"I think Melbourne is the BEST place to live." Carolyn with Yarra River in background. The 72 metallic fish floating in the river represented every nation competing. At night they were amazing - sound and light special effects with projection screens etc. and on the final night, the top of each fish became the launching pad for all the river fireworks - spectacular!
Apologies for the L-O-N-G silence but life has been frantic to say the least. For those in the US, there has been a two week sporting event happening in my home town. The Commonwealth Games brings together those nations that are part of this union of nations who still recognize the British Monarch. That meant that teams, supporters and tourists poured into Melbourne from 71 nations. It was the biggest thing apart from the Olympics and the organization was outstanding.
Sue and myself were involved with Quest – a gathering of people from various churches getting together to go into the city in teams and simply serve others and share the life within them given the opportunity. Teams were trained in balloon sculpturing, clowning, group games, prayer and more. Each day they were scheduled at different live spots throughout the city, and the reports that have come back have been exciting.Melbourne is a beautiful city at the best of times, but the autumn weather is great. Cool nights, warm sunny days are generally the rule and it is the month for cultural shows, festivals, exhibitions, the Grand Prix and more. The City looked fabulous during the games and the atmosphere was tangible! People smiled more, talked more, and helped more! What is it that takes something like this to bring out the best in us? We went to the track session one night and afterwards started to walk to the train station. We were not alone – I estimated over 20,000 of the 82,000 attending that night headed to the same station. What was amazing is that there was no shoving or pushing, no impatience or grumbling. Once on a train, the noise of people chatting, sharing stories, even singing “Happy Birthday” at midnight for one young traveller, was just so different to normal train travel. Such a change from the daily grind! Shouldn’t we as Christians, be more like this every day – more patient, more gentle, more cheerful, more servant-like? It certainly gave me something to think about.
"Sue was happy to turn into an Aussie yobbo (well, the US weren't competing!) and of course could not be missed! Actually when the stadium filled there were many thousands who were decked out just the same.
