Gee!!! It's sssooooooo hot!!!!!!

I guess summer really is here!!! For those of you who don't know, I'm back home in Bourke, NSW, Australia.

Lately, I've been getting back into things at school. Actually, at the moment, we're getting ready for the school's Awards Night this Thursday night. I'm doing a skit called "The Jerk" with the other three "Senior" boys, my sister is doing a puppet play with another couple of kids, the juniors are performing a Christmas play, I'm performing a piano solo called "Feelin' Good," and there are going to be a couple other items throughout the night amongst the presentations.

I've also been trying to revive a few of my cricket skills in the men's cricket competition. I'm playing for a club called Dry Lake. So far I've played three games with them, although I've only batted twice. The first game I didn't get to bat, but I did get to take a catch out in the field. The second game I took two catches and made 5 runs off about 20 overs. The third game I made 17 of approximately the same amount of overs as the last game.

Last week I spent with the NSW Amulance Service doing work experience. That was pretty cool, but unfortunately for us we didn't get any really good jobs. Next week, after school finishes, I'll be looking to go back and do another week's worth of work experience with them again.

Well, that's about it. My family will be heading down to Sydney for Christmas, and then in the New Year, Dad's wanting to move to Brisbane, but I'm not too sure I really want to move.

This Saturday I'll hopefully be playing for Town in the Town vs. Country U/18's cricket match and then again for Dry Lake in the Day-Nighter that afternoon.

The temperature these last few days have been in the late 30's to early 40's Celsius. It's been rather miserable, but otherwise, everything's going really well!!!

The Falls 

To let you know what's happening, as well as a verse I'd like to share.

For the past 7 days, I've been travelling around Yunnan Province with my grandparents, as well as the rest of my family, and two other couples. We started off in Yunnan's capital (Kunming), and have been to XiShuangBanNa (Jing Hong), DaLi, and LiJiang. Tomorrow we leave for Shangri-La where we'll be spending three nights, before heading back to Kunming and then going to the capital of GuiZhou Province (GuiYang). We've seen some pretty amazing scenery once again, and we've learnt a lot about the different minority groups in Yunnan Province. I'll be sending another round of photos when I get back to Fujian.

I was reading through the 3rd chapter in the first book of Timothy, and I came across a verse which I'd like to share with you all:

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory." 1 Timothy 3:16

I found that pretty amazing. I hope you do too.

Kashgar

A wonderful place. Not only is the food good, but I can also access blogger!!! I'm sorry for not adding anything on here recently, but everywhere else I've been to, I have been unable to access blogger.
Kashgar is beautiful. With snow-capped mountains on one side, desert-like mountains on the other and the dry heat, this would be an ideal place to call home. Unfortunately, it's missing a couple things: my close friends and the cricket!
Two days ago we went to a huge bazaar where I was able to purchase two nice looking daggers for about 20 Aussie dollars. It was great fun bargaining. The only worry now is that they won't be allowed on the train, but we'll be finding out about that this arvo when we head back to Urumqi via train.

A little update

Well, it's been a while since I've written anything on here and lots of things have happened during that time.

Last weekend, I and two other Aussie blokes bached away in Xi'an. We had a really awesome time visiting the Terra Cotta Warriors, HuaQingChi, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower and the South Gate. The other two Aussies were extremely fortunate - they were given leave from Friday morning before classes started with no questions asked. We were also able to do heaps of shopping and the bargaining was great fun!

Then, the school broke up for an unusual weekend over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. During that time, my parents and two of my younger siblings went to Xi'an. The electricity happened to go out on Thursday night which, added with the humidity and heat, made a really disgusting night. The electricity didn't come back on until, basically, Saturday.

Anyway, that's about how things are at the moment. I'm awfully disappointed in the Brisbane Broncos after the loss to the Warriors, but, at least they're still on the top of the table! Also, my family will soon be heading for what is going to be literally a tour from the top of China to the bottom. Hopefully, that's going to be great fun.

Standing on the Rock

I'm terribly sorry that it's taken me so long to post on here. Things have been extremely busy and, at times, I've totally forgotten about it. Here's a poem I wrote several months ago.


Standing On The Rock

Though persecution comes
I stand strong.
Regardless of the duration –
Be it short or long.
I will not be moved
Because I am standing on the Rock.
This Rock is my foundation –
He absorbs all the shock.

When the waters flood around
And all my possessions are swept to sea,
When my enemies attack
And try to conquer me,
I will not be shaken
Because I am standing on the Rock.
This Rock will never leave me –
He’ll be there right round the clock.

Sickness may come and discourage me.
I may get the down-and-outs.
Friends may turn their backs on me
And my mind may be filled with doubts.
Yet, I will not remain defeated
Because I’m standing on the Rock.
And I’ll be there at the End
When our ship comes in to dock!!

Hiking and Life

These are some thoughts taken out of a notebook I'd written in several weeks ago. My apologies if they seem random and out of place.


