Writing to you from MID-AIR!

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Hello world! I am checking in at 11,270 miles above the ground on our Delta flight to LA! Everything is going great so far, and I can’t believe that this is the day we travel to the Land Down Under! Only 5 months ago, I was staring at my Groupon receipt and wondering what I had gotten myself into. And now the day is here. Before I say anything else, HUGE thanks to Matt Peters for getting us through CLEAR airport security in under 5 minutes. AMAZING.

John and I are having a great time already, finding plenty to be entertained by while we sat in Orlando International Airport (MCO). But I’ll write about our time at MCO later. I have a different story to tell you… My alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I staggered out of bed. As I finished up my morning business, a movement caught my eye and I looked up at the ceiling. My breath caught in my throat as I half-screamed/half-whispered “OH MY GOSH.” A MONSTROUS spider was crawling towards me across the white ceiling. This creature was the size of my outsretched hand, fingers included – NO EXAGGERATION. I’ve seen huge spiders at my house, but this was a definite record breaker. I started to panick; I was trapped and the spider was advancing! From previous experiences, I knew that these not-so-little suckers like to drop unexpectedly, so there was no dashing under it to escape. Thankfully, it decided to crawl up into the vent and allow me to run to John for protection. We retturned with HotShot Spider Killer spray (I highly recommend it! Works every time.) only to see that my mortal enemy was nowhere in sight. Instead, on the opposite side of the bathroom, his smaller (but still palm-sized) buddy scurried across the wall! It was no match for John, HotShot Spray, or the fly swatter though. That monster is still out there though…probably crawling room to room through the vents…yuck.

On a more pleasant note…I just received pretzels from the very nice Hispanic flight attendant. And it looks like my Coke is on the way! I’ll check in later!

The Crazy One

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Now that the trip is only a week away, I would like to introduce you to my fellow traveler! Since you have met me, you should now understand that I am a compassionate and sensitive individual who is drawn to all things beautiful. But to fully appreciate this post, you must also realize that I enjoy getting a full 8 hours of sleep (7.5 hours is not sufficient), plans/lists/schedules are necessity in my life, and I would like to live to be 100.

Meet John. My 25 year old brother who is a “virgin-traveler,” meaning he’s never traveled internationally. He has been rereading the same page of the world (titled America) his entire life and I feel so privileged to be the little sister who takes him on his first big adventure.

John isn’t quite like me though. Okay, understatement of the year.  John and I are the definition of opposing personalities. He is the daredevil adventurer who prefers activities that have a 75% injury rate. Sleep is a luxury he doesn’t believe is affordable to those who truly want to live life. And I had to convince him to go on this trip because he thought Australia wouldn’t hold enough excitement for him.

Our personalities clash a lot. If you read between the lines, you will probably see some tension between us for the duration of this trip. But part of what makes a team dynamic is conflict (or so I’ve heard), so together, this should be the trip of a lifetime for us.

John will be the primary videographer for the trip, and will be sharing his own insights at his blog, sn4ves.com. If my writing is a bit too proper for your taste, visiting his site is the way to go!

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A Specific Charge

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You might be wondering why I feel compelled to travel to the other side of the world. Does my passion for traveling alone drive me to just go? Nine times out of ten, when I tell people about my upcoming trip to Australia, I hear this response:

“Oh, that’s great! Is it a mission trip?”

Now this is an innocent question and so I usually answer no to avoid any confusion. But whenever this question is posed to me, there is always a check in my heart. What is a mission trip? The average churchgoer’s definition is a trip during which a team or individual travels away from home to focus solely on spreading the Word of God and ministering to people in need. Oftentimes, we add a medical or construction aspect to the trip, and there you have it.

Missions.

Sounds about right, don’t you think? So why does it make me feel a little uncomfortable when individuals categorize this trip Down Under as a pleasure-based trip, or “just for fun”? Right before I left for a trip to Italy, I was discussing with my father how I felt about the adventure ahead of me. My heart felt burdened because I was spending thousands of dollars to travel somewhere for me, when I could have been spending the money on a mission trip. My father spoke words of wisdom into my life that I will never forget. He said, “Susannah, every trip you go on is a mission trip. Everywhere you go, every day, you have the same responsibility to spread the Word of God and share His love with the people around you.”

His words echo in my heart each time someone asks that one little question. Looking to the dictionary, we see the definition of mission is this: “the business with which an individual or group has been charged.” I have been given a charge by God to share His light with the world around me. Whether I am at work every day or spending a week in Guatemala, there is a reason He has me there. So what is my mission in Australia?

