Friends and Family,
Here is the continuation from my last blog, this blog with tell about the days when my Mom came to visit...
Mom arrived on Thursday around noon, I know she was exhausted from the long trip here, so we came back to my house, got her settled in and let her shower and relax... Thursday are a pretty busy day for me, I have practice with my WABL team(Picture at the top), team time with my team, and then practice, which after this practice we had set up for the game we had the next night...
she planned a good time to come visit, we played 4 games in 2 weeks, which is a tough schedule but works well for the spectators...
The first game of the weekend was against the Cockburn Cougars... I didn't play a ton of mins, for one because I was in foul trouble and fouled out but also my back was still bothering me form the week before, it just felt really stiff... we ended up winning 106-95, I finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds...
The next night we played on the road at the Perth Redbacks... the game the night before must have loosened up my back, because it felt great... It was a great night for our team, we played really well as a unit and to be completely honest I shot the ball really well... we won 112-95 and I finished with 46 points and 12 rebounds... I want to give a shout out to my teammate Jarrad Prue who finished the game with 30 rebounds, the most amazing rebounder I have ever played with and one of the best I have ever seen...
The next day was my day off, like usual on Sunday's I coach my WABL team, this week it was at home so I was able to take Mom to church at Lakeside... then after I coached mom and I met up with my friend Casey and went down to Fremantle, walked around a bit then grabbed some food...
On Monday, Mom and I went to the Perth Zoo... really enjoyed going there, it was great to see so many native animals, and it was crazy because the Roos are just walking around the you can basically just go up and touch them... Mom took a ton of good pictures and enjoyed the zoo a ton...
On Tuesday I went to the gym and worked out then we went up to Kings Park... Kings Park is one of those places in Perth that is a must see... It has a great view over the city, lots of great paths to walk on, trees and plants that are so different to what we have in US, just an overall great place to walk around...
Wednesday we went around Fremantle again to hit some the things we missed... then we went up to Cottesloe Beach for some fish and chips and to check out the sunset... it was great, such a beautiful night, only one problem was the amount of seagulls around was ridiculous, like I thought they were gonna gang up and steal our food... I know my sister's would not have been to pleased to be sitting there so close to so many birds(Kirst, haha)
On Thursday we kind of took it easy because it was the same thing as the week before with coaching, team time, training, and setup, and I wanted to rest up my legs a bit for the game the next day..
On Friday we played Williton, who beat us just a couple of weeks before this... I did not want to loose to them again and by beating them it would put us on top of the standings... It was a dog fight, one of the most physical games I had played in... we won the game, thanks to some fine play by my friend and teammate Luke Payne who scored 39.. We won 104-93, I finished with 27 points and 4 rebounds...
Just want to quote Dave Preston, who is an amazing man, close to my heart, the man is the chaplain of our team, runs our team time often and has become a dear friend... Dave, "Man who tames tiger, is no pussycat".
The next night we played at East Perth, for those who don't know they are the team with 3 guys who are 7 foot or taller... again this was a really physical and hard fought game and we came out on top, 85-76... I finished with 25 points and 5 rebounds...
The next was Sunday and basically did what we did the Sunday before, went to church in the morning, then coached my team after that... leading to a bit relaxing and letting Mom get her stuff packed up... that night we went out to eat with the Chegs, they are the family I stayed with when I arrived and where Luke is staying, the are wonderful people and enjoy being around them, also am thankful that they help feed and take care of me while being so far from home...
Came back after dinner and let Mom get her stuff all packed up, because she had to fly out really really early in the morning, her flight left at 5:45am so we got up and got there plenty early...
It was tough to see her go, so thankful for the time we got to spend together and that she was able to take some time get away from Victor to travel and spend time with me in a land far far away... Glad she got to meet many of the people I interact with daily and put faces with names... I know it was a big sacrifice on her part to come down here but for me it was a pleasure having her down here...
my next posts will be from after she left til up to date... thanks again, hope you enjoyed it... Gonna leave you with this....
In Gen 1:27- So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
As humans we are made in the image of God, we are image bearers of the Almighty... Just walking around Perth and for me visiting countries all over the world I can see the vastness of God... It blows my mind that all these people from different tribes tongues and nations all the the image of God... To me that points to the goodness of God, every person is important to Him, not one is without His mark...
Francis Chan has this great quote,
"Isn't it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?" -Francis Chan
Much love,
Ben
Hi Ben so true! I have a story to share with you. What has prompted me is looking up on Genesis 1:27. A lady at our Catholic School is from South Africa and she is very black. We were on a school excursion in Fremantle and I noticed she walked way behind us other parents. I prayed and as I prayed I slowed down and caught up with her and I spoke to her Hi my name is Christina come walk beside me. She was very unsure. I asked her which one is her child and she looked at me and answers it is obvious it's the boy my son with the dark skin he's the only one. I told her yes and that is my daughter with the white skin. She laughed and we have become good friends.Everytime I see her I give her a big hug and a kiss and she giggles. I was so upset for her that she felt we might be racist against her skin colour. In the same week on the weekend I go to a party and I was talking with a group of women ranging from mid twenties to thirties and they are talking about how unhappy they are about themselves and would consider cosmetic surgery etc. They asked me how I felt and I told them well I am happy the way I am as this is how I was created.When I was a child I was teased because I was Greek and then when I got older because I had a large nose. I prayed for those that teased me because I use to get upset and that is what my mother has taught me.
ReplyDeleteI came across this prayer In God's Image : God does not make mistakes; people do. Some people might be tempted to deny their racial heritage, even to change their physical apperance in order to fit into the latest fad or the dominant cultural image of beauty. We must remember that physical features are not accidents. God planned for them-we are all made in God's image.
If we are to authentically love ourselves, we must love our whole selves. This includes a love for the DARK SKIN or the LIGHT SKIN, straight hair, tight curly hair, wide nose or pug nose, and all the variations in between. Whatever our appearance, we are all blessed of God.
My prayer:
Dear God, I praise you for who I am on the inside and on the outside and for those women who are unhapppy with their appearances, bless them and guide them with the power of your love.
Amen
God Bless
Christina Vink.
Thank you Ben for the inspiration.