Back from Perth
"Children, go where I send thee, to whom shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send thee one by one, one to the itsy bitsy baby,
Born, born, born in Bethelem.
Children, go where I send thee, to whom shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send thee two by two, to Paul and Silas,
One to the itsy bitsy baby,
Born, born, born in Bethelem...."
Haha, been having this song, and many other children songs ringing in my head over the past few days... and many days to come, I believe. We've been listening to the 2 children CDs which Ver and Al brought for Vic whenever we were in the car during the trip. And thank God they brought the CDs, or we would be singing our throats dry, to keep baby Vic happy. Yes, it's so amazing how Vic can be soothed by songs and singing, especially with her favourite "Je-Je" (means "Jesus loves the little children").
It has been a very enjoyable and relaxing 1-week trip, as we were moving at comfortable pace. The weather was cool and nice in Perth. The apartment we stayed in was clean, well furnished and heated, although a bit too heated at times... Will, Jh and I each got a room to ourselves. The apartment overlooks a lush green golf course. The entire resort appears very new. Very "holiday-ee".
Thank God Will rented an 8-seater. When we loaded all our luggage onto the vehicle, it could just comfortably fit 5 adults + a baby seat. We did not have to cram ourselves to and from the airport. I had a hand at driving on some of the days too. It was fun, though parking was rather challenging for me at times. And I liked navigating at the front seat, coz it gave me an idea where we were heading. We each took on different roles on our daily journeys, driving, navigating, playing with baby, singing to baby, "stoning" in the back seat etc.
We visited many places with animals - a farm, 2 national/wildlife parks, a botanic park, a stable. Lots of lush greenery and space. I thought that the cool weather was very important, else we would be perspiring a lot when we walked from place to place. We also visited a Christian bookshop, a chocolate company (with free flow of chocolate samples), a winery, and of course, the city, the malls, the supermarkets etc.
We ate sumptuously, I must say. Ha, think I over-ate. Lots of fish and chips, some Thai food, Jap food, Chinese food, kebabs, burgers, bread, noodles, soups, mussels etc. The highlight was a A$45 pax buffet at the resort hotel. Thanks to a promotion by Will's organisation, it only costs us some S$24 pax. The fountain of chocolate fondeau (correct spelling??) there was so great and delicious, especially with strawberries. Yum yum. The buffet was a Christmas lunch at the hotel. Christmas in Jul?? Guess it was timed with the winter season in Australia...
We had a little episode one of the nights, when our house key was misplaced. We only realised it when we reached home with our packeted dinner after a long day out and we couldn't enter the apartment. A thorough search proved futile. Thank God that Will managed to contact our housekeeper in the night and obtain the spare keys from her residence. A mild adventure.
During this trip, we got to know a bit more about each other, e.g. our appetites, tastes, likes, habits, etc. I was glad also for the little time of sharing and common devotions in the nights. Unfortunately, I was often too "zonked out" by then to contribute very much to the conversation or discussion. It would be real nice to have BASIC fellowship and support together.
Although we had lots of fun with baby Vic, carrying her, playing with her, we could see that Al and Ver were totally exhausted looking after Vic, keeping her warm, changing her, feeding her, carrying her, calming her, teaching her and seeing that her every need is met. They hardly have time for themselves! As Ver mentioned casually, she'll need another holiday after this holiday, and I agree. I conclude that parents' love are so great and admirable, yeah?
What do I like best about the trip? I guess it's the mental rest. Work was totally outside my mind during the week! Ahh, so nice. My wish of wanting a rest was met during the trip. My other agenda of drawing close to God was partially met. I didn't spend as many waking hours waiting upon the Lord, as I had hoped to. But I thank God for an "enforced" silent retreat on the Sat before the trip, that I would be in a better state of mind to receive from the Lord during the trip. Indeed, God is good, and I have encountered Him in little ways. We saw many rainbows during the trip, a reminder of God's faithfulness and promise!
We touched down last night. I am thankful for the safe trip, and that God has preserved my health, although I was starting to feel unwell toward the end of the trip. I am taking today to "reframe" my mind and prepare for work tomorrow. I pray that the "transition to reality" will be smooth and pleasant.
