Saturday, April 30, 2011

Undeniable

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and his divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

-Romans 1:20-


I have never really had trouble accepting that God existed or that He created the world. After driving along the Great Ocean Road, it is undeniable and irrefutable that God exists. Seeing rock formations molded by rain and wind, hearing the waves crash against them, and feeling the gentle breeze with a hint of rain--how could you not believe?

I was blessed to take a little 2 days excursion to the Great Ocean Road as part of my Easter (working) holidays. The Great Ocean Road is a coastal drive along the bottom of the state of Victoria, along Bass Strait. Amber, Anne, and I decided to drive the stretch of road between Port Fairy to Torquay. We made the 12ish hour drive to Melbourne on Monday. After a great Drew family dinner, we headed out on our adventure on Tuesday. We decided to go inland to Port Fairy, and then drive the along the coast on the way back to Melbourne. Here is just a brief look at our journey. Check out good ole FB for more photos.

Driving: Driving inland in Victoria looks surprising like driving through Oklahoma! We drove through pastures full of cattle and sheep on semi-paved roads with no lines. It's the flattest part of Australia I have seen yet. We spent most of the first day on roads like this, but I didn't mind because it felt a little like home.


Stop #1: Port Fairy

We finally made it to Port Fairy late Tuesday night. It's a lovely little village with a great main street of boutique shops. We took a walk around the port and saw a great lighthouse. That night we drove about 20 more minutes along the road to stay in a caravan park (like a camp ground) in Warnambol.


Stop #2: London Bridge Rock Formation in Port Campbell National Park

We checked out of our cabin at 8:30 am in the morning, drove an hour and a half to Port Campbell National Park. Our first stop of the day was London Bridge rock formation. Because we got there early-ish and no other tourists were there yet, we were able to enjoy this amazing site in the peace and quiet.


Stop #3: Loch Ard Gorge in Port Campbell National Park

The second stop in Port Campbell National Park was the Loch Ard Gorge. There were lots of walks around the gorge to see different rock formations, including one called the Razorback! (because I am learning to be an Arkansas fan, I had to take a picture of it and try to appreciate it). We were also able to go down stairs to stand on the beach, which made me realize how huge it really is.


Amber and I in front of Loch Ard Gorge.


Stop #4: Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park

The most famous site on the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles, even though there aren't really twelve any more. There are only about 8 that are still visible, because the others have erroded away or fallen into the sea. This is probably the most commercialized site and with tons of people, but that couldn't diminish how gorgeous it was.

Stop #5: Lorne


The town of Lorne was our final stop on the Great Ocean Road. It's a pretty big town with lots of great little bakeries, which is where we had a late lunch. From Lorne back to Torquay, you can see the ocean right along the road. It's very curvy and turny drive, but the sights are literally breathtaking. This sign signifies the end of the Great Ocean Road.


On our drive back to the big city of Melbourne, I couldn't stop thinking of that Romans verse. The views I saw on this 2-day drive did not happen by accident or a big bang. God, our Creator, spoke them into being. Whenever I get a little bit complacement about God's power and divine nature, all I have to do is think back to the Great Ocean Road to remember his irrefutable Presence.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Just a little bit behind...

It's been over a month since I last blogged. I promise I have some good excuses....
Excuse #1: My bestie came to visit! You can't waste time blogging when there is junk food to be eaten, wedding magazines to be poured over, movies to be watched, stories to be laughed at and conversations to be caught up on.



Excuse #2: I had to go to Canberra. Three days after Alex left, Deb Brown (left to right) took Anne, Elisha (her daughter, me, and Lindsey for a 48 hour whirlwind tour of Australia's capital city.



Excuse #3: I had to help through Mini Mow and his/her mum, Mel, a baby shower with these lovely fellow hostesses (from left): Tammy, Me, Elisha, Mel (Mum to be), Caitlyn, and Kylie.


Excuse #4: I had to go to my first footy match, Australian Rules Football that is. Amber's hometown team, the Essendon Bombers were playing the Sydney Swans so I had to go and show my support. Excuse #5: I had to work on Holiday Bible School (like VBS), which is slightly dominating my life. I am responsible for the craft center and this only about half of the supplies I need to gather before Monday when it starts.

See? I really had a lot of hard work and, okay, some fun things too, to keep me busy. Am I off the hook yet? I promise (as I have numerous times) to try my hardest to go back to being a (semi?) regular blogger. My sincerest and deepest apologies, dear readers.