WUNDERLI WANDERINGS

I dropped Simon off at the airport for his exam this morning at 8:30am.  The exam was 40 questions and 3.5 hours long.   After hours of study he came out the exam with a 90%.  Lots of joy in our house tonight.  Another hurdle cleared and off to face the next one.  Thanks to those of you who keep praying for us.  The last few months have been seriously crazy but we are learning to take one challenge at a time or trying to. Tomorrow morning our shipment arrives from Brisbane.  It will be funny to have a sofa again to sit on, beds to sleep in, a dining room table to eat from, washing machine and all the other things we packed 4 months ago.  Having said that I will miss my frequent trips to Tree Tops (Guesthouse where we first stayed on arriving in Australia) to do our laundry and have theological discussions over folding clothes or learning about someones experience of living in the bush in PNG.  Might need to find some excuse to make a visit ...

We are thankful for this breakfast bar.  This is a multi purpose unit.  It is where the meals get made, the homework gets done and the flight planning happens for the following days flight.  Tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd) is Simon's next flight exam.  We are praying that he passes the first time although he has been warned this is the most difficult of them all and that it is not unusual to fail the first time.  Tomorrow we will know.

After an interesting few months of gathering information for our visa application and trying to figure out the system a surprising miracle happened.  Our visa application was finally applied for last week and yesterday we got an email and a phone call to say that it was already accepted.  To say we were surprised was an understatement.  We were told it could take anywhere from 8-12 weeks to be processed. This means that we now have a 4 year temporary permanent visa for living in Australia.  We will need to apply for another visa so that it is more permanent but all in due time.  Need to rejoice in making it this far first.  (haha). Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us and asking how we are doing.  Your prayers were answered and it is a huge relief to have jumped that hurdle. Now for the next one......

It has been busy last few weeks with lots of comings and goings.  Simon is finishing up his third week of his standardistion course with one more week to go.  He has enjoyed all the flying and also getting to fly another aircraft.  So lots to learn but thankful for his flying experience these last years in MAF Uganda. There are more courses for him to do as well as exams coming up so there is never a dull moment.  I am sure he would value your prayers that we he would retain the information well and continue to adjust to the newness of everything. This week he and another pilot were supposed to flying into a specific airstrip only to find that there were termite hills on the runway.  They returned to Mareeba and then drove to the airstrip where they knocked them all down and made the airstrip useable again.  Not too far from his days in Africa.  It was good for the other pilot who hasn't served in a programme before to see what could be coming his ...

Joshua and Zara started their new school on Monday.  So far they are enjoying the experience and making some friends.  They seem to be taking all the newness in their stride as they figure out how it all works.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for them.  God has been preparing the way and we are grateful. Yesterday Joshua came home with some Maths homework.  I took one look at it and said if you have any questions then ask your Dad because I have no idea.  Thankfully he didn't need much help at all and he taught me a thing or two. Zara is loving her drama class and art class.  She had a lot of joy when she explained what they were doing.  I wonder who she took the love of drama from....it sure wasn't me.  (haha)  She is also studying Japanese so we might have some fun with that. Zara is in her PE kit and Joshua in his "normal" uniform Zara in her "normal" uniform and Joshua in PE kit.  The challenge is no ...

The phrases "No Dramas", "Too Easy" and "No Worries" are common sayings we hear on a regular basis down here in Queensland.  After thanking someone for assistance for their help to buy shoes, or getting our car fixed, or needing help to find something in a shop the response is often one of the above phrases.  I would love to say that our transition to Australia has been "No Dramas", "Too Easy" and "No Worries" but the reality when you cross continents to set up a new home in a new country it can be a challenge.  I am not saying it has been all bad, not at all, just that it can be a challenge. This is the 5th country that Simon and I have lived in and although you can anticipate a lot of things you still need to walk through them and figure things out.  When you move to another English speaking country you think that things will be familiar and similar but that is not always the case.  Our time in America showed us that and...

Since arriving in Australia we have experienced so many things that it is difficult to put it all into words or even photos but below are a few photos to keep you going. We have some praises and prayer needs which are located to the right of this post.  Thanks for interceding for us!! Happy New Year from Cairns Esplanade Our first New Year in Aussie and its 9pm and still 30+ degrees. Managed to get Joshua out the water for a photo, Zara's priority was swimming. A view from one of the hills surrounding Cairns. The view from Tree Tops Guesthouse where we stayed for a month. Lake Morris, a reservoir that feeds Cairns Joshua and Zara at Lake Morris, it was one hot day! Zara enjoying the beach and the ocean.  It is jelly fish season (stingers) and so only specific areas that are cordoned off are safe to swim in.  These wee jellies and not so wee jellies are not to be messed with. Zara feeding ...