Some adventures and some thoughts

The boys each take a turn holding a baby crocodile.

Our first professional rugby game! An exciting family adventure with the Townsville Cowboys losing by just one point in overtime. A sad loss but an exhilerating game to watch...well for me...I'm not sure my little girl always agreed!

We absolutely love that our city's pro-sports field is called 'Dairy Farmers Stadium'. Not only is it a fun contrast to the stadiums named after large corporations back home, it really does give you all some insight as to where we live.

Okay, so I decided to post this picture that my oldest took, even though I couldn't even look at this bottle of pulled teeth in real life as it made my stomach turn. This was part of the tour we took of the YWAM medical ship which does medical outreach trips to Papua New Guinea. As part of the outreach, the ship is equipped with a room that has two dentist's chairs where they do dental work that doesn't require follow up and eye surgery such as cataract removal. This jar was the jar of extractions from one of their tours. We are praying about the possibility of my husband joining one of the tours in the next few years as Townsville will be their 'home base' and the same is true for us for now.

So, we have had a few notworthy excursions in the last week or so. One of them being our trip to see the Cowboys play. I am working hard at figuring out the difference between Rugby League and Rugby Union as that is a big deal here. Back home, what I played was rugby union. I'm not even sure that we have rugby league in Canada. Union is 'classic' rugby. League seems to have a few rule changes in the interests in picking up the pace a bit for spectators. For those who have some idea of the sport, league has no line outs (uses a scrum down instead), doesn't have much in the way of rucks and mauls but instead if you take the ball into contact and maintain posession through the innitial contact you retain and recycle it by rolling it between your legs behind you. Then you get 5 attempts to score (somewhat like a down in football without the lame break for a huddle...er...I mean, appropriate strategizing time). League also only has 13 on the field rather than 15 and have dropped the two flanker positions. It moves a bit more quickly and I think I would have enjoyed playing this version in my younger, faster days.

As for attending the game, we are exceptionally impressed with how very affordable it is, comparable to a varsity football match, and that you are allowed to bring in your own food as long as it doesn't have commercial markings (that might compete with corporate sponsors). We chose to get the general admission where we got to sit on the grass hill right behind one of the endzones. This was a popular spot for families as toddlers get in for free and on the hill you can spread out a blanket and let them wander a little without bothering anyone. I love that the team jerseys have numbers but no last names--as if it really is a team sport and not about individual superstars. Player salaries are much lower than any pro sports figures in Canada or the States, still an awfully good wage for getting to play rugby for your job, but nobody could pay off a small countries debt with their salary. Stadium food is even affordable and some of the booths are set up by community groups who are invited to use the venue to raise funds through food sales. Oh, and did I mention the free parking a little piece away with complimentary shuttle buses? Yes, it seems like in this region they actually would like fans, with ordinary incomes and maybe even students, to ATTEND the game. All in all, we are dealing relatively well with our shift from NHL and NBA entertainment to NRL...though my husband is still attached to the former sports via internet.

Yes, and the burgandy hat from my last blog, being worn by my younger son is for something that is HUGE here in Queensland called State of Origin. Each year a 3 game tournament is set up with the games played throughout the regular season by the best 2 states in the league that year; usually New South Wales and Queensland. The state a player is eligible to play for is determined by the State in which they made their professional debut. A little complicated, but given that Queensland keeps winning, and that everyone in town seems to wear maroon on game days, we figured we better figure it out if we were going to fit in. Yes, I am loving the rugby.

We also took another trip to the billabong sanctuary (with our season's pass) and the boys managed to hold a baby crocodile. It made for a great photo, though in all honesty they were still more excited about the swimming pool!

On a completely different front, we have checked out the local YWAM ministry in a couple of ways. Firstly, they hold a community bbq every wednesday night. The first time we went the boys managed to meet up with another set of brothers and had a blast running around for awhile. It also was nice for me as the YWAM folks are very friendly and have a camp flavour about them that I love. So we went back the next week and will likely go again, continue to get to know some neat folks in ministry and enjoy the fun and community of it.

As I introduced in the picture of the jar of teeth, we also got to tour around a ship that has been converted for medical outreach. The goal of the project is to bring youth and medical professionals into Papua New Guinea to care for those in desperate need. The ship reminds me a little of camp with very limited space for staff to live in and a room that reminds me of the staff lounge. There is then a tiny kitchen and dining room that seats 25. There is a also a room with two dentist chairs for dental work and optometry care, as well as being equipped as a dental room would be. My oldest took a lot of pictures in the room and was particularly impressed with the very large toothbruth they use for teaching kids how to brush. The focus of the tour is to participate in working toward the 8 key millenium development goals www.un.org/milleniumgoals/ . It is something we are praying about my husband getting involved with, as he has medical skills to offer.

