A whirlwind of grocery stores, butchers, trolleys (shopping carts), produce stands, order forms, and more order forms is what our life has quickly turned into. Nate and I are "house parents" to 22 college students at a Uni (university) called Wesley Institute. And while the free housing and food is a great blessing, the job comes with its challenges...like multiplying all my cooking by....12. (and we questioned our 3rd grade teacher why we needed to know our times tables that high) The students have moved in and classes have begun, and so has our fun! After being married for a mere 4 months, Nate and I have gone from quiet evenings alone after a quick 15 minute meal...to chopping veggies and meat for and hour and then cooking for another hour and trying to figure out if 17 lbs of meat will really be enough...which it wasn't; dropping students off at school and picking them up, filling numerous grocery carts full of food, and cleaning up after all is said and done. But there are many joys to the job as well. The students are tremendous, very helpful and kind. We all live in a big house and hostel, eat meals together, watch movies, play games, and function- so far (it's only been a week)- with no real problems. All in all our new job is a great new ministry and really a blessing straight from God.

We have had a couple of wonderful days without work. After going to Manly Beach once, Nate insisted on finally spending his long saved graduation money on a couple used surfboards. Last weekend he got his first shot of some Aussie waves. Do remember seasons are opposite and it is dead winter here. Which is why you could find me, the "supportive wife" on sitting on the shore with three layers on, reading a book. But the weather is looking more beautiful each day so we are looking forward to a nice Aussie spring. We miss all you guys back home, and love reading your comments!

Well we are currently adjusting to living in a new place. In Australia it is the middle of the winter. It feels like one is standing near the "chilibin" looking for your favorite late night snack but cannot find it anywhere. It is winter and it is pretty cold. The temperature is about 40-60 degrees. Our first few days have been quite educational. We have learned many things in our first few days on Aussie soil. We have learned that if you want to make a phone call one must first dial "nort"... it took us a while to realize that "nort" is actually zero. On a recent trip to the grocery store we realize that our eating habits would also be changing. A daily staple in our diets while home was the All-American Turkey Breast sandwhich... a healthy and economical snack. We were surprised to find out that turkey lunch meat cost about $25 a kilo or $12.50 a pound. If that wasn't a big enough shock our jaws dropped when we saw the price of bananas... $15 a kilo ($7.50 a pound). While there are many things that are more expensive and harder to find... onions are very cheap over here.




nort- the number zero
chilibin- a refrigerator

Well, we finally made it. After a little over 30 hours of traveling we arrived in Sydney, Australia. We have been here for just over 48 hours now. The flights were long but uneventful. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are safe and that we miss everyone. Thanks to everyone who helped us get over here.