In my pastor’s message on April 12, I wrote about the “Family Month” that my wife and I experienced. The first part of our Family Month was when my elder brother, sister-in-law, and niece came from Hong Kong to Sydney to visit us in late March and early April. The second part was our trip to Melbourne in the second half of April to visit my father-in-law and sister-in-law.
It was a five-day journey. By the time we arrived in Melbourne on the first day, it was already evening. My wife, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, and I had dinner together in the city before heading to my sister-in-law’s home to rest and prepare for the next day’s itinerary.
On the second day, we woke up very early, around 4 a.m., and left for the city at about 5 a.m. to join a local day tour to the Twelve Apostles. Around noon, we finally arrived at the main destination of the trip — the famous Twelve Apostles. Although there were not actually twelve rock formations, but only seven, and although they had nothing to do with our faith, these magnificent rocks still led me to see and praise the wonder of God’s creation. Afterwards, we saw wild koalas resting in the trees, had lunch at Apollo Bay, and then returned to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road. After dinner in the city, we took the train home.
After the tiring second day, we woke up a little later on the third day. At 11 a.m., we had yum cha at a Chinese restaurant, and afterwards went to Brighton Beach to enjoy the breeze and see the colourful Bathing Boxes along the shore. The weather that day was wonderful — sunny and pleasant — and all four of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. In the evening, my father-in-law cooked dinner for us at home and made sure we ate well.
On the fourth day, my wife, my father-in-law, and I finally spent time exploring Melbourne’s city centre. We first had yum cha at one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Chinatown and then walked around the area. To our surprise, we discovered that there were actually two Chinese churches in Chinatown — an Anglican church and a Uniting Church. My father-in-law has not yet come to know the Lord, so we entered one of the churches that was open at the time, and my wife picked up a copy of a Christian magazine for him to take home and read.
Later, as we strolled through the city, we passed by St. Paul’s Cathedral and decided to go inside for a visit. My wife and I both enjoy visiting cathedrals, though I wondered whether my father-in-law might find it rather boring. But thank God, there were volunteers explaining the stained glass windows in a programme called “Stories Under the Windows.” Standing beneath the stained glass windows, the volunteers shared the Bible stories depicted in the artwork with visitors. The three of us listened to the story of Jesus calming the storm beneath one particular stained glass window. Although my father-in-law does not understand much English, through his daughter’s translation he was able to learn more about Jesus’ works and the gospel. Afterwards, we visited the National Gallery of Victoria, and after having steak for dinner, we ended the day’s journey.
On the fifth day, after having yum cha with my father-in-law, my wife and I enjoyed some time together as a couple. We once again wandered through Melbourne’s city centre — shopping, visiting malls and parks, eating, drinking, and enjoying ourselves. In the evening, we returned home for another delicious meal prepared by my father-in-law, bringing our Melbourne trip to a close.
Looking back on these few days, we are truly thankful to God for giving us beautiful weather to enjoy His creation, precious moments of family togetherness, and opportunities for my father-in-law to hear about Jesus and learn more about the gospel. My wife and I will continue to pray every night for our family members who do not yet know the Lord, asking that our Heavenly Father’s will may be fulfilled in our family.
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家庭月
我在4月12日的牧聲寫了關於我和太太的「家庭月」 - 我的哥哥、嫂嫂和姪女在三月底四月初，從香港來到雪梨探望我們，而這其實是我們家庭月的第一部份。而家庭月的第二部份，就是四月中下旬，我和太太往墨爾本探望我的外父和姨妹。
這是一個五天的旅程。第一日到達墨爾本的時候，已經是晚上了。我、太太、外父和姨妹在市區吃過晚飯，便往姨妹的家休息，準備明天的行程。
第二天，我們一早約四時許就起床，五時許就出發往市區，參加往「十二門徒石」(Twelve Apostles) 的一天本地團。大約到了中午時分，我們終於由市區到達此行主要目的地，就是鼎鼎大名的十二門徒石。雖然原來不是有十二塊大石而只有七塊，也原來跟我們的信仰一點關係都沒有，但這些石頭仍然使我看見和讚嘆神創造的奇妙。之後我們一起看在樹上的野生樹熊，和到阿波羅灣 (Apollo Bay) 享用午餐，再經大洋路 (Great Ocean Road) 返回墨爾本市中心，吃過晚飯便坐火車回家。
經過辛苦的第二天，第三天我們遲一點起床。十一點我們在酒樓吃點心，之後便到布萊頓海灘 (Brighton Beach) 吹吹風，看看沙灘上的彩虹小屋 (Bathing Boxes)。那天天氣很好，風和日麗，我們四人都享受在其中。晚上，外父在家中弄飯給我們吃，讓我們吃得飽足。
第四日，我、太太和外父終於在墨爾本市中心遊玩。我們先去唐人街最老字號的酒樓飲茶，再行唐人街。我們發現唐人街竟然就有兩間華人教會 (聖公會和聯合教會)。我外父並未認識主，我們走進一間正開放的教會，太太拿了一本「中信」給外父帶回家看。之後我們在市中心慢行，經過聖保羅座堂 (St. Paul’s Cathedral) 便進去參觀。我和太太都喜歡參觀大教堂，但我們都擔心外父會不會感到很沉悶呢？但感謝神，原來此教堂是有義工講解教堂中的彩繪玻璃 (stained glass)，名為「窗下的故事」 (stories under the windows)。義工就是在彩繪玻璃窗下，向遊客講述彩繪玻璃中的聖經故事，而我們三人，就是在耶穌平靜風浪的彩繪玻璃窗下，聽這聖經故事。我外父雖然不太懂英文，但藉着他女兒的翻譯，他能夠多認識耶穌的作為和福音。之後我們參觀維多利亞國立美術館 (National Gallery of Victoria)，晚上吃牛扒，就結束了這日的旅程。
第五天，我、太太和外父飲茶後，就是我和太太的拍拖時間。我們再次走進墨爾本市中心，逛街、逛商場、逛公園，吃喝玩樂。之後，晚上回家吃外父做的晚餐，這個墨爾本之旅就去到尾聲了。
回看這幾天，實在感恩神給我們有美好的天氣享受大自然的景色，有享受天倫之樂的時間，更讓外父有機會聽到耶穌的作為，多認識福音。我和太太會繼續每晚為到未信主的家人認識福音祈禱，祈求天父的旨意，成就在我們的家庭之中。
