Australian images

A wild beach close to Noosa.
Australia Zoo.
Close encounter.
Sunrise over the Coral Sea from our room. aaaahhh.
Cool ozzie playground.

(Lynn)
What a nice break we had in Australia. I didn't realize how stressed and tired I'd been for the last several months. On about day 3 I cracked a joke and Dawn announced, "Daddy's back." In addition to a great family time and seeing a beautiful place- the time away helped me appreciate New Zealand more and think about the blessings in this country and not just see it for its deficiencies and challenges. I missed the lush green hills and ferns. I missed the laid back attitude of the Northland Kiwis. I was truly at ease and felt at home when we pulled back into our drive Sunday night. I'm sure I was much more pleasant to be around at work Monday morning.

Australia is "gorgeous" to quote Steve Irwin. They have endless beaches with pretty, nearby volcanic mountains. We went to an area similar to Orlando, Fl. called Gold Coast as well as a less developed area called Sunshine Coast. The kids loved the theme and water parks. Dawn and I loved the tennis courts, the sun, the beach and the hot tub. The strange thing about being there, though, is that it feels just like the US. That was very comforting and relaxing- but also a little odd to be so far away and feel like you're in California or Florida. It made me realize that New Zealand is unique and that I should appreciate the opportunity to live here for a season.

Speaking of opportunities- when are you going to take the opportunity to visit us in New Zealand? We promise comfortable accomodations, great fellowship and worship, good food and personalized tours to anyone who can make the flight. Remember, we're only a day away give or take a few hours. When's the next time you'll have friends or family in the South Pacific? My offer is really a selfish one because I'd give anything to see any of you here and just share a cup of coffee on the porch or something as simple as my drive to town past the sheep and the harbor.

For all my Christian and/or political friends out there I found a book in Australia that I think makes for very good reading during a presidential election year. The book is God,Actually by Roy Williams. Roy is a middle aged lawyer in Sydney who recently became a follower of Christ after many years as a near atheist. What I find so interesting is that he remains primarily a liberal when it comes to politics but goes into great detail about why Christianity does not fit neatly into any political party. He does a great job articulating the uncomfortable aspects of both the left and right as regards Christian faith. I think reading this book will help you to be more comfortable voting as your Spirit-led conscience leads you no matter which button you push in the voting booth. I am encouraged by his faith in democracy. He writes, "Democratic politics is never truly a contest between 'good and evil', but between two sets of people- good and bad and everything in between- who hold different opinions as to how best to go about realising the virtues (love, joy, peace, kindness, etc. from Galatians 5:22) in socio-political terms."

Queensland, Australia

at the water park
the Ginger Factory train
Beaching the rental boat

Sweet ride for Lynn, Claire and Phillip (look closely).

G'day, Mate!

We were able to pet koalas!
Watch crocs feed- and we saw Terri Irwin.
Steve Irwin's truck and boat.
We hopped around with the kangaroos!

CLAIRE'S BIRTHDAY

Claire writes-

Hello everyone. How are you? I haven't written in a long time. I had a great birthday party today but it wasn't as good without you! I had a swimming party with 5 friends from school (Chloe, Becky, Cora, Maddie SB, and Monique) and the Abascall family. I got lots of notebooks and pens for writing. I got a shell necklace and a book about identifying NZ shells. I got presents from both grandmaws but am waiting to open them up on Monday (my real birthday). It is wonderful to be going to Australia on my birthday!!! We will be in Australia for a week on vacation. We plan to go to at least 2 themeparks plus a waterpark and the Australian Zoo (Steve Irwin/Crocodile Hunter). It is good to have a break from school for 2 weeks. I love and miss you so much. Claire

Details of the Medical Mission

(Lynn)
My apologies to all sailors who do not cuss! We had a sunny day finally and took a long family hike after an hour of "home church" with our iPod player and a bible reading. The church we were planning on visiting started earlier than I thought so we missed it- but we had a blessed time just the six of us and the Holy Spirit. Remember, wherever two or more are gathered in His name, God promises to be there! Phillip and I rode down to Auckland and back yesterday (Saturday) with Pastor Miguel and his 9 year old son, Champ, to a men's prayer breakfast. It was a great time of fellowship with about 50 guys. Isaiah 46 was the topic- (read the chapter straight through and see what it says to you. ) After a great Sunday with the family I turned around and flew back to Auckland this evening in order to be at an 8am meeting at the large public hospital. Hence, the time and energy to make an extended blog entry because I am sitting by myself in a hotel in Auckland.

