Australia Trip Journal

October 5-15, 2008 - Roger Lipe

Sunday October 5 – I was up early this morning after having conducted the wedding ceremony for former Saluki Baseball player, Nathan Emrick, and former Saluki Softball player, Krystal Stein, the previous afternoon and evening. I stayed the night at the Ramada Inn North at I-270 and Lindberg Road in St. Louis so I could take advantage of their parking and shuttle service.
I drove to Fairview Heights, IL for church at Christ UMC where my friend, Shane Bishop, is the pastor. He graciously introduced me to the congregation and prayed for my trip. After church I picked up some lunch and ate it in my hotel room. I prepared my bags for travel and watched some NFL pre-game shows, then met the shuttle at 12:50 to go to the airport. I checked in very early and waited while watching 3 different NFL games on the gate’s TV monitors.
We boarded the plane to LAX on time, arrived on time and I then made my way through the airport and aboard another shuttle to the Quantas Airlines gate and waited to depart. The flight to Melbourne was very good with excellent food, lots of snacks and refreshments, video on demand, a great CD collection, and more. I took my Advil PM and slept all of 8 hours. I awoke to more good food for breakfast and a beautiful view of Sydney and the Opera House. We had a clear view of Canberra as well and soon touched down in Melbourne.

Tuesday October 7 – (You’ll notice there is no Monday. It disappeared at the International Date Line.) Once on the ground the whole process slowed down. Immigration was easy, but it took a good while to get my bags and then there was a line at customs which must have had 500 people in it. Once through there I began looking for Gary Speckman who was to pick me up. I didn’t see him so I had him paged. I bumped into Terry who is a chaplain for a life saving club along the Gold Coast of Australia. We talked for a bit and he called Gary who was just arriving. We gathered two more chaplains from other parts of Australia and then loaded the car for the hotel. When we got to the hotel, we jumped right into the conference session already underway on suicide awareness.
We had lunch together and I met a lot of new people. I then did my first presentation at 2:15, introducing “Transforming Lives in Sport” and discussing Relationships. It was very well received. After the afternoon session, I showered, shaved and prepared for the evening.
The Sports Chaplaincy Australia Chaplain of the Year Award banquet was held in the evening and included a number of donors, athletes and others who support and are served by SCA. I served on a panel for discussion with Rodrigo Vargas, a professional soccer player and Dave Swarz, a retired Aussie Rules Footballer and present radio/TV announcer. Dinner was great and the program was fine as well. After the program was over I turned in. I roomed with Cameron Butler, SCA’s CEO for the last 3 years.

Wednesday October 8 – I was up in time for the 7:30 am breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I ate with a couple of motor racing chaplains and we compared notes re: their racing circuits, NASCAR and Indy car racing. At 9:15 I did my second presentation, this time on Attitude and Presence. It was also well received and the discussion was quite good. My having dropped photos of Australian sports into my PowerPoint presentation helped them connect in a tremendous way. After lunch we heard from other speakers for the conference and then visited the Victoria Institute of Sport in downtown Melbourne. It was in the middle of one of their sporting districts right by the Rod Laver Tennis Center. It was a very nice training facility and we had a meeting with the people who run their athlete development program called “ACE.” I was impressed by their holistic approach to sport and their hearty acceptance of the role of chaplains in their athletes’ development. We also took a walk to the training facility for the Richmond Football Club, which is no better than most high school facilities in my area. While there we heard from the head coach of the club and had a meeting with a former AFL footballer who is now an administrator for the AFL Players Association. I was impressed at the amount of services they offer their players, both during and after their playing careers.
After these meetings we had a dinner of pizza outside the Richmond Footie Club and then returned to the hotel for an evening of fun and relaxation. We played an Aussie Sports Trivia game which paired chaplains from various sports vs. other pairs of chaplains. After this was completed I went straight to bed.

Thursday October 9 – I was awake early this morning, showered and prepared for the day. Cameron and I had a very good talk about the future of sports chaplaincy globally and how we could each be influential in its development. He and I met two motor sports chaplains for breakfast and then moved to our meeting room. At 9:15 I did my third presentation, this one re: Strategies, Methods and Resources for Sports Chaplaincy. At the end of my talk, they presented me with some gifts: an Aussie Rules Football, a scarf from the Melbourne Football Club, some puzzle/post cards and a jar of vegemite. I was thrilled with each of them.
After my talk and a break we heard a presentation re: Adrenalin and Stress. Later we heard from Motor Racing Legend – Peter Brock’s widow. We asked her questions about ministry with high profile sports figures and their families. It was quite enlightening. Cam gave her a copy of “Heart of a Champion” and had me autograph it. After we wrapped up the conference, I rode with Jeremy (SCA State Director for Victoria) to his home where we had dinner and soon hit the sack.

