Off the island

So after 5 1/2 weeks on South Stradbroke island we have once again become mainlanders. We were supposed to stay on the island for another 4 weeks but an opportunity presented itself we couldn't pass up. If you've been following the blog you'll remember how cyclone Oma chased us off the island and we ended up staying with a friend of mine on the Gold Coast. Well in the providence of God, my friend (Darcy) married a gal from Norway 20 years ago and they settled into ministry on the Gold Coast coast leading discipleship schools for young adults. Eventually my friend and his wife had children, bought a bigger house and his mother in law (also from Norway) wanted to be near the grandchildren so she bought a little house near them...but she's become a bit of a summer hunter, meaning she moves where ever there is summer weather. She spends half the year in Norway and half the year in Australia, only enjoying the hot months. Side note: as a Canadian every month here in Queensland is hot...but that's my opinion...for example this morning was 15'celcius and people were dressed for a blizzard but felt like a lovely spring morning to me.
So what does this mean? Darcy's mother in law was getting chilly in these frigid temps and moved back to Norway needing someone to house sit her little place...just pay the electricity bill and you can stay for free. Darcy asked if we'd be up for staying here for our final weeks and we jumped at the chance. Our host at the airb&b we were staying at graciously gave us a refund for the weeks we didn't stay (not expected!) and that settled it.

So packing our bags, cleaning the cottage, a last dip in the pool, a last buzz on our bikes and some tearful good byes' to some of the kind folk on the island we caught our last ferry across to the mainland.

This is our last photo at the cabin, its the place behind Shonet.

We've been at our new place for a few days and only now do we realize how the island seemed to take more energy from us than we expected. Some of you reading this have cottages or enjoy camping, its great for the first few days even the first week is a delightful change. The bugs and the heat are somewhat a novel change from the hustle of life, but eventually you're so sunburnt and bug bitten and swelled with humidity you're craving some a/c and a greasy Big Mac...we didn't realize it but as the weeks passed on that is how we have begun to feel. I haven't mentioned much about the bugs but we had plenty, imagine the mosquitoes in the Whiteshell (Manitoba) after a hard week of rain in July...that is pretty much what we had for most of our time here. It was expected but still eventually tiresome. As well, there was the constant awareness of the snakes, lizards, spiders and sharks that keep one on edge in this kind of place...it makes it magical but you also get used to sleeping with one eye open.

It got to a point about 2 weeks ago that Shonet and I had prayed (without each other knowing it) that God would make a way for us to stay on the mainland (without sending a cyclone)...but all places we checked out were out were far too pricy. So, we settled in believing God would teach us perseverance on the island. That was when Darcy sent me his note, totally unaware of our prayers...it took Shonet and I about 10 minutes to decide...our confirmation was the kids answering that they too would like the change.

The place we're staying in is quiet with a/c and we have all slept more than expected. We're back to our routine again but this time our adventure takes us more inland, looking forward to driving up into Lamington National Park soon and seeing what God has prepared for us here. We've found a new church, Liberti Carrara (a mother church to the one in Coomera). Already we've dipped in the ocean at Surfer's Paradise and Talabudgera Creek. New days, new adventure, same sun, 4 weeks left. 

What the birds knew

Today is Anthony's birthday...8 years old, hard to believe! The day started with him searching for his birthday presents hidden through the house...then b/c the heat was so intense it was off to the pool. For a cake, I made cupcakes...on the bbq, that's right--on the bbq. We don't have a stove here and the bbq is the next best thing...turned out pretty good once you cut off the bottom burnt layer.

