Crazy chaos, happy memories

Crazy, crazy, crazy couple of weeks. Crazy joyful couple of weeks.

Missing the Harley rally for the surgery meant that I had recovered enough from the surgery to fly up to Mackay for the following weekend, taking my new family with me. It was wonderful to have them in Mackay - my old family and my new family together.

On Saturday it was Dave's citizenship ceremony. In the morning we decided that the most useful thing we could do was keep out of everyone's way, so went for a drive around Mackay to see the sights. I never actually realised how beautiful Mackay is until recently. Certainly never did while I lived there!

Dave's citizenship was in the afternoon, and it was beautiful. The garden was magnificent - they've worked so hard on it - and it was great to see all of my Mackay friends and relatives, not to mention all the English rels! The mayor came out to conduct the ceremony and the weather was perfect. Now my step-daddy is an Aussie :)

On Sunday my next door neighbours organised four Harleys and four big Harley riders. It was simply one of the best experiences of my life, and a memory that I will treasure forever. Mama, Chelsea (my cousin) and Denise (Dave's sister - my aunt) and I went for a magnificent two hour ride - out to Lambert's Beach lookout, to the harbour and the marina, and then up to the Eimeo pub, where the rest of the crowd met us for a drink. The weather was absolutely glorious, we had the wind in our faces, the sun was shining, and we were a big enough group to take over the road and have everyone watch us as we went by. Fred even took me 'traffic bumping' over the bridge - scary, but oh so fun!

I kept telling everyone how happy I was, and it was true. I think I said it quite a bit - making Mama wonder if I was protesting too much, or trying to convince myself, or just taking too many painkillers - but the truth is it was one of the happiest weekends of my life.

On Monday was Rhona's wedding, which was just beautiful. It was really nice to go down to Black's Beach for a couple of nights and just spend some good, quality time with all of my English rels and have the chance to get to know them a little better.

The following weekend was a big one too - on Friday night Amy threw me a hen's night. All my girlfriends got together, we went out to dinner and then back to Amy's for an evening of girly things - nails and massages and gossip. It was great - some varied marriage advice though!

On Sunday I did something I've been thinking about for awhile - I got baptised. I was baptised as a child, but I wanted a 'believer's baptism' as well. I was in my church, surrounded by my church family, my family and my friends, and I gave my life to God with great joy. Here is the testimony I shared with everyone beforehand:

"I like to think of life as a journey. You get into a boat and travel down the great river of life. Sometimes you encounter rapids, and it can get dangerous, difficult and precarious. Sometimes you go through great stretches of beautiful and happy scenery.

And as you journey, some people get into your boat. Some get out again. Some get in for a long time, some only get in for a little while. Some help you row, some are dead weights.

Sometimes it feels like you can be all alone. Or at least I do. Sometimes I felt like I was all alone in my little boat, being carried along powerless by the current.

The thing I have learnt is that I am never alone. Even if I am sitting all alone in my little boat, being carried along by the current, there is always a glorious presence with me. God is always there. He is there as the boat. He is there as the scenery. He is there as the current, directing the boat. And Christ is always, always sitting with me.

And once I learnt that lesson, life became so much easier, so much freer. Now that I have learnt to trust – to completely trust – the current, or God’s plan for my life, I don’t need to worry every time something goes wrong, or is difficult, or I don’t understand. Just because I do not understand why something happens, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen for a very good reason. God is the Master Potter, and His plans are flawless. And the freedom of trusting in His great plan means that my life is so free and so so happy.

And even when things are difficult, I am never alone. Christ is always there, by my side, suffering through the same things I do. And He loves me so much He was prepared to die for me. And His great sacrifice takes away the great fear in my life – that of dying. Because dying is just like reaching the mouth of the river. Everyone will get out of my boat and we will have a big party on the beach – there will be balloons, fairy bread and a jumpy castle. And it will be a wonderful party. And then I will get back into my boat, alone, and everyone will stand on the beach and wave madly as my boat heads off to the horizon (with me in the hammock on the front deck with a cocktail). And as my boat slips over the horizon, no one on the beach will be able to see me anymore. But I won’t be gone – in fact, as I cross the horizon, I will catch a glimpse of the shore. And as I get closer, I will see the thousands of people on the beach waiting for me, all waving madly, with an even bigger jumpy castle and an even bigger party. With Christ waiting for me, to spend eternity with me. And while I will be sad to leave this world, the prospect of spending eternity in paradise with my God and Saviour is such a happy one, and one that I am looking forward to so much.

There wasn’t really a point at which I accepted Christ into my life. I learnt a lot about Him during my university years and in the past couple of years I have just grown more and more aware of His presence in my life. And so we get to today, where Christ’s presence in my life – His centralness to my life – is so important to who I am. I am so grateful that God revealed Himself to me, that He shows me His never-ending love and continues to do so everyday."

What a happy couple of weeks.

This week has been a bit chaotic - Mama came down on Saturday to help me and just to be with me and keep me sane, and I'm so grateful she did. She has just had a couple of enormous weeks herself, and is exhausted, but pulling out her last reserves to get through this week too. I'm so very appreciative - this was definitely a week I wanted to spend with my Mama.

And I think the chaos is now over for me - I have successfully delegated all the details that are left and am looking forward to spending tomorrow with my friends, just relaxing. And then on Saturday I will be married to the man I love.

This is Jessica Anne Disteldorf, signing out.