One of my earliest school memories is the annual Remembrance Day observance every November 11, where we would wear poppies and assemble in the gym or around the flagpole to honour those who had died for our country in war. It was always a fairly low-key and somber affair. When we moved to the US, we observed Veterans Day, and again, there were ceremonies and wreath-layings all over the country.

But yesterday, I experienced something different.

ANZAC Day - 25 April - marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

It is sadly unique that the main action remembered yesterday was an incredible defeat at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, where 10,700 Anzacs died. But it represented their first steps onto the global stage during a war, so it the day has deep significance. I have always been moved by "celebrations" like this - the somber realization that we enjoy the freedom we do because of the sacrifice of others. What really got me yesterday as I watched the old soldiers march by were the cries of "thank you very much" from the teenagers who lined the street, and the older folks who lived through those days waving at the soldiers who were marching, shuffling or being pushed along in wheelchairs and walkers. Often families would march beside their aging veterans, or wear their medals and carry pictures of them if they had died.

It was all very moving. An unexpected privilege to witness it yesterday.

(P.S. Travel Update: tomorrow I begin the 18 hour drive from Sydney to Fraser Island for a week and a half of filming.)

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Funny how crossing the equator and the international date line at the same time can mess with your head. I left San Francisco at 11:00pm on Saturday, and arrived here in Sydney at 6:20am Monday... effectively skipped over Sunday. Not to worry... I'll get it back in a few weeks when I repeat a day.

And now it's time for my American Airlines rant. I flew three times with them over the past few days, from Puerto Plata to Miami, Miami to NYC, and NYC to San Francisco. On each flight, I was served one plastic cup of Diet Coke and peanuts. On the cross country flight, we didn't even get those! What gives? I know the airlines are cutting costs, but do they think they'll gain a raving fan by NOT giving us a ten cent bag of nuts? And then they lost my suitcase somewhere in the transfer to Qantas at San Francisco. Not a happy camper! Qantas, on the other hand, is wonderful. The tickets are not inexpensive, but you get excellent food, friendly service, hot face towels and even socks in case your feet get cold. And you can watch your choice of two dozen movies on demand.

After filing my lost bad report (hope to have it tomorrow sometime), I picked up my rental and got a free upgrade to a compact from a sub-compact. A new Nissan Tiida... ought to do the trick for the two-thousand plus miles I'll be driving over the next few weeks. If you can watch the Sydney news online, I'll be the one the news copters are following speeding down the highway on the wrong side of the road, signaling with my wipers.

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This is cool. For those of you who will be wondering where I am today and tomorrow, go to www.flightaware.com and in the "flighttracker" box enter QFA3080 - tonight from 5:30 on, and QFA74 - later tonight and tomorrow. They also track missionary flights by tail number. Agape Flights is N54PA, if you're wondering where your mail is or when it will arrive in Santiago. Every one of those red dots in the picture above represents a flight being tracked. Over 50,000 people are in the air at any given moment.

For future reference, on May 14 I'll be on QFA73 and QFA3099. On the 15th, you can track me on AA1165 and AA979.

And more good news. My camera, freshly repaired and cleaned, was waiting for me at the front desk upon check in this morning at 2:00. It's as good as new thanks to my friend Cameron at www.avrepair.com. If you need any work done on your video or still digital camera, and you are out of warranty, send it to him to get it fixed quickly and affordably.

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The last few flights I've experienced have been long. Actually, the time spent in the air was relatively short. It was all the delays and missed connections that made the trips long. Today was different.

I flew home today with Agape Flights , the mission that delivers our mail to the DR every week. We left Venice, FL around 6:30 this morning and flew to Eleuthra in the Bahamas and refueled. We then stopped at Cap Haitien to deliver mail and packages, followed by quick stops in Port Aux Prince, Santo Domingo, and finally Santiago around 4:30. All in a single-engine Cessna Caravan, a workhorse of the skies.

