Well, well, well., time seems to have flown by yet again. It seems like my last post was only a few days ago, but here I am on July 20th posting again with only 9 days until I fly into Sydney to end my mission trip. It has been quite an experience. The people here constantly tell me about how much of a blessing I have been to them, but in all reality, God has blessed me much more than I believe I have blessed anyone else. He has taught me so many things that if I were to begin listing them here...well...I would still be here 9 days from now! The Lord is good and His mercy truly does endure forever and to all people, in all parts of the world. I have seen the power of the Lion of Judah, and the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. I truly believe I will never be the same. Never.

As my date of departure edges closer and closer, I have realized that a truly bitter-sweet euphoria has embedded itself in my soul. Part of me longs to be home. I long to see my family and friends. I long to be back in familiar surroundings. And Rebekah, honey, you just have no idea how much I want to see you! But diametrically opposed to this, I feel that there will be a real sense of loss. I have grown very close to a great many of these people. I truly do love many, if not all, of the people in this congregation. They will always have a piece of my heart, no matter how far away I go. But, even over all of these things, I feel a strong sense of completion. I feel as though I have done what God brought me here to do. I believe that I have finished the race; I have fought the good fight. Now I am in the homestretch. I am making the last turn. Please pray for me still that I will finish even stronger than I have been before. I do not want to go out as a mere candle in a breeze, but as a roaring flame that cannot be subdued.

Let's see, what can I tell you about what I have done since I wrote to everyone last? Well, the first week, there wasn't a whole lot to tell. I spent all of that week working on the discipleship progam, which happens to be coming along nicely. This week, however, has been mad. I spent all of Monday morning preparing for my sermon on this upcoming Sunday night, and working out a Bible study for Wednesday. Tuesday morning, I finished putting in all of the Scripture references that I wanted to use for the DP. Then, that afternoon, Kim and I went with one of the church members named Malcolm. He works at a museum in Brisbane that he wanted to show us. Let's just say that early life in Queensland was brutal. Wednesday morning, I went and led a Bible study for some of the senior members of the church, in the home of Les and Isa. I also learned how to play a cool pool game called Snooker. It's an interesting game to say the least. Thursday morning was spent at Deception Bay North Primary School, teaching some Religious Education to the grade 3s. That afternoon, I did some small group/ hanging out time with some of the youth. Now, here I am on Friday, still preparing for the sermon on Sunday, and getting ready for the youth group meeting tonight. So, as you can see, it has been quite a week. However, next week seems as though it will be a good week for me to finish up the DP and get some rest before my 30 hour trip home.

Another intersting thing that happened this week, was with one of the youth. We were practicing doing handstands, and one of the youth named Ben wasn't very good at it, so he feel on his face and cut his eyebrow open. He was fine, but I definitely had to fill out my very first "Incident Form". It was kind of scary, especially when I had to list that I was the "church authorized supervisor". Yeah, you're probably laughing about that as much as I am. Anyone though, he was fine. In fact, he was kind of happy about it, because he got to miss school for a day because of it. All's well that ends well. Or in Aussie: no worries.

For those of you who do not know my schedule, here it is. On July 30th, Kim, myself, and the two other Queensland missionaries will fly back into Sydney at around 10 in the morning. We will then spend that afternoon, as well as the 31st debriefing with our country supervisors. We will be sharing stories with all of the other missionaries, as well as talking with our sups about whether we were properly used. On Wednesday, August 1st, Austrlia time, we will fly out at around 1 p.m. headed for LA. On Wednesday morning, August 1st, American time, we arrive in LA at about 9 a.m.. I will then be getting on a flight headed to Houston at 12:30. I will arrive there at 5:30 pm. My last flight leaves out of Houston at 6:00, headed for Birmingham. I will then be in Birmingham around 8:00 p.m.. I will have crossed several countries and one big stinkin' ocean, but I will be home. Then, I will be spending the following 5 days in Gulf Shores, catching up with my family, and Rebekah. If you want to call me, feel free. However, don't be discouraged if I don't answer. I will be getting over jet-lag. I will then be moving back into downtown Birmingham on or around August 8th.

Well, that's pretty much everything. If at any point during that mammoth trip you happen to think of me, please pray for traveling mercies. I will need all that I can get. This will probably be my last post. Unless something stupendous happens between now and the time I leave, the next time I speak to everyone will be face to face. I thank God always for your encouragement, so continue to comment. I greatly appreciate it. God is faithful. He will bring me home soon. God bless.

For His Glory,

Andrew