Grand Finale begins

At the end of a television series, there is always the finale. It may be a season finale, or it may be over for good. Instead of an hour long program, you generally get hit with 2 hours of cliff hangers, which prepare you for months of awaiting the next episode. Well, this program is ending, but only for a season. The last leg of the trip has begun, and we are nearing the end of the journey. That said, it won't be over forever... Eventually, the producer(s) will air new episodes, containing new adventures. 

We arrived in Auckland, bright and early on a beautiful Sunday morning. Luckily, as mentioned in my last post, I had time to catch a cab to the church building. I enjoyed an amazing worship service, with a great group of Christians. Their faith and genuine love was made clearly evident in their hospitality. I was welcomed into their service with open arms, and even received a well meant "Roll Tide" from a member. Once I said I was from Auburn, they quickly withdrew the previous statement. After a while of chatting and getting to know some of the members, one drove me back to the airport to save me the cab fare. When asked how I got there and back, a fellow student seemed surprised that I was given a ride back from the church building. This made me realize exactly how blessed I am to have a "family" everywhere I go. If you visit a church, you are guaranteed an invite to lunch, often in the member's home, and if not, they may buy your meal out at a restaurant. If you need to get somewhere, no worries! Someone will give you a lift. This comes second nature to me, but I realized today that it's rather "abnormal." I praise God that I have had the opportunity to worship with my family in other countries. It is an experience that I will forever treasure.

Once back in Sydney, we were free to do whatever we felt like doing. Meghan's mom flew into Sydney a few days ago, so she (Meghan) was eager to take off and meet up with her mom. We dropped all our stuff off at the dorms, cleaned up a bit, and went to find Mrs.Joyce. On the way down the main street, we were stopped due to the Dragon Parade. There is an enormous Asian population here, and the Chinese New Year is a big deal. It was neat being able to see such a huge cultural celebration!

All in all, it was a fun evening, in which we just caught Meghan's mom up on some of our adventures, before finally saying goodbye. We were all tired, and were close to falling asleep at the dinner table. After being awake 20 hours, sleeping for 3, and then being up another 41, I was ready to crash. After a shower and some quick school work, I laid down in bed, and...

Yes, the show is ending. Here's a commercial break before the next hour of the finale begins. Grab some popcorn and a soda, and hang in there. Just pray that this show isn't similar to "Lost" in which the plane from Sydney to Los Angeles has some issues!!