As long as it was, it wasn't at all unpleasant. The flight was broken up into two-hour or less segments, and because the cabin wasn't pressurized we were always at 11,000ft or lower, so the views were amazing. Plus, I got to wear a headset and listen in on all the communications with the various flight control centers and other aircraft. It was also sobering to visit Haiti. One of these days I'll post some video of the landscape. Because of deforestation, Haiti looks like the moon compared to the DR, and in Cap Haitien especially you can see where hundreds of homes were swept away by flood waters and mudslides, the result of nothing being left on the hillsides to hold the rainwater.

I would have missed so much if I had taken the quicker chartered flights. Faster isn't always better.

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My Easter Sunday experiences have run the gamut, from quiet sunrise services to full-blown orchestrated mutimedia events. Today leaned toward the former, and it was just what I needed.

My Uncle and Aunt direct Camp Sonrise, a primitive Baptist retreat center just south of Ocala. We had a family reunion there seven years ago, and just a few weeks later we learned that my Uncle had cancer. The last seven years have been painful ones for him and his family, but they have inspired us with their faith and fortitude. They actually started a bible study that turned into a church, and we met together this morning at seven for a sunrise service. My Uncle Steve, with great effort, made it to the service, and we all enjoyed breakfast together, and then lunch a little later. And then dinner a little later. So other than the obvious celebration of Jesus' resurrection, the day was pretty much about food. Vast quantities of exceptional quality.

But the most memorable part of the day for me has been reconnecting with family. As I said, it's been seven years since I've seen most of them. A few of my cousins, who seemed like children then, have children of their own. And the babes who were in arms are now running around like kids do. Uncle Steve's kids, especially Steve Jr., led the service and set the chapel up for breakfast this morning. I felt the overwhelming conviction that we definitely need to get our girls home sooner rather than later. I don't want them to feel as disconnected to their cousins as I have felt from mine. I don't want them to regret not being a part of their extended family, as I do. Today was great, but it's been bittersweet.

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No matter how many times I leave the Dominican Republic and re-enter "civilization", I never cease to be blown away by the affluence of North America. It's not a slam, just a statement of reality. We are so blessed; we have a huge responsibility to make the world a better place.

I'm staying with family in The Villages, near Ocala. It's a "golf cart community" - everyone drives a souped up golf cart - they even have separate garages for them. There are two downtown areas that are like something out of a movie set. In fact, a few times I have commented that it's all a little too much like The Truman Show for me. Remember the movie where Jim Carrey plays a guy who's entire life has been televised and everyone in town is an actor? The Villages is too perfect... almost a parody. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing place to live. But if you ever wanted to live somewhere and forget the real world, this is the place.

My video camera is at the shop, and the good news is that it can be repaired. It's going to cost about $500, but that's a lot cheaper than replacing it. And it will get a proper cleaning too, which it really needed. The salt air and humidity really messed it up. It will be ready to go for my trip to Australia, happy-lujah. I was not looking forward to filming the documentary on my Handicam (though the Blair Witch Project seemed to do OK).

Tomorrow we celebrate the resurrection, and the resurrection is all about hope. Hope that death is not terminal, and that suffering does not last forever. Remember those who are feeling hopeless tonight, that they might know the peace and the comfort of Jesus.

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Tomorrow morning we'll leave our place at 6:30am and drive over the mountain to the airport at Santiago. I'll be flying with Agape Flights to Venice, FL, where I'll rent a car and drive to Old Town, FL and drop off my camera for repair. Next stop will be The Villages, where I'll spend Easter with my family, especially my Uncle Steve who has been dealing with some rather unpleasant cancer - like there's any other kind. I'll preach at their little church and then enjoy Easter with the relations. Hopefully my camera is ready by Tuesday, and I'll fly home on Wednesday.

Like I said, "buckle up"!

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Redneck Time Out
Glad we didn't have duct tape when I was a kid...

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