But we ended the day with a swim at the beach. We've made friends with another family (they also homeschool) and they came along to the beach as well, a mom and 2 boys close to our guys ages.
It was just us and a few fishermen further down, a beautiful blue sky surrounded us, it was so hot even as the sun was setting and made jumping and splashing in the ocean that much more delicious. There is something awe inspiring about swimming in the ocean, being tossed by a wave and ground into the sand like I was nothing more than a seashell. Something awe inspiring and thrilling.
As we were swimming I remember a warning an Aussie friend of mine gave me shortly after we arrived. He said, make sure you don't swim between 4pm and 8am...'how come?' I asked...'Its feeding time'.
It was currently 4:15pm. So I asked myself, are sharks on time? Surely its not 4pm sharp is it? Its not like the old Bugs Bunny episode where the sheep dog and the wolf go to 'work' chasing and protecting and a horn blows exactly on time...is it?
So we played on...okay, relax we were not very deep...we were only knee deep...okay almost waist deep for Nate meaning it was waist deep for me as well (he's grown, I haven't). But at that depth surely we would see something swimming around right? We had a jolly time, riding the waves, we were a bunch of boys challenging each wave with adolescent bravado only to be tossed like an acorn.
Such fun.

I kind of noticed but didn't take too much concern to the amount of seagulls that had been gathering on the beach near us. They seemed quite interested in us, like they were enjoying our little fun. They seemed to be waiting for something, but no worries they were not bothering us.

Finally, the parent of the other children joining us came running to tell us we should either get out of the water or move in shallower (ankle deep). The birds are gathering because that is what they do when the sharks feed, they clean up the mess on the beach.

Isn't it interesting how your mind and actions can change so quickly when fear replaces fun...adrenaline is a lovely thing. I'm not sure Anthony touched the water on his way, Nate and the other boys are at an age where they want to test fate and they continued to play around deeper than my comfort level. It was one of the fishermen who came by moments later and said a 4 ft shark just got away on him and advised us to get out of the water pronto. Out we came.

The sharks weren't on time, it was after 4:30...but the birds seemed to know they just needed to wait...apparently they have seen this kind of stupidity before.

If we make it home with all appendages it will once again be a moment of unmerited grace from God. But we still had a lot of fun and Anthony is a bold 8 year old...he can confidently say he swam with the sharks on his 8th birthday...and lived to tell the tale.

Routine...might be a long boring read.

Now just because we're on a tropical island doesn't mean we don't need and even crave routine. There is a lie that goes something like this--paradise is being able to do what you want when you want it with no consequences...I believe it was Alfred Hitchcock who took that 'dream' to its fullest extent to realize it was in fact not paradise but hell itself. The reality is we need routine, tasks to complete, responsibilities to fulfill and a chance to serve others and be part of something bigger than our own whims. So let me give you a bit of a rundown of our routine that we have burrowed ourselves into, many of you have been asking what our days look like so here's the thrill of our week:

If this isn't of your interest, feel free to skip it...fair warning, its kind of boring...like a routine.

First of all, a little about the island. Its an 'eco' island, meaning the original intent here was to keep it green and quiet and embrace all the nature possible. There are no cars here, but paved bike paths much like what runs through Waterfront drive back home; these trails connect the entire resort area. We live in the middle of the island, about 1km from the harbour where we catch the ferry and 1km from the surf side (ocean facing Peru). With that, if we want to go anywhere we go by bike generously provided in the place we're staying in.

Much of our routine is based around how hot it is. The average temp here is about 29'celcius with humidity around 80%, by noon its so hot its hard to think straight.

Monday-Thursday:

Shonet and I wake between 5:30-6am (depending on lorikeets). I head off on a bike to an exercise room here...seems I have been unable to run as I have either pulled or torn a muscle in my calf. Shonet's attempts to massage it out has only ended with me squirming in pain and her snickering. In my workout I'm listening to all the sermons at EMBC, with the odd message by Alistair Begg thrown in. When I return, she heads out for a run up to the beach, takes a peak at the ocean and then heads back (hoping not to disturb pythons).

Kids are not allowed out of their room before 7:15am.
We do our devos while the other is out exercising. I sit on a comfy chair on the deck, sipping a cup of tea while reading John's gospel and a myriad of other books. With Lent starting we have begun reading A.W. Tozer's book on Easter.

Breakfast is usually around 8am, not much different than back home...however muesli is a big deal down here...haven't tried vegemite yet (shudder). At breakfast our family reads through the Long Story Short Devos for family, today we were introduced to king David. The kids are doing Bible memory (Proverbs 3:1-8).

