How the Cross Change Us

This coming Palm Sunday we will begin a new series called "How the Cross Changes Us".  The series will feature six  stories that ask six questions, all of which are answered by the cross.   We will find these answers by looking at the teaching of 1 Corinthians 15, one of my favorite chapters in all the Bible.  This is a great time to invite friends and family.

How the Cross Changes Us Promo from Council Road Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Oh Car...

By Fiz

We were supposed to leave Sydney today… but our car was having issues.  We found out yesterday that it had spilled a bit of transmission fluid after the drive from Melbourne.   With the help of our wonderful host Krisy, who is quite the car aficionado, we searched for a leak, and found oil leaking into our radiator.  We also discovered that the very fine dust of Tatura had caked every surface in our engine, everything.

So we went to her local auto shop, where she gets a decent discount, and bought 1.) coolant concentrate for 10 L 2.) 5 L of engine oil and 3.) a bottle of liquid that you pour into your radiator that stops leaks. 

    We got back to her place and spent the rest of the day flushing out our radiator, trying to keep the radiator water from boiling with the sealant, replacing the coolant, and topping up our oil.

After everything was said and done, Krisy asked her neighbor across the street to come have a look-see at our handy work.  He thought it was good that we cleaned out the radiator and fan belt, but he also told us that after long drives, if there is too much transmission fluid it bubbles out of the transmission when the vehicle cools down, hence the puddle that got us all stressed out in the first place. 

He also said that women are very sensitive to sounds, and that strange sounds make them anxious. But cars just make funny sounds, so ignore them. 

Personally I feel like that is poor advice. I mean, if a woman comes up to me and tells me it sounds like my car is going to explode, I’m gonna get the hell out of it and run.

Since being in Australia we have learned so much about cars.  It seems that any DIYO work on cars is common knowledge out in the outback.  They even have beginner car care classes for women.  Since being here we have picked up quite a bit of car know how. 

At any rate, we finished as the sun was going down, so we will depart along the coast for Melbourne tomorrow morning.

On The Road Again

By Kathleen

Waking up this morning to the sound of Australia’s beautiful birds was made all the more delightful by the fact that we aren’t in Tatura! We are in Moss Vale, heading up to Sydney this morning.

Saying goodbye to Tatura was not terribly hard, but it was a bit strange. We really have been living there, I realized not traveling and there’s a noticeable difference between those two states.

As we drove out of town we shouted goodbye to friends walking down the street, a strange piece of normality so far from home. I don’t know when I’ll next be so familiar with an area in a foreign country.

It was hard to stop driving as we got on the road and we covered most of the 800+ km in the day. It’s so liberating to be on the road again.

Tatura, for all that it was in the middle of nowhere and super boring, was wonderful in many ways. We made real friends, fantastic Nico and Nelly who we hope we will cross paths with again soon. Its great meeting new people but hard to say good-bye all the time.

Tatura was also a place of personal growth for other reasons. I have learned to drive a tractor and a jelosopeed ( cherry picker). I can tell the difference between apple, pear, peach, apricot, and plum trees when they don’t have any fruit on them. I know the way a ripe tomatoes bush smells. I have pushed myself to physical extremes, something I never do, and found that it’s actually very empowering to break through barriers. Most barriers we put up ourselves…. but some are real….like pouring rain, and cold and driving wind.

The weather made our last month in Tat quite a wash and now we find ourselves in difficult financial straits, straits that compromise our ability to continue to travel. For now we will take it one step at a time, but the beginning of the end of Australia is near. That will come with it’s own challenges. But first Sydney, and then Permaculture.

Onward!

Reaching the Inner Ring

This week we are in Denver Colorado with our youth group on a ministries partnership with Calvary Baptist Church.  I am so impressed with the work ethic and enthusiasm our young people have displayed on this trip.  They are making a huge difference in this church's ministry to their community.

What makes this partnership interesting to me is that the area of ministry of this church is very similar to some areas around our church.  The church is located in an inner ring suburban area of Denver that was once a thriving bedroom community but is now transitioning as the inner city grows outward.