1) Jesus. My charge is to share God’s love with every individual I meet, even if I never give my testimony or have the opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. Actions speak louder than words often anyways.

2) Write. Through my blog, I hope to share my experience Down Under with friends, families, strangers…anyone! And although actions might speak louder, words are still very powerful!

3) Travel. I have been called to read more pages of the incredible book God has written. I don’t plan on stopping until I have been every place God wants me to go.

Just a thought…what is the business that God has charged you with?                               What is your mission?

Australia Itinerary

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Listed below you will find a rough itinerary of our trip. Most time zones in Australia are roughly 12 hours difference from Eastern time. However, as a few regions that we will be visiting do not follow this general rule, I have included a link that shows a worldwide map. If you place your mouse over difference locations in Australia, the map will tell you the time:

Time Zone Map:  http://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/

  • June 23: Depart from Orlando, FL – 8:00AM (EDT)

– Arrive in Los Angeles, CA – 10:29AM (PDT)
– Depart from Los Angeles, CA – 11:55PM (PDT)

  • June 24: In-Flight
  • June 25: Arrive in Brisbane, QLD – 7:00AM (EST)

– Depart from Brisbane, QLD – 9:45AM (EST)
– Arrive in Cairns, QLD – 12:15PM (EST)

  • June 26: Dive and Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns
  • June 27: Free day in Cairns
  • June 28: Depart fromCairns, QLD – 12:40PM (EST)

– Arrive in Melbourne, VIC – 4:05PM (EST)

  • June 29: Tour of Melbourne City
  • June 30: Free day in Melbourne
  • July 01: Depart from Melbourne, VIC – 12:10PM (EST)

– Arrive in Adelaide, SA – 1:05PM (CST)

  • July 02: Depart from Adelaide, SA – 5:25PM (CST)

– Arrive at Kangaroo Island – 6:00PM (CST)

  • July 03: Tour of Kangaroo Island

– Return to Adelaide by ferry and coach

  • July 04: Depart from Adelaide, SA – 9:00AM (CST)

– Arrive in Sydney, NSW – 11:25AM (EST)

  • July 05: Tour of Sydney
  • July 06: Surfing at Bondi Beach
  • July 07: Depart from Sydney, NSW – 1:40PM (EST)

– Arrive in Los Angeles, CA – 10:30AM (PDT)
– Depart from Los Angeles, CA – 1:10PM (PDT)
– Arrive in Salt Lake City, UT – 4:01PM (MDT)
– Depart Salt Lake City, UT – 4:55PM (MDT)
– Arrive in Orlando, FL – 11:14PM (EDT)

The History Behind the Page

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When we read a novel or a biography, how often do we skip the introduction? I do it all the time. My experience has found introductions containing nothing but dry history and unnecessary facts. I want to jump right in and feast on the good stuff, not waste time on author’s notes to the reader. But while we believe our time is being maximized, we really are denying ourselves of potentially vital information. Vital how? If we are to appreciate what the author has to say, we need to stop and listen. Sometimes the key to understanding the material lies in the intro, the commentary, the author’s note…

This is my introduction:

It all started on a beautiful Sunday morning service at Evangel Assembly of God. The date was May 29, 2011. There I stood, enjoying the time of worship, singing along to the band. I had no idea that God was smiling as He dropped another puzzle piece of His plan for my life into place. During our usual “meet and greet,” I found myself being introduced to three young men with fantastic accents: Michael Scott and his friends, Mark and Manuel Ilchuk. They were Australians, visiting Orlando before seeing more of the States. This “chance” encounter turned into lunch, a young adult service that evening, dinner out at Johnny’s Fillin’ Station, and continued into Memorial Day at our traditional pool party. By the time we parted ways, a friendship had been established. We kept in contact through Facebook, joking that it was my turn to see their beautiful country, now that they had visited mine. I never believed it would happen.

Canoeing on Memorial Day with Morgan Abbott and our new friend, Michael Scott

Until now. Exactly a year later, I am writing to you about my plans to fly to Australia in 23 days. What many would see as a random coincident, I see as carefully planned. Through the huge blessing of my parents providing a large portion of funds for my upcoming graduation, the encouragement of my Aussie friends, the willingness of my older brother John to accompany me, and the perfect God-timing of a Groupon Getaway Deal, I am preparing to “read the next page” that God has written for me. And I am telling you so that when you read of our experience, you can fully appreciate with me what an awesome God we serve!