Today we had the opportunity to spend the day at our guide Andrew’s school, Green Point Christian College. (In Australia, “college” is similar to what we would call an academy.) Our students were a little nervous at first about spending the day at another school surrounded by kids their own age, but it didn’t take long for them to settle in and feel comfortable.
The students were split up and placed into different classes throughout the day, including history, English, culinary, and PE. While the school is a Christian school, not every student there is a Christian. Raegan had a really special moment in her culinary class when she was able to share her faith with her partner. It was a great reminder that even simple conversations can open the door to meaningful moments.
Another one of the biggest highlights of the day came during recess after lunch. Austin quickly became a bit of a celebrity as students gathered around to watch him throw the football. Before long, boys were lining up to run routes and catch passes. Juan also drew quite a crowd when he showed some of the students his wrestling skills. The kids spent the rest of the break playing touch rugby, shooting hoops, exchanging social media information, and sharing lots of laughs. It was amazing to see how quickly friendships formed in just a few short hours. By the time it was time to leave, our students were begging to come back.
After leaving Green Point, we headed to Terrigal Beach to enjoy the evening. We built sand castles, swam in the ocean, explored some shops, and watched a beautiful sunset over the water. It was the perfect way to end a memorable day.
Throughout the evening, many of the students shared how grateful they were for the experiences they had today and how excited they were to have made new friends from the other side of the world. It was truly a day none of us will forget.
This seems like a natural place to end this blog post—but in the land down under there’s always potential for a little more excitement. Just as we were getting ready for bed, we suddenly heard screaming again from down the hall. Raegan shouted that there was another spider… but this one was far larger than the last one! (Which was already big)
At this point, Austin has officially become our designated spider guy. Armed with his trusty flip-flop, he stepped up to the challenge. After three attempts—and plenty of yelling and screams from the rest of the group—he finally managed to slay the eight-legged beast. With the spider defeated and the room finally calm again, there were equal parts laughter and relief.
Now, assuming there are no more surprise visitors before I hit “post,” we are finally heading to sleep. Another full and unforgettable day in Australia comes to a close.
The students were split up and placed into different classes throughout the day, including history, English, culinary, and PE. While the school is a Christian school, not every student there is a Christian. Raegan had a really special moment in her culinary class when she was able to share her faith with her partner. It was a great reminder that even simple conversations can open the door to meaningful moments.
Another one of the biggest highlights of the day came during recess after lunch. Austin quickly became a bit of a celebrity as students gathered around to watch him throw the football. Before long, boys were lining up to run routes and catch passes. Juan also drew quite a crowd when he showed some of the students his wrestling skills. The kids spent the rest of the break playing touch rugby, shooting hoops, exchanging social media information, and sharing lots of laughs. It was amazing to see how quickly friendships formed in just a few short hours. By the time it was time to leave, our students were begging to come back.
After leaving Green Point, we headed to Terrigal Beach to enjoy the evening. We built sand castles, swam in the ocean, explored some shops, and watched a beautiful sunset over the water. It was the perfect way to end a memorable day.
Throughout the evening, many of the students shared how grateful they were for the experiences they had today and how excited they were to have made new friends from the other side of the world. It was truly a day none of us will forget.
This seems like a natural place to end this blog post—but in the land down under there’s always potential for a little more excitement. Just as we were getting ready for bed, we suddenly heard screaming again from down the hall. Raegan shouted that there was another spider… but this one was far larger than the last one! (Which was already big)
At this point, Austin has officially become our designated spider guy. Armed with his trusty flip-flop, he stepped up to the challenge. After three attempts—and plenty of yelling and screams from the rest of the group—he finally managed to slay the eight-legged beast. With the spider defeated and the room finally calm again, there were equal parts laughter and relief.
Now, assuming there are no more surprise visitors before I hit “post,” we are finally heading to sleep. Another full and unforgettable day in Australia comes to a close.