Friday October 10 – I was up early and went to the dining room table to read and to have breakfast. A little later, Ruth, Isaac and I went to a nearby mall to exchange US $ to AU $ and so I could buy some souvenirs. It took me a long while to find what I was looking for, but found most all of it at the Australian Geographic store. $1.00 US traded for $1.46 Australian. After we finished that task we met Jeremy at the church, I downloaded email and sent out my weekly Sport Chaplain / Sport Mentor notes as well as updating my blog and the www.teamchaplains.org site. Then we went to a small bakery for lunch. I had a meat pie and lemonade. We then drove up into the mountains near Melbourne and looked at the panoramic view down onto the city. While there we enjoyed good coffee and Isaac had an ice cream bar all over his face.
After we returned home, I went out for a 40 minute workout, trying not to get lost. I then showered and prepared for the evening’s youth meeting. Jeremy and I drove to the church early, so I walked around the corner and had a boiled egg and lettuce sandwich on white bread with some potato chips and a Coke Zero. The youth meeting kicked off with some games and then I was interviewed on a number of subjects. Later we played more games and then we heard an interview with a young lady from Melbourne who competed in Table Tennis at the Paralympics in Beijing. She played table tennis with some of us while others ate ice cream and other snack foods. After the meeting broke up I went with the group’s leaders to the Pancake Palace for a late night snack and good conversation. We got home at midnight.

Saturday October 11 – I was up at 7:30 to read and for breakfast. I shortly loaded up my stuff and went with Ruth and Isaac to the Melbourne Cricket Ground so she could pick up info for tomorrow’s Melbourne Marathon in which she is running. We then took a long walk through downtown Melbourne to see the sights. We drove across town and met Cameron at his daughter, Holly’s, net ball game. We transferred my luggage to his car and then made the trip to his home. I met the family and settled into Holly’s room for the next several nights. A little later in the evening Cam, his son Lachie and I went to church together to see one of Cam’s footballers being baptized. We sat right beside Rodrigo Vargas the pro soccer player. He seemed thrilled that I would converse with him in Spanish. We sat right in the middle of the Latino section of the church congregation.
After church was over we went to dinner with Brad Miller, his wife and son. Brad was the player who was baptized during the service. He’s 23 years old and in the 5th year of his playing career. He has been reading “Heart of a Champion” for several months and loves it. We had a great conversation about sport, faith and fatherhood. After dinner was over we made our way home around 10:00 pm and I was soon in bed.

Sunday October 12 – I was up early to follow the Saluki Football game on Game Tracker on my computer. We won 60-7 and I also watched game progress for several of my friends in coaching around the country as well as the games for some of my chaplain friends. I had breakfast with the family. Cameron, his wife Merryl, son Lachie, daughter Holly and I all packed into the SUV and drove east of Melbourne into the bush. We went to a wildlife preserve which was much like a zoo, full of animals indigenous to various parts of Australia. I bought lunch for our crew in the bistro and we continued to see the animals.
After that we took a drive into the mountains, through a rain forest, across mountain peaks, through valleys full of vineyards while the kids slept most of the way. We played some of the icebreaker mind games which I have cluttering parts of my brain. On the way back into town we stopped for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. I enjoyed the food, which was unlike anything I had eaten before. We returned home, watched a movie on DVD and went to bed.

Monday October 13 – I was again up early to read, to send email (including my weekly devotion and notes to FCA huddle coaches) and to have breakfast with the family. We took the kids to school as we went to Cam’s office. I made three presentations to the SCA certificate training class over a three hour period bridging the morning and afternoon. At lunch I had a great conversation with one of the trainees. After the day wrapped up I returned home with Cam for dinner with the family and we watched “The Bourne Identity” on DVD. Upon its completion I went to bed.

Tuesday October 14 – I was up early to read and again had breakfast with the family. Cam and I took the girls to school, and then we took Lachie with us to another mall to shop for opal jewelry for my wife, Sharon. I finally found one at an antique jewelry store. We then drove to the Melbourne Football Club’s offices and training facility. Cam gave me a comprehensive tour and we talked with several people including some players and some of the coaching staff. We had lunch in a Melbourne Harbour downtown shop and then we went to the Melbourne Sport and Aquatic Center to meet the certificate trainees. We conversed with them over their lunch and then met with Pipper of the AFLPA for a discussion of sport, psychology and chaplaincy.
We then returned home for dinner with the family, cooked by Cam on the barby, and good conversation with another motor racing chaplain, Darryl. After dinner we watched an AFL video of great “Marks” and a recent game involving the Melbourne Football Club. I went to bed as soon as the game was over.

