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MRounsley

Band Blog

Welcome Home

I told you that I would dedicate a whole other post to my housemates. That statement is about to come true! When plans to live with one of my friends here in Australia fell through, I ended up having to settle with college housing. At least, that is what I thought until I met these four incredible people.

To mention my two South African housemates separately would seem entirely wrong to me. Ruani and Liezl, two best friends who moved to Australia to go to Hillsong together, are the most perfectly mismatched pair I have ever met. Ruani is a sarcastic, uproariously funny, and highly opinionated member of the T.V. Media stream here at college. She is very particular about things like cooking and cleaning, making her seem very intimidating at first. The intimidation factor lasts for about two minutes after you realize that she is probably one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. Every time I have seen her so far she is wearing a hoodie that dominates her tiny frame and wandering about the house speaking loudly in Afrikaans. Liezl, who is a worship student, is her calm and quiet counterpart. Classically beautiful and wise beyond her years, she has made everyone in the house feel more welcome than we would have ever thought possible. She is quick to offer comfort and advice to any who are seeking it. I honestly would have had a mild panic attack about going into my stream if she wasn’t willing to stay up late nights, sharing stories from both college and South Africa.

Arika, who is one year my junior and a fellow worship student, is from Texas or California (depending on if the foreigner she is speaking to has any preconceived notions about either state). She is my next-door neighbor down the bedroom hallway and I usually wake up to her voice either humming a song or speaking with a member of her family on skype