The piece of information that has lingered longest with me is that 1 in 7 births results in maternal death, usually due to a lack of clean instruments and environment. Two of my dearest friends just celebrated the birth of their daughter, my brother and his wife are expecting their first in August and we spend a great deal more time talking about names and nursery colours then whether these women so dear to me will make it through. Having been through the experience three times myself, I know that in Canada, as long as you have a little prenatal care, they can predict and avoid almost any complication. And even if you have no prenatal care, no midwife or ob, and no money, you can walk into a hospital in labour and a trained professional will deliver your baby in a sterile environment. Not to mention they won't let you out without a car seat that meets standard. And, if you are in desperate need of help they will ensure you are connected to have shelter, clothing and food. I readily admit, most of us are concerned with whether we will be able to follow our birth plan and if we've chosen a photo friendly first outfit for our new little one; whether we will be able to breastfeed and how we will ever get enough sleep. And there are lots of serious and challenging moments that we may face within the childbirth/postpartum experience which I don't want to minimize, but perspective wise, it makes me thankful that these are the things we get to worry about, and even in the really tough moments, there is a lot of support and help available if we seek it out.

Then I got to thinking, if one of these women I love so much were going to have to face childbirth alone, no support, no hospital, nothing, how quickly I would use any resources I had to get to them. I would buy a book or google how to deliver that baby safely. If I knew they needed me, I would find a way, because I love them.

When we toured the boat, the guide held up a small bag of simple items, a clean plastic sheet, a piece of sterile string, plastic gloves and a new, sterile razor blade...the cost of this bag was 3$. And it would save both a mother and a child. My oldest and I talked about this over lunch and realized that we could save 4 lives for the cost of the lunch we were eating. Though I recognize that cost doesn't include actually getting the kit from me to the pregnant woman. So this wasn't all that new to me. I've heard stats before and seen birthing kits before. But this time, I kept seeing my friends face and her new little baby and my sister in law's face, now with just 6ish weeks to go. And I am so thankful for what we have, and I'm asking God how I can care more about women like my friends and family, who live somewhere else.

Last summer my friend Lance shared at Family Camp about some of the conditions in the world and how we could respond to them. There were 4 steps he suggested that I continue to use as a way to process overwhelming information about a hurting world. 1. Be aware--(learn what I can) 2. Care--(refuse to dismiss what I hear) 3. Pray--engage my faith and spiritual practice with my head and what I learn 4. Do what you can--in some cases this simply takes me back to 3 and ends there, particularly given how much is heart wrenching in the world. In other cases this may be where I become moved to action, hopefully in response to the conversation I had in step 3.

I guess I invite you to take this 4 step approach too when you hear about pain and suffering in our world.

I am deeply thankful for the gift of infant and maternal health in Canada (and Australia), and in particular for one beautiful new baby girl I can't wait to meet, and one soon to be born baby that I can't wait to meet. And I pray that my heart would be as moved for the mothers around the world who don't yet have names to me.

Lots of Snippets from the last couple of weeks

Cards from Aunt Meghan and Uncle Steve were a big hit!

This may be our first photo with all five of us in it!

Among the wonderful gift of having Aunt Kat and Uncle Matt up for a visit and the lovely presents for the kids, were some kites. These were a huge hit at the beach! Also, notice the burgandy State of Origin hat...more on that later.

O

Mmmm...birthday cake

The days have been kind of melding together and I easily loose track of time. We are also down to one computer for the moment which means I just don't have as much time to sit and type. So here are some thoughts from hilights from the last couple of weeks, though they might be as I think of them rather than in chronological order...

In the forefront of my thoughts is that today is my daughter's first birthday. It seems to have gone by ever so quickly, but at the same time, a lot has happened! Just before turning one, she also decided it was time to walk. She must have understood my comments of how much later than she was than the boys at reaching this milestone and in one day went from 1-2 step journeys, to wandering accross the room! Less then a week later, she is teetering all around the house like a pro, determined to keep up with her brothers and claim her role as one of the kids and no longer the baby.

Last weekend was a long weekend here and we were blessed to have a visit from Matt and Kat from Melbourne. They met their niece for the first time and spent the weekend enjoying life in the tropics and being worn out by the children. We decided to celebrate the June birthdays while they were here, because we are still short on friends here. The weekend was full of excitement as we had birthday cake, loot bags, a trip to the beach, bbq on the strand, a picnic up top Mt. Sturt and the boys (big and little) enjoyed video games and building lego. The best part for me was having some other adults to talk to and having other people for the kids to play with. It was a whirlwind visit and the rest of the week was a blur as we all tried to find our way back into a routine.

Just prior to this visit, my husband finished his final exam and so has officially entered intersemester break. The placement we were hoping he would get out of the way has been delayed until the end of next semester, which means we are focussing more fully on looking for work. Because he doens't like to sit too long, he decided to undertake a three day race challenge this past weekend. It was marathon distance divided up into three parts and run friday night, saturday morning and sunday morning. He is quickly getting back into shape, made a little easier by the cooler days. Yes, I am laughing as I type that. It is winter here, but feels more like late August or early September. I was cold in shorts and a tshirt once, when we were right by the ocean in the evening. The rest of the time, I'm still happiest in what us Canadians would consider summer clothing.

