Settling down in Melbourne
We are here, we are here, we are here! So goes our favorite line from “Horton Hears a Who” – and so we go – we are in Melbourne, Australia!
We arrived on the Boxing Day public holiday and enjoyed several days of relaxing and settling in to life in Melbourne: learning where the supermarkets are, figuring out how to drive a car on the opposite side of the road from the US, and eating delicious food.
We are grateful to the Lord and for your prayers for us during our travels! We’d love to share some of what He provided: we got a ride from our good friend, Pat, in Pittsburgh to the airport. He prayed for us and our trip and helped us arrive in style! Our luggage (12 pieces in all!) were checked without extra cost – our pre-flying packing trial runs paid off and we packed everything according to the weight regulations! We got through security without much trouble and Hannah was really good for us. The flights were really smooth and Hannah entertained herself and those around us with her funny laugh and fun-loving personality. Although we waited in line for a long time, Hannah slept a solid 6 hours from LA on the first leg of the long flight to Melbourne. Then she sat well and played with some toys but mostly enjoyed watching her favorite shows on her own personal TV! We arrived in Melbourne, sailed through customs and got all our luggage back – with no scrapes or problems! AND none of us got sick – praise the Lord!!!
We have had an easy time also with jetlag. The first 2 days were exhausting but all of us were sleeping fine (Hannah returned to her normal morning wake up time of 6:30am). We are so blessed that you prayed for us and went with us to this wonderful country where the Lord has great things prepared for us! We are also blessed to be able to move in with our dear friends, Mike, Bec & Ellie Shepski. Praise God with us for them!
Praises & Prayer Requests
- praise the Lord that we are healthy!
- pray for us to find balance in our schedules and time for ministry & family & rest
- pray for our team who’s coming in next week: Chris, Lori, Jordan, Jessamyn, Bess, Nicole and Katherine, and for Nina and Michelle who’ll come in February
- pray for wisdom in how we spend our time, and quality time with one another and good communication in our house
- pray for us & the students to walk with Jesus and keep Him at the center of our lives.
For His glory,
Jason & Maria & Hannah
