Sunday Afternoon Update

Today went well in Waterford. Brandon spoke & did a phenomenal job. Thanks for al the prayers. We were both able to connect with many of the students and enjoyed our lunch afterwards. We had a great time speaking with the parents & staff. There was a lot of interest in us and our plan for the ministry. Many of the students were very excited and kept asking us great questions. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us. Brandon will be meeting with the pastor this week. More news to come...

Waterford

Please be praying for us as Brandon has his final meeting/interview with a church in Waterford, Ca. He is speaking to the high school students tomorrow (Sunday) and then we are attending a luncheon with some o f the staff, parents & volunteers in the high school ministry. This is the final step in the process and we are really hopeful that this may work out. The church is about 20 minutes from our home, which would be awesome that we wouldn't have to move. We are excited to see what God has for our family next & anxious to begin ministering to high school students again. We know that this is what God has called us to and it has really been hard to be out of the ministry this summer. Please pray that Brandon would speak well, that the church family would be welcoming & excited to meet us, that their questions would be positive, that Brandon would have the best answers & that God would give us His clarity, wisdom, direction & peace throughout the rest of this process.
We are so grateful to all of our friends & family who have been such a huge support & encouragement to us during this difficult time in our lives. We love you very much & appreciate all of your prayers, friendship & love that you have given us. THANK YOU!

Hendriks 3 B&B

This is what our house should be renamed: The Hendriks 3 B&B
We have had a fun time with our friends and family visiting over the past few weeks
We have had Shana & Kristena (friends from college)
Gerry & Anna (Redding family)
Tiffany & Drew (Oregon family)
Tiff & Drew again
Aaron & Carrie (Super friends from South Carolina)
And then we have coming up:
Kim (from Redding)
Aaron & Carrie again
My Mom & Dad
Hopefully some of the Faires family
And then hopefully Brandon's Mom & Dad

note: if you do not see your name listed about there is a problem. Please consult Melissa immediately so that we can get this sorted out & put a date on the calendar asap for you to come & visit!!!

Still...

Still Praying and waiting to see what God has next for our family. This is perhaps the hardest part of life...and transitions. The not knowing. And the waiting...and waiting...and waiting...
It is particularly hard on someone of my personality type who likes to have not only the next few days planned out minute-by-minute, but the next 5-10 years as well. I don't know why we are being allowed to go through such a long time of not knowing. I don't know why we haven't been led to the next place of ministry yet. And I don't feel entitled to complain, even though it really sucks most days. Because in my heart I KNOW that He is in control. And I know that so many people walk much harder paths than I could ever imagine. And i know I don't deserve anything. But I am ready now. Ready to know where He is leading us. Ready to move on to the next place. Ready to transition and get my family happily planted in our next place of ministry. But He keeps answering all our prayers "Wait." So that's what we are doing. And it is not fun.

Australian Grammer

Muckin Around: Hanging out
Bloak: dude
Holiday: Vacation/ trip
Barbie: Bbq
Boot: Trunk of a car
Rubbish: Trash/ Garbage cans
Bonzer: Great/awesome
Way out: Exit
Give Way: Yield
Ta' : Thank you
Mate: friend
Good on ya: Good luck
G'day: Hello/ A greeting
'Avago: Try it/ Try it out
No worries: No problem/ Don't worry about it (used A LOT)
Maccas: Mc Donalds
Big W: Walmart
Nappie: Diaper
Serviette's: Napkins
Dammit: like our curseword, but socially acceptable here, so I am told
Trolly: Shopping cart
Bonnet: hood of car
Pram: Stroller
Bush Walk: Hike
Chips: French Fries
Crisps: Potatoe chips
Kangas: Kangaroos

Most questions shall be phrased as statements prepared for clarification, such as:
Going to Manly Beach, are you?
You are all students, are you?
Enjoying your Holiday, are you?

Many words will be shortened with an additional "ie" added at the end:
Housies: Housemates
Bickies: Biscuits
Expie: Expiration
Woolies: Woolworth's (a store)
Breckie: Breakfast

Austal-yer highlights

We have been having an awesome time here thus far. Some of the highlights of our trip are:
-Xander fell asleep on the plane before we took off & slept until 9 am- for a whopping total of 10 hours! He slpet on our laps & then when he tried to roll over got a little crabby since it was not super comfy so we made a little bed on the floor under our chairs...he loved that!
-Everyone is so cute when they speak...I just love it & have to keep myself from giggling ;) They all drop their "r's" to make that cute little drawl, but then oddly enough they add an "ar" at the end of many of their words...like they say they live in asutraliar (pronounced austral-yer) or they will add it to peolple's names like Amanda is amand-er...
-I got to attend 2 incredible worship services at Hillsong the very first day we were here. Brandon and I attended their chapel service which was awesome and then Tiff and I got to attend a woman's conference at Hillsong that night which was also incredible!
-Mmm...we just enjoyed some yummy Krispy Kreme doughnuts! My favorite!!! Could this country get any better?!?
-We enjoyed some fantastic "kanga steaks" last night...they were very good, but definitely wierd to think about eating kangaroo!
-Being the brunt of all the jokes...everything is the American's fault!
-Traditional meat pies downtown...I have been told it's comparable to the popularity of hot dogs in New York City...kinda tastes like beef stroganoff in a yummy pastry crust
-Mmm...milk tea- so yummy but so hard to describe (nothing like you think it is...i promise)
-Heading into Sydney today...pics to come!

Finally Down Under!

Yay! We're finally here...1 very long plan ride, an overstuffed car & 2 days later! Australia is many hours ahead of our California time zone, so when we left on Sunday night we traveled all through the night & finally arrived on Tuesday morning, hence skipping our "Monday" all together. The flight was dark until we were about an hour or so from landing since we were flying forward in time, which made a very wonderful atmosphere for sleeping! We were informed by many people on the flight that we have the best child ever, and that they have never seen a baby behave so well, especially on a plane. Even the flight attendants & frequent travelers were impressed. They also said they have never seen a baby sleep at all the "correct times." Needless to say, this was a huge answer to prayer- Thanks to all of you who have covered us in your prayers these past few days & weeks! BY the time Xander woke up we only had about 4 1/2 hours left on our flight, which seemed like nothing compared to the Looooooong international flight we had anticipated. Xander even fell asleep again for is morning nap, right on cue as we departed the plane & stood on several long lines to get through customs & baggage claim.