Working Together

Daniel and I working together at Coffee Club at the DFO Shopping Center in Essendon (suburb of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria)

Though we had an idea of what it might be like to work in Australia, to quote Daniel, "I was scared stupid when we left Hawaii for Melbourne!" We literally had no idea what was in store for us, arriving in mid-November to a country-continent where we knew literally no one. But this was part of the adventure of it all, and part of what keeps me inspired and going even now. Upon setting out on this journey, I believe Daniel and I both either had divergent ideas about what this was supposed to be, or simply coincided on the fact that we had no idea. I have now reflected in my last post as to what the journey has ultimately become, and meant for me personally. Daniel has internalized his own personal experiences and growth, though I know for certain that one of the principal things we share is a renewed appreciation for the relationships in our lives. And I do not think that I stand alone in saying that I am extremely grateful and fortunate for the growth in my relationship with my brother Daniel.

Before we left on the trip there were illusions of bartending together; throwing bottles, uncapping beers, and then sliding the drinks along down the bar: essentially scenes from "Cocktail," but starring us instead of Tom Cruise. Though this never really came to fruition, we have discovered a friendly home at Coffee Club DFO Essendon. Thanks to Wayne Bongers and Susan Camilleri we have a home away from home, and have had many opportunities to explore the Australian culture that surrounds us. Thanks to them we have seen wild kangaroo, eaten dead kangaroo, and learned a ton about Victoria (the state where Melbourne is located within Australia). The adventure has been one of not yielding to fear and being open to self-discovery. This trip in a very real way has been an allegory for what the rest of life holds. We have learned that we need to work in order to make anything possible in this life. We have acquired a rhythm in performing that work, and have developed a further, over-arching rhythm for our lives. We understand now, that working together makes more possible, and further that it can deepen a relationship that was only ever before, just there. Work has the potential to drive us apart or draw us together. And I firmly believe that we have achieved the latter in a very real way.

This has been due in no small part to the great number of people we have met, and who have been extremely generous to us. Life, and the world trip, would never have been possible without these altruistic individuals, who partly believed in the vision that we explained to them, but mostly opened unto us the great capacity in their hearts to love and give, and hence we are still here, and planning the next stage of the journey.

Our time at Coffee Club, Wrap it Fresh, working in the bush with John, Rosalee, and Hugh, working as a fundraising frontliner on the streets of Melbourne's suburbs; down every avenue we have walked, we have found friends, aids, understanding, challenge, and hope that life can be oh so much better than the dubious outlook that we may have carried before we left.

And so in this post, and in this moment, I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have helped make this journey a reality. Thanks especially to you Mom and Dad, who have been there to support us throughout, and never doubted that we had embarked on a necessary journey, one that will lead seamlessly and beautifully into the next epoch of our lives.


Mom and I at an apple orchard in Rockford prior to our leaving


Dad and Daniel walking at the orchard on the same day as above


Our friends Andy and Lindsey at a surprise visit to our home two Christmases ago. They were extremely hospitable when we stayed with them in Hawaii, and then Lindsey extremely helpful and supportive on her recent visit to us here in Melbourne. Thank God for great friends.

External and Internal Adventures

It is interesting how it took traveling to the other side of the world for me to find that the journey had in fact lay within the whole time. Though we have definitely beheld many a beautiful sight in multiple beautiful lands, the fact remains that the tangible accomplishments of the trip itself pale in comparison to the personal internal growth that has enhanced my conscience and deepened my heart and soul.

Somewhere inside me I always knew that this was the case, however denial lead me to believe that it was the doing that would set me free, that would open my mind, that would show me the way. I have come to understand that such is not the case. Travel is a hobby; a unique one perhaps, but a pursuit that requires time and money in order to effect, just like any other hobby. It is something that we ultimately choose over other possible investments of our time and resources. Any hobby, pursuit, interest, or activity that we love can lead us to the discovery of new things within our person. We are amazing creatures, and our potential far exceeds what our imagination could ever envision. Sometimes we need to run after those things that fascinate us, those things that fulfill us and make us come alive! Travel was one of the things that at some point evoked in me a desire for more out of life, and so I followed it here to Australia. For a time it proved fulfilling, but just like any other pursuit, I am looking forward to a change, to traveling back toward the United States and the perennial warmth and comforts of home, family, and old friends.

What inspires you to live when you think about it? What invariably makes you laugh or inevitably leads you to cry? I believe that these are the ways in which God shows us the paths it would behoove us to follow. It is through the passion of emotion, through the joy of activity, the thrill of experience, the accomplishment of goals, major or minor, that our eyes are opened to our talents and abilities, and fear is left behind.

I had to go to the other side of the world, but perhaps it would only take you going into your back yard and chopping wood, coaching a volleyball team, riding a bike, taking meals to senior citizens and handicapped persons, taking communion to the ill, visiting the dying, praying for those who do not love you. Each one represents a way to seek the things which make us come alive. When we find them, I believe that we must seek to incorporate them into our lives in one way or another. And then we will have a constant flow of inspiration and hope to lead us through the sometimes incredibly joy-filled, and at other times depressed stages of our lives.

The things that you need to pursue to make your life extraordinary may lie right in front of you. I in many ways dreaded setting out on this journey, but thanks to my parents pushing, and friends' encouragement, we did it! We left, and I cannot, nor would ever want to go back. I cannot unlearn the lessons I have taken from what I have seen, experienced, and lived in the past several months. In the coming time I hope to recount a number of experiences that will demonstrate just how great God can be, if we only open ourselves to His will in our lives. If you feel drawn to something, and you can see no moral or practical reason why you should not pursue it, for your own sake DO IT! Cower not before the pursuits that can make your life extraordinary!