How do I consider an Australian trip. A holiday? A vacation? A work trip? A ministry trip? I will let you decide!
HINT: You might want to check my Daily Verse blog and see if it fits the criteria for our own standards.
January 3rd: Leaving Hong Kong for an overnight flight, economy class to Perth (a city I have never been to). Nothing like a trying to sleep sitting straight up surrounded by the bare feet of others. I will try and go to the Hopman Cup that day to meet a few players. I am hosted by a family (I am meeting for the first time) arranged by Pastor Margaret Court. (The Grand Slam champion and a friend). A few days with Margaret, her husband Barry and meeting others for the first time from her church.
January 8th: Leaving Perth for Sydney (a city I have never been to) staying with a family (a family that I am meeting for the first time). The next day going to a tournament site at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre (I have never been here either) having no idea how to take public transport there. Meeting with a tennis official (that I have never met before) sometime that day. Then a few days with the players ministering (I have met all of them).
January 11th: Leave Sydney for Melbourne (my sixth trip there, I think?) Staying with a family (my third year staying there) and then over to the Australian Open tournament site (www.australianopen.com). I usually get to the tournament site around 10am and the latest I can remember watching a match with a player I was working with was 4am (He lost in a tough five setter). The temperature can range from 40C or 104F to 4C or 40F even in a 5 minutes span under clear skies (really that happened) or it can be 40C all day and night; I keep telling players that the weather has something to do with God even though I am often asked to intervene. (Faith, prayer is my limit).
January 29: Leave Melbourne at midnight then crossing three time zones with arrival at the airport in Hong Kong at 6am; then 90 minutes later after a bus ride I am greeted at home by my wife and two bouncing toddlers who have been sleeping soundly through the night. Glad to be home!
