All Nighters and Easter Mornings

St. John's Church in Melbourne

Well, well, well....It looks like old Daniel "skin of his teeth" Bennett has pulled it off again.  After losing a week of possible work time on a2000 word essay for my Trasformations of Developing Countries class due to food poisoning, getting better a day into a previously booked trip to Australia, having a blast, coming back only to find out that the essay I hadn't worked on in 3 weeks was due in 48 hours and almost losing my doctor's certificate warranting somewhat of an extension, I'm pleased to say that I turned in the paper that will determine 40% of my grade in that class on time with four minutes to spare.  My teaching assistant said I would still recieve a penalty for being late because apparently a previously (one month in advance) booked trip on spring break while I'm studying abroad after a week of food poisoning wasn't a valid enough excuse for a full extension of the time I missed when I returned.  I don't agree with her necessarily but I figured there was nothing I could really do about it so I might as well just take it and try to climb my way out of the morter shell crater I was in.   It definitely wasn't my best work but it got completed and it's out of my life now.  I'm looking forward to sleeping tonight.  Roy Hargrove's innovative jazz and energy drinks deserve some of the credit for getting my paper in on time by keeping me fueled last night.  The whole situation was a very long story, which I'm not in the mood to share with you now but I think you've picked up the gist of it in my cascade of ranting a few lines of text up.  Gah!
Anyway, I had a fanstastic time in Australia once the food poisoning decided to leave my body.  I only had it very early Easter morning right before my flight and then that was the last of it.  I'm tempted to say good timing but considering my recent situation I don't think it would be quite appropriate in the big scheme of things.  I went to church on Easter which was one of the highlights of my trip.  We found this old church called St. Johns Presbyterian Church in downtown Melbourne.  I was greeted by white hair and warm smiles and was invited to just set my backpack down on the side next to the pew and enjoy the service.  The actual content of the sermon wasn't anything too out of the ordinary, pretty standard "remember and rejoice in what God has and Jesus have done for us",  which is amazing, don't get me wrong but it wasn't anything different from what I was expecting.  But then the music, oh the music.  They had an amazing brass quintet that accompanied the hymns and the choir and played an anthem or two.  It may have been a situational thing but I've never heard a group of instruments sound so full of joy .  The sermon ended up being somewhat redundant in the service because the brass could have said it all.  The choir was loud and energetic and I have never heard a sanctuary louder than on the final verse of the last hymn we sang.  Every beam in that old stone church just shook so spectacularly with the sound of hundereds belting out each word of praise.  I could kick myself for not writing down the name of it now but it was really an incredible thing to hear and witness.   It doesn't make up for missing Easter with family but it still made the day special. I'll share more about Australia soon but for now I hope you have enjoyed reliving my Easter as much as I have.   Hopefully I'll get to chat via skype with most of you reading soon.  Love, Daniel