By 8:30am I'm usually out the door...depends how fast my french press is working. At this point our day splits:

Me: I take a bag of books and find somewhere relatively quiet, bug free to read and write. I've written another post about the books I usually take with me at this time. Sometimes I'll bike up to the beach and take a walk along the waters edge...a good time to pray and think...though not too long as the sun is ferocious. But for the most part I find myself overlooking the harbour facing the mainland.

Shonet and kids: They work feverishly to get their school work done...(Nate grade 5, Anthony grade 2, Olivia grade 1). And by 11am they're sun-screened up, in their togs (swimsuits) and head to the pool. They will bike through a rainforest, fully paved pathway for about 1km to the pool where they frolic for about an hour, they usually have the whole pool to themselves during the week as the island is quite empty.

We meet up again for lunch...sandwiches are beautiful and read a chapter of Narnia.

For the afternoons: The kids and Shonet take a quiet time for about an hour...something we have instituted since Nate was born...more for our sanity than anything. While they start their rest I'm off again reading or writing at the harbour entrance, where there is free wifi.

We'll meet again at the pool around 3pm and I'll take the kids from there. Lots of swimming, wrestling, random games with pool stuff or just chatting with other travellers/staff. We'll bike back to the cottage around 4:30 to start making supper.

Each day the kids have chores which rotate through the week: dishes, vacuuming, meal clean up each chore comes with a splash of complaining.

Our evenings are varied, either we play games (UNO, BANG the dice game, Monopoly, chess) or we bike over to see the sunset. A cold shower and perhaps a short bit of tv.

Fridays are a little different. I take the kids for the day typically and try to give Shonet a break. She takes some books, journals etc., and finds a quiet, cool place on the island to read as the kids and I find ways to have some fun or enjoy a new adventure. Geocaching, swimming at the beach or pool, tennis.

Saturdays are cleaning days for us, but once all that is done there are kids activities organized through the day which the kids try to take advantage of; Shonet and I usually get an hour or two in the evenings to sit at the cafe for a date while the kids are at a movie hosted by one of the staff--an amazing blessing especially since we did not think we would have babysitting for 3 months.

Sundays are our craziest day. We wake early, pack our bags and bike down to the ferry. We then catch the ferry across to the mainland, takes about 45 mins; there we catch an UBER (cheap taxi) and ride for another 20 mins to church. We've been attending Liberti Coomera, a church plant in a fairly new area; I found it on the T4G church finder website. After church we grab a brief snack as we hurry out the door with all our bags, walk about 15 mins to a new mall and grab a light lunch there (usually KFC). From there we spread out, this is our one chance to buy anything we need and we're on a time limit...we need to get back to the ferry before 3:30pm or we're land bound for the night. Shonet will usually then take the bags and go to the grocery store in the mall (very similar kind of place to Sobeys), I'll take the kids to explore the shops and give them a chance to spend their allowance. We'll meet up again at the grocery store and help Shonet finish up the shop. From there we catch another UBER back to the ferry hopefully on time to ride back.
Once on the island all our bags get loaded up on our bikes, no one is spared a heavy bag...even Olivia carries a heavy load. We're a site to see I'm sure and with not a little bit of grumbling we bike back (about 10 mins) to our little cottage. After unloading we're a sweaty mess...so its off the pool again for a dip before making supper.
Sunday evenings are kind of a family meeting time, talking about what's working, what's not, what are our hopes for the week ahead, are there any unresolved conflicts/issues, any fears or new discoveries from last week, and we give some updates on plans that may be changing. Then we usually watch a couple shows on the tv before bed routine.

That's our life here on the island. If we didn't have a routine like this, I'm not sure we would make it, it gives a sense of normalcy and stability for each of us.

There, you made it...now back to your routine! 

