Rest Day in Sydney

Day 14 - May 24, 2009 - Today was a rest day for Ted and I. We had the opportunity to worship with our brothers and sisters at St. Mark's Lutheran Church - Epping. Pastor Mark Schultz and his congregation welcomed us and we had a wonderful opportunity to visit them after service. St. Mark's had done a renovation in the last few years which opened up the worship space and added multi-media capability. This was the same space we used yesterday for our one day Blessed are the Peacemakers workshop.

After coffee at St. Mark, NSW District President Neville Otto and his wife Sue hosted us in their home for a fabulous lunch. After enjoying some delicious lamb and a couple of very tasty wines from the Hunter Valley, Rev. Neville and Sue shared with us some of the highlights of Sydney. After a brief walk through the Rocks District, we climbed one of the pillars of the Harbour Bridge to get an overview of the Harbour area. The top of the pillar gives a spectacular view of the area, especially the Opera House, which is nearby.

After climbing back down, we sauntered over to the ferry docks and took a ferry to Manley Beach. In constrast to the relatively calm water in the inner Harbour, the surf on the Pacific Ocean was providing some good wave for body surfers. We wandered back across the Corso, which connects the Manly Ferry docks with the beach and caught a ferry back to Circular Quay. After a quiet dinner on Circular Quay, our hosts dropped to tired and contented visitors back at our hotel.

It was a beautiful day, with temperatures around 20C. Although the flags on the Harbour Bridge were flying almost straight out, the wind at the Harbour level was less brisk, providing a pleasant afternoon of fellowship and fun. Tommorrow we undertake the 3 1/4 hour drive to the conference centre we will be teaching at near Canberra. We start at 1 pm and will cover Conflict Coaching over the next 3 days. Then back to Sydney to teach our 5 day mediation training course.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Francis