Walking Tours and a Little Humility

September 29th, 2006 Bridgewater Apartments, Brisbane, Australia
My two tests weren’t too bad. I felt fairly confident about them, and I know I did well on one (I haven’t seen the other grade as of yet). This week has been a pretty busy one and I find myself on this Friday to be quite pooped.
On Tuesday (the 26th), we didn’t have Rich’s classes because he and Heather and Claire flew to Sydney to take care of the baby’s American passport. I spoke in chapel once again. I talk about doing what’s right in every situation, no matter how hard it is. It’s seeking the truth always. I told the story of Telemachus, the monk who jumped into the Coliseum of Christian Rome to urge the people to stop taking pleasure in this brutality. He was killed by the gladiators, but the Emperor Honorius was so moved by this spectacle that he banned the gladiatorial games and from that day forward (January 1st, 404AD), no one was ever killed in the Coliseum. Some historians debate this, but I don’t really care: I like the story a whole lot. I sure don’t live up to this all the time, but it’s something for which to strive. In the movie Kingdom of Heaven (one of the best!), Edward Norton’s King Baldwin IV says to Orlando Bloom, “When you stand before God you cannot say, ‘But I was told by others to do thus,’ or that ‘Virtue was not convenient at the time.’ This will not suffice.” I love that quote.
The next day (the 27th) we began our little walking tour of Brisbane in which we researched certain places and gave a few key facts to remember. That day we stayed on Kangaroo Point. I took a much-needed nap (I decided not to run that day) and then went down to ask Rich a few questions for a Sociology paper I’m doing about Christianity in Australia. I then made my way over to the Byrams’ apartment, where I had been invited to eat dinner. I had a very enjoyable time. We talked about sociology and psychology (the fields, not necessarily the classes), Harding, traveling, Churches of Christ, and a variety of things. And, I had pita and hummus. And I was happy. I very much enjoyed spending time with them and talking. We talked about the drawbacks of this five-week schedule and Dr. Byram graciously changed the requirements of the papers from 10 pt. font to 12 and 1.5 spacing to double. I think that helps quite a bit. I was able to get one of my papers finished later that evening.
Church was again at the apartments. I was asked to lead singing again for some reason. I guess Australians are tone-deaf. We continued our discussion on Revelation, discussing the sickening idea of complacency and of being lukewarm. I spoke for a little while afterwards with Michel Checkertree, the man who greatly influenced Rich to dedicate his life to Jesus. He’s a great guy and a lot of fun to talk to. He’s a short, energetic guy with a thick graying beard and has a passion for ‘70s music.
Later that evening, we were told that Katie Witter wanted to be baptized. We all went outside into the dark and the rain and found our way to the swimming pool. We uncovered the hot tub and Katie made her public confession that she wanted to follow Jesus. Rich then lowered her beneath the water and we started singing “I Will Enter His Gates” as she came to the surface.
Thursday (the 28th) we continued our little walking tour. This time we took the ferry into the city, first going to the Botanical Gardens. I gave my presentation about Aborigines for International Studies before we continued on, going to Parliament House. It was a beautiful building. A very amiable lady gave us a tour of the place, showing us where the decisions of Queensland were made. We then went to the MacArthur Museum, commemorating General Douglas MacArthur. During WWII, he spent two years in Brisbane, in charge of the U.S. military as well as the Australians. He was a powerful military leader. We then went to the Commissariat Store where the supplies for the colony were once sold. It is the oldest building designed and constructed by convicts still open to the public. For lunch, a few of us grabbed a kebab before heading back to Bridgewater.
I studied for quite some time for Sociology and Psychology, having two tests today. I ate four or five bowls of Fruit Loops for lunch. I had a conversation with some of the girls in which I was labeled as being opinionated. I was very hurt by that. Being opinionated is a very negative thing to me. I have strong opinions (every does), but I want to present them humbly and with the possibility I’m wrong, so other people will share their opinions. I feel like I’ve done that, and it hurts very much when people don’t see that. Either I’m not being very humble or people are misinterpreting. I felt very bad. We had a conversation awhile back about Harry Potter and I shared that I think it’s very poor literature. One girl was quite offended by that and it hurt her. I felt bad: that’s my personal opinion and if she disagrees that’s fine. I just compare it to the books I’ve read and it isn’t interesting or well-written to me. It’s fine to agree to disagree.

The tests this morning weren’t horrible. I was done with everything by 10:30 and I then went running. I’m packed and ready to go for free travel this weekend. We are going to the Great Barrier Reef. It’s going to be a blast and good to get away for a little while. Another airplane!