better is this heather

I know, I know...it has taken me forever to write an update!  But, I do have a pretty good excuse why I haven't.  Just in case you thought all I was doing was carrying my board around looking for the next wave, I will have to recap...once again (actually I do this a lot to humor myself)...so you can fully grasp my mental state...

Listen up...

i left my favorite career (my only career I guess, but still, my favorite), I packed up my clothes (that is a lot) and moved to the flipping other side of the world (that's further than just the other side of the world),  i take tests now and write papers and sit in a class with people 10 years younger than me (they are still cute though),

 Only the coolest, Creative Ministry professor cannot teach unless he has his shoes off.

(Many of you have asked what classes I am taking.  Here are my 1st quarter classes I just finished...
Christianity in Culture; Survey of Christian Doctrine; Models of Creativity; Book of Galatians; Preaching and Public Speaking; Character and Spiritual Formation 2.)


These are the new classes I start now!
Leadership 2; Church Health; The Book of Isaiah; School of the Holy Spirit; Survey of Christian Doctrine; Marriage and Family Life (i know i know...one day!)

 In class with my best Aussie friend, Cherloe!

i work for an incredible ministry (also my favorite ministry in the world) while strengthening my scary skills on excel spreadsheets (and also scaring my boss with them),

(Some of you have also wanted to know what I do for the Kubala Ministries, I am the Assistant to the amazing evangelists, Janine and Andrew Kubala. I manage all their travel itineraries, which involves traveling to 50-75 churches in a year, I book their flights, I communicate with the pastor's PA's to arrange details of their speaking engagements, and I look after all of their resources (sending them to churches, inventory, etc)).

i force my brain each day to drive on the left side of the road (and scare lots of people when I don't).  

 

i have wrestled with larger than life roaches,

i even drink tea and have learned that "regular tea" does not mean Lipton,

i have learned how to put 2 kids to bed, wake them up and feed them and I even love it!

i have learned that "busting" is a term used for the bladder and the bathroom,

 Having a blast with the boys!

LIVE! 9 News with Sam and Jonny

oh, and I have managed to battle all 5 stages of culture shock in a 4 month time period (I think it's suppose to take a year...SO, I am either just extra advanced or I am still stuck in stage 2 and won't know until the most appropriate time.

 This is our florescent yellow mailman.  Yes, it is!

To all my BBW peeps - take a load of this...The mall hours.  AND you get paid time and a half to work on Sunday's!  Crazy!

So through all this, I sort of lost who I once was and had to look for myself again...but, thank God, He has brought me through this all to show me!  I have run the course...but I know I haven't finished the race...but I'm back, and better is this heather!

A while back, when my mind was stuck somewhere in one of the culture shock phases, i pulled out one of my going-away gifts that I got from my friend.  It was the most perfect thing to read being in a state of...well, a state of everything listed above.  God totally knew if He was going to speak to me in a way that I could understand,

it needed to be really simple, and it needed to rhyme.  

He is so amazing like that!  He always meets me where I am.  So, here you go.  I have attached the entire Dr Seuss book (hopefully this isn't a big copyright issue), so you can read my inspirational journey, that rhymes!

Enjoy!

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. 

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

VIDEO: Don't call me Big Bird

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

(Thank you for the book Lydia!  You are amazing!)

God is taking me there.  I am going places!

Together we get the most perfect mobile phone reception

My First Aussie Adventures

I actually had a California to-do list that I had to complete before I left. I had to re-fuel myself on everything that was American so it could cruise me through 2 years in a non-American land. Every American burger (or just In and Out), every Mexican restaurant, of course Disney Land. Oh, and then seal it all off with a Hollywood Dr. Phil studio taping. That almost didn’t get crossed off the list…I had to squeeze that one in 8 hours before my LAX flight. But, it paid off. No, they didn’t pull me out of the stage and ask me to be a movie star, but being there hours before my flight did keep my mind off the fact that I was about to make a leap over the Pacific ocean to the other side of the world, leaving everyone, everything that has made me, me. I guess it was a good thing they made me sign a waiver before I went on the show, “being a member of the audience does not allow you free, personal counseling by Dr. Phil.” I would have been tempted to ask him if I should stay.

Before we arrived at LAX I reminded myself how smoothly everything was about to go. After all, I was being obedient to where I know the Lord has called me, so He will make sure I don’t have any problems with my “slightly” over-packed luggage, no delays getting on the plane, and then 2 lengthy bulk-overhead seats waiting for me and my dad to stretch out our 6 foot legs for the entire 14 hour flight. “What? I’m sorry, did you just say my dad needs a Visa in order to arrive in Sydney for a week and he doesn’t have one on file? Umm, the plane is full and the seats we reserved only fit small children? I think I heard you wrong about my heavy luggage. It sounded like you said $300… “(gulp) This is where I completely lost it. Yes, tears began to fall. I held it in through all the good-byes, all the final hugs and kisses, and then at the airport in front of the luggage lady, it all came out. The world hates me…what am I doing…THIS is the sign, I’m not suppose to go. Take me home! I was distraught. God left me…something had to be wrong up there.

“God, don’t forget I’m being obedient!”