Perspective

So I'm typing this at 10am overlooking a small harbour on our island; its 30' celcius with 90% humidity. Between typing and swatting off some strange green or blue unknown bug, there's been something on my mind since late last year (2018...still hard to believe that 2018 is last year!). We made our final plans to come to Australia in early September and as details began coming in, there were the usual challenges of discerning a budget, navigating an overseas flight and culture/time change but for the most part our spirits began to rise as we imagined spending a portion of winter Down Under. We also looked forward to the rare experience (for most people) of taking a sabbatical, I know there are few professions that allow something like this or even value its importance and so in a way the sabbatical date (Dec.30) became a bit of a marker to get to. Four months of planning and anticipation would seem like a very long time as summer drifted into a lazy (wet) fall and then abruptly torn asunder by the awakening of winter...but all the time looking forward to the sun, beaches and the bevelled British accent of my Aussie friends. Its funny how you can withstand challenges and trials anew if you know a break (or an end) is in sight, you have an ability to push and sacrifice afresh. Throughout the season though, the verse from James 4:13-14 was hanging in the back of my mind:
"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring ​— ​what your life will be! For you are like vapour that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."
Perhaps James was inspired by Luke 12 where Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who makes a lot of money and wonders what to do with his great riches-so he builds more barns and stores his wealth all the while telling himself to sit back, eat, drink and be merry. But the Lord comes to him and says 'you fool, for this very night your life will be demanded of you and what will become of your riches?'
We are but a vapour. Hard questions and hard words...but they penetrate don't they?

Around the time of our preparations a friend of mine pointed me towards another blog from another family in Winnipeg going on a very different journey. We had never met but we travelled in similar social circles. A young father around my age was diagnosed with bladder cancer in June and in the fall was in the throws of battling for his life. His wife began a blog that we would soberly follow; Shonet and I would read, cry, pray, read some more and then wonder. I would wonder--why. Why do I get to on a trip with my family, plan it for months (...tucking money away for years), enjoy complete health, only complaining about how my kids are outgrowing their clothes. Why is there a family, similar to mine, following Jesus and genuinely desiring to make a difference in the world--now having to answer some of the darkest questions of our existence--long before an expected time? Why do my children, who battle with a glorified sense of entitlement get to anticipate holding koalas and getting sun burnt when kids the same age will be processing the slow death of their father and transitioning into a new painful reality? Why?
I have no answers. But its given a perspective of our time away that not much else could.

This young father passed away in January shortly before we would fly to Australia; as our family would soon board a plane to a season of adventure, their family would enter a world of new discoveries of sorrow, grief and weariness. In her writings, his grief stricken wife and mother of his children would share how the family is leaning upon Jesus for strength just to make it through the next hour.

So I wonder why? Reading Narnia has been helpful, Aslan (the Christ character) tells the children when they ask similar questions: 'We're only told our own stories, not someone else's'. So there will be a mystery in this yet comfort that the Lord knows each story very well.

Job asked why he suffered...and was only given more questions; Paul asked 3 times why he suffered and was told God's grace will be sufficient. We're not told why. But we are told what we are to do--Jesus' admonition for us who are near those who are grieving is to weep with those who are weeping--for that is all that is required and is right--the church we're attending at the moment talked about this for those impacted by the New Zealand shootings;  and secondly live life with a constant dripping of gratitude that won't turn off--gratitude for toes that work, tongues that taste, eyes that see, fingers that type, brains that comprehend, voices that laugh (and cry), skin that replenishes itself, loved ones to hold and be held by...let the list go on.

We're simply a vapour, a puff of smoke...here for a while and then gone. I am a fool if I think I am entitled to a warm weather life with no troubles. Our lives will be demanded of us in the most inconvenient of times, it seems wise to plan and prepare for that journey trusting the only One who can walk with us on the lonely road through death (Psalm 23). In the meantime, be thankful and mindful for what we are given to do for today, for today is all you and I have.

This has been a helpful, sobering perspective for us on this little adventure.  

Close encounters...

