Things are wrapping up, and very quickly. I cannot believe that I only have one weekend left in Kingaroy! So much has happened in the last couple of weeks and I am sorry that I am just now updating you. I have separated my experiences into three categories for this post.
1. A toast.
Two weekends ago now, the weekend of May 5 and 6th I was able to go to Moreton Island. It was a great distraction for me because that was graduation for everyone back at CUNE. It was a very bitter sweet weekend. All of my friends were on my mind, but I knew I would not trade this experience. The weekend on Moreton turned out to be amazing, and definitely an unforgettable one. The weather had been rainy all week, but Saturday and Sunday were warm, sunny, and glorious. I was able to go snorkeling, hiking, and sandboarding. The weekend also included probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Our group got to see baby sea turtle hatchlings make it from their nest to the ocean. It was amazing! They were the cutest things in the world, smaller than my palm and definitely on a mission. If you want inspiration, just watch those little guys. I had brought along a graduation hat that belonged to Ashley (one of the teachers at my school that went on the trip as well). I figured that I still had to celebrate my graduation somehow, so what better way than taking my graduation pictures on the beach? So when we were finished snorkeling I took out the hat to snap a few pictures. Our guide for the weekend thought it was great, he was just loving the fact that I was there instead of at grad, and had me climb up on the four wheeler and just thought it was the coolest thing ever. Everyone else was congratulating me on my graduation now too. The group of people that ended up being on this trip was great as well, and a big part of what made the weekend special. That evening, sitting around a campfire, the Irishman gave me a glass of wine and we toasted to my graduation; the Spaniard, the Irishman, 2 Germans, 3 Aussies, and 3 Americans. Wow. After the fire we all went out to the coast and sat along the beach to watch the full moon- amazing night. I was missing home a bit that weekend, and God really has funny ways of providing because there were two other Americans on the trip, one studying over here, and the other had been living over here for two years...she was from Missouri. We could not believe it. Of all trips and for how small the group was the odds of that were close to 0. She had also been missing home a bit, so the two of us were able to chat about things back home. It was a nice refreshing weekend, and new friends were definitely made.
That Sunday evening we stayed at Ashley's folks' house in Brisbane and they popped a bottle of champagne for my graduation as well. It was nice to have a little celebration over the weekend- I cannot believe I made it through four years of college.
2. A drive
This past weekend.......even harder to describe. Great friends, great company, and great experiences. I was supposed to head out with the Kotzur family for the weekend, both John and Naomi teach at the school and their daughter Bethany is in high school. I was going to stay the night at their house on Friday so we could leave bright and early for the coast in the morning. Well Sonya and I pull up to their house for what I just though was tea (dinner) with the Kotzurs but there was a whole group of the faculty sitting around the BBQ and bonfire waiting for me. I cannot remember a time when I have been that surprised, I had zero inkling that they had planned this. I just could not stop smiling. It is just simply amazing the love that these people have. They wanted to celebrate my graduation and new job, so we had a sausage sizzle and roasted marshmallows, and went four wheel driving, and learned how to crack a whip, and what a perfect evening. I cannot tell you how great the staff is here at St. John Kingaroy, they just blow me away. That was just the beginning to the marvelous weekend I just returned from. After a night of star gazing, eating, and whip cracking (so many jokes go with that) we had to get up before the sun so we could make it to the beach at low tide. Saturday held a magnificent morning drive to the coast where we got to see the sun rise through thick fog, then we drove through a short forest path and along the beach for hours. We started at Rainbow Beach and ended at Noosa. John let me drive most of the way which was so much fun! I know why people love to do it. I will definitely go off-roading again. The day- beautiful, perfect waves and a warm sun. We stopped at John's brother's house for lunch before a few of us headed out to hike halfway up Mt. Coolum for an overlook of the coast. After our hike we headed to the beach to go surfing. I was a little less successful on my own, but still managed to stand up. That evening we drove to John's parents house for dinner and a much needed sleep. His parents were amazing people and I loved getting to know them. Sunday morning, my adopted family took me with them for Mother's day brunch at the surf club- I wish my mum and grandma were there too, they would have loved it. That afternoon we hit Maleny in the hinterlands, where we saw the glasshouse mountains, and then stopped at Naomi's sister's house before we began our trek back to Kingaroy. It was a long weekend, but one of the best I have had.
The best statement made last weekend was by John while we were on the beach. I was practicing my new skill of whipcracking, ha, and a car drove by. John said "Mia, Australian men like women with a whip." hahaha, yes.
3. A message
Since I have been here I have realized just what it means to rely on God. I see his presence everywhere I look. This has just been such an incredible experience that I do not think can be described. I love sharing what God has done in my life, and the magnificence of the sacrifice that His son Jesus made for the whole world. I was able to share that message in chapel on Monday. I did the chapel message and spoke on the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. The story hit home a bit too just talking about the presence of God. I used Papa's (Larry Burgdorf) Arch Book that he wrote about Daniel, and the kids absolutely loved it. I just feel so at home being able to talk about God's love and presence to other people. At the end of the message I showed pictures of Concordia and my family. I also had a video clip from my class at St. Johns Seward saying hello; the kids loved it, and the parents who stayed had good things to say. I just hope that as much as this school and these people have made an impact on me, I can leave a little something behind as well. I am going to soak up these last two weeks that I have left. Cheers and I hope all is well stateside.
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