I would like to tell you more about the medical mission as it's shaping up and about my job. The most important thing (to me, at least) I'm doing at the moment is working, along with nurse Linda O'Grady, to establish an efficient and effective lung cancer service. I am the only full-time pulmonologist working for the Northland region presently. In Northland we have mostly visiting oncologists from Auckland, no thoracic surgeon, and no radiation oncology. One must go to Auckland for all these services. That's easy to say, but most of the patients have a very difficult time getting to Auckland. It looks close to Whangarei and Northland on a map but the roads are two-lane, hilly, and windy most of the way making travel slow. And lest anyone forget- they're usually wet with a fresh rain. That's just from Whangarei. Many of the Maori live in the Far North- 3-5 hours drive from Whangarei. And they have the highest smoking and lung cancer rates of all! So here's my goal/directive from the Australian-New Zealand cancer guidelines : have every new lung cancer patient begin their treatment within one month of being notified of the patient's abnormal chest x-ray.

Sounds deceptively easy. The four weeks pass quickly. In a socialized health care system you usually have to wait months for a CT scan because there aren't many scanners. (The radiologists have said they'll try to do my patients within 2 weeks.) Then you have to get O.R. time for the bronchoscopy, wait a week for a pathology report, and then make a formal presentation of the patient to the tumor board in Auckland for the patient to get accepted for therapy. Which brings me to my meeting in the morning. I am presenting 4 new lung cancer patients to the the conference in the morning and then touring the facilities here as well as a lung cancer clinic. These are only 4 of at least 15-20 cases of lung cancer I've seen over the past month. It is truly a crisis in Northland. Many of the other lung cancer patients I have simply given pain medicine and hospice support because they were too ill or unwilling to consider chemotherapyor radiation. Something I teach the nurses and training doctors about lung cancer is that we comfort always and cure occasionally. I have identified one surgically curable lung cancer thus far.

I am not discouraged, though. We will find the best care this system can generate and comfort alot of patients and family along the way. I had a very special day last week in the Far North (I fly about twice a month up to Kaitaia for clinic days). A very sweet and relatively young Maori patient had brought about 25 extended family members to meet with me and discuss her cancer. She had told me previously that she believed in the One True God (as opposed to the polytheism of her ancestors). We discussed the bad news, challenges to even getting to therapy-much less tolerating it- and what to expect in the next year. I asked her if she wanted prayer to which she responded emphatically, "Yes". We then welcomed God into that room with crying adult children and beautiful young mokopuna (grandchildren) surrounding this woman. May God, the great physician, bless her and help me to do my best to serve her and her family- not on my own strength and understanding- but with God's heart and power.
-Amen

