara's address for our Australian driver's licences. Can you believe that Canada and Australia have a licensing agreement? All we had to do is show our Canadian licences, pay a fee, and we walked out with full eligibility to drive in the country. It's completely legal yet I feel far from ready!

And now that we have proof of address, we were able to get phone plans!! We are no longer limited in our international communication, and with iMessage, BBM, MagicJack, and all other sorts of apps, we can text and call home for not even a penny. If you would like our numbers, please message us via email or Facebook.

Bit by bit we are progressing towards getting settled. Thank you for your prayers, we are so blessed and humbled that people around the world are praying for God's guidance in areas big and small. 

Reasons to Rejoice:

1. The people of God are amazing!! Barbara's heart is so rich. She understands how much God has blessed her through people around her and she lives to share the blessing. We are honestly eternally grateful to Barbara, Luke, Renee, and other church family here who are so graciously willing to help us out. 

2. We are beginning to see the light in the house hunt! :) 

3. There are literally endless reasons to rejoice with us - praising God for safety, no jet leg, beautiful weather, and progress in getting settled.

Points of Prayer:

1. Pray that God will guide us to right place shortly. We would like to be somewhat settled in our home before Jordan begins school.

2. Pray that Jen will be given many opportunities for part-time and/or full-time work in the teaching field once the school year gets started. Successful relief teaching days will lead to more permanent supply or full-time.

3. Pray that God will reward those here who are so clearly living to serve Him and others.

4. Pray that we will not be worried about finances, but fully believe that God will provide if we wholeheartedly live for him.