10. Cafes are very popular. Many McDonald’s are McCafés, which are comparable to Starbuck’s. There was even a Car Wash Café: drink coffee while they wash your car– what a concept! I’m gonna start a workout café: drink a hot latte while you bench 225 lbs…. I mean kilograms. I think they’ll come.

9. Surfers are cool, body boarders are not. I think that relationship is like a Harley biker and a guy on a motor scooter.

8. There is no central heating and air. We did have electric heat in the living room and kitchen. There were also electric blankets on the mattress that worked extremely well. I think I came back with a tan from the neck down.

7. Barbecues are really popular there, though they are unfamiliar with the whole pulled-pork concept. Fortunately, we didn’t end up at any Aboriginal barbecues in the bush, where we were the main course,

6. Bananas are expensive! They were ~$9/lb. I’d have to sell my left kidney and donate some plasma if I ever wanted to introduce them to the all-American treat of banana pudding.

5. Tea is apparently pretty popular there, and not the good ol’ Southern sweet iced tea: the hot stuff. We had tea and biscuits (cookies) in between church and class on Sunday. And that’s not counting the Lord’s Supper. That’s my kind of place: where even the adults get snack!

4. Gas is sold by the liter instead of the gallon. Try figuring out what that means while driving on the wrong side of the road. It was about AU$1.50/liter while we were there, which, in American English, translates into $ALOT.9. I think I’m gonna have to break down and get a moped.

3. “Boot” means ‘trunk’; ‘rubbish’ means ‘trash’; ‘nappies’ are ‘diapers’; and ‘day sleep’ means ‘naps’. It’s like those guys over there so un-American!

2. If you order fish and chips, don’t expect to get a bag of Doritos. Chips are french fries… which, by the way, did the French even come up with fries?

1. “Mate” doesn’t necessarily refer to the act of procreation. It is commonly used as a term of endearment/friendship.

Well it took a while, but the Aussie Team has made a decision. With months of prayer, discussion, study and analysis, our team has decided to focus our efforts on Wollongong. We believe, through our preparation, that God is sending us to this city. Please be in prayer about how our team can be effective for God’s harvest in Wollongong.

Below is an overhead shot of the Sydney/Wollongong area with the Churches of Christ (a capella, Independent). As shown in the image, the Churches of Christ (a capella, Independent) have no significant presence in Wollongong. Our team knows of a few (aroung 9) people who live in the area, but only meet a few times a month when a visiting preacher goes to Wollongong to worship with this small group.