Wednesday October 15 – I was up this morning at 5:15, anticipating the day’s travel. Coach Darrell Wimberley from Marion High School called me asking if I could recommend a speaker for an upcoming event at their school. I read, had a cup of coffee and then said my goodbyes to Cam’s family. We were on the road by 8:00 and headed for the airport. We continued our conversation about sports chaplaincy around the world during the ride and then he dropped me at the terminal. I breezed through check in, customs and security and then waited for a good while. I was at the gate by 9:00 and we boarded at 10:40. While waiting I continued my reading of “Lincoln on Leadership.” I began reading “How Football Explains America” at the beginning of the trip and completed it a couple of days ago.
The flight from Melbourne to LAX was 14 hours and 50 minutes. I slept about 6 hours on this flight and watched a bunch of movies to occupy time. I also did some brainstorming and strategizing re: sports chaplaincy and my future in it during the early part of the flight. The food and service on Quantas was very good again.
Our flight arrived on time in LA and as soon as we touched the ground I called Sharon and Jason. It was good to hear their voices. I had already queued up a bunch of text messages which were sent upon our touching down. I walked through the maze to immigration, which was very simple and then I waited a good while for my bags. Once they were collected I waited in line for customs which was also very easy. I rechecked my bag to STL and walked outside to change terminals. I stood in a very long line to go through security yet again. Once through that process I walked to my gate and had some Burger King breakfast. I made some calls and sent some text messages to friends while I waited and then heard that our gate had changed from 46B to 40, so I trooped down there to wait to board.
The plane boarded a little late and the flight was an easy 3 hours to St. Louis. My bags arrived shortly and I was on the phone to the hotel for the shuttle. I waited outside for 40 minutes and the shuttle finally arrived. The shuttle driver took me to my car and then I bought some gasoline, got some McDonald’s to go and headed for Carbondale. 28 hours after I left Cam’s house, I arrived at home, showered, shaved and collapsed in bed.

This was a most productive trip with the highlights being the investments we were able to make in the sports chaplains across Australia in every type of sport. At several points along the last 10 days I have been aware of the tremendous privilege I have been given to serve our Lord in this way and with such people.

July 2008 Jamaica Trip Report - Roger Lipe

This is a brief report on my 2008 vacation trip to Jamaica to train sport chaplains and sport mentors. Thanks for your prayers and invaluable partnership in this endeavor. It was a great success.

Saturday July 5 –
I was up early this morning and took the hotel shuttle to the airport, arriving at 4:30 am. I checked in and my plane took off at 6:05 am. I changed planes in Miami. We arrived in Kingston, Jamaica just before noon and began the immigration process. I had to pay $35.00 in import duty for the 120 books which we’ll use here in our training sessions. My friend and colleague, Andre Virtue of Whole Life Sports, picked me up at the airport and took me directly to a radio station where an interview was already underway with Percival Palmer. Percy is the director of Caribbean Sports Reach, a sports ministry across the Caribbean islands. I joined in the interview at 1:15 and it concluded at 2:00.
Percival took me to my lodging at the trade school where his wife serves as a nurse. I moved into the rather Spartan accommodations (no hot water, no windows, but I did have a fan and 3 channels on television!) and watched football (soccer), cricket and athletics (track and field) on television as I tried to get my sinuses to calm down.
At 8:00 in the evening I joined Percy for dinner at Wendy’s in downtown Kingston and then we picked up some grocery items so I could make breakfast in my room.

Sunday July 6 –
I was awake by 6:00 this morning, made breakfast and did my devotional reading. At 8:00 we left for church. It started at 9:00 and we finished at 1:45. 1:45!! Our friend, Al Miller, preached the service. Al is now the chaplain for the Jamaican national football team and has a great deal of influence with the sport community. After church I rested in the room and watched the West Indies vs. Australia cricket match on television.
At 4:00 dinner (fried chicken, rice and beans) was brought to my room and I relaxed for the remainder of the evening and made final preparations for my presentations which begin on Monday.

Monday July 7 –
I was up early for breakfast and devotions and then Percival picked me up for the first of our training sessions in Kingston at Family Life Ministries. We had a small, but well represented group. One was a prominent soccer referee, one a representative from the Jamaican Education Ministry and another was a pastor. After wrapping things up we went to Percy’s office and visited his friend, Raphael’s gym. We did some more grocery shopping and went home. I rested a while and then took a cold shower. I turned in early as I’m still trying to get my health back to 100%.

