Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
Photos and some random Aussie thoughts.
Pictures down under paint 1,531.26 words (the conversion rate for 1,000) so I am sending some to you since it is such a great deal. So is the exchange rate!
Since I wrote to you last, we said goodbye to our friends in Melbourne but not before a big party of some 30-40 old friends who attended the Uniting Church in West Brunswick when Jenny did. That congregation has informed my ministry more than any other and the lasting friendships and sense of community it engendered there was truly profound, and very evident that night. Jenny was truly loved there, and it showed in the people who gathered to see her again.
Two days later we spent the morning and afternoon with Alistair McRae, the pastor during those years, and his spouse Claire Boyd-McRae. Alistair was the one most responsible for this amazing church. He went on to be the President of the Uniting Church of Australia and one of Christianity’s world leaders.
We arrived in Perth the next day to visit Jenny’s son Hans who was born in Melbourne and lived in the US until he moved to Perth 18 months ago. Western Australia, with Perth as its capitol, is the wealthiest of Australia’s six states, all due to mining. It is a beautiful and clean mid-size city with towering trees lining the streets. In Perth I have never been so far from home. And it’s the first time I ever saw the Indian Ocean.
Once again, like Melbourne, folks here are on top of American news. The Trump trial, the NFL draft, the violence, absurd comments by our politicians—they hear it like we do. And they find most of it hard to fathom and worry that the United States is not what it once was. We don’t have a ready answer or many words of comfort, yet.
So, my thoughts wander back to you, dear friends in Santa Fe, and other far-off places, and hope you are well, as we are well here.
Grace and peace,
Harry
Oh, and when you cross the street always look to your right first. And when you walk always stay to the left. That’s the only advice I have at the moment. Cheers!