So after being on our island for about a month now (just short a few days), I am realizing we are becoming quite accustomed to the creatures of the land. So accustomed that we're not really blinking our eyes at some things anymore, whereas the first week we were here...I was looking for a shot gun to ward off all the new strange beasts. But as life goes, we seem to have blended with the rhythm of the island, we're sunburnt, bug bitten, salt caked with a constant layer of sweat mixed with +50' sunscreen...we've become oddly comfortable. 
Our first week here was pretty nuts though, we would go to bed with the sound of fruit bats either having an epic UFC style fight or hosting their own cricket match in the trees right outside our windows. We don't have air conditioning and the lows at night are about 23', so we hear everything. Toss in the odd possum screech and you have the sound of a poltergeist...terrifying our children and wondering if we had made a big mistake. No one has explained to me yet why fruit bats break large branches off trees and then (apparently in my mind) chuck them with vitriol at our house to clang off our metal roof...such a lovely sound at 2:30am.  Just picture an angry baby screaming (with wicked diaper rash, not fed and overtired) right outside your window only to be answered by an equally upset partner just a few metres away banging sticks together. This went on for at least a week...screech, chuck a stick and hit the house, screech some more, etc. The sound would die down around 4:30am....yes I checked. We had a heavenly one hour of quiet till the sun began to rise around 5:30am, this was declared boldly by the small but proud flock of kookaburras on the island--you have to look them up online to hear what they sound like but just imagine monkeys that have had their way at the espresso bar. Their calls would then invite the lovely flock of lorikeets to answer. These are classic east coast Aussie birds, you'd probably pay a pretty penny to have one they are so captivating. Green outside with red and blue under their wings and round their heads, they are beautiful with one fault. Their sound is atrocious. Sooo, imagine being kept up for a chunk of the night with a baby screaming (fruit bats in our case), to drift off to heavenly sleep to be wakened to the sound of some idiot grinding the gears of his 1988 Toyota Tercel right outside your window...but there's 50 idiots in front of your house all grinding their gears....ahhh, the sound of lorikeets in the morning.
What's most interesting now is that we hardly pay any attention to these sounds any more, either they have ceased or my ears don't hear them.
Perhaps a couple more examples confirm that we are melding with the culture. On the weekends one of the staff here host a movie night for the kids allowing parents to have a couple hours at the cafe to watch the sunset...a lovely unexpected discovery for us.  If you've seen Shonet's instagram photo you know where this is going. Towards the end of our evening, as the dark was setting in a large 'moth' came flying right at me, instinct told me to wave my hands (I obediently complied) and the 'moth' dropped flat in front of me and would have landed on my plate (had I been eating). So again, imagine a lovely evening, with the moon coming up, drinks around a candlelight overlooking a harbour full of parked boats and a moth disrupts the romance. But the moth was not a moth, it indeed was a bat...it must have hit a window nearby and fluttered down into the cafe to wind up perfectly landing in front of me as though I had ordered an appetizer of bat. We didn't scream or overreact, but rather pulled our chairs back, called a waiter and kindly asked him to clean this up. Whilst the young waiter scurried off to find something to pick it up with, the bat woke up. He lay there with wings spread out, cocked his head up, looked one way then another, decided he didn't want to be an appetizer and up he flew, fluttered around again and off he disappeared into the black. After a brief apology from the staff, and some disinfectant, we sat back down (at the same table) to finish our time time together...not really commenting about the 'bat incident', and everyone in the cafe got back to their conversations. When you get 1 1/2 hours of free child care/week it takes more than a bat to dislodge a date.
I'll share one more experience, I believe this happened the same evening of the bat. So after the movie we have to travel back to our little cabin all on bikes (there are no cars on the island). So in the dark with some headlamps off we go. Shonet and the boys launch out far ahead of Olivia and I, and we slowly enjoy the warm dimly lit nighttime ride. In the distance I can see a fairly large bird on the side of the road, its rearing itself up and then striking the ground only to jump back in one movement. I thought to myself--no way! I had imagined this but didn't think I would see it...this birds eats snakes. As we got closer there was an all out 'Wild Kingdom' event occurring (without Marty Stouffer) between a brown snake (one of the fiercest snakes in Australia) and this strange bird. Attack, dodge, strike...repeat. What a show! I I had Olivia stop and I put both our flashlights on the event, which looked like was going in favour of the bird. It was only when we stopped that I realized what predicament I may have put us in. Olivia cannot get on her bike here without an adult holding and helping her get started, that would be me. I had regrettably positioned ourselves between the snake and the forest which it had come from and may want to return to. As the snake and bird exchanged blows they were drifting closer to us, now maybe 7 feet away. Its pitch black outside, there's no one around and I'm surrounded by jungle...watching one of the most dangerous snakes alive fight for its life. What a bonding moment with my 6 year old daughter. Once again, a dumb landlocked Canadian experience. Thankfully someone driving a golf cart came along the opposite way and distracted the creatures enough for me to get Olivia on her way and me to quickly follow; I'm not sure how the fight ended but I think the snake got the better of it as I heard the bird give a screech and hobble away. This was a highlight for sure but has been forgotten amidst Tim Tam runs and layering on more sunscreen.
So we're adjusting to island life. Shonet gets up every morning and jogs along a lonely path even though she came across a 6 foot python just the other week. The kids have come up with cute names for the 3 foot iguanas that lumber past our cabin every day. We're back in the ocean occasionally as long as there's only a handful of blue bottles. And this Friday, Shonet and I will sit out again to watch the new shade of the moon come up and perhaps this time I'll order my bat deep fried. :)