Tuesday July 8 –
I was up at 3:30 am this morning to prepare for our long, winding, perilous, pot hole dominated drive all the way across the island to Montego Bay for today’s training session. We left at 4:30 and arrived in Mo Bay at 8:30. We again had a small group for training, but it included a businesswoman, an Anglican priest and an influential coach from the area. After we finished, we visited a Boy’s and Girl’s Club and I got to take a few swings playing cricket with the kids. I was not very good.
We visited with one of Percy’s friends at her store and had a Coke, and then we made the drive back to Kingston. We had some jerk chicken at the Island Grille upon our arrival. I was back in my room at 8:00 and shortly fell asleep.

Wednesday July 9 –
I was up and making breakfast at 5:00, then I did my devotional reading for the day. At 6:30 we left for Mandeville in the central mountains of the island. We arrived at 8:45 and a slightly larger group of people arrived for training. The group included a teacher, a pastor, a netball team captain and her husband who is the captain of his soccer team. One coach was also there. It was again very warmly received and while I was there, I received a call from Southeastern Illinois College for a reference on Scott Gilpin’s candidacy for the Head Softball Coaching job.
After the session, we drove to Percival’s in-laws’ home and then bought some fresh pineapple and roasted yams at roadside stands. We ate the yam with butter and roasted, salted cod fish in the car while it was hot. We continued down the road and stopped by a practice facility for the Reggae Boyz – the Jamaican National Soccer Teams. We watched a practice for the under 17 and under 20 teams, speaking with a number of the coaches and players. After practice was completed we drove back home and went to bed shortly thereafter.

Thursday July 10 –
I arose at 5:45 this morning for breakfast and devotions. At 8:00 Percy took me to his children’s (ages 11, 8 and 22 months) school to pick up their report cards. While we were there I ate a Jamaican apple (like a pear in consistency and taste) and I drank the water from a fresh coconut.
We did our final chaplain training event today with the strongest results and largest group. We had 16 attendees and they were a very sport oriented group including some involved in sports ministry and one who is already serving a team as a chaplain. This was our best and most productive day.
After the session was over we drove to Fellowship Tabernacle and did a ½ hour interview for Love Television. Percy and I took his three kids to Pizza Hut for pizza and bread sticks. We then went to the home of Grace Jones, a 1988 Olympic Silver Medal winner in the 200 meters, for a visit and to talk ministry in sport. She lives and works on the campus of the College of the West Indies in Kingston.
We then went to Power 106 Radio for an 8:00 pm live interview to discuss our week of training sessions and ministry in sport. I was back in my room at 9:15 and soon in bed.

Friday July 11 -
I was up and ready for breakfast and devotions at 5:30. At 7:15 I did a radio interview by phone from the room on FM 102.9. I rested and read for a good while this morning and then at 11:45 we gathered up the kids and made the drive to Ocho Rios and Dunn’s River Falls for a day of fun.
Ocho Rios is on the northern coast of Jamaica and Dunn’s River Falls is a 600 foot waterfall which cascades down like a stairway from the mountains right into the Caribbean Sea. We were able to enjoy the beach and the warm, salty water as well as to climb the falls in the cool, fresh water of the river. It is a unique, beautiful place.
Upon arrival, we had another telephone interview with a prominent sport talk radio show at 2:45 in the afternoon. After our fun in the sun, we took the kids to dinner at KFC in Ocho Rios. At 5:45 we left for home, arriving at 7:45 and just in time for a cold shower and bed time.

Saturday July 12 –
I was up for breakfast and devotions at 5:30 this morning. I completed my packing and rested. Percival stopped by and left the training session comments with me as well as an honorarium and a very kind letter. He had to lead a training session for a local university and had arranged for a friend to take me to the airport.
I was picked up at 10:30 and we stopped at the Craft Cupboard for some souvenir shopping. I was at the airport at 11:00, checked in, went through security and got some lunch. Our plane was a little delayed in leaving and then late in arriving due to some storms in Miami. After immigration, baggage claim, customs, rechecking a bag, going through security again and walking to my next gage, I relaxed for a while.
The flight from Miami to St. Louis was delayed 25 minutes, but we were soon on the ground and I picked up my bag, took the shuttle to the hotel, claimed my car and sat in a huge, downtown St. Louis traffic jam. I arrived home at 1:00 am Sunday. It was great to be home with my wife.

Summary –
This was a very productive trip because I was able to enhance my friends’ ministries and to help catalyze some new avenues of ministry for them. They kept the left over books and will use them to further train more sport chaplains and sport mentors around the Caribbean. I will look forward to return trips to this beautiful, but greatly challenged country.