I know what you are saying. Slightly naïve form of thinking, Heather. Blame it on my emotional levels or the mean luggage lady, but I was treading unrealistic waters feeling like I was untouchable in this world I was stepping into. I was exempt from this test called Life. Everything was going to be better. But, God never allows me to wallow in my own self-pity for long. A few hours over the Pacific, I unfolded myself from my seat to reach my Ipod and turned to the good ole Jentzen Podcast. As if he only spoke the sermon for my ears, I quickly shifted back to my purpose. “Satan doesn’t ever attack a retreating army, but an advancing one.” That was what I was doing. I was advancing. I had to stay strong and realize there will always be battles. Its just part of life. But I will choose to pray, fight, and still look for God’s miracles.

Landing in Sydney was already going so much better than taking off. Successfully passing through the friendly Australian customs officers I felt like, this is perfect, I am one of them. I am a Sydney-an. No one thinks I am a foreigner. But as I approached the final line to exit out to the blue, warm skys of the south Pacific, this little guy with a big badge approached my dad and I asking if we had any fruit, nuts or food of any kind, including Ranch dressing. Cover was blown. Apparently, I look so American that he had to ask if my over-sized luggage was full of Ranch dressing.But, for fear of more fines, I had to confess that I didn’t have Ranch but I had a ton of guacamole mix to last 2 years!

The first few days exploring the northern coast of Sydney we were running on adrenaline and delirium. We were going so fast to register every aspect of my new life…buy car, drive on left side of road, move into apartment, buy insurance, register car, drive on left side of road, shop for groceries, visit Target (surprise they have Target), drive on left side of road, buy cell phone, buy internet connection… I never had time to realize that I was really making myself as permanent to this country as an Aussie sun burn. I am really doing this!

While driving on the RIGHT side of the car on the LEFT side of the road, I measured the effectiveness of each day based upon how many honks I received. There were some days I got four in a one second moment. I guess that made up for the moments that no one honked at me at all out of sheer shock as I was coming towards them. But I triumphed through bracing the steering wheel like an old lady in a Cadillac and peering over the dashboard, saying to myself, “I will survive…this country will not beat me!” The roundabouts also were something to graduate from. I had to learn how to courageously roll into the parade of cars following each other in a circle then spit out into four different directions (I mean you pick one of the four). When in doubt, just circle around and around a few more times and eventually you will flow out into the right spot.

I would have to say hands down, beyond the car shopping, insurance buying, and re-learning how to drive, the biggest stress was going grocery shopping. Those that know me will not be shocked right now. I can probably count on one hand how many times I go to the grocery store in a year. I thought of every way possible of how I could survive without doing this but everyone of them ended with just not eating at all which is not a good idea according to my family. I learned that the nearest grocery store was only 3 roundabouts down the street, and then take the first exit on the third roundabout. Sure enough, at the bottom of the first exit I rolled right into the car park (parking lot) of a Woolsworth grocery store. My survival mode kicked in again as soon as I stepped out of the car.

I can do this. It’s only a grocery store in another country. What could be the big deal?

Once again, if I could step into this food world, buy what I need and not look like a foreigner while doing it that will be success. Under the awning of the weather worn store I spotted green shopping carts. Perfect! They have four wheels and are identical to the ones where I am from. We are doing good so far. As I approached the carts, I pulled one to claim it as mine to begin my adventure of food shopping, however, the cart would not move. They were all chained with a little lock that connected each cart together. For fear of appearing that I had never experienced a chained cart at a grocery store, and to prevent opening my American voice to actually ask someone what I needed to do, I just stepped back away from the cart and stared with a sort of bewildered look, thinking, I have absolutely no idea what the heck I need to do. I’m not quite sure how long I was staring, but it was enough for the guy in the bread aisle to see my stress flares and come to my rescue. He was a grocery angel. He explained that I needed to put a dollar coin in the lock in order to free the chained cart. I told him Thank you in my American accent and then it all made sense to him.

Cover blown once again.

Wading through each of the aisles you instantly search for something familiar. A familiar brand, label, bottle, anything that reminds you of home. Unfortunately, energizer batteries and Coke-a-Cola was all I could come up with, however, the double digit prices immediately made them quite unfamiliar. That “free the cart” bewildered look instantly came back on my face as I stopped looking for food and decided to walk the aisles just looking at the prices like a museum. A six pack of batteries back home would be close to $5…here $12. Medium size box of laundry detergent $35. As my father as a witness, we did even see a 36 pack of coke cans for $32. How about just needing 2 single banana’s and 2 single apples (not bags, just individual)…$3.50. And with the American dollar and the Australian dollar almost equivalent, there is not much of exchange rate. Standing in the middle of the aisle, I began fighting back every form of fear that was trying to creep in. Fear answering the question, am I truly capable of surviving out here?

Did I mention everything was double digits??

Anyone want to save money and go on a picnic?

My first Sunday arrived and I was able to officially visit my new church (myc3church.net). Andrew and Janine saved my dad and I two seats in the front with a “reserved” card. I felt like a celebrity. I was able to meet so many amazing leaders in the church, the president of the college, the dean of students, even one of the executive pastors. I felt right at home. I was so encouraged there. The sermon was, once again, spoken right for me. It was on Grace. The pastor referenced a scripture that was on the power point screen and I felt compelled to look up in my Bible. I quietly thumbed through to 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” And then...wow...I was so humbled and encouraged...hand written on the left side of the scripture were the words “Australia 2010”. My eyes began to well up. I don’t remember when I wrote that note near the side of that scripture, but God was bringing me back to it. He was reminding me that no matter how scary the roads gets, how expensive the stores are, HE was able to make ALL grace about to me.

I will have all I need. He is my income. He is taking care of me. God provides where He guides. This is the beginning a new adventure. An adventure of Grace.

It's going to be amazing!