Welcome to Australia!

Hello Friends!

Just wanted to send out an update to let you all know I arrived safely in Australia! :)

I flew out of Spokane, Wa at 6 am on Jan 17^th, and flew from Spokane to Seattle, Seattle to Toyko, then to Singapore and finally arrived in Perth at 1:15pm January 19th! Yayyy! I think that tops it off for my longest trip at 40+ hours. The only casualties in my bag were a bottle of hair cream that was smashed and exploded (Thank You God for ziplocs), and my camera that is currently Missing In Action.

Christina and Aunt Sue in Albany, W.A.

On my flight from Seattle to L.A., an announcement came over the intercom “Are there any medical personnel on board the flight?” A woman had passed out on her way to the bathroom and wasn't responding. When I stood up to offer help, the flight attendant was bringing a tank of oxygen to the back of the plane. The crew were awesome and very quick to respond. I made an assessment, took her blood pressure and elevated her legs as she was becoming more alert. I think it was related to low blood sugar since she was up all night packing and hadn't eaten anything. She ended up being fine, and Alaska gave me a voucher for $200 off my next flight with them! What a huge blessing! And seeing how God takes care of me.

I'm here visiting my Aunt Sue in Albany (Albany, not ALLbany), Western Australia, a few hours south of Perth. It's been delightful to spend time with her and her husband Geoff and my cousin Chris. I'll get to see my cousin Ben Thursday night, whom I haven't seen since they came to the States 18 years ago!!!

Painting acrylics on canvas.
Who knew color could be so complex?

My Aunt Sue is helping bring out my creative side since she's incredibly talented and artistic. We're painting acrylics on canvas, and I'm painting a sunset on a beach of Nabua- paka, one of the villages we stayed in Papua New Guinea last summer. I've also been experimenting in the kitchen, making homemade bread with Geoff and helping with dinner. Sue is sending me with some recipes I can make in Townsville, that are already listed in kilo's and celsius, so I don't have to convert them. We're also going to make haloumi 

cheese, and crepes with quark...

what an adventure! :)

 

Christina with cousin Chris

Chris, Sue and Geoff have been teaching me some new vernacular I would love to introduce to you:

 To “send him up” is to make fun of someone or a parody of something, while “cheers” and “ta” are both words for thank you. 

A “jumper” is a pull over sweatshirt and I learned last night that what we call a “hoodie” over here is a “sloppy joe.” 

That one definitely threw me for a loop- I guess they don't have the famous cafeteria sandwiches. 

Sunset taken on Mt. Melville

I'm also grateful to be here in Albany right now as there is a cyclone farther north in Western Australia and Townsville (where I'm heading) so hopefully it will be gone by the time I arrive on Saturday.

Hope all of you are doing well :) Thank you for the love and encouragement you've given to help me get me to Australia and this continuing journey. 

Cheers from Australia,

Christina  :)

15 days and counting...

Hi  Everyone!
Happy New Year!

Thank you to all of you who have made donations, one time or monthly support.. I am so grateful for your help and encouragement, I continue to be amazed at God's faithfulness!

Good news! My visa has come through, my plane ticket is booked and I leave for Australia in a little bit over 2 weeks! I will leave for Australia on January 17th to spend a week with my Aunt who lives on the western side of Australia, then board a plane for Townsville, where I will be living for the next 2 and 1/2 years.

 On January 27th, 2013 I will start the Introduction to Primary Health Care (IPHC) school where I will be in training to diagnose and treat 80% of the diseases generally found in a developing nation. I'll be attending this school in Australia until we leave for outreach,( in March I believe) to Papua New Guinea for 9 weeks. I recently found out that we will be traveling by boat (dinghy), riding public transport or PMV's (the back of a truck) and living in villages, which certainly means it will be an adventure!

I feel so privileged to have this incredible opportunity to experience different cultures, expand on my nursing skills, but most important, bring hope to those who need to hear about the saving power of Jesus Christ.

I'll be updating my blog/emails regularly once I get to Australia, so stay tuned! :)

For those of you who have been asking for my address, here it is:

Christina Peterson
PO Box 6221
Townsville, QLD 4810 Australia

I would be absolutely delighted to hear from you! I think it costs $1.08 to send a letter and takes approximately 10 days to arrive :)

Christina with Colleen and daughter at farewell dinner in Aroma village

I'm so thankful to have all of you come along on this incredibly journey! You are a vital part- I cannot do what I do without the love and support of family and friends.  Thank you!

God bless,
Christina