Cairns, concussions, coral, and crawlers.

The night before we were booked to dive the Great Barrier Reef felt like Christmas Eve. we had giggly excited pillow talk and couldn't sleep. and it was more than we could have asked for. Somehow i felt more comfortable breathing 50 feet underwater than strolling through the city streets of Sydney. the colors, the sounds, the fish , the incredible intricacies of God's creation that most people never get to see... ah there aren't words- the pictures dont even do it justice. i had to make myself stop smiling so my BC wouldnt fall out.

The crew was great, and ended up meeting us out that night for drinks to celebrate Kelly's 21st. we did a pub crawl to 4 different pubs on the strip and had a very very good time.

the next day we woke again at 7 to go to the rainforest! we went to several different waterfalls and lagoons to swim in and had a picnic barbeque. my personal favorite was Milla Milla falls where they shot an Herbal Essences commercial. it was needless to say surreal because places dont exist like that except well on TV.

we went to a sliding rock, very similar to the one in NC just more exotic- and well more slippery. so much so that in my eagerness to get to the top- i slipped , fell backwards and hit my head on the edge of a rock. it sounds worse than it was- and i think i should have been knocked out because it happened so fast i didnt catch myself with my hands. i honestly dont remember much of the next 2 hours after that but i just know that i felt very ... elated. it was like i was on painkillers. i think i hit the part of my brain that releases endorphines because i felt oddly... great. in a daze- slightly dizzy- but good. my friends were incredibly worried but i wasn't. i continued to slide down the white water, get caught in rapids and swim around. then i laid on a rock and wanted a nap but bc im with great people they didnt let me. it was a pretty awesome concussion if there ever was one.

we also visited this tree that i swear was the inspiration for Avatar.

we spent the last day at Trinity beach to relax before our flight. i saw stoned steps on the side of the mountain beside us and decided to take it upon myself to explore this possibility- and am very glad i did. i climbed barefoot up black rocks , and landed a breathtaking view. it was like being Ariel and Pocahontas, all in one week. i spent some time with the Lord, chatting about how crazy he is. and baked on a rock on a cliff. and once again, bc my friends are great they came looking for me and were very glad they did. we spent at least an hour there getting sweet pics, taking in the view, and sitting in silence.

when we returned to the beach i noticed a man throwing something at the birds nearby, i thought "what a mean person " and probably scowled a little. while standing at the edge of the water i noticed him army crawling to the sand. he was pretty burly and built so i thought this a workout then i followed his sand streaked trail up the shore and saw a wheel chair. In his desperation to be free, he got out of his chair, and CRAWLED to the ocean. once in, he was hooting and hollering and having a good time. and i just stood there. the water barely whisping my feet. i didnt want to be salty for the plane ride. glancing at the fun he was having- i thought, why the bloody hell am i standing at the edge when there is a beautiful ocean that i could be swimming in. He crawled to the shore, and I just stood there. I said screw it, and joined him.

i wanted to tell him that he was inspiring. that he made me realize i sometimes stand at the edge of places people are crawling to get to.

Maybe thats how we sometimes approach God. We don't realize our need for him, or the freedom he has to offer when we rely to heavily on our own capabilities. we stand at the water's edge of his power because we don't want to get messy. we don't want to risk maybe getting carried away, losing control of ourselves. but there are people on their hands and knees desperate to taste His freedom, His power, His grace, His love.

When I was 16 I remember my youth leader telling me, our strength is only a hindrance. that stuck with me because it was counterculture and couldn't grasp it with my sheltered hands. now I can.

I forget that the power of the resurrection lives in me. i dont tap into it, nor share it nearly enough. i just stand there.

The Asylum

this is the outside lobby. if you wanted to use the internet- you had to purchase a tshirt and join the mad monday pub crawl-as well as wear it while at the PC

our crew, with Tom from da Nederlands

I can't begin to tell you how many times I put my hands on my face and asked "where the bloody hell are we?" or, is "is this real life?" whether it was looking at a surreal landscape or laughing at our living situation. A group of 12 of us flew out saturday night to Cairns ( pronounced Cans) which is north up the coast of Sydney- about a 3 hour plane ride. we arrived around midnight and waited for our shuttle to the hostel. A white van whipped around the curb covered in pictures of people getting drunk in white tee's. it was called The ASYLUM. and underneath the graffiti it said #1 party Hostel in Cairns. this was a "is this real life" moment. the driver hopped out in a ripped singlet and a sleeve tatt of colored cheetah print. he croaked in a very strong aussie accent " Which wannyas coming with me? His name was Dan and blasted Train so loud on the way to the hostel it impaired my vision. It was 15$ a night so really, what was i expecting? the town looked pretty bare for a sat. night then we pulled up to a shack connected to cylinder block buildings covered in christmas lights and a large group of people outside, the Asylum. most of everyone was pretty intoxicated at this point so we received a very warm Aussie welcome. they gave us thin sheets with suspicious stains and corn flakes for brekkie. the receptionist was pretty drunk when we got there, her name was Crackers and ended up being one of my favorite people that worked there. i was very grateful to be staying with the boys at this point, it was 6 to a room so sam and i stayed with Jordan, Jon, Lee, and Ethan.

We were all pretty hungry at this point and wanted to grab something grilled at a chill pub. we thought we found one. but upon walking in, we found it was anything but chill. there were people sucking face as you walked in, burly men cheering at the dancers on the bar and then you ran into people moshing to a Rage Against the Machine cover. insanity. this was a "where the bloody Hell are we? " moment. for someone who doesnt go out much, this scene was pretty educational. at this point in my night, im laughing- thinking holy crap this week is going to be incredibly memorable.