Day 36: Hump Day

Well we had to stop and ‘revive to stay alive’ as the road signs here say so we didn’t roll through Cowra until 10:30 so we totally missed seeing Austin L  We left him a little treat and a note at the ward house—I hope he gets it.

We got to the Scenic Railway at 9:00 this morning and were super excited to see all that there was to see.  We were taking advantage of the early bird discount—$10 off a family pass, $5 off adult passes—so we saved $20 just by getting there before 10:00!  I swiped my card and was horrified when it was declined.  We’ve used this card for everything in country.  My heart sank and I totally freaked! 

I stepped outside and phoned Chase.  This Sapphire card has been phenomenal!  No international fee, ever.  Great exchange rate.  Minimal fees for cash out.  The best part though is their customer service.  A real person answers the phone and can help you with your EVERY NEED!!  It’s really amazing.

The young man on the phone was perplexed.  We were well under our credit limit so there shouldn’t be a problem.  He said the problem should be fixed in an hour or so—that he was going to reset our card or something. So we paid with cash—the last that was in our wallets—and figured we’d be fine.  We’d get more cash out in Sydney and everything would be fine. 

A word of advice.  When you’re in a foreign country and you’ve just spent your last cash after having problems with your only working credit card, don’t wait to make sure the problem is fixed!

This was the first and last time O rode the train while looking.  She was terrified!

X² on the other hand loved every minute of it and would have spent the whole day just riding up and down on the train.

Spent a little bit of time waiting in line, this was the busiest anything has been for us so far on the trip!  Most of the time we're the only ones out and about.

Josh was so sweet and talked animatedly with X² the whole time about what would happen if the train went off the rails or if you got in the way of the oncoming train or if you intentionally slid down the tracks as the train was coming.  He was the best guide!  

We rode the train.

And the skyway.

And the cable way.

We hiked.

The rocks in the back are known as the three sisters.  We decided the little one next to the last sister was L!!

What buddies are for!

And hiked.

The rock in the background is larger than Uluru but is (obviously) covered in trees.  It's known as solitary rock and it was beautiful!

And hiked.

After a fun filled day riding back and forth and up and down on various pulley driven trolleys and hiking we stopped at the grocery store to grab a quick bite before heading to Sydney to catch our 6:30 appointment to do Baptisms.  The card wouldn’t work, again.  I spent the next 45 minutes on the phone only to find out that this error is going to take 24-48 hours to fix. 

So here we are, in a foreign country with eight children with no cash, no food, and nothing we can do about it.   What should we do?  Go to the temple!!  What else could we do?  Luckily we had enough gas to get there—we’d filled up just fine just an hour or so before rocking up to the Scenic Railway.

As we waited in the baptistery we were inundated with the normal questions.  People are so friendly and fun!  We met the youth group that we were joining and the kids were shocked to learn that they only get to do baptisms twice a year!  They are starting to realize just how spoiled they really are. 

After listening to the kids relate an adventure or two that we’ve had, the Ward Mission Leader sitting next to me asked, “So what’s your next adventure?”  It was just so perfect a set up, I couldn’t help but feel the Lord answering the prayers we’d been praying since realizing that we were going to have 24 hours without funds. 

As I explained the situation to him, he smiled knowingly.

“That happens more than you’d think,” he said.  “You should go upstairs and talk to the desk about staying at the Temple’s accommodations.”

Temple accommodations?!  What?!  Looks like the Sydney temple has a hostel just down the road from the temple itself!  The matron was super sweet, not at all worried about us not being able to pay until we check out Sunday morning—even just letting us leave our credit card info with her and she’ll run it through on Tuesday when the temple opens again after the weekend. 

Oh how I love being a member of the church!  Who would have ever guessed that last minute accommodations in foreign lands would be one of the ‘perks’ of membership?!

Π left to find out about the hostel and one of the other leaders offered a room in his home to us.  Seriously people are just awesome!  He gave me all his contact info and left with the charge to call if we needed anything at all.

Once we got all settled into the hostel, 5 bunk beds in one room with not one but two ensuites, π said, “All we need now is to find a babysitter for tomorrow night and we’re all set!”

ERICK!  I grabbed the phone and within minutes all of the problems we’d previously had were solved. 

Was there ever any doubt that our Heavenly Father is watching over us?  Isn’t it amazing to know that, with billions of people in the world, He is not only aware of this little family, but that He is willing to prompt us to go to the places and talk to the people that will help us get what we want to accomplish done?!  I’ve said it my whole life and I wish I could find a better way to express it—but until I do—Isn’t Heavenly Father AWESOME?!!!!  I love being His daughter!  I love knowing that I am His daughter.  That He loves me, personally.  That He knows me better than my own earthly Father.  That He is there for me in every moment of my life.  What an incredible plan He had!  To send us all to this beautiful world to have amazing experiences, to learn and grow and develop and to see if we will do all that He asked us to—even when we might not remember what He asked us to do.  I cannot fathom my life without the knowledge that I am part of a Heavenly Family with a perfect Father who know just what I need—whether it’s an answer to my questions or how to figure out my problems myself.  Who will let me be mad at them if I’m not getting what I think is best for me.  Who knows my idiocy and loves me regardless! 

Whew!  I had to get that out!  Sometimes it’s just so incredible it’s impossible to keep inside!  Okay—time to sleep so we can get up and go explore Sydney tomorrow!