A pronounced difference exists between knowing about something or someplace by hearing about it and knowing by experiencing it. Since August, as we were preparing to come to Australia, we heard stories from those who had been there. We read Culturegrams, looked at slides and read books on Aussie slang, and we thought we had a pretty good idea of what we were in for. All of that, however, cannot compare to the real thing as it is now happening for us. In Montana I read an article about the Mornington Peninsula, where (besides being a very nice tourist area) in 1967 then-Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim and was never seen again. Two weeks ago, on our way to Luther College’s Year 8 camp, we were at the top of Arthur’s Seat on the Peninsula with a view of Port Phillip Bay and towns below that no article could convey. A few weeks before that we visited the St. Michael’s School in Tarrington, which we featured in our fall tour slide show. A place which once was only a picture has come to life and become a place to which we are connected. The same thing is happening time and again as we are here – to bring it back to YE’s theme, our head knowledge of Australia is being joined by heart knowledge to make the picture complete. We had heard; now we know.
 
It is possible to go to a place, see the popular tourist sights, and leave with no idea of what where you have just been is truly like. I thank God that is not happening for us here in Australia. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to drive the Great Ocean Road and took heaps of photos at the Twelve Apostles like any self-respecting tourists would, but our time here is about much more than that. Our time here is about people, not places; it is about ministry, not tourism.
 
The Australia that we are getting to know is not the Australia generally seen by tourists or visualized by outsiders. We have the opportunity to live in the culture, work in ministry together with the people, form connections (as is our oft-stated goal) between people and the churches in Australia and the U.S., reinforcing our oneness in Christ. Our chances for sightseeing may be rare, but I would submit that we are seeing more of the real Australia and getting to know it better than those who come with sightseeing in mind. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul says “now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The great 1980s philosopher G.I. Joe says “knowing is half the battle.”
 
Australia is a land of great diversity, with many similarities and differences compared to the U.S., filled with a great variety of wonderful people. In only four months we will never get to know it all, but just by being here and experiencing it ourselves we are getting to know more than if we had not answered God’s call. The stories and pictures that we had seen and heard from others are being replaced with firsthand knowledge, with stories and pictures of our own. Praise the God of the entire world for this opportunity, and we pray for the day when the battle is over and all of us will know fully.
 
 
For more information on New Vision and our other International Teams, log on to www.youthencounter.org/teams/. And keep an eye out for greetings and stories from EACH MEMBER of NEW VISION, coming soon to the Youth Encounter website!