In cities all across America, the downtown area, like the Oklahoma City and Denver downtowns, are becoming more trendy and attractive to young professionals.  The result is that as real estate values rise, disadvantaged families are forced into the inner ring suburban areas.  So yesterday's suburban ministries in cities all across the country, are becoming todays urban (inner ring suburban) ministries.

Like us, Calvary Baptist has decided to stay in the city and turn it's face and ministry focus toward the needs of the transitioning neighborhoods around it.  Unlike so many other churches in their situation, they have chosen not to abandon the neighborhoods that are increasingly challenged with fragile and broken families, poverty, drug addiction and crime and are instead actively engaging the communities around them.  The result is that within three years this church has gone from about 30 people in regular attendance to over 400 last Sunday.   The ministries are gospel centered, the music is band driven and contemporary, the pastor teaches verse by verse and they have community groups that meet all over the area that are focused on missional ministry.

Our kids and youth leadership came here to be a blessing to this wonderful church.  But I think this church has also blessed us beyond measure and has taught us a few things as well.

Permaculture Oppurtunities

So we may be stuck in Tatura but things are looking up in the next couple of weeks. We've been offered a spot in a Permaculture Design Certificate Course, something we have been trying to do since we've been traveling. Here's an ad that I wrote for them explaining a bit of what a PDC is. If you are reading from VIC consider joining us!

Contoured garden beds at Panya Project

Permaculture Design Certificate Course!

 Join us from April 1^st-15^th 2012 and in 14 days transform yourself as you learn to transform the Earth with Permaculture.

 What is Permaculture?

Permaculture (n.) A philosophy and approach to land use which weaves together microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soil, water management and human needs into intrinsically connected, productive and sustainable human communities.

Sometimes called applied common sense Permaculture is a worldwide phenomena aimed at changing how relate to the land we live on. Whether you are rural or urban permaculture has something to offer you.

What is the Permaculture Design Certificate?

 The Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC) is a 72 hour course which follows the curriculum set by Bill Mollison of The Permaculture Institute.

What can I do with a PDC?

On completion of the PDC course you will become a fully qualified permaculture graduate, able to design your property and others, act as a permaculture consultant and teacher, and use the name permaculture in your business. You will receive a certificate and be able to work towards a Diploma of Permaculture. This PDC course is also a recognized module for Accredited Permaculture Training.

What will the course teach?

Topics ranging from organic gardening to bush food, energy efficient housing to sustainable communities, join three international tutors at the: Beautiful Freshwater Creek Steiner School on 12 acres outside of Geelong.

What else do I need to know?

Course runs April 1^st-15^th2012

Geelong VIC

Vegetarian meals provided, Free Camping on-site

Cost $1350 per person

To book contact Monica at 0439 390 557

 Or Email: goldenalight@yahoo.com.au

Hurry Space is Limited!

This is not Permaculture.

Final Payment due buy March 20^th, 2012

Debate: Research vs Wingin’ It

Kathleen Broadhurst

Mostly here on Travel Vicarious we post about things we are doing, but today I’ve got something a little different. This is a question directed at our traveling audience, assuming you’re out there. Shall we… debate?

There are two types of travelers, those who plan and those who don’t. Or something like that, run with it. It’s often a trifle more complicated than that but we can say that these are two distinct travel styles that a traveler may embody throughout their travel careers. The same traveler may change styles depending on their destination, their budget their interest, their age or travel experience. But of the travelers we’ve encountered people tend to favor one over the other.

For me I prefer to not plan a trip, half the fun of it is seeing where you end up and how. Now certainly there have been times where I wished I had read a few more books about a place before getting there, as a result of not planning I have on occasion been very close to very famous places and missed them (cough, cough, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, cough),but I’ve brushed it off figuring if I didn’t know enough to go, than more for next time. However that being said, I do feel that understanding the history of a country is really important to understanding what you are seeing and the countries that I have felt most connected to I knew the most about. Also countries that I have known quite a lot about before a trip usually are more anticipated.

I have found though that having no knowledge, other than rudimentary, about a location has allowed me in some cases to have truly amazing personal experiences unaffected by my desire or need to ‘see something’.

So here’s the question, beyond “which one are you”, when do you plan a trip? When do you wing it? Why? What influences you to research a destination or to just show up? How has either way worked for you in the past?

