January 31, 2010

We arrived back from the Gerroa villa near Seven Mile Beach two hours south of Sydney. We planned to go to the free Opera performed at the Domain. They were producing Bernstein's Candide, but the weather was sketchy and we nixed our plans. Instead, we went to dinner in Gordon at the Gordon Grille. It was quite good food and a very lively place.

We spent this week telling our stories to one another. We are an international community and it was a good chance for us to slow down and get to know one another in a deliberate, but casual way. We did a number of activities together, but mostly we read, prayed, went for walks, and cooked for each other. Fortunately, all the meals came out well and we ate well. The tertian directors are great guys. The pace of life at the villa is very laid back. It seems like every time I tried to read a book, I fell asleep. I am a man reduced to basic functions in life.

The beach is terrific. We can stare at it for hours and it keeps changing. I am amazed at the zeal of the Australians who seem to be surfing from 5:00 in the morning until late at night. They are a very active people. When we Americans go to the beach, we brings books to read, radios, Ipods, picnic foods, etcs. We set up camp. When the Australians go, they bring their surfboards and a towel. They are in the water and when they finish, they leave the beach. And the beach is crawling with surfers. There is plenty of room for everyone.

The sunrises and sunsets are so intriguing. We watch the tides come in and go out and we marvel at the power. The soldier crabs dig out little balls of sand from their holes. They leave mounds of circles all over the place and it is quite intriguing to see the roundness of these sandballs. I also saw a two and a half foot monitor (lizard). I went looking for kangaroo (actually the meat tastes very nice), but only saw dead wombats on the road.

We went to Jumbulla on the way down to villa, which is an Aboriginal Exhibit that tells the sad story of how they were treated by the colonists. They are working hard to preserve their culture. We visited a Buddhist Temple that is relatively new.

We also took sidetrips to Cathedral Rock near Minamurra and to Kangaroo Valley. We went to a waterfall site and toured the countryside.

It was such a relaxing week. I had no idea I needed so much sleep and rest. Our prayer is good too. I'm praying for all those who I left behind to come here. I'm praying for my province because tertianship is such a gift to us.