Recently we've been climbing mountains every weekend. On these occassions, I've had lots of time to think - time to think about friends, relationships, school work and life in general.

You know, hiking and life have lots in common. For one, we all start at the same place (at the bottom). Depending on our different abilities, we set and aim for different goals. It's never easy getting there, but if we apply ourselves, we'll make it.

Sometimes the road is easy and flat. Other times the road is so steep it seems impossible. When we face the steep roads, we will find out whether or not we are capable of reaching our goal. And there are also times where we'll feel like flying.

Once you reach your goal, you go back to the beginning and start again.

Sometimes, the road is so long and we feel so tired, we don't think we can make it, but if we press on, step by agonizing step, we will get there.

That's the good thing about going hiking with a group - you have people who will encourage you to keep going. In life it's much the same, when we involve others in our lives, during our hard times, they'll be there to encourage us and us them.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes it's just a cut or scratch. At other times it might be a broken arm or leg or rib. And others may cost lives. Mistakes in life also happen. Sometimes we'll be set back by a day or two. At others we'll lose money or some other material possessions. And like above, others cost lives.

Hiking and life can get tiring at times, but if we slowly press on, the victory at the end is so rewarding. When I face those steep roads, I always think of Isaiah 40:31, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

This verse helps me to press on and reach the top of the summit.

There are those people who fly up the mountain and there are those who get there, but just not as quick. Both these people have set the same goal. The quick one represents someone who has prepared long and hard for the trials, so when the trials come, he's ready. The slower one is someone, who, although he has also prepared, meets new challenges which he didn't quite expect and must therefore take it slowly.

In order to get to the top, we need to have patience. We need to have the patience to wait out the hard times, otherwise we'll make the mistake of rushing and we may not learn the lesson we were supposed to.

One rather frequent mistake which people often make is that of taking the wrong road. For example, once during a climb, Dad and I took a different road from the other students. That was OK because we knew that it would eventually meet up with the others. On the way back, one of the students and I took what we both thought was the track Dad and I took earlier. After a little while, we figured out that we were on the wrong track. By that time, we realized that we were half-way up the mountain when we were supposed to be at the top. This was a bit of a disappointment, but at least we knew where we were and what we had to do, so we were able to solve the problem with little stress. This happens in life as well. People take the wrong path and end up behind, or totally out of, the place where they were supposed to be. Most of the time, they can pull themselves out.

When coming down the mountain, one must be careful not to come down too fast, or else you'll hurt yourself. Like so, in life, after completing a victory, one must be careful not to boast and show-off, otherwise he/she will be pulled down into shame. As Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

Like I stated earlier, we've been climbing mountains on a regular basis. Because we do it so regularly, it can get boring after the first few times. You might ask, "Why does it get boring?" It gets boring because, even though you may go to different places, it kind of becomes too routine. Again, you might ask, "Then why do you keep doing it?" That's simple: the reason I still do it is because, each time, I learn something new. It helps my body stay fit. It's good for me.

Life also gets those types of problems. Things seem the same all the time: dull and boring. But, though they may seem boring, they are helping you develop your life. Perhaps you might be recovering from some kind of sickness and the things you need to do, the steps you need to take, are so repetitive that you feel as if nothing's ever going to happen. I can only encourage you to keep at it and don't give up, because slowly, bit by bit, you will be able to see improvements.

It's the same with learning how to play an instrument. One begins with the basics before the more complex things. Only by practicing and repeating over and over again can you improve. The reward in the end is much better when one diligently applies himself, regardless of the difficulties or repetitiveness.

Physically tired - Spiritually Strong

This past weekend has been one of the most physically challenging, yet spiritually strengthening weekends I've had for ages.

Saturday morning I went to school and robbed one of the English teachers, while he was having a creative writing lesson, with Dad. Don't worry, it was just something fun to do and something the teachers had to write about for their lesson. (They were learning how to report the things which they saw!)
In the arvo, I played some pretty fair dinkum table-tennis with some of the best in the school for three hours. Then I joined the flag-raising team for some physical training which included running around a +400 m field three times, short running exercises and running, one step at a time, up 4 flights of stairs, across the fourth floor and back down again 5 or 6 times. At the end, we were all extremely worn out, but happy to have accomplished the things we did.

