I arrived home on Tuesday, January 29th at 6am after an overnight flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong.   My Monday was spent with friends that have developed in Melbourne.  The temperature was a great 24C (75F) and before my midnight flight I had dinner at an outdoor cafe with my host family, The McKenzie's. This is my fourth year of staying with them and they minister to international university students from various nations by having the students stay in their home.

The last day of the tournament (Sunday) I attended the final of both mixed doubles and men's singles.  I knew the teams well in the mixed doubles and spent time with both teams before, during and after the match.  I did not know either player in the singles final with only the briefest of family contact with one of the players.  It reminds me that I have to keep reaching out to all the new comers as the younger players arrive on the tennis tour.  Read how the last week of relationship building went at the tournament on the 'The Daily Verse blog'.

Arrived home back in Hong Kong and my family is great.  Thank you for all those who have been praying for my family.  I saw Ashley, my six year old, getting on the school bus.  Joshua, my 18 month old, kind of blinked, did not smile and then later came around wanting me to pick him up.  (yes, I do call home every night where ever I am in the world, but it is not the same as face to face)  Joshua has a cold and is on medication.  My wife arrived home from teaching school and we opened the gifts that I had brought from Australia for my family.  Fruit cakes, T-shirts, caps, the free Qantas Airline child goody bag and a tournament sponsor bag of health care products.  Thank God, for family!

Previous journal entry: Face to face - Australian Open

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!

From November 1st to December 27th each year, is the time that I really look forward to.  I am able to not travel and work on replying to letters, planning the goals for the next year, adding new sections to the ministry websites, finding a quite place for prayer and meditation and reading a good book or two. 

Oh what happens after December 27th then....  28th to January 2nd - great relaxing family time for the holiday season.  January 3rd onwards I hit the road with my feet running first to Perth, then Sydney and then Melbourne...all in Australia...for ministry.

Wish you could come along with me, but not being able to...I would consider it an honor if you will join me through my blogs of the journey.

The progress report:  1. I have not replied to all the emails but made good progress.  2. I have a good idea on where to go with projects and goals for 2008.  3.  I have added three blogs. 4. I have spent a good amount of time in prayer and read a few new books.

This week, I have set aside the entire week to write personal notes and telephone various pro touring players that I have contact with.  So your prayers would be appreciated.

Spent the better part of this week planning my trips up to July 1, 2008.  Called and made flight reservations to three cities for tournaments in Australia (Perth, Sydney and Melbourne), covering January to February and then a short trip for me to three cities in the USA -- Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Saint Louis, Missouri and Bloomington, Illinois covering late February to March.  The wisdom in traveling from my home in Hong Kong is to call the travel agent 3-4 months before looking to get the best price and maybe a confirmed seat.  Seems like all is go on these trips.

The most amazing part of the Europe trip in May to Paris and London is looking out the window of the Oasis Hong Kong Airlines plane and seeing the remoteness and flatness of the Gobi Desert in China rising up to meet the highest snow covered peaks in the world of the Himalayan mountain range. That is as far as I could see into the horizon for over a period of three hours.  A remote and amazing world that we live in!