I have not blogged for the entire time that we were in Australia.
We caught the flight on Monday, January 23rd and came back early this morning, Feb. 4.
The days in between were filled with so many miracles. So, for this blog, I will list the 13 best miracles during these 13 days!
1. The cost of the flight -- NT$25,000/person. That's what started the idea in the first place. I've never seen such a low price during what is considered as the high/peak season. I was trying to book our tickets for June to the States when a pop up flashed from Scoot Airlines -- Go to Sydney for as low as 25,000NT$. I clicked and the first time, I checked yes to everything they asked. Well... that made each ticket totally unaffordable. But then I did it again. This time, I clicked NO for all the options and the ticket came out to be 25,000NT$ per person!
2. Before I booked, I had to ask Isaiah's coach! He said yes to giving Isaiah the time off from practice. I couldn't book the ticket until he said "ok". I also checked and found out that Isaiah can travel overseas as long as we 'apply' with the government!
3. My sister, Annie, and her husband, KR, joined us as Alan was going to be in the States to take care of things with my elderly parents and my sister's "farm". Alan also found out three days before departure that we needed to get this 'visa' in order to enter Australia. He was busy contacting Annie to let her know and getting our visas! We might not have been allowed on the plane if we didn't have those visas.
4. The provision of lodging with Mark & Minni Burnard for the first few days. Their daughter, Michelle, met us at the airport, waiting for over an hour for our arrival! In fact, we were treated to the most delicious homemade Chinese food and splendid breakfast in the morning. They even sent us off with loads of goodies!
5. Safety throughout the entire trip whether we were on a plane, train, ferry, car, bike or walking (crossing the streets was a challenge as we had to remember to look in a different direction!).
6. Good health during the entire time -- no one got sick -- no stomach problems or headaches. We also did not get kicked out of any beaches due to sharks or jelly fishes.
7. I was able to pray with Sandy and Emily each night while we were in Canberra. That was an answer to my prayer as I have wanted to sit face to face, being there, to pray with them!
8. Being treated to so many fancy eateries by my generous brother, Eddie. In fact, besides the plane tickets, I only spent US$500! And we were in Australia. Not only the meals, but Eddie bought all the pictures from our bridge climb and he lavished us with so many surprises (including a program -- see #10.)
9. Getting to climb the Sydney Bridge. My sister booked for all of us to climb the bridge. And I'm not sure who paid -- either Annie or Eddie!
10. On our final night in Sydney, we walked past Capital Theater, exactly when they started to sell the "Rush" tickets for the Broadway Musical Comedy, Aladdin! So, the tickets were only 45A$ instead of 100A$+! And we had great seats! (During the intermission, Eddie went and bought Abby one of the very expensive programs!)
11. Seeing Ashley, my brother's daughter, and Gina, his ex-girlfriend! They live in Australia and I have not seen them for almost 24 years! Ashley has had severe health problems and is just beginning to get better. She had enough energy to hang out with my kids, go for a short walk and out for dinner.
12. On the return longer flight, we were served drinks, snacks and a full meal. We had bought the cheapest tickets which included NOTHING -- not even water! But because the plane had to go through maintenance, we flew with Singapore Airline. They are rated Number 1! I have not flown with them for ages and they are still the best in overall service and attitude in my book.
13. Finally, on our return, we were slightly overweight with our carry-ons... but the lady who checked us in did not charge us any extra. In fact, the departure time had changed and because I didn't have email access, I never received the notification from Scoot! What a miracle that we got to Sydney International Airport early enough to check in and get three seats together.
I can go on and on about all the other miracles, such as perfect weather for each day... getting to see a large group of kangaroos... buying my favorite cereal on sale (1/2 off)...
God worked in amazing ways... I'm so grateful and I just had to write and give thanks! On the last leg of our flight back, I spent time giving thanks with tears of joy as I prayed and talked to Abba. He is so good to me... It was such an amazing trip!
I hope to post some pictures from our trip tomorrow!
Seek Him First!
