life in photos.

Hey everybody, we just wanted to share these with you so you could be a part of our day out in the city. We love you all so much and hope that you have a great fathers day in the U.S.

Driving in Australia and other things!!!

Hey everybody it has been a bit since I have blogged so I am here to tell you a little bit of what has been going on here.  I got to drive yesterday for the first time in 6 months.  It was so nice to be in a car and driving around, that is until I pulled out onto the street and cars were coming at me!!! Oh yes out of such habit I started driving down the right side of the road, and good thing it was on a side street.  There was no danger and I quickly went to the left side of the road, and had no trouble the rest of the time.  I was quickly reminded of all the comforts of having just a mode of transportation and how nice it is to just get in the car and go.  Most of the time we are waiting on busses and trains.  While it wasn't our car and we are back to the public transport which is really good here, I had so much fun driving!  Can I just start this post out by saying God is so good.  I am learning so much through him and all the classes that I am taking. 

I am learning in songwriting that when you get the most cliche thoughts, write them down, then go back and figure out new and fresh ways to say that same thing.  I have learned so much about leadership and communication as well.  I could write a whole wall posting on just what i have learned this semester, but will spare you a really long post.  

Erika and I are doing really well.  We are loving the new place and love our new flat mates.  They are such a huge blessing in our lives and really enjoy having a friendship with people that are our age and in a similar place and situation that we are.  

I have just about finished a song that i have been working on since we arrived here.  I know that it's a really long time to work on a song, but I heard some of the best advice and wisdom about that from someone i just met today.  He said "It's funny how you can spend months and months writing a song, and then there are the times where a song comes to you in about 3 minutes.  The really frustrating part is when people like the song that took 3 minutes better than the one that took months.  The good thing is that the 3 minute songs come through the learning and frustrations that come from a song that takes months and months to write."  That was such a great revelation and help to me.

I hope everything is going well at home.  I hear and see on the news that things are difficult in a lot of the country.  I want to leave you with this verse John 14:27, which was also a great inspiration to the song that I am writing.  Jesus says "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."  

We love you all and thank you for your support through prayers and finance.  You are such a blessing to us and we are forever grateful.

brian

sick day with a sunny sky

So...I  (Erika) am home sick.  For clarification, I am at home and sick not to be confused with being home-sick.  Like clockwork, every time the season changes I get sick-boo.  June 1 brought winter to the southern hemisphere and 11 days later...I am sick.  Icky cold and allergies.  Sore throat and cough combined with no sleep left me with no choice but to call in sick to work.  Blah.  When I was a kid I LOVED sick days.  Sick days meant [fun and relaxation.  Now I just pace around the whole place thinking about what I should be doing instead of relaxing and trying to get better.  You should have see me at Brians parents house.  I paced around their house from 8 am to 3 am the next day.  He finally told me to shut up and go to bed.  I think he was tired and frustrated.  Oh and if my taster ever goes out.  God help us all I really freak out then.  If you can't tell by the writing style, Brian started writing where it says now I just pace.  Isn't he a riot]  Brian thinks he is SO funny.  As much as I would like to say the above is NOT TRUE...alas, I cannot.  Sorry for the imposter.  As I was saying, when I was a kid sick days meant TV (in large doses that were not usually allowed), reading, soup, and my mom at my every beck and call.  Ladies and Gents, it doesn't get any better than that.  But today didn't look like that.  I was home-alone.  Brian at school and then work.  So I got very bored.  And thought about EVERYTHING I should have been doing.  And wishing I was at work.  Some people play hookie from work and love sick days, but I LOVE MY JOB.  I hated missing it today.  Not because I would be behind or I felt guilty, but because I truly missed being there.  I did ALL of that but all I wanted to do was relax...ugghhh.  So frustrating.  But then came my silver lining...I had a mother/daughter date with my amazing mom over Skype.  Praise Jesus for Skype when you are 10,000 miles from home.  And I got to talk to her for two hours.  So in a way, I got my childhood sick day-my mom.   And then my awesome, amazing, phenomenal, HOT, and compassionate hubby came home from work and tended to my beck and call for the rest of the night.  Folks, it doesn't get any better than that!  After all was said and done and as much as I HATE being sick, it turned out to be an A-OKAY day!!!! 

And the award goes to...

I definately think that Brian and I should get the slacker award for blogging.  In our defense the past month and a half has been a whirlwind!  Since I know you all are dying to know what we've been up to the past month (ha!), I will give you snip-its into our life...

1.  We MOVED!  Thats right for the 3rd time since August we packed up our things and moved.  We are becoming professional packers and movers!  We are no longer in the college housing.  We've moved to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney near the bay.  Its a BEAUTIFUL area.  And we are able to save heaps of money by living here.  We are so blessed.

2.  I'm applying for my 2nd Visa in 6 months!  Yeppers, thats right, I'm back to the Visa process.  But its for a wonderful cause.  My company, Lindamood Bell, promoted me and with the promotion I need to be able to work full time.  However, on my current visa that is not possible.  So they have agreed to sponsor me so that I can be full time status!  Again, we are so blessed.  However, we NEED your prayer.  This is a very vigorous process.  We (my work and I) are finishing up the application and submitting it this week.  The business sponsorship is a hard visa to get approved.  So we need your prayers!  Please join us in praying and believing for my visa to come through, so I can begin full time work by July 3rd!  We are believing for a miracle!

3. Brian is playing in Hillsong College Chapels!  Brian has the honor and privilege of being one of the few worship students to play in the chapel worship band at college.  If you know Brian, you know he is LOVING it!  Anytime he has an opportunity to engage others in life changing worship, he is stoked.  God is really raising him up in leadership. 

4. KEYBOARD!  God is a God who provides.  And we've seen this to be true through this whole journey.  God keeps showing himself as our provider...even in our wants.  We've been praying for Brian a keyboard.  As most of you know, Brian isn't just passionate about playing and singing but he is passionate about writing music.  In order for him to practice and write he really needed a keyboard at the house.  So we began praying.  And in about 2 weeks we had a keyboard GIVEN to us.  Thats right-given.  For free.  Amazing.

5. Brrr...As you all in the northern hemisphere are in full swing of summer, June 1 marked the first day of winter for all of us southern hemisphere residents.  I am so confused.  Each time I write the date, this messes with my mind.  My internal clock is WHACKED.  Winter in Sydney isn't too bad.  Winters primarily consist of sunny and crisp days. Today it was about 60 degrees and sunny...I can handle that!  And on Saturday we went to the beach...I'm not complaining!  However, this was after about 2 weeks of rain...ick.  Autumn is rainy season, so I was welcoming winter!  

6.  MEGA PRAYER.  We got to experience our first Mega Prayer Night at Hillsong.  This is a service the church gathers all campuses and has a 2 hour service of worship and prayer.  Unbelievable.  This was the BEST and most POWERFUL service I've ever attended.  I felt like I had a glimpse into heaven.  I can't begin to put into words.  But the Spirit was thick.  

7.  Across the Earth...Hillsong United released another album May 26 in the USA.  It hit #1 on iTunes beating Eminem...how crazy is that?!  If you haven't listened to it-YOU MUST!  This is my favorite United Album.  Unreal.

Well, that about catches you up.  I promise not to take such a long absence.  At the suggestion of a friend, I'm gonna start carrying my camera EVERYWHERE and take pictures of our experiences so we can keep blog-land updated more frequently and with more pictures.  Again, we are blog slackers.

xoxo

b & erika