broken hill, Sunday we left and Sunday we returned.
had an eventful trip on the way up, as i have previously mentioned, and the week went like this.
Sunday night we arrived, Tab was at work, Pizza Runners, and we rocked up at Russ and Sue Hodge's place (Russ is the Broken Hill Cornerstone Training Centre Dean, the head staff guy there) where the week would begin with a Cornerstone community tea.
a good Aussie barbeque was in order and time to meet lotsa people and chat over dinner before we headed in the gallery/pool room (Sue is an artist and is opening the front of their house which is a shop front as her gallery and the pool table resisdes there also) for some Kelly pool.
while i didn't win i was there in the last few each game so that was alright.
eventually the reason we had just trekked about 800km walked in, Tab had finished work and we all got a hug :)
after hanging out and talking for a while we went to the houses where we were to stay, Kel and Em at Tab's house, and me and Christop at the Waggstaffes, Tim and Julz's place, just two doors down from Tab's place.
Cornerstone have their Centre on a corner and at least 5 houses in close proximity.
Tim and Julz are on staff and they are really cool! it was so great staying with them they are really great people!
so Monday morning came and we all gathered in the purple room, can't remember what they called it, for a time to respond to and connect with God, this was a daily thing, everymorning 9am.
the after this it was class time, lectures that aren't too lecturey more like a class, was good.
and the theme for the week, Christian Character, based on Galatians 5:22-23, also known as the Fruit Of The Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
each day we had class mixed with morning tea, and then lunch afterwards.
a couple times in the afternoons we had a time of "practicing the discipline of silence" where we were given something to read and relfect upon whilst being silent for and hour or so.
I can't remember the question we had but this is what i wrote after the first one.
"do things that will help me to change, have good positive input, take risks, try new things, discover things for myself, test and try, put myself in hard trying and dangerous positions, rely on God, get others to challenge me in areas they can see i need to be challenged in."
after about 4pm or so we just hung out or we went to the shopping centre (i didn't buy anything either, this is good for someone like me who can be a shopaholic sometimes), and one afternoon we went out to Silverton.
i was a bit depressed that after noon, it was over something really dumb and it was wrong for me to be upset so that made it worse, cause then i had this depressed angry thing going on, angry at myself.
so while i had a good time in Silverton, i didn't really want to be amongst so many people, crammed in a small bus, on a rainy day.
going over the dips in the road which made us all jump out of our seats was fun, and one of the galleries we went into was good too.
the Siverton Pub was the best though, with the Mad Max car out the front and all the different memorabilia and beer cans from all over the world.
we also saw the resivoir whilst out there too, wasn't any water in it really though.
there was a nice lookout over some plains too which was good, and we all braved the cold rainy weather for a group shot, others more than me as i had noticed the weather was looking like going bad and grabbed my new ski jacket before we left, it kept me plenty warm.
later when we returned i sat around with Kel and Tab for a bit before deciding i needed to go for a walk, had to go for a walk alone with God, i needed to say a few things and i needed him to rip, or beat the crap that was welling up inside of me and causing my glumness, out of me.
this took a while and i ended up walking all the way into town and back, was late for tea but, for once something else was more important.
each night we had tea different places, and Monday night me and Christop went to Russ and Sue's place, they are really great people too! had really good talks that night, they have really great hearts, such good people.
other highlights were watching equilibrium that night at the Wagstaffes after dinner.
Friday night eating pizza from Pizza runners, and playing Risk and then heading out to Pizza Runners till they closed at 2am on Saturday night to hang out with Tab and see where she works.
was a GREAT week! loved having fun with Tab again and meeting Jun a really cool Korean guy.
just seeing Tab's smiling face was all worth the trip, she's really great :)
it was real sad to have to leave Sunday morning, we all gathered around in a huddle, Kel, Christop, Em, Jun, Tab and myself, and prayed together for each other. probably my most fav moment of the week.
we had a good drive home and had luch with James and hi mate Damo in Mildura before continuing on home.
