You Say Tomato, I Say...

When we're back in the US, people always ask us if our kids are picking up the Aussie accent. The short answer is, "Umm...maybe." We honestly don't hear it, but others say there is a definite Aussie "twang" in our kids' speech!

One thing is for sure, they are picking up all the lingo! I like to say they're bilingual. :) Here's a few examples:

Instead of popsicles, it's "iceblocks"
Instead of mom, it's "mum".
Instead of garbage can, it's "rubbish bin"
Instead of eraser, it's "rubber".
Instead of how are you, it's "how ya goin'"
Instead of bathroom, it's "toilet"

And Jason keeps calling people "mate" while we're here! He even said "G'day" to a cashier the other day. That's gotten us a few confused glances!

Catching Up

We are still in Pensacola, Florida--enjoying some kid-free time and catching up with some lifelong friends and family. It's been a fun time!

Last night, Jason and I met up with 3 different couples that have known me since I was a child. These friends have witnessed and been a part of nearly every major milestone in my life--including our decision to move to Sydney! It always encourages me to know that they remain interested and invested in our lives; even though we live so far away! These friends have been so faithful to pray for us and incredibly generous to us over the years.

After those catch-ups, we had dinner with my cousins and their wives, as well as some great friends.

Some relationships are so comfortable, so established, that you can see one another after a long absence and pick right back up where you left off. I love that! We had a great time chatting, catching up on job changes, new babies, and telling stories.

Pensacola!

Jason and I drove down to Pensacola from North Carolina last night. Mom and Dad are very graciously keeping the kids for us so that we can d a lightning fast road trip.

It's our first road trip without kids since....well, since we had kids! It was nice to just sit in the car, chat, read and listen to the radio without mediating disputes and searching for DVDs the kids aren't sick of!

We're down here to catch up with family and also meet with some friends that support our ministry in Sydney. We feel really fortunate to have people in our lives that love us and take an interest in what we do.  It's nice to be home. I just love the South; being here makes me realize how much I've missed the accent, the courtesy, just the willingness that people have to slow down and talk to you. I hope I haven't lost that sensibility by living somewhere else!

Jason is enjoying it, too, but even more--he's enjoying eating at restaurants and getting as many free refills as his heart could wish for! (A sore subject with him about Oz.) :)

More later...

August/September Update

Hi everyone!

How are you? Is the weather finally cooling down for you guys? I sure hope so...it seems like it was a really hot summer for North America. Meanwhile, we've burned through a ton of firewood and welcomed the start of spring on September 1^st. Hmmm...I have a question. Do you mind if I do this update a little differently? You see, there's been so much happening in the past month or 2 that I just don't think I can fit it all in if I do paragraphs. Would you mind if I give you some bullet points? Or is that too impersonal? I'll try to make them as interesting as possible. Deal? Okay, thanks. :)

• Our outreach at the pub in Kellyville Ridge is going really well! (I mentioned it to you in my last update.) We're having monthly gatherings in a function room there, and we've had new people coming each time. Our hope is to ultimately grow this group into another congregation. Though we are making valuable connections with people, it's still very much in the early stages. But “church at the pub” is pretty fun! That's Aussie culture for ya. ;)
• We celebrated our 10^th Anniversary as a church on August 21^st! (It's true that Jason and I have only been here 6 years, but the church was actually first launched 10 years ago. The original pastor had to leave Sydney for another posting 2 years later, so when Jason and I came there was sort of a re-launch.) We had a big celebration weekend, with guest speakers, special gatherings and of course, an Aussie BBQ. It was so encouraging to look back on all that has happened, and to see how the Lord has grown the church from the original handful of people.
  
