The Cathedral and some Shipwrecks

October 6th, 2006 Bridgewater Apartments, Brisbane, Australia
The morning of the 4th (which was the birthday of my dear brother, Daniel Meeks) was spent with Dr. Byram in Sociology and Psychology. In the afternoon we continued our walking tours of Brisbane (which is actually the largest city in the world by land size).
We trudged to Anne Street, where I gave a brief presentation on the Church House. Noted for its steeply pitched roof, it was once the housing for the priests of St. John’s Cathedral and is now the research and archives center for the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. Just next door stood the towering and majestic cathedral. I believe I have said it before, but allow me to say it again: cathedrals are some of my favorite places on earth, so I was quite excited. I had been inside the day before, but it didn’t matter. Every time is an awe-inspiring time. The Gothic architecture of the structure is just breathtaking, and is actually still under construction today. The techniques being employed to expand and renovate the church are the same used by the stonemasons of the medieval time period: it is the only Gothic building still under construction today. We went inside to vastness of this beautiful building. We were shown around a little by a lovely elderly lady name Beryl, but I’m ashamed to say I didn’t pay close attention. I was preoccupied by the sheer splendor that surrounded me. St. John’s is the only stone-vaulted -roofed building in the Southern hemisphere. I could explore, or just sit, in these places for hours. There are quite a few cathedrals in Brisbane, and I think after classes are all over and we have some free time I’m going to do just those very things.
We made our way outside to a little courtyard where Kevin made his presentation concerning the very striking St. Martin’s Hospital. A lady came out of the cathedral and asked me to take some photographs for her, so I followed her inside. A large tour group from all over Australia (who had been conducting a worship service in one of the prayer chapels next to the main altar) began handing me their cameras and for the next few minutes we all laughed and smiled and made goofy faces as I shot pictures for them.
Rich decided we would have Bible class inside the cathedral, so we moved back in. I think it was a very wise decision. At the end, Rich asked me to lead a song, and I began “All Praises Be” which has some very beautiful harmony. Our voices echoed throughout the lofty vaulted room, and it was awesome. I felt encouraged.
I ran after I got back to the apartments and then proceeded to read for awhile. Members of Cleveland came for church, and I was glad. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting with them. I’m finding a lot to be learned from Revelation, whether or not you accept it as a literal or figurative future.
Thursday (the 5th) followed much the same format as Wednesday: Dr. Byram in the morning, chapel, and then the walking tours. We ended in the Botanical Gardens, where we had classes. Once I returned on the other side of the river, I ran and then began writing my second paper for Sociology, analyzing relative values on human nature and socialization in the movie Rabbit-Proof Fence. I experienced a few brain farts (also known as writer’s block) but I did finish the three-and-a-half page paper. Two more to go.
Today was an off day for classes, but we awoke early and boarded the bus by 7:30. We drove to Cleveland where we boarded a boat, taking us to Moreton Island. It was a perfect day for such an activity. At one point, we saw two humpback whales rising up out of the water. Along the shoreline was a string of sunken ships, rusted by the water and the weather. It was an impressive site, these old shipwrecks. It reminded me of a pirate movie. And we were going to snorkel around them. We threw on wetsuits and grabbed fins and masks and jumped into the water.
I hesitate in saying it, but I enjoyed this as much as snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. Beneath me was the remains of these old ships, and beside me loomed their massive hulls. Corals now resided on the metal and fish shot out of holes and crevices in their frames. I would occasionally dive down and swim along beside the wrecks, getting a closer look. At one point, I swam into a large hole at the bottom and cut my leg, foot, and elbow open on the sides. Smooth. As I swam through the hole, I looked to my left where I saw the tail of a somewhat large fish. When I surfaced, I was informed what I saw was a shark. Good thing I wasn’t bleeding profusely. And this particular shark was most responsible for attacks on humans. Nice. I survived swimming through a hole in a shipwreck with a shark. That should be on a t-shirt. The biggest Great White Shark ever caught was found in these waters. The Jaws theme began playing in my mind. I continued to view the amazing scenery beneath me for quite some time before once again boarding our still-floating boat.
The large net was thrown out behind the boat and a bunch of us climbed on top of. Then the speed was increased and we flew across the surface of the water. It’s called boom-netting, and it’s a lot like tubing. It was a blast. I scooted down the ropes to the very end where I held on with my feet and did things rather foolish but still very exciting.
We docked on the beach itself and ate lunch. After I finished, I jumped into the water and walked along the shore. To my right was an incredibly steep sand-dune rising high above the water. Of course I had to climb it. It proved difficult, because I ran up the bloody thing. I don’t know if you’ve every attempted to run uphill in a bunch of sand, but it ain’t exactly easy. Still, the view from the summit was impressive and running down it was well-worth the trouble getting up. A few of us began jumping off the boat which provided entertainment for awhile. I swam with William, Shelby, Georgia, and Jackson the last two are Rich’s sister’s children who have accompanied us on quite a few of our excursions), playing “Sea Monster.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the children were supposed to run from the monster, not jump on him and hold his head underwater.
At 2.30, we disembarked, making our way across Moreton Bay (which was once the site of a penal colony). William sat in my lap, wrapped in a towel. We were both shivering liberally because it got a little windy. We both ended up falling asleep. I didn’t run this evening because, well, I didn’t feel like it. I snorkeled and I ran up a sand-dune.
Tomorrow we have the day completely to ourselves. Mine will probably be spent typing my 5-7 page paper for Missionary Anthropology on Christianity Rediscovered. I may end up starting it this evening, but it would be nice to take the evening off and simply relax. Who knows what the night will hold? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s going to hold a peanut butter and honey sandwich, because that piece of pizza I stole from Will just isn’t quite hitting the spot.

PS The fellow standing next to me goes by the name of Derek Wentz.