I'm gonna send thee one by one, one to the itsy bitsy baby,
Born, born, born in Bethelem.
Children, go where I send thee, to whom shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send thee two by two, to Paul and Silas,
One to the itsy bitsy baby,
Born, born, born in Bethelem...."
Haha, been having this song, and many other children songs ringing in my head over the past few days... and many days to come, I believe. We've been listening to the 2 children CDs which Ver and Al brought for Vic whenever we were in the car during the trip. And thank God they brought the CDs, or we would be singing our throats dry, to keep baby Vic happy. Yes, it's so amazing how Vic can be soothed by songs and singing, especially with her favourite "Je-Je" (means "Jesus loves the little children").
It has been a very enjoyable and relaxing 1-week trip, as we were moving at comfortable pace. The weather was cool and nice in Perth. The apartment we stayed in was clean, well furnished and heated, although a bit too heated at times... Will, Jh and I each got a room to ourselves. The apartment overlooks a lush green golf course. The entire resort appears very new. Very "holiday-ee".
Thank God Will rented an 8-seater. When we loaded all our luggage onto the vehicle, it could just comfortably fit 5 adults + a baby seat. We did not have to cram ourselves to and from the airport. I had a hand at driving on some of the days too. It was fun, though parking was rather challenging for me at times. And I liked navigating at the front seat, coz it gave me an idea where we were heading. We each took on different roles on our daily journeys, driving, navigating, playing with baby, singing to baby, "stoning" in the back seat etc.
We visited many places with animals - a farm, 2 national/wildlife parks, a botanic park, a stable. Lots of lush greenery and space. I thought that the cool weather was very important, else we would be perspiring a lot when we walked from place to place. We also visited a Christian bookshop, a chocolate company (with free flow of chocolate samples), a winery, and of course, the city, the malls, the supermarkets etc.
We ate sumptuously, I must say. Ha, think I over-ate. Lots of fish and chips, some Thai food, Jap food, Chinese food, kebabs, burgers, bread, noodles, soups, mussels etc. The highlight was a A$45 pax buffet at the resort hotel. Thanks to a promotion by Will's organisation, it only costs us some S$24 pax. The fountain of chocolate fondeau (correct spelling??) there was so great and delicious, especially with strawberries. Yum yum. The buffet was a Christmas lunch at the hotel. Christmas in Jul?? Guess it was timed with the winter season in Australia...
We had a little episode one of the nights, when our house key was misplaced. We only realised it when we reached home with our packeted dinner after a long day out and we couldn't enter the apartment. A thorough search proved futile. Thank God that Will managed to contact our housekeeper in the night and obtain the spare keys from her residence. A mild adventure.
During this trip, we got to know a bit more about each other, e.g. our appetites, tastes, likes, habits, etc. I was glad also for the little time of sharing and common devotions in the nights. Unfortunately, I was often too "zonked out" by then to contribute very much to the conversation or discussion. It would be real nice to have BASIC fellowship and support together.
Although we had lots of fun with baby Vic, carrying her, playing with her, we could see that Al and Ver were totally exhausted looking after Vic, keeping her warm, changing her, feeding her, carrying her, calming her, teaching her and seeing that her every need is met. They hardly have time for themselves! As Ver mentioned casually, she'll need another holiday after this holiday, and I agree. I conclude that parents' love are so great and admirable, yeah?
What do I like best about the trip? I guess it's the mental rest. Work was totally outside my mind during the week! Ahh, so nice. My wish of wanting a rest was met during the trip. My other agenda of drawing close to God was partially met. I didn't spend as many waking hours waiting upon the Lord, as I had hoped to. But I thank God for an "enforced" silent retreat on the Sat before the trip, that I would be in a better state of mind to receive from the Lord during the trip. Indeed, God is good, and I have encountered Him in little ways. We saw many rainbows during the trip, a reminder of God's faithfulness and promise!
We touched down last night. I am thankful for the safe trip, and that God has preserved my health, although I was starting to feel unwell toward the end of the trip. I am taking today to "reframe" my mind and prepare for work tomorrow. I pray that the "transition to reality" will be smooth and pleasant.
posted by Handiworks @ 3:43 PM
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