Joyce showed us, from her New Zealand trip picture album, a photo of a magpie in a cage at a city zoo. I thought it was hilarious and I couldn't get over it for two days.
What have we here?
This photo was taken in the city centre by an Austrian tourist also curious about why there are large birds walking on the biggest street in the city. The local people all said that the ibises are an annoyance. But how is that possible? They are so big, so low-flying, very easy to catch, and furry. And friendly!
Another novelty about Brisbane is the walking Information Centre, who wears a big "I" hat on his/her head. This is a new concept to me - the information specialists actively seek people who need information. Also, streets in Brisbane are much cleaner. I couldn't find a piece of anything floating about in the city. Oh yeah, I think those walking "I"s also walk around to pick up rubbish (haha).
Clothes dry really fast in Brisbane. A drip of water from the clothes line dries up in less than 5 seconds on a normal day. Works the exact opposite way as an aircon unit - sucks the coolness out of everything. This is why all the shops in the city have airconditioning, because customers would 1) go to them, and 2) stay in them. During my walks around the city, I had to take refuge in a shop for a while to cool off and dry off, after every 50 metres of footpath. This reminds me of when my brother tells people that it takes 15 minutes to walk to the station from my house, but I always butt in and say 20. Then he would tell the people that it's 20 minutes only because I take a 5 minute break halfway (haha).
So anyway, Brisbane is hot, hot, and couldn't be hotter otherwise i would need to stay home all day. Imagine Malaysia. But the advantage of Brisbane's weather is that it is not deceptive, unlike Melbourne, where i would go out in a certain way and regret it (usually when it becomes hot). Brisbane is kind, it is very easy to predict.
I was recently telling my dad that his hair would look very nice if he styled it in some way. Perhaps either spike it up or gel it and make it look wet.
And oh, once again, what have we here?
The Chinese characters means, my dad's name. Therefore, I couldn't have been more precise about his hair.
Two Chinese people watched me take this photo, and i overheard them call me a tourist - and quite right, to take a photo of a hair salon.
One of the great highlights for me was attending Hope Church Brisbane, three times in a week. While we were praying at the start of the prayer meeting, which wasn't your typical prayer meeting, a guy in the front row stood out, got the mike and said: "I just begin to sense, that... i just sense that... there are many Samuels in this place..." Right on, that. To sum it up, the Hope Church Brisbane prayer meeting was not typical. It was full of energy, fire, a bit of power, momentum, and there would have been at least 150 young adults in that place, and i dare say that their church was not big sized either.
The Hope Church Youth Service was incredible. There were about 80-90 people in a hired university room. Here is an extract of a letter to the Church leaders:
<<------------------ Start Extract ------------------>>
Generally: - I was/am very impressed with the leadership structure, the mentoring structure, and the structure for growth, which brings about momentum. - I was/am very impressed with the impartation of teaching, and good Church culture from the top of the leadership team, to the lower tiers, to interns, which flows onto attendees. E.g. The leaders' hearts were committed to and desired for whoever belongs to Ablaze to grow strong in the Lord. - I was/am quite impressed by the commitment that was generally shown by big and small leaders, who knew a portion about and practised putting God first in their lives by giving up time, for example. - I was/am quite impressed by the hunger the congregation showed at the Prayer Meeting and at Ablaze. - I was/am quite impressed by the young adults girls who have kept and keep themselves pure, and seek the Lord before seeking a relationship leading on to marriage.
Specifically: - I was/am very impressed by the free flowing worship lead by OO. Non-ritualistic, very heartfelt from OO. During the worship, it sounded like a whole band was present, nevermind not having drums/keyboard/bass/electric. - I was/am very impressed by XX. I completely forgot what she said on stage that Ablaze, but I remember the way she delivered. No one, without experiencing God regularly, can speak like that. No one can be "taught" how to speak like that.
<<------------------ End Extract ------------------>>
At the end of the letter I wanted to add this: "The welcoming was very average. People did not make enough effort to make me feel very welcome. I had a few awkward-for-the-other-party moments in conversation, and at times i felt like i was the one who had to initate the talking. But, even so, and even so, i want to go back to your Church anyday. I say with 75% truth that "i would fly to Brisbane when your Church has 4 meetings in one week, and i'm very seriously"."
Of course, I didn't add the "your people are not very welcoming". But how good it feels to add it to the letter in this post now.
The XX referred to in the letter, i found to be very attractive. She made a few decisions in her life that reflected her commitment to God's calling. The way she spoke on the night told me that she encounters the Lord regularly, and that she has a seeking heart. HOT.
2 comments:
hmm blank eh? as in had such a good time you can't remember any of it? :P *too deep*
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