Lots to say....

So I have not got round to writing on my Blog for so so long. I will try and give an update of what i have been doing since March!
Firstly I feel like I have grown so much both spiritually and physically as a person. I certainly feel alot more fit now because of all the lifting/ hiking/ different type of boating i have been doing. But i also feel so much more spiritually great because I have grown so much in my relationship with God.
So I moved into the house i am in now (and will be for the rest of my time) on the 25th march. Its really easy for getting around because it is right next to a station on the line heading straight into perth- so takes about 20 mins to get into the city which is awesome.

The last week in March I was on a camp with about 60 year 9 students. It was one of the busiest camps out of them all in the summer term. It was held at a camp site in the south of perth near Busselton, on the wellington dam. Basically there were 4 camp sites and each site had a different camp leader and a different activity at the camp. So one site was managed by Keith (ex intern, now the new field worker). He was on the Bibnium track hiking with the students to the gorge. They would then be handed over to Anna (camp director/ other Field worker) where she paddled across with the students in kayaks and canoes to my camp site where I lead Flat water rafting with them. The students had to make their own rafts from poles and blow up rings and paddle across the dam. They then went onto another site where they were white water rafting with a couple of old interns. It was quite a complicated camp because everyday i would have a new group to my camp site, I had to learn all their names and get to know them before the next group came along the next day and they left to the next activity! It was such an awesome week and I learnt so much about my leadership skills. It was really fun being in a Kayak all week in this beautiful area, it was really nice not moving tents and packing up my back pack every morning. A down side was that I had to eat the same meal every day for the week, and also didnt get to shower which is the norm on these camps now but still not nice! We had proper toilets, and basins at the camp site i was running which was quite a luxury! Its amazing how much I take for granted and how thank full i am for just a roof over my head!

That was my last camp in the summer term we did because week beginning 5th April was the easter holidays.
For the next two weeks Racheal Clear came over to stay with me and visit Perth. I knew her a little from england because Ella went to South Africa in 2008 with Scripture union and Racheals sister Charli also went with Ella. They became quite close friends and so we met through them. Racheal is also on the same SU program as me Emily and Brian. Scripture Union Action Abroard. She was working with the schools department over in sydney from september to march.
So Racheal came over for just under two weeks. It was so nice having her here because It felt quite sister like and we really got on well. We had a bit of a road trip down to Albany (5 hours down south) with me her emily brian and this girl called Mel who came on a couple of camps with us. She is really nice also and feels like quite a good friend already. Mel took us down because she was going to visit her family so we were all invited to crash at her parents house for the three night we were there. We did a few beautiful walks because the landscape is very English down there and the weather is significantly cooler, which was nice to get out of the hot hot hot... soon missed it though!
After getting back from Albany Racheal and I did alot of visiting around Perth. Went to Fremantle/ Hilarys- just down the road from me. Plenty of beaches and ocean swimming. Kings Park. Lots of things. She then flew back to sydney on the saturday, which was hard because we had had such a great time and got on so well.
The week after the easter Holidays I was just in the office planning for the next two camps coming up. I was planning all the food for one of them which was really hard- and stressful!
The last week in April was a camp down south again in Boronup Forest. The students were Year 11. Brian and I were leading 15 of the students around. There were 2 other groups with leaders but we didnt see them all week because we were constantly moving through different camp sites. The first day was Abseiling which was awesome because the views were amazing. We abseiled a 10 metre and a 30 metre. Anna was the Abseil instructor but alot of the time Brain and I had to connect the students onto the safety lines and run through all the checks before Anna double checked and lowered them down the cliff face. It was quite a responsibility but i was confident in Anna trusting us to do this, and I was constantly learning from things like this. We then had to hike back to our camp site/ set up camp and cook dinner. Next day we had to hike from the camp site to another site set up about 20 KM further south. It was a challenging hike because we were given a couple of maps (being about 10 years old) and a compass. Brian and I had to get the group of students to navigate us down the right paths. Alot of it was in the middle of this beautiful australian bush but very difficult to mark out a path sometimes. We went via Boronup beach and i will remember it for the rest of my life. We were hiking for so so long and everyones feet was sore, we could smell the sea and hear it crashing against the shore but it wasn’t until we climbed over this sandue that we could see this amazing beach. It was spectacular... Blue sea, really white sand and green grass on the tops of the banks. And after not washing and not touching water much for 3 days it was such a feeling putting your feet in the ocean! BEAUTIFUL!!
We then hiked back to the next camp site which was this crazy looking- really really old hut in the middle of dense forest! It did look like something from a scary movie... and didnt get much better on the inside. As soon as you walked in the door a cold damp feeling came over you, there was a small kitchen that had some pots hanging covered in spider webbs, and this rusty looking fridge that didnt work. Luckly we had the comfort of our own 2 man tents and own cooking sets so i was rather pleased to be outside! It was amazing to also go to the camp site and see a little hut burried in the bush which was a long drop toilet! Even though it was real smelly and filled with lots of cockroaches i was pleased not to have to go in the bush!
The next day we had to hike to the Giants cave- which was a fair walk. I have done this cave 4 times there now because it seems a really popular choice. So I didnt mind doing it again. It is spectacular in the cave and alot of the students find it really challenging, but come out feeling like they have climbed a mile stone. So its really nice to help them over come that and lead them through that process. We then had to hike more to get back to the final camp site we were staying at.
Brian and I felt like we really got on well with the group. Every evening we had a small group time discussing the day and what challenges they faced etc. That was also a time to share my faith. We split into boys and girls for this which worked really well. Most of the girls were christian and it was really interesting some of the topics/ discussions we had.

After that camp I literally got back showered and packed for a weekend away with the uni church i have been going to. It was a really good weekend and was great to get to know some of the friends i have made whilst being out here. Even though it was short and seemed to get lost in between other things, i felt it to be really important.
After that weekend i had another camp with a different school starting on the monday. This was held down south again in Geographe Bay, the kids were year 6. It was at the Scripture union camp site in dorms so was not as full on camping as the others. The activities were hiking/ caving/ trust games and rafting. It was really hard camp for me actually because I was ill for the first half of the week. I had to be taken to the doctors on the tuesday morning so it wasnt great. But alot of prayer went round and i soon bounced back up... at least i thought i did because i actually got worse on the saturday after getting home. Im better now thank goodness, but it certainly wasn’t great being ill on camp. The camp was similar to my very first camp i did back in February- so it was nothing new. The Kids were really fun and the teachers and parents always make it extra fun... this time one of the parents decided to bring stink bombs which was hilarious when set off late at night in one other the boys dorms! Ha ha... adults can still play pranks and get away with it!
So it has been quite a busy last few months- im really looking forward to getting back home and showing everyone photos and telling more stories about my experience here.
At the moment Brian and I are working together planning the staff hike at the end of June before my last camp. Ross was explaining this morning that there are often a few tears and scratches on the staff hike. I think it will defiantly be a achievement once we have done it. They have suggested to start training now for it- taking up jogging with 20 kilo packs on us to prepare ourselves, I think we are planning to hike min 22 KM a day. Depending on what hike we do... its a toss up between the stirling rangers (see google) or part of the Bibnium track (hiking track running from perth to albany in the bush) near wolpole. It is also a spiritual expedition so i will be challenged for sure.
Im missing england like crazy and really looking forward to seeing everyone, I have changed my return date to the 21st july which is only like 9 weeks away!!!!!!!
Thank you for all your prayers and support for this. Please continue to pray that i make the most of my time left, and also get all the planning for this hike and my last camp done.
Martha =)