Perth Cast of Characters

It is hard to believe that I have already been in Perth for five days. It has flown by and been an absolute pleasure so far. I’m still adjusting to the major time difference (15 hours) but I am feeling better and better. Last night I went to bed about 9:30 pm and I woke up this morning at 6:30 am…So yeah, pretty much my usual sleeping pattern ;) Ha!

Well I thought I’d take a little time today and give you a cast of characters, so that as I tell you stories of what’s going on here you can have an idea of who is who.

First off is Andy Stewart who is the Director of Coaches at Lakeside and the man who I had first heard from after emailing their club. He was the one I had gone back and forth with through e-mails and who called me that Monday morning to tell me I should pack up and head to Perth. I had been warned ahead of time that Andy has quite a sense of humor, but I am still “figuring him out” which I have also been assured I’ll never be able to do. Reason being is Andy has about the driest sense of humor of anyone I have ever met. His tone never changes, so you’re not sure when he’s joking and when he’s being serious, which is actually pretty fun . He has an obvious passion for the game of basketball and he coaches not only with the men of the Lakeside Lightning, but with the Perth Wildcats, the pro team here. Today he came into the gym and gave me some things I can work on. He also has a real care for people and I am excited to get to know him and his family better and feel free to joke with him the way I see others doing.

David Preston is the chaplain for the men’s team at Lakeside and a pastor at Lakeside Baptist (they’re the same place really, the Church runs the rec league and it all takes place in one building, so I tend to use those two names interchangeably). He is the man who called me the Friday before I had been offered the spot to talk to me about my faith and what not. He is incredibly kind and warm and checks on me regularly- making sure that I am feeling comfortable, making sure that my parents are doing alright without me, and filling me in on who people are. The other day he came up to me to greet me and ask me how I’ve been doing so far and after assuring him that I was doing very well and enjoying everyone he said “so you feel loved then?” I smiled and nodded. He said “good!” He is so genuine and also, has a huge heart for people.

The Van Schies are the family that I am currently staying with. Jess Van Schie is the assistant coach for the team and a former player. She is taking the season off this year from playing because she is due to have a baby in July (we’re all hoping for a girl)! Jess is really great. She has a great sense of humor and sarcasm which of course makes me feel right at home, and she likes to dish it back to Andy which is fun to watch. She is a great mom to her little boy Riley who is nearly three and a crack up. She just takes everything in stride. In addition, she calls me "doll" and "love" and who couldn't like that?
*Side note* I am noticing that pet names are big in Australia and I am loving it!
Jason Van Schie is Jess’s husband and also fantastic. He told me pretty quickly that he has always been a Phoenix Suns fan because he used to love Kevin Johnson, so of course I liked him automatically ;). He even showed me this binder full of old Suns cards as well as a game he downloaded from back in the day of the Suns and Sonics playing- with players like KJ, Kidd, and Rex Chapman on the floor! Jason is really kind and he is the sort of person who asks questions and takes an interest in other people. He is so patient with Riley (their little boy) and just a good guy.

Riley is a crack up and a half. He is full of energy and silliness and somehow, though he had been told my name is Jess, has taken to calling me Jessica. He now likes to say my name all of the time. Riley has curly blonde hair and long skinny arms and legs. He wears glasses to help with a drifting eye and has the cutest little grin which he always pulls out when begging for something with a “Paah weeeese?” He's always on the move and he just says the funniest stuff. Today he jumped at me and said "BOO!" So I started doing it back to him, but it wasn't like we were creeping out from behind anything, we just took turns jumping at each other and saying boo. He was getting a kick out of it, so of course I was too.

Laurie (I am sorry if I am spelling that wrong) is the occupational therapist I have been going to, some call him a physio. He is highly energetic and he calls everyone darling and what not and hugs you hello and good bye and just loves to chat. A few of the Lakeside guys have been referring to him as the "witch doctor" because he just does all kinds of stretching and manipulation that really hurts but helps and he loads you up on supplements and weird elixors and these things called “footsies” which are patches you put on the bottom of your feet at night which supposedly pull the toxins out of your body. Not sure what my verdict is on them yet...but anyway,

I have met the two American guys from the men’s team. Luke is pretty quiet, he is an only child, and I've heard, an awesome ball player. I think he was MVP of the league last year or at least on the all-star team. He is very unassuming, not all that tall for a ball player, and just quietly goes about his day. He is very kind and, as I found out yesterday at the beach, is also a daredevil (he was doing flips off the pier into the water)... I think he’s from South Carolina.

The other dude is Ben, a farmer from Iowa. He has had the task of giving me rides a few times (I don’t have a car yet) so I’ve talked to him a bit more than Luke so far. He is pretty funny, but not always because he’s trying to be. The good thing is that when I laugh at him he laughs too. Ben thought it was so crazy that I went to The Master’s College because one of the big things that impacted him to make a decision to follow Christ was listening to John MacArthur preach and he had considered going to The Master’s Seminary. Another semi-coincidence is that he was also looking to go play in Luxembourg but ended up back in Australia (Ben and Luke have both already played several seasons here). Last crazy connection is Ben and Luke both know several people that I know. Small world! Anyway, Ben’s dream is to somehow have a ministry that incorporates a farm, cows, and basketball. If that’s not heaven, I don’t know what is ;) ha ha!

I am sure there will be more characters to add to this list, especially teammates. We have had two practices so far, the third one is tonight, but I am still not practicing. I am just shooting around this week. I have gotten to chat a small bit with a couple of the girls who are also coming back from injuries, but haven’t had a ton of interaction so far. Regardless, the girls have been very friendly and I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

So far everyone I have encountered has been very warm and welcoming. I have met so many people at church already and everyone seems excited to see me and I have already been told several times “you will have to come over for a barbecue!”

I am very blessed by the kindness I have received so far and I thank God for it! It is the people that make our experiences and so far this one has been wonderful!