As Week Four officially came to an end, so did our time in Sydney. But no worries, friends - there was nothing to be down about! Here's what we took advantage of during our last Sydney-filled weekend!
After returning home from the retreat on Friday, I collapsed onto the couch and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of pumpkin soup, TV, and sister time with Rachel and Sarah. After a long and wonderful shower, Rachel and I picked up her hilarious friend Bec and made our way to the North Shore of Sydney, where we met Sarah V, Dan, and Joe for dinner. We enjoyed some Aussie pies and I caught up with Joe, who had spent the week in Melbourne! Chatting with each other about our independent adventures from the week reminded me just how blessed I am to have such a good friend here with me. We finished the night with dessert at a local café – it was the perfect welcome home after a long week of missing my Sydney family.
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| The view of the South Pacific from Sydney's tallest point! |
On Saturday I caught the train into the city with Sarah P, Rachel, and Joe for our final weekend of Sydney sightseeing! We walked around the Queen Victoria Building (a lovely mall in the downtown district) and headed for the Sydney Tour to do the Skywalk! After watching a funny 4D movie and taking a super fast elevator ride to the top of the tower, we experienced the incredible city from its tallest point!
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| So happy! :) |
After lots of goofy pictures and fun facts about the city, we enjoyed some lunch at a local food court and took the train back to Strathfield. We then made our way to a Netball tournament, which Louise, Sarah P, and Laura were all competing in. Rachel, Joe and I made our way between the three games within the hour – Netball is Australia’s most popular female sport – and experienced an exciting win for Louise’s team! After a day in the sun, The Pow’s and the The Vaccari’s took Joe and I out for our last full family dinner. We enjoyed the views from a rotating restaurant, which overlooked the city.
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| Louise's netball game! |
Sunday was a true blessing, as it was our first lazy day of the entire trip! I woke up early and went out to breakfast with the Pow's and their cousins, following the delicious meal with Mass with Rachel. Afterward, I enjoyed a lazy day of resting, laundry, packing for Canberra, and quality time with my homestay family. The girls and I made sandwiches for the homeless we were going to meet that night on Night Patrol, enjoyed a quick dinner, and then, well, it was off to Night Patrol!
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| Our food truck during Night Patrol. |
Joe, Sarah P. and I made our way to the Mary MacKillop Center and met Jane, who talked us through our tasks for the evening. Then we were on our way with four other Sydney residents, and we spent the night delivering food and clothing to the homeless around Sydney at popular locations such as Central Station and Martin Place! It was a night filled with good conversation, genuine gratitude, and a humbling perspective on what is important in life.
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| The Pow's and The Vaccari's - our family :) |
This weekend provided a flurry of emotions - joy, gratitude, sadness, and hope. The blessings that God has provided me with on this journey are overwhelming. Namely, the Pow's - their love and care has been such a comfort to me over the past month. Not once have I felt homesick (sorry, Mom and Dad) or uncomfortable, and that is because of the way in which they have taken me under their wing and treated me as a sister, a daughter - as family. So I feel joy when I am with them, gratitude toward them, sadness at saying goodbye to them, and hope that we will meet again in the future.
But here's to remaining positive - our time isn't over yet! In fact, a new leg of our journey is just beginning. Here's to a fruitful week in Canberra!
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