Shopping!

Yesterday i went to DFO and had one of the biggest shopping trips Ive had in quite a while! (: Sometimes, its quite liberating to shop and buy things that you like - guess thats what they call retail therapy. I must say that I did restrain myself because there were many other things that caught my eye, and I did "prioritise" my purchases.

My purchases for the day! 1 luggage with a small carry on + cosmetic bag. 2 notebooks, 2 tops, 1 waterbottle, 2 ramekins, 2 milkshake cups, a mitten + warmer thing, perfume (: 

walked 3km just to get to this place! and another 2.5km carrying my luggage home

my ice mocha(: afternoon tea break before making the final decision about the luggage!

had a peanut butter and choc chip cupcake from "cupcake creations".  when i first got there i felt like it was quite pricey, $4.95 for one and didnt look outstanding, but it tasted good! the icing wasnt overly sweet and the cupcake was not too dry or hard. (:  i think peanut butter in cupcakes is a really good combination. just like my peanut butter choc cupcakes! i really love it and its something i think i hope to improve and make perfect!

best buy of the day! from 280 to 100, plus 50 percent off the smaller carry on which ended up to be 17.50 from like 80 dollars and a free cosmetic bag worth like 50 bucks! and such a nice pink too :p

came home and cooked a sumptuous meal for myself 

close up shot of the supposed aglio olio but cos i added mushrooms, it kind of browned and i was having some trouble mixing the cheese in (adding too much at once), and added water and it became too wet. lessons to be learnt!

 all in all, it was a good day and im thankful that my time in cairns is starting to turn around because previously i was feeling a little down and i would say, that things were on top of me and i wasnt really adapting. but im glad that now, things are starting to shine! having to deal with different people at this placement is teaching me a lot of things - learning to draw the line, learning not to feel bad because of people, learning not to allow other people to make me feel inferior, learning to love despite feeling insulted, learning to trust and lean on God in all circumstances!

this morning listened to a sermon from church on the red sea (Exo 13 and 14) on how
very often the way God does things 
1) may not be the shortest way - he led the Israelites through a longer route because he knew they werent ready to face opposition. and God plans our journey according to what the state we are in.
2) may not always make sense from a human perspective - he brought them into an area where they will be trapped, usnig them as a bait to trap the Egyptians. but be obedient to God even when it doesnt make sense and at the end of the day great things are being done for His kingdom
3) may seem impossible - they seemed stuck, trapped in by the sea, mountains and egyptians coming from the only escape route
**however, the Israelites were "armed for battle" but when the Egyptians pursued them they were so afraid, he said very often we think too highly of ourselves, it is easy to look good on the outside but when we are put to the test, is there substance? Do we really know the God that we trust in and know the truth of His word?
**contrary to the Israelites reaction was the reaction of Moses - who had eyes of faith
** quote from John Davis "the reaction of the Israelites is quite typical of those whose spiritual perspective are those which is conditioned by the present alone. Without a historical consciousness of what God has done and a deep rooted faith in what God will do, one is easily moved by the emotions of a given situation"

4) lastly, that the red sea points to the crucifixion, the crossing of the red sea was the final thing that gave Israelites full freedom from the Egyptians, similarly, the resurrection of Jesus freed us from being slaves of sin. it seemed impossible - we were slaves to sin and our only possible endpoint is death, but Jesus did the impossible, he died on the cross and rose again and saved us to life. Before this, God also asked them to consecrate their firstborn onto the Lord. God sacrificed his son for us - the cost of redemption.

5) he also talked about some cool archaelogical findings about the location of red sea. and how it was a really deep gorge but there was a natural and bridge found that could be where the Israelites crossed, and also how they found possible corals and possible artefacts which could have been the wheeles of the chariots, that just made it all the more real to me. i hope to go to these places one day(:

I've rattled on and on but all in all, learn to trust in this amazing God we have and believe in the promises of the cross - that God has already done it for us and freed us from the slavery of sin. (: !

have a blessed Sunday!