Books

Well the storm has blown out to sea and remains a sharknado out there, but for the rest of us we've returned to life 'as normal'. With that we are re-starting our routine while on sabbatical, Shonet is teaching the kids at the cottage whilst I pack up some Kickinghorse coffee (brought from home) and a bag full of books and look for somewhere quiet with no mosquitoes or iguanas.

My mornings are spent reading both introspective and more thought provoking material, I'll rotate through these in particular:

Jordan Peterson:   12 Rules for life. His opening chapter is worth the price of the book.
Nancy Pearcy:      Love thy body. An intense read, systematically looking at how the west has embraced a disregard for the human body and has embraced 'the cult of the young and healthy'. Wrestling through subjects of bioethics, abortion, euthanasia, transgenderism and a few other critical issues. A must read for Christians today.
Lance Witt:           Replenish. This came recommended from the Kirith Retreat folk--basically a book written for those in ministry to develop patterns for spiritual and emotional health.
David Powslison: How does Sanctification Work?  He looks at how God changes us through His word, other people, and through suffering.

Whereas in the afternoon I am reading more intentional material on the church itself:

Tim Keller:         Center Church, this is basically a textbook for churches working in the inner city...its incredibly dense, pastoral and packed with classic Keller guiding principles. I've read it before but a refresher is needed.

Peter Scazzero:  The Emotionally Healthy Church. A great read for churches and Christians that are good at playing church/Christianity and yet are incredibly frail emotionally--they have few friends, are often paralyzed with insecurity, believe God loves them for what they do rather than who He is and who we are, are unable to take criticism (and can't give it without tearing a strip off someone or manipulating them).

Mark Dever:    Preach. Because I preach a lot I need to read about it a lot or I won't be good at it a lot.
Alec Moyter:  Preaching. As above.
Andrew Davis: Revitalize--about revitalizing churches, a great resource and quite helpful for me right now.

For fun I brought Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...Frodo just got stabbed in the dark.

Morning devos include:
Tim Keller's Proverbs (a GREAT find!)
The Gospel of John (chapters 12-17)
The Valley of Vision (a prayer book).

Shonet is reading:

Eric Metaxas biography of Martin Luther
Tim Keller's reflection on the Psalms

With the kids we are reading:

C.S. Lewis--Chronicles of Narnia (again)
Irene Howat:  10 Girls who made History
  "        "      :   10 Boys who changed the World
Marty Machowski: Long Story Short (we're following what our church is doing back home)
Daniel Dafoe:  Robinson Crusoe (because we are kind of stuck on a sandy island)
The Action Bible.