Sunday was THE big day! Got up at 5 and rode to school at 6:30. Shortly after 7, the students from class 1A and the teachers boarded two buses and off we went for a day's hike in the Zhong Tiao Mountain Range. For most of us guys, it was quite a quick, yet agonizingly painful and sweaty. We reached the top 100 minutes after starting out at 8:30. It was wonderful being able to set a new climbing record. It was the third time I'd climbed those same mountains. The first time it took 5 hours, but we took a longer road that time and my whole family stayed together. The second time it took about 3 hours to get up, but we rested more. This third time we literally just went straight up with short stops every now and then. The view was magnificent! There were wild flowers all over the place and the weather was absolutely beaut! The sun was shining and there was a cool wind on the mountain side. After we got to the top, we had to wait 20-40 minutes before the second group arrived. The last group which made it up arrived at 11:50. Ten minutes before the deadline to turn around and head back. Going down was so much easier, we would've made it in under 80 minutes had we not stopped to let the others catch up. Upon reaching the bottom, we had to wait for nearly two hours before the last of the teachers/students made it down.
It was a really challenging trip. It took a lot of effort to make it up to the top, but being able to run across the rope bridge, over to where our destination was, was truly fantastic. At the moment my thighs seem to be killing me, but I'm alive and I'm glad I went. I didn't think I'd be able to make it at certain stages throughout the trip, but prayer and an urge to go forward step by step got me there. And then from there it was all down-hill.

This is totally unrelated to the above topic: After trying to figure out how to use things in a library, particulary the computer and a barcode reader, I came up with the following phrase: "Technology makes things so much easier, yet so much more difficult!" Trust me, it's true!!!

Purity

This poems was written several weeks ago, but I have been unable to post anything on this blog, so it's late, but it's here. I've also got another one which I'll hopefully post next week.

There may come a time in our lives

Where we choose to remail single or to marry.

This is one of the most important decisions in life

And when considering it, we must not hurry.

God says that to be married is a blessing.

It's something good, not something bad.

And when a couple remain pure and Godly,

The Devil really gets driven mad!

Purity is one of the most important traits -

One you need for your relationship to grow.

It's something that'll be hampered on every side

By Satan our greatest foe.

During the years leading up to marriage,

And those to follow too,

We must strive to remain pure -

To be true through and through.

Purity covers lots of areas

From the things we do to what se speak.

It includes being humble

Decisive, determined and meek.

We can't have love without purity.

It would make no sense at all.

And we cannot lack purity,

If we seek to follow God's call.

He has called us to be pure.

Don't run away! Stand and fight!

Trust in God to lead you,

And everything will be alright.

You Are My Light

I was wondering what to write the other day and then I remembered some words out of a friend's post which I received recently about being a light in the darkness. So the light in the darkness has inspired me to write the following words:

You, O Lord, are my light

When darkness is all around me

You light my path and guide my steps

When I am blind and cannot see

There are times where I stumble

But you're always there to catch me

Without You, I'd drown in the smallest puddle

But with You, I can float in the deepest sea

You're the one who helps me win

You're the one who makes my enemies flee

Thank You, Lord, for lighting my path

Thanks for Your grace that has set me free

Thank You, Lord, for being my light

And for lighing my path for eternity!

Wanted II

Well, this poem is actually what I was trying to get in the first one, but somewhere along the line I got distracted. So here's what came the second time:

You're wanted. I'm wanted.

The Queen's wanted too.

We're all wanted by an Almighty God

Who's got this massive job for us to do.

He's got few helpers,

But stacks of work.

So, He'll take anyone

From kings to lowly clerks.

So, if you're looking for something different,

Or, if you feel as though you're through,

Come on and join us!

There's plenty of work for you!!!

"Wanted"

During this past week, the word "wanted" just popped into my head and this new poem started to form. It's not what I wanted it to be, but it's what I've written. It's about being on the run from Satan, and the world, and putting our trust in the Lord to protect us.

Wanted

I'm walking, down-town,

And I see this sign.

It seems I'm wanted,

'Cause I didn't tow the line.

See, I wanted to be different.

God showed me the way.

I kind of forgot (but He did tell me),

That I would have to pay.

Now I see I must pay,

But why such a high price?

I never fully realized,

It cost so much to follow Christ.

I've been forsaken by all but God.

There's no-one but Him to turn to.

Everyone else has shut their doors,

Even those I thought I knew.

I could give in, but it'd cost me my new life,

For so says yonder sign,

Or, I could fight on and trust in God,

That He'll make everything fine.

I can run from anyone, except for God,

So I'll take option B.

It's a frightening thought (now that I think about it),

That the whole world, plust the Devil, is after me.

I'll rest in the knowledge that God will hide me.

By faith, I know He can.

He'll keep me safe and He'll provide all my needs,

As I live like a wanted man.

"Just Right"

The mountains tower
Big and tall
Over valleys green
And so very small

The snow flakes glisten
Clean and white
As the stars shine down
Clear and bright

The wind blows gently
Rustling my hair
As I gaze across this land
So vast; so fair

It's a wonderful gift
This world of ours
So full of trees
Birds and flowers

We've nothing lacking
We've all we need
Have faith, trust on
And let God lead

For He created more
Then we could ever know or see
He made things just right
For you and for me

"I Never Thought"

I never thought I'd get the chance
To say, "I'm going home for holidays!"
But then, I guess, it's just a beginning
Of a new life and a new phase
There'll be no more going back
Only forwards going
On to where God's grace
His mercy and love are flowing
To a life better than this
To an eternity that last forever
And there I'll finally get that chance
To meet, face-to-face, that Jesus fellah