In February, John-Roger, John Morton and the MSIA travel staff visited Australia. Below is a summary of the tour as well as some pictures for your enjoyment.
If you’ve ever heard the tape “The Spiritual Promise,” you might remember J-R saying that it was the little “Spiritual Promise” book that started MSIA in Australia. In fact, the first MSIA community was in Adelaide, and so it was befitting for John-Roger to once again return to Adelaide as his first stop on the Australian tour. J-R was met by the glowing faces of the local MSIA community, some of whom have been in MSIA since it began in Australia.
The highlight of the visit in Adelaide was the seminar given by J-R. The usually hot climate was unusually cold for summer. According to one report, it was the coldest winter since 1969, but these strange happenings become common on the road with the Travelers.
J-R and the staff traveled from the cool weather of Adelaide to the hot and balmy weather of Brisbane where John Morton joined the group. Brisbane is a pleasant spot and the Brisbane River, which cuts through the city, only adds to its charm. It was the perfect place for a Q&A with both J-R and John. Of course it was a treat, and even more so since this was J-R’s first trip to Australia in five years.
The last stop on the tour was Sydney. Pictures of Sydney’s Opera House and Sydney Harbor do not do justice to their beauty. The opera house looks like a building from another realm, with its ethereal architecture and lighting. The Sydney Harbor Bridge is nicknamed the “coat hanger”…well, because it looks like one.
In Sydney, John kicked off the conference by participating in the PTS Master’s graduation ceremony.
After the Graduation there was a wonderful party including entertainment by the local MSIA community and a world music band.
John then facilitated the very sacred Walking in the Light workshop over the span of two days, after which he gave an MSIA closed seminar.
On a lunch break during the Walking in the Light workshop, John did a nationally broadcast radio interview hosted by John Cleary with the ABC radio networks. The conversation revolved around his experiences in Afghanistan.
At the minister’s and initiates meeting, Barrie Chaffer and Deniese Hamilton were named as ministers of the year from the Australian community. The meeting was the last event of the conference, and so ended J-R, John and Staff’s visit to Australia.