Meeting Needs and Making Disicples

Over the past several months our church has become increasingly passionate about meeting needs in our community utilizing a gospel centered approach.  I believe the Spirit is leading us to target large categories of needs in a way that can have tremendous impact.  In an attempt to bring better focus and intentionality to these ministries we are breaking them down this way:

1.  Children and Elderly at Risk:  Over 70% of the children in the schools around our church are on government assisted food programs.  Many of these children are in what the DHS identifies as "fragile families".  There is a big role for the church to play in ministries that focus on caring for these families and to reach out to children with after school programs and age graded ministry.  We have recently begun an Orphan Care ministry that focuses on adoption, foster care and work with orphaned children in our community and around the world.  In addition, our Daycare ministry is a big part of the solution for many of these families.  In addition to children at risk, we also are focused on caring for marginalized elderly.    Just like the children in fragile families who are in need of care and direction, the elderly in our community are often the most vulnerable and in need of attention, love and care.  Our Deacon ministry to the homebound is significant in this area.  In addition, our Capstone Ministry is focused on keeping up with our older members and is reaching out to the elderly in our community.

2.  Unwed Moms:  Almost every social problem in our culture is the result of fatherlessness.  We cannot get serious about helping to redeem our community without thinking about the enormous challenges of the single mom.  A recent study of children in poverty summarized the issue this way:

Women who give birth outside of marriage tend to be more disadvantaged than their married counterparts, both before and after having a nonmarital birth. Unmarried mothers generally have lower incomes, lower education levels, and greater dependence on welfare assistance than do married mothers. Economic disadvantage may even extend into old age, with women who are single mothers for a period of at least 10 years during their life at greater risk of being poor at ages 65 through 75.  In addition, women who have a nonmarital birth have reduced marriage prospects when compared with single women without children 

3.   Behavioral and Chemically Addicted: In the wake of the deaths of celebrities like Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston there has been a lot of talk about the problem of addiction in our society.  In a recent story about Houston's death the New York Times observed "heavy drinking costs the United States about $224 billion annually." The problem of drug and alcohol addiction has reached epidemic proportions in our culture.  The church must respond.  Our Celebrate Recovery ministry is continuing to grow and have an impact.  We cannot seriously address the deepest needs we see around us without continuing to find ways to help people with their hurts, habits and hangups utilizing a scripture based gospel centered approach.

4.  Extended Adolescent Male:  One of the outcomes of fatherless homes is that young men have little direction on the meaning of manhood.  This leads to what Robert Lewis calls "visionless men".   Men not taking responsibility for their lives is one of cultures biggest problems.  Boys who grow up in fatherless homes are much more likely to end up in poverty, commit crimes or get involved in a culture of addiction.  It is our passion to cast a strong vision for biblical manhood and to reach out to young men in our community who desperately need role models and resourcing so that they can embrace God's purpose for their lives.

Of course, the ultimate answer for all of these social problems is the gospel.  The Church is to be about the business of both meeting needs and making disciples.  We strongly believe the church has the answer for all of societies most pressing problems.  That means our responsibility to meet those needs and to disciple people in the faith is even greater.  Jesus taught us that we are to be salt and light to a world that desperately needs redemption.  He taught us to go into the world and make disciples. We therefore only have credibility when we passionately reach out to the "least of these" by first meeting their needs and then disciple them along the way.  We firmly believe that to be His church is to love ALL people to Christ and help them on their journey with God and others.  It is our reason for existence as a church on 30th and Council.   The "loving people to Christ" is the meeting needs part of our mission while the "helping them on their journey" is the making disciples side of it.  It is not either/or for us- it is both/and.   I will write more later about our specific ministries and how they fit in to these categories.

Fire and Water

Yeah, I had no idea what they were doing either.

By Kathleen

The trouble with chasing summer is that you’re always inadvertently bumping up against winter. The week of rain seems to have ushered in fall with a bit more haste then we were expecting. It seems March Down-Under is in like a lamb and out like a lion.

We’ve been finding ourselves no longer just shivering in bed at night but well into the morning and long sleeves are becoming more necessary than optional. ( Which considering our wardrobes is a little limiting). The sun still shines down on us but now it is softer and less like its destroying your skin cells mitochondria or what-not.

