Meeting Winter: A Photo Recap

This post has been a long, long time coming. FOUR months of silence...I sincerely apologize for words unsaid. My goal is still one post a month, but one computer and increasing work has made it slightly more challenging than I would have expected. That's not a complaint...God is blessing me with regular income! That being said, I do need to be much more intentional to keep an updated blog.

In the last post I farewelled you all with 'Happy Easter' wishes, so let me start from when I left off.

Beautiful Toowoomba. EasterFest was the first time we
really experienced the chills at night. 

EasterFest 2014:

For Easter weekend, Jordan and I travelled to Toowoomba with a few others from Impact to join in for Easterfest, which boasts being the largest Christian music festival in the Southern Hemisphere. To cut down on costs and to help us get to know the musicians and events of EasterFest, both Jordan and I volunteered part-time for the three days. Jordan was in his element at the First Aid tent, attending to dehydrated kids, fractured bones, and random cases of illnesses.

Jordan monitoring the Red Frogs Rave ... and trying to
ignore the urge to jump in!

I, on the other hand, was donning some pirate apparel as a volunteer in Kid's World. Kid's World, in my humble opinion, was THE place to be - with a petting zoo, jumping castles, rides, and games for all the young 'uns, I'm not surprised that even the teens wanted in. For two of the days, I had the wonderful privilege of escorting Bob and Larry of VeggieTales around the park - I cannot even explain how excited some of the kids were to see these full-size characters in front of them. For some reason, the kids thought to show their exciting by beating and punching Bob and Larry and by pushing them over in group hugs. With the kid attack and the heat of the day, I was thankful to be beside and not inside those costumes.

The entrance to Kid's World

To be quite honest, volunteering part-time is the ideal set-up: free admission for the weekend + serving the attendees + opportunities to hear big, up-and-coming Christians artists. Although I had zero involvement in the creation of Kid's World and minimal involvement during the festival, it is an honour to hear parents respond positively and speak highly of the family-friendly festival. To put a smile on the kid's faces and the parent's faces, that's when you know you've made a very positive impact.

The biggest downfall is that I did not account for the lack of time for personal reflection. Easter is, in my opinion, the most significant celebration on the Christian calendar. It's an opportunity for silence, for worship, for absolute surrender; yet because I was so pre-occupied with the pre-organized events of the festival, I did not even consider having an hour or so alone with God. Only when we were driving home did I realize that despite the wonders of the festival, I missed out on a big opportunity to personally celebrate in my own way. Certainly an adjustment to make for next year.

Bob and Larry meeting the kids. 

I found some Dutch deliciousness!

Hillsong Young and Free

Dami Im: a Christian artist who won X-Factor Australia in 2013.
A talented voice indeed!

EasterFest graffiti wall - a wonderful reminder of this truth!

Anzac Day:

Somewhat synonymous to Remembrance Day, but celebrated with much greater respect, Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand soldiers that fought and died in the Gallipoli campaign in World War One. We are slowing learning the historical and cultural recognitions in Australia, but waking up for a 6:30 dawn service was not on our list of to-dos. Rather, we took the day to relax at SouthBank beach. 

First Family Visit!!

I cannot even begin to express how much of a blessing it was to spend a day with Uncle Paul and Aunt Bonnie. Our first visitors!! Although their short stay in Brisbane was work-related, I count it a blessing that they stayed in OUR city so we could spend a few hours together. Not only was this an opportunity to catch up on life and be encouraged by their faith, it was a muchly-needed opportunity for me to get some photos with my one and only :) 

We LOVE this city!

My new favourite tree: the Banyan Fig

'I love..." carvings on bamboo.
Whoever carved this one, good choice!

CityCat at dusk

Our Parisian-style restaurant

Chris and Michelle's Wedding:

My little brother is married!! Jordan and I woke up at 3 am Sunday morning to watch Chris and Michelle's wedding being live-streamed from Dundas. We were really disappointed to miss their big day...and those emotions only escalated when I saw the family photos; but we are beyond excited for the two of them as they officially start their life together!

A wedding in pyjamas, not a bad idea!

Needless to say, with a visit from family and my brother's wedding, May was a wonderful month! And the amazing thing...June and July have brought us more joy and blessings than I could have ever imagined. God is beyond good to us. Stay tuned for the update :)

Love you all!