Sisterchicks Down Under
Read Sisterchicks Down Under Online
Authors: Robin Jones Gunn
“I read
Sisterchicks in Sombreros
, and I couldn’t put it down. Every time I pick up one of Robin’s books, the theme seems to speak to
exactly
what I am going through in my life at that exact moment!”—K
ELLI
“I just discovered the Sisterchick novels, and I love them! I identify in so many ways with Robin’s characters. Her books have not only taught me about myself, but they’ve taught me so much about the personality of our wild and wonderful God.”—A
NDREA
“While I was reading
Sisterchicks on the Loose!
I realized I had shut God out of my life for far too long. I got my heart right with God, and a week later I met a new friend who has almost instantly become my Sisterchick! My life would be so empty right now if your book hadn’t showed me what was missing. Thank you, Robin!”—D
ARLA
“I just finished
Sisterchicks do the Hula!
and had to tell you how wonderful it was! I really can’t put into words how this book touched me, deep down in my soul. Like I was thirsty for something and your book was a cool drink of water. As I was reading the last page, I had tears in my eyes, not wanting the story to end and thankful that I could come along on the journey also. Thank you so much!”—L
ISA
“I just had to write and tell how much I love your Sisterchick books. My best friend and I love reading them together. Your books go into a place deep in my spirit and remind me that God IS a faithful and a loving Father. We both agree that you have a way of saying things that express exactly how we feel but didn’t know how to say it!”—M
ELISSA
“I just finished
Sisterchicks do the Hula!
and I loved it! Actually, I found myself sneaking into the bathroom away from my loving husband and ever-present children to read more. You have written marvelous fiction that leaves me feeling closer to God.”—M
ARY
“A coworker has me hooked on your books, and they are fabulous! A bunch of us at work decided that we’re Sisterchicks, and we can’t wait for the next adventure, because we’re all going to read the book simultaneously and discuss it at lunch. Thanks for making work a fun place to be all of a sudden!”—L
AUREN
“I am from the UK. Last weekend I bought
Sisterchicks on the Loose!
I can honestly say I never in my life read a book so fast! I laughed out loud, even cried in places, and struggled to put it down. It made me realise I, too, have a Sisterchick who should be treasured.”—T
RACEY
“A friend gave
Sisterchicks do the Hula!
to me for my birthday. I couldn’t put it down. I’m thirty-five and feeling way too old for my age. Thank you for the breath of fresh air. I felt like God had you write it just for me!—K
ARA
“I just finished
Sisterchicks on the Loose!
and loved it. In fact, I devoured it. I hated to see it end. It had to be one of the best books on friendship that I have read. Love your sense of humor; I laughed out loud many times reading it. You have such a heart for Jesus and a wonderful spirit.”—D
EBBIE
“Thank you for the return trip to Oahu this morning!
[Sisterchicks do the Hula!]
It is snowing and sleeting outside, but I was enjoying the beautiful blues that only Hawai’i has. Thank you for giving me a ‘garland of hosannas’ and for reminding me to do the hula with God’s rhythm of grace.”—M
ARBARA
Gardenias for Breakfast
S
ISTERCHICK
N
OVELS
Sisterchicks on the Loose!
Sisterchicks Do the Hula!
Sisterchicks in Sombreros!
T
HE
G
LENBROOKE
S
ERIES
Secrets
Whispers
Echoes
Sunsets
Clouds
Waterfalls
Woodlands
Wildflowers
G
IFT
B
OOKS
Tea at Glenbrooke
Mothering by Heart
Gentle Passages
www.sisterchicks.com
•
www.robingunn.com
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SISTERCHICKS DOWN UNDER!
published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
© 2005 by Robin’s Ink, LLC
Sisterchicks
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations are from:
The Message
© 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group
The Holy Bible
, New King James Version © 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Holy Bible
, New Living Translation © 1996
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved.
HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION
© 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission.
Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
MULTNOMAH PUBLISHERS, INC. • P.O. BOX 1720 • SISTERS, OR 97759
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gunn, Robin Jones, 1955-
Sisterchicks down under! : a Sisterchicks novel / Robin Jones Gunn.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-56344-6
1. Canadians—Australia—Fiction. 2. Women travelers—Fiction. 3. Australia—Fiction. 4. Sisters—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3557.U4866S5625 2005
813’.54—dc22
2004029514
v3.1_r1
With a grateful g’day to the wonderful people who contributed to this story:
Ross, my one true love.
Bill, my visioneer.
Don, Doug, Brian, and Kevin, who sent me down under in search of a good story.
Bruce and Paul, who met me in Sydney and gave me a bag of Cheerios to feed the kangaroos.
Mike, Noel, and Ted, who showed me the best of their beloved New Zealand.
Susanne, you are a gifted hostess. Thank you for opening your heart and home to me. Loved your Pavlova!
Frances, thank you for taking me to corners of New Zealand that will never leave my heart.
Carol, Joanne, Penny, Robin, Tania, and Tracey you amazing women proved my theory to be correct: Sisterchicks are everywhere!
Mostly what God does is love you.
Keep company with him and learn a life of love.
Observe how Christ loved us.
His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn’t love in order to get something from us
but to give everything of himself to us.
Love like that.
E
PHESIANS
5:2
A
ge is just a number, right?
That’s what I thought until three years ago when my younger brother opened his big mouth. He was on his way to Mexico to settle the legal details on some property his wife had inherited when he stopped by our home in southern California. His life seemed brimming with new adventures, while Tony and I were riding the overly-committed-to-the-schedule freight train we had been on since we got married.
Over dinner my brother joked about his receding hairline. “You know, Kathleen, you’re halfway there yourself.”
“No I’m not.” I pulled at the strands of my straight brown hair to prove that my dependable mane wasn’t falling out.
“I meant your age,” he said. “You turned forty-five last month, right? You could be halfway done.” He seemed to wait for me to do the math.
I always hated math.
I felt as if an equation had etched itself on the chalkboard of my mind: 45 +
x
= ?
I didn’t know the answer.
What had my forty-five years added up to so far? What was the value of
x
that would fill the remaining years? What would the sum of my life be? And what risks was I willing to take to solve the equation?
Apparently God can use all things—including math—to prepare a hurried heart to respond to Him when He’s about to do a new thing. If I hadn’t been pondering the “value of
x
” for so many weeks after my brother’s visit, I don’t think I would have been ready for what followed.
In the middle of the night, Tony’s old boss, Mad Dog, called from Wellington, New Zealand, to offer Tony a three-month position film editing at Jackamond Studios. Ever since the success of
The Lord of the Rings
, Wellington had become
the
location for up-and-coming filmmakers. Tony saw the job as the big break he had been waiting for. I saw it as an opportunity to step off the edge of my well-padded nest and take a free fall into the unknown.
After all, our daughter was in college, and we were no longer financially responsible for my mother-in-law’s convalescent care. Tony and I could do this. We could leave everything for three months and have the exotic travel experience we had only dreamed about during our college days.
I always do my best thinking while shaving my legs in a tubful of bubbles. The two weeks prior to our departure for Wellington, I had the smoothest legs and the most wrinkled fingers in all of Los Angeles.
I’d thought through every detail and confidently arrived at the airport with everything I needed. Everything, that is, except one item I hadn’t tucked in my suitcases or sent ahead in the boxes. I didn’t pack a single friend. After spending most of my
life in the same city, same church, and same circles, I suddenly was minus my built-in community of friends.