Since getting back from Perth on Monday...

This is one of our supporting churches,
we always feel very welcomed here.

I thought this title only fitting as per my last post here last week! Since then we have done a full weekend of deputation and then flew back to Brisbane and our "home away from home" on Sunday night. 

The flight back was only four and a bit hours, but it happened in the middle of the night! From 10.30pm to 3am (Perth time) or 12.30 to 5am (Brisbane time). I slept on Sunday afternoon for three or four hours before we left (never happens—must have been exhausted!) Even so, I was pretty blurry by the time we got home on Monday morning, despite having stopped for caffeine near the airport. I mysteriously ended up with a large cappicino instead of the medium-sized one I thought I ordered, but it didn't stop me falling asleep for several hours soon after we arrived home thirty minutes later.

The weekend was exhausting, but full of good stuff: dinner with friends who love Japan (and us), breakfast with people who asked tonnes of fantastic questions, lunch with blogging friends I'd never met before, and the Saturday afternoon with OMF folk—hearing about and praying for so many different situations that Australian OMF workers are in right now. Followed the next morning by David and I splitting up and speaking at two large supporting churches.

Downstairs at our accommodation for the 11 days in Perth, the retired
couple who live here generously gave us their upstairs (including a living
area and bathroom).

Ever since we decided in 2000 to visit all the churches in our small Australian denomination, deputation has meant a trip to Perth, where our denomination began. Perth is one of our home assignment big-rocks. Organising home assignment takes a level of planning that I don't mind too much, but it is tiring. 

This trip especially requires a lot of organising: accomodation, car, and the sheer number of meetings in such a short period of time. We've been there five times now (or David has, I stayed home one year when our boys were little). It's a delightful place, and I'm increasingly blown away by these people who rarely see us, yet welcome us with open arms. Literally and figuratively. There are hugs and familiar faces, but also people who have never met us, but know clearly who we are because their churches have been praying for us. What a blessing!

However, I have to say that I'm glad it's over. It was intense and exhausting, just like I knew it would be. Next time we go all our boys will be out of high school and so we'll probably go on our own, taking our time there, instead of the rush-job we've done these last few times. Maybe we'll even drive all the way across the bottom of Australia to get there (4,500 km!). It truly was a grievance to me to be too tied down with home schooling and fatigue and stressed-out boys to be able to see much at all this time. Next time we will be better tourists and probably take some holiday time too.

Back in Ipswich now, and we're struggling to get back into the groove here. Monday was a write-off and even yesterday I was lacking in get-up-and-go, though I did vacuum the house. Today I've forced myself back into the office and have begun catching up on some things that needed dealing with up after being away 16 days (thankfully I've been able to stay somewhat up-to-date with basic email while I was away).

I think that's enough today . . . I've had plenty of thinking time and not much writing time, but I think that those thoughts will make some nice posts in the coming days.