By this time, I was mentally and socially exhausted. We had the option of going touring with a group, but I really needed some time alone. I took my camera and it was a blessed time of appreciating the gardens and trying to capture some of their beauty (just concentrating on those two things helped refresh my head). Thankfully it is a large area and it was possible to get away from others. Interestingly it is about the same size as the park I ride to in Tokyo, but it is far more "developed" so has a lot more hidden areas. For example this rainforest walk.
It's very lush and much more tropical than Tokyo. I suspect, far less seasonal too.
This, I believe, is one of the iconic sights in the gardens, the gazebo known as The Bandstand, was erected in 1930.
A roving photographer attending our conference snapped my photo as I wandered in the gardens. All geared up like an Aussie!
No idea what this is! But it was pretty.
This is a set of stairs that Australian prisoners of war were forced to make bricks for and build. You can see one of the bricks below—the Australians deliberately put arrows on each brick showing they were made under duress.
So lush!
This is Swan Lake. And there were swans on it too!
A squirrel?
It's hard to gauge the size of these lilly pads, but they were more than a metre across! Quite astounding, with their upturned rims.
Another impressive flower that I'm not sure the name of!
The personal significance of these gardens is that we lived across the road from them for about five weeks in 2000. Every long-term missionary with OMF is required to attend a live-in multi-week orientation course at our international headquarters in Singapore, which happens to be across the road from these gardens.
I wandered over there to see who I might run into. I was given an impromptu short tour as we searched for someone I might know, but the two ladies who formerly worked in Japan and the Australian who also works there were all out. However, on my way back to the gardens I ran into the two Australians who live on the property and we chatted for several minutes. Then, of course, we had to take a photos in the standard place (it's the thing to do if you visit this property, 18 years ago our Orientation Course group had a photo here).
It was an hour or so of remembering. A worthwhile time spent. It's healthy to remember where God has taken you, the places and periods he's sustained you through. This was our first port of call as we began our life overseas, a momentous turning point in our lives. One that is a "before and after" moment.
We were quite sick when we were there, probably because of the strain we'd been under in leaving Australia. We were facing an unknown future as we moved to a land we'd never set foot in, and, in my case, could barely say "hello" in the language. But our faithful God sustained us through all this, and what came after that—four years that probaby rate as the hardest years of my life. It was good to remember that God, whom I have faith in, was with us throughout.
And on that note, I've just got to quote the lyrics of this old, but gorgeous hymn:
So too is our testimony of God's faithfulness.Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever will beGreat is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto mePardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer
And to guide
Strength for today
and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand besideGreat is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord every morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hands hath
provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me
So faithful too me
"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (Ps 86:15 NIV).
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