International Night

Our school community had an international potluck last night wherein every family was to bring a dish from their home country. I included a photo of the world map with the various thumbtacks representing family origins in our school including our little red thumbtack from Tennessee. Everyone brought dishes from their home country. I took beans, ham-hock, and cornbread although my cornbread turned out more like polenta. Interestingly enough the only person who knew the difference was the PTO president/event coordinator who was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina but made her way to our school via 12 years living on a refurbished 100 year old boat in Amsterdam. It's a long story but per usual for folks here it is a fascinating life story. I included a picture of a dad who looks like MY dad and is indeed a fellow mariner. He is actually American but has sailed the world after retiring as a Navy seal in the 70's. His son Oden was in Phillip's class and is seen sitting between him and Lynn. You may have noticed I said "was" in Phillip's class. Phillip came home last Monday saying he didn't want to try to work out the social scene at school anymore and was ready to look into Parua Bay school about 5 miles up the road where his Rugby mates go to school. It has worked out for him to transfer there and he seems MUCH happier. We have since learned there maybe some anti-American sentiments from a few key kids/staff in his class. More than one person has told us that the war in Iraq has eroded America's image in the world. For whatever reason, Phillip was just never really accepted into the group. So far it is much better at the new school. Anyway, back to the international pot luck. The kids played a game of eat the chocolate fish from the string but I am not sure what country that was from. The night included a family go around and share time where people explained where they were from and how they ended up at Whangarei Heads School. My kids volunteered us to go second (after the Beaufort/Amsterdam gal and her family from Holland)! Then Phillip volunteered ME putting me on the spot (Lynn was outside having a pow-pow with one of the other dads) to tell all 50 people that we were Christians and felt called to come to NZ. I muddled through some how and people did talk to me afterwards all though the room was silent as I tried to explain in 30 seconds what Christ means to our family. I felt horribly uncomfortable but I hope you will pray with me that we would be "the aroma" of Christ's love in this community. I think many people wouldn't know how to take what I said. When I told Lynn afterwards we talked about how I am a teacher (love to study the scripture and apply it to our individual lives) not an evangelist. We accept people far more than they typically think we do. Lynn has a servant's heart (medically speaking and in a church,etc) and I hope will share soon some of the amazing moments he has had with patients. Billy Graham I am not but please pray for us as we just try to share our lives in love. These folks are so interesting to us as many have these all over the world courageous experiences, love of great outdoors/wide open spaces, and current job of raising a family in semi-rural New Zealand. As they say, "It's cool and awesome!"

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Anna and Andrew enjoying our indoor pool day last Sunday afternoon.

Claire was trying to surf in the wave pool.

Buff and blue (hands up), Phillip, and Anna in the splash area. The woman in the black one piece is NOT me.
Dr.Fernando, Lynn's Sri Lankan colleague, had a wonderful meal and the cutest puppies.

(Lynn)

I've taken long enough between entries now to have some observations. First of all, it rains here for four solid months- and we came at the beginning of those four months. Reportedly, the other eight months are sun-filled and delightful. I'm waiting. Secondly, Kiwi culture is coarse and a little difficult to get accustomed to. I'd heard they didn't really care much about God but didn't realize their eight-year-olds cuss like sailors and that drinking heavily, smoking and gambling are epidemic. I realize we are in the "Mississippi" of New Zealand-Northland- with higher unemployment, etc. so I may be getting an unbalanced view. But the people I've met from all over the country seem to have busted marriages and kind of a hopeless outlook regarding the future- unless, of course, they have plans to move to "Oz". Now, I haven't been to Australia yet, but aside from making more money and being warmer is it really the land of milk and honey the young Kiwis make it out to be?



Regarding politics- my Democrat friends and relatives will be interested to know that I am now a card-carrying union member. Don't tell the Knox County Republican Party chairperson! About 90% of doctors belong to the union which serves to represent their interests when dealing with the government in this socialized health care system. I will draw the line if asked to set up a picket line. I feel a little like Sylvester Stallone in FIST. Our crunchy, liberal friends will also be pleased to hear that Dawn is the proud new owner of a 1995 Subaru wagon- she's already talking about moving to Asheville. I am behind the wheel of a conservative 1996 Honda Odyssey with groovey curtains over some of the back windows. I have discovered that when cars are no longer wanted in a country they are shipped to New Zealand and sold at bargain prices. Both of our cars served happy Japanese families in the 90's and now carry us through the mud and rain of NZ in the new millenium. They actually market cars by promising that you will be the first New Zealand owner of this great 1994..........etc. I just love the prices. I would bring the cars home if the steering wheels weren't on the wrong side.



Of course, there are many bright spots- it's just been a few tough weeks and perpetually gloomy weather doesn't help. We have been shown great hospitality by several families and I have met some very sweet and funny patients. I also do not forget that we have a common enemy who would be glad to see us pack it in and head home. "We do not battle flesh and blood..."



All of your comments serve to encourage and strengthen. Keep it up.



P.S. Go Cubs!