Still not seen a kangaroo

Day 7 in Australia and no kangaroo sightings yet.
Truth be told, the last 2 days I haven't seen much at all.
I've walked from my bedroom to the conference room, to the dining room, to the laundry room and back to my bedroom.

I have heard a Kookaburra bird.
But still to see a kangaroo ...or Melbourne (where I'm staying!).

But what I have seen is so much better than seeing a Kangaroo.

I've seen pastors decide there are necessary endings they need to make when they return to their corps.
I've seen pastors face honestly their biggest fears - including the fear that perhaps they haven't got the gift of preaching and they need to rethink their role -so many brave, courageous pastors who do not want to be an obstacle in God's way.
I've seen pastors dream of what could be an no longer ask 'why?', but say 'why not!'
I've seen pastors grapple with the big stuff, ask the central questions, wrestle with important tensions.
I've seen tears of hope for what God could do in and through their leadership.

So - no Skippy yet, but I never came for that.

It's like going to Kenya.
I sit in the Nairobi airport and I see tourist after tourist buy tee-shirts with giraffes on them.
But they miss it.
Kenya is not about giraffes or elephant sightings - Kenya is about the people.

My trip down under is not about seeing the Gold Coast, a kangaroo or Mick Dundee - this trip is all about seeing church leaders grasping what God can do in and through them as they turn their churches or corps outward to be all about what God is about -reaching people who are lost.

I want more of these sightings.