After much prayer, preparation, and traveling, I have safely arrived in the Gold Coast! It is now my third day here, and I am settling in very well. The weather is very hot and humid… it feels like Florida in August, but with more intense sun. There is a nice breeze during the day, and the temperature cools down beautifully at night. It is only day three, but I feel like I have been here for weeks! I think it is partly because the days are so long (the sun rises at 4:30am, and wakes me up), and also because I feel right at home here. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming.
I was the third person to arrive, so more people have been trickling in these past few days. We are still waiting on 5 more to come. The group is much smaller than I expected… there are going to be 11 of us (9 girls, and only 2 boys). There are 11 people, but 8 different nationalities!! American, Canadian, Sweden, Finnish, Irish, Brazilian, and only 1 Australian. It is such an interesting mix of cultures. There has been a lot of laughter and discussion about all the differences between what we are used to back at home. There are many differences, but we all share a love and passion for our Lord and Savior who brought us here together.
Our group has been having a blast thus far. We all get along very well. Everyone is just so excited to be here and has gone through so much in obedience to God's call to come do this DTS. School does not start until Monday, so we have been exploring the area together and shopping for items that we were unable to bring, like certain toiletries, bedding, groceries, etc. Yesterday, we spent the day at the beach. It was a beautiful beach called Surfer's Paradise. The waves are much stronger than Florida waves, similar to how they are in Hawaii. They about knocked us over!
I am living in a house with 6 other people. Rochelle is our house leader and also one of our teachers when classes start. I share a room with 3 other girls (only one has arrived so far, Amy Joy). There is no air conditioning in the house, but the breeze and fans cool the house down nicely. We live in a nice neighborhood surrounded by beautiful plants and trees, the sounds of birds ringing through the air all day long. The layout of the base is ideal… our house is situated across the YWAM office, separated by a soccer field, and the other girls house is down the street from ours- everything within walking distance. The guys house is located in the neighborhood next to ours, about a 20 minute walk away. There is a plaza with a grocery store, ATM, and pharmacy (they call it a "chemist"- very funny!) right next to the YWAM office. I love walking and being outside, and it seems we will be doing much of that :)
A couple of prayer requests: Renada is still in the process of getting her visa and has not been approved yet. Nathaniel is still waiting on money to purchase his plane ticket. Please be praying for these students!
Thank you for all of your prayers- I feel them all day long. God's presence fills my heart, bringing me much joy and peace. I love you all. I will continue to send updates!
Stephanie
Surfer's Paradise
The girls house down the street
Down our street
The house I am staying in
My room!
No comments:
Post a Comment