With the end of summer comes those types of things that I’m used to seeing back home around this season, namely country fairs.

We were feeling more confined than usual yesterday and decided that only going for a drive would cure our boredom so we headed to Mooroopna, the next town over. There seemed to be a lot of excitement, fire trucks and people and white stalls set up. Realizing that once again we’d left our camera at home we swung back. Grabbing our friends Nico and Nelly and the camera we returned to investigate.

What lay before us was a strange scene, like no other I have previously encountered. From what we could garner from watching it seemed that team of men and women, who were all volunteer fire-fighters, were involve din some sort of competition whereby they raced 20 meters of so down a road with a fire hose on wheels and a metal pipe. Part of the team was in charge of unrolling and manning the hose, the other part when they reached the appropriate place, stuck the pipe in the ground and, water spurting everywhere, connected the hose. Then they sprayed a big target. Whoever sprayed the target first won. It seemed vaguely sexual to me.

We all know what this is really about.

After much discussion we were all still confused about the nature of the event. Do volunteer fire brigades us the hose on the wheel now? Is this something historic? What was going on?

It is true that in Australia because there’s so much space and so few people that there are many volunteer firefighter teams to help combat local and bush fires which during the dry months can rage uncontrollably, sometimes damaging vast areas.

Just another little something exciting.

Fiz and Nico practicing

Mini Plug

Just want to make a moment to plug our friend's blog Escape With Us. It's written by two very sweet and awesome French backpackers who have been traveling with us since December. It's in French so for all you francophones and multi-linguals out there.

Possum, Pastries, Visa

A big thanks to everyone who told us about the crazy possum in Canberra that immobilized itself with pastries last week. I guess pastries were the answer. Next time we're fiending for Vanilla Slices at the Tat Bakery we'll have to grab an extra and see if our little friend enjoys them as much as we do.For those of you who haven't seen the picture yet, here it is.

 

( Thanks Ann S. for sending this over!)

This week has been full tilt work to try and make up for last week's torrential rains. Not fun. Everything is muddy and smells like stale manure water. Worse, the fruit has all begun to rot. See when ripe fruit is still on the tree and you can't pick it off because of rain it starts to spoil. This week has been picking peaches and the brown rot has gotten to them. Its rather sad actually the fruit is otherwise beautiful, nice big orange peaches.

Even one spot of the rot and we have to chuck it out of the bin. One little spot will, within a day, consume and infect the whole fruit. Within three days its turned into a shriveled corpse of a peach, and if you don't take it out of the bin, it will take the rest down with it.

We've been picking  steady 6 bins a day which has won us back the right to pick apples ( wages again yay!) but I can only dream of how many bins we would be making if it wasn't for the rain.

Tatura usually gets 40mm of rain this time of year, so far this season they've had 220mm. Climate change is a bitch. It amazes me that it even continues to generate political discussion at home. It's clearly an international phenomena, beyond politics.

All you've got to do is ask people and all around the world they will say the same thing, " The weather isn't usually like this…"

In other news we have some bad news.

When we first arrived in Australia the idea was to make some money stay for a few months and then go elsewhere to spend said money. We would do our 88 days of farm work to get our second visa and then come back next January for the season again.

This as proven to be a failed experiment. For one earning money out here is easy but so is spending it. Its slips through your fingers so that even though you're earning over 1,000 dollars a week, you somehow are still living paycheck to paycheck. Downer, 'cause this is no easy work.

Second, we had heard a rumor back when we were still innocent and hopeful, in Melbourne before we had even found our car. That rumor said " Americans can't get second year visas." We laughed at the poor fool, how under- informed. "Of course American's can get second year visas…."

He was right.

He also just left the country totally broke…. he had to fly home using his frequent flier miles…

We don't have any frequent flier miles.

So, now the question looms, "what are we going to do?". With the money that we spent getting here, getting set up and living here, we could have stayed on in Asia for another 5 months. Not that I regret having come here, seeing another piece of this beautiful Earth but damn.

If we want to leave we still have to work, but with how long it takes to save, that seriously limits not only our travel around the country here, but our prospects of going anywhere else. Damn.