As for feeling settled, it is slow in coming. Some days are harder than others. The house feels more and more like home, and as we have celebrations here and the kids achieve milestones here (like walking), my attachment to the house grows. I have a running path that I like, but otherwise I'm still almost completely lost the moment I leave the driveway. I have driven a couple of more times, but it is still a very stressful and overwhelming experience. I'm applying for work, but it is pretty discouraging as there really doesn't seem to be anything available in ministry. What else does an MDiv qualify you for? I'm open to suggestions! There are moments that confirm that this is where we need to be, but I am still uncertain of what that means for me.

I've just finished reading Exodus again, and I have renewed understanding of the wilderness experience. This huge group of people leave the only home they have known trusting that they are following God and then they wander and wait. What I love about it, is that the presence of God never leaves them. That is what I am clinging to.

One final image to leave you with. As part of the birthday celebrations, my two youngest received musical cards from my brother in Canada. Both the cards are quickly becoming well worn as the kids return to them over and over. My almost three year old opens his card and pounces on it with both hands trying to stumble accross the right spot to hear the little fishy song and then laughs and dances with delight when it begins to sing. My youngest searches out her card that only needs to be opened to play, but this is a task in itself for a 1 year old, so she turns the card and wrestles with it, until she manages to slip a finger in just the right spot for to open it and then takes it in two hands and opens and closes it repeatedly without ever letting the whole recording play, but laughs with pride and joy everytime. I'm trying to learn from my kids, and return to the things that bring me joy, inviting the little things to be the significant things.

June Update

Our youngest teaching dad how to play basketball. You will also see her excellent shooting form in the later photo. If you look closely you may also catch a glimpse of her first shiner, all part of learning to walk! She is such a tough girl already.

This fountain was a huge hit, but trying to get the kids at the right moment for a photo was certainly challenging. I have lots of pictures that have only the fountain in them. The rest of the splash area is more more impressive, but it is hard to pick out the kids in the midst of it all. It is a great place to visit, particularly because it is FREE!

So I have been a little negligent on keeping this up to date. My husband is in the middle of exams so we have been trying to keep life on the quiet end of the spectrum. Not an easy task with our three! Once exams are over we will all let loose again :) In particular, we are gearing up for a visit from Uncle Matt and Aunt Kat who are flying in for the long weekend, starting on Friday. We will also be celebrating June birthdays during the visit because we will actually have other people to celebrate with that way. Our youngest turns 1 on the 21st and our middle one turns 3 on the 24th. I can hardly believe how fast this last year has gone. I continue the battle of trying to explain to my oldest why his siblings birthdays come first even though he was born first. He still doesn't understand it. He insists that since he was born first, his birthday should be first. Oh well, as long as there is cake and candy he will be happy regardless!

Homeschooling is a bit of a challenge and I feel pretty overwhelmed still. I just got a contact for another homeschooling mom yesterday and I'm hoping this will help us find a social network. My oldest is settling in well for the most part, but still has days he cries because he misses his friends back home and I'm sure having some new little buddies here would help alleviate that a little. I have been trying to work on reading and writing with him, but he really hates sitting down to do either of these. On the up side, his creativity in making up stories and his willingness to create illustrations for them has greatly improved. This even translates into puppet shows, dramatic productions and role playing. We have also been working on some music and we are now called the 'Super Rock On Band'. Our performance debut will be this weekend for Matt and Kat. I will try to convince someone else to take photos of the kids during this performance but will not be posting a recording as it may incriminate me as I am the lead guitarist!

Our youngest is crawling our over and taking staggering steps that have yet to be caught on video, but hopefully will be postable soon. She is generally a happy little girl as long as she can avoid bumps from her brothers.

My husband may be heading off for 3 weeks to do a placement in between semesters. The up side of this would be that he wouldn't have to do it over the Christmas break then. I'm really hoping to have enough courage to drive on my own by the time he leaves. It could be a LONG three weeks otherwise! I continue to sift through job postings and keep hoping I will actually find something in my field, but it is looking more and more like I will just need to take anything I can find that works around my mom duties. I didn't get a Chaplaincy job I'd applied for. I don't have my work visa yet though, so I'm trying not to stress yet. We do need an income soon though.

We are heading into winter here, so it is, um, cool?... yes that is what they believe these temperatures to be I think. It is finally cooling off enough at night that we don't usually use the AC, just for the boys some nights. It feels so strange to have the rest of you heading into the wonderful less structured time of year of summer, with long warm days, and to be in the midst of these short, but still warm days. It is also weird to be in the middle of the year essentially in terms of programs and such. Christmas break seems like a long way off! But then it will also be summer holidays. It is certainly hard to get my head around. The temperature has been great for running though, and I am slowly reminding my body that it once knew how to perform this task. My husband has also been managing to make the most of this climate and has even found a club that he will be joining more regularly with once this exam nonsense is over.

Well that is our news. Thanks for all your news and notes. We love keeping up with things back home too!