Byron Bay week 3

Sunday (November 11), we went to Eastgate Church with Alex and her family, then after service we enjoyed a kebab together before they dropped us off back at the hostel in Byron Bay. After 2 weeks of not be able to I was determined to get into the water. So that week we hung out at the beach a couple of days and I was able to attempt to surf. I got up but it was only on the white wash which is a great beginning. On Saturday (November 17) Hilary, Christa and I went for a hike up to the world famous Cape Byron Lighthouse. It was such a beautiful day and the sights along the way were so amazing. The 2.5 km hiking trail led us along the ocean and brought us to some beautiful secluded beaches. The view from the light house was absolutely stunning and we could see whales, sting rays, turtles and dolphins playing in the surf. One of the lookout points from the light house is the most eastern point in the southern hemisphere and the first place to see the sunrise. On the last day that we were there, Tuesday October 30th Christa and I woke up at 4 am to go to the light house for sunrise. It was so dark that you could feel it almost like a blanket. As we left the hostel we noticed the sun was already starting to slowly light up the sky so we grabbed a taxi so we didn’t miss it, Christa had this excitement as we got closer to the lighthouse. It was the most breathtaking sunrise we had ever seen. The clouds glowed as red as fire just before the sun burst forth. As the sun appeared its rays shot up in the sky in a glorious way. What a sight it was and how much we continue to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us, if creations is this breathtaking how much more our creator!

Hosanna Farm Retreat

After a week in Byron,(Sat Nov 3) we went to Hosanna Farm Retreat which is about 30 minutes inland from Byron in what they call the hinterlands. Alex who owns Hosanna is in the process of converting Hosanna from a Christian retreat center to a backpacker’s hostel. The property at Hosanna was about 100 acres of beautiful lush green country, filled with large forest areas with creeks running through the middle. We really enjoyed getting to know Alex as she has such an amazing heart. Hallvard and Linda, a couple from Norway that we met in Byron came with us to Hosanna and we all helped Alex in any way we could. Christa did an amazing job setting up the food storage area, which was a lot of work and involved an 8 hour shopping day with Alex. One day we did a day trip with Hallvard and Linda into Tweed Heads. Tweed Heads is one of the best surf beaches in Australia and holds the Quicksilver Pro Surf tour every March. I instantly fell in love with this little surf town and think that it is one of the most beautiful places in Australia. We liked it so much that Christa and I went back there by ourselves later that week and spent the day sightseeing. At Hosanna we had a busy but relaxing time and can’t wait to see the hostel when it is finished in early 2008.

Byron Bay - week 1

Friday October 26 we were back on the bus on our way to Byron Bay. The bus trip was only a few hours down the coast but was one of the most intense bus rides we have had. About an hour out of Surfers Paradise we drove into a massive storm. The bus driver even put on her seat belt......it was raining so hard that the bus had to slow down to about 20kms per hour on the highway and there were cars pulled off to the side of the road. At one point we heard a huge ‘CRACK’ and a lightning bolt hit a tree right beside the bus. We arrived safely, thank God, and settled into our hostel for the night. Byron Bay is one of the nicest spots in all of Australia and I was definitely looking forward to doing some surfing. On Saturday we hooked up with the crew from Youth With A Mission, which is a Christian discipleship training course that has bases all over the world. We spent a couple of nights at the base with them and went to some of their lectures during the week at a local church, Eastgate Community Church. We were introduced to Pastor Neville who did the teaching that week on Biblical covenants and were so blessed to be able to go. It was amazing to see the bigger picture of how the Bible was written and how perfect God’s word truly is. On Monday (Oct 29) we moved back into a hostel and the plan was to ride bikes to the church every morning for the rest of the lectures. Well on Tuesday that plan fell apart. As we were riding to the church I felt the need to try a wheelie on the bike. I am not sure why, I guess I wanted to try and impress my wife since she looked so hot on her bike. Anyway I fell off the bike and pulled ligaments in my knee really bad. Thank God Pastor Neville offered to pick us up and drop us off every day for the lectures. The really, really crappy thing was that we were finally in a place that I could surf but because of my knee that wasn’t going to happen. Through the YWAM group we met Hilary who was the assistant manager of the hostel we were staying at. Christa and Hilary got on great. The three of us hung out a lot that week and had some really good times.