  (Some of our leaders at a meeting during the Anniversary weekend!)
• Jason and I decided to throw a 4^th of July party this year. It's our first official one, and I think it might become a tradition. There is a group of about 6-7 families from the kids' school that we've gotten to be good friends with. They are from all over: Aussies, Italians, Irish, England—a very international group! We've been building friendships for a couple of years now, and had a blast celebrating our Independence Day with them. They, in turn, were impressed that we would stay up so late hosting them when we had to get up very early for church the next day. It's our prayer that soon they'll be coming along to church as well!
• A couple weeks ago (Sept 10th), we hosted a “Family Fun Day” at the church. We've been in our new location for a year now, and we are really trying to establish ourselves in the local community and connect with people. We advertised on the radio and in the local primary schools, and had a range of free kids' and family activities right outside our church building. This was our first event of this kind, and you can imagine the work and planning that's involved. We had a great team of volunteers though, and it was a real success! We met a lot of families from the community and are working now to follow up with them. I realized, though, that I'm not as young as I used to be. I took my turn in the jumping castle at the very end of the day...I only lasted about a minute and a half in there! Having fun is hard work!
• Finally—we're in the USA!! Yup, last Friday, we flew from Sydney to Hawaii. We're very fortunate to be able to spend a week in Hawaii with Jason's family, then we'll be travelling on Sunday the 25^th to the Southeast to see my family. It's been nearly 2 years since we've all been home! The kids and I will return to Oz in mid-October, and Jason will stay a few extra weeks in California to visit some of our ministry partners and make a quick trip to Dallas. I'm trying to work out if we can come to Florida as well...it's a blessing to have loved ones in so many places, but it does create some logistical issues! :) We'll keep you posted on that front!

We'd appreciate your prayers for a few things: a safe trip home, and that the kids would adjust well to all the travel and time difference (our Gracie especially!), and also for the church while we are away. We have some special guests coming to preach and minister while we are gone, and we have a very capable leadership team as well. But there some sensitive ministry issues that we are involved in right now, and we are praying that all will be well with those while we are away. Thank you, as always, for you prayers and support. We are looking forward to seeing many of you soon!

Who are the Hubbarts? This is a good place to start.

Hello! My name is Jason Hubbart, my wife and I pastor a church in Sydney, Australia. We have three kids: Ava, Nate, and Grace. Here they are!

 Amy and I moved our family (at that time, consisting of the two of us and 20 month old Ava) from Dallas to Sydney in July 2005, and have spent the years since starting a church and working with young people on high school and university campuses.. In Mark 16:15 Jesus instructs us to “go into all the world and share the good news with every person”. We love what we do, and we love that we get to do it in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Thanks for taking an interest.

Here is a little more information about what we are a part of and what we’re doing:

• Amy and I have been a part of Every Nation Ministries for the past 10 years. The mission of Every Nation Ministries is to “honor God and advance His Kingdom through Church Planting, Campus Ministry and World Missions”. Every Nation’s goal is to plant a life-giving, vibrant church in every nation of the world. We have just begun but currently have over 600 churches in approximately 60 nations.
• In 2005, we began serving as associate pastors on a church planting team and in 2007, became the senior pastors of the church. It has been a very exciting time and we have seen the church go from a handful of believers to over 80 people attending. We have gained a lot of momentum lately and the relationships we have built in the community through small groups have continued to grow.
• Sydney has a population of 5 million people, and there are about 250,000 college students living here, from all over this part of the world. It is one of the most international cities in the world. It’s an amazing opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with many nations!
• When we talk with people in the States about our ministry, they are often surprised to hear how secular the culture and nation of Australia really is. On any given Sunday, less than 5 percent of the population attend church. For many of the people we’ve met, a concept of God or church plays no role in their lives. The need and potential is great!
• The vision, with God’s grace, is to build a church that will serve and reach our local community, the city of Sydney and ultimately be a missions-sending church for the rest of Australia and the South Pacific.

As missionaries to Australia, Amy and I have developed a financial and prayer partnership team that has helped made it possible for us to go to Sydney. This blog is a way for us to communicate with that team and others, to let them know what's happening here. If you want to know about becoming part of our prayer team please add your email address on the right column to receive updates, if your interested in giving a financial gift, you can read here.

If you want to know more about our family, Amy has a personal blog about doing life and raising a family down under. You can find that here.