Binalong Bay

Wow....Binalong Bay must be the BEST kept secret in Tasmania. Sue and I discovered it long ago and we always look forward to heading down there. We are staying in Dt. Helen's on the east coast and BB is just 10 mins drive away. A crescent of beach and turquoise waters to rival any up north or in Hawaii! And the sand! A glassblower's dream - fine, white and sparkling with silicone. We walked, and to our delight discovered myriads of tiny little shells all along the waveline of almost every type. I picked up a minute Cowry shell about 1/3 the size of the nail on my little finger!

Coming up....Rainbow and Larry on the St. Helen's foreshore for a combined churches outreach. Pray for low winds (to be kind to the wig!) and good crowd control!! Sunday will see us in Church (St. Helen's Christian Fellowship) and Monday in the public and Christian schools before we pack up and head back to Hobart for the annual Ministers' Fellowship International Conference.

Commonwealth Games. Tonight I learned quite a lot about my home city. Such as: Australia vies with Israel for being the most multicultural nation in the world and Melbourne the most multi-cultural city. Melbourne is getting ready to host sportspeople and visitors from some 71 nations that make up the Commonwealth - a great opportunity to show friendship, helpfulness and care in the name of Christ. So Sue and I have been busy with workshops on balloon sculpturing, clowning and puppetry. Quite challenging for some people: the horror of a popping balloon, the squeaks of bubble twisting, the "dogs" that turn out with lop-sided legs and three ears! But in the midst of it all, balloon hearts that show love, and colorful flowers - they'll be great walking among the crowds at the venues.

More Than Gold

Sue and I left the car at the long-term park at Launceston airport and flew back to Melbourne for 3+ days to be able to participate in the More Than Gold Seminar hosted by CityLife Church. Key speakers and workshop presenters will train teams in evangelism for outreach at the upcoming Commonwealth Games, and our responsibility will be Clowning and ballooning. Both topics are great for 'walk-about' evangelism and for amusing fidgeting kids in lines (along with their parents!)

Hello from Hobart

Hello from Hobart!
After balmy breezes and sunny skies we woke yesterday to a light sprinkling of snow on the top of Mt. Wellington – the mountain that provides the backdrop to the beautiful harbour city of Hobart. It didn’t last for long, and tomorrow is promised to be warm and sunny – just a sample of the interesting climate of southern Australia, and a reason why “The Weather” is a main topic of conversation here!

The children’s leaders seminar hosted by City Light Church was enthusiastically received and we appreciated those who drove long distances to be there. Now we are preparing for a family camp north of Hobart.

On the tourist side we have….
• Explored the wharf area and enjoyed seafood at Mure’s
• Looked at some of the many historical buildings
• Loved the waterfront sculptures of the early Antarctic expeditions
• Wondered at the magnificent native woods used in furniture on sale at the Henry Jones building
• Caught a movie at Eastlands
Enjoyed the friendliness of people everywhere

READY TO ROLL

The last week has been a time for friends, food and and frantic activity at my place. Firstly Rae and Alona arrived from Belarus. Rae to have some leave while attending to business, Alona to take up study for the next three years. It was great to get together. Back to the airport two days later to meet Sue - flying in from sub zero US temps to 40c here in Melbourne! She arrived like the normal, quiet US tourist - NOT! She came through the doors wearing a Seattle Seahawks sweater and cap chanting "Go Seahawks" while (it being Australia Day) we waved our flag and shouted back "Aussie Aussie Aussie." Well - it did provide some comic relief for the crowd waiting the arrivals. We are now writing - packing - planning for our trip to Tassie.