Day 191: Coming This Winter

So today marked the beginning of the mid-semester break; 2 weeks stand between me and the start of my second semester. It's so weird to see it that way... wow, God's led me through 5 months in Australia. It's the farthest I've ever been from home. It's the longest I've ever been from home. And it's also the most impacting experience that God has carried me through. He's been so good to me, more good than I have been to Him. That's what I love most about God; no matter how committed or not committed I may be, He remains faithful and forgiving.

Today started at a rather random time: noon. Thanks to my internal clock, I woke up at 8, but I felt like staying asleep. So I ended up staying asleep until then. That was fine with me! An hour later, I went over to Andre's flat for pancakes; it was moved to then because of the exhaustion that was Hillsong Conference. It was great to see more people come over and be a part of the experience too; it was so much fun. Then it was chilling with my new flatmates, who will be featured on a vlog at some point (I have 3 ready to upload, but all I need is time). We were just chatting and looking up random stuff on the interweb; the first time we've really been able to sit down and relax together. Then it was off to evening church, where we got to hear from Andy Stanley. Andy is the son of Dr. Charles Stanley, a big name on the Christian radio station KFAX 1100 back home; he currently pastors a church in Florida, and he's an incredible speaker. To put it in Brian Houston's words, "every time Andy speaks, it's like I get a shot between the eyes of conviction." He knows what's up, and his relaxed but firm style of preaching grabs your attention, keeps it, and makes you think deep down of yourself. It's amazing! After that, I visited my friend Mia's going away party, since she is moving on from the Hillsong season of her life. It was literally a "ghetto fabulous goodbye", since friends came dressed like gangsters. You may think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I was definitely the whitest-looking guy there, but that's okay with me; I'm not ghetto in ANY sense of the word. My day is far from over, because I'm hanging out with Donny and Andrew right now. Andrew is heading back to the US for the break, so we're hanging out while he's still here. Sunday is going so good so far.

God bless,
Steven