After we spent a few days up in Cairns (pronounced cans not carns) we headed to a placed called Hamilton Island and managed to get two full days of scuba diving in. The first day was with a group of about 300 people on a very large boat. The dive was fun but it wasn't as good as I expected to be. I thought it would be a little more lively. The second day we went diving again but with a smaller group of 30 and went to a different part of the reef. This is what I was hoping for. The second day dive was amazing as it was much more lively and colorful. There were a lot more fish and sea creatures to see too. I think the first dive group has exposed the reef a little too much to too many tourists that has had detrimental effects on the reef. I am really glad we got the second day in because it exceeded my expectations of the famous "Great Barrier Reef". I mean it is one of the seven wonders of the world so it should be amazing. Our last stop on our trip was to the city of Brisbane where I spent a lot of time serving the people of Australia as a missionary.

It was an amazing experience to see some of the people I taught and to see them still strong in the faith and progressing. A lot of memories came back as I walked the streets and visited places I had once been. It was a little emotional for me at times but no one noticed. I'm a man so I didn't make known those emotions. I was filled with gratitude for all of the hard work I was able to accomplish in such a short time frame. I truly grew to love the Australian people while I was there and noticed that I still have that love for them as I visited the place. I miss a lot of their phrases and sayings... "Too easy" "Sweet as" "Good on ya mate" "Gday mate" "Should be right".... and the list goes on.

Well now that I have given you a little look into what went on in my life this summer I can flash forward and makes my upcoming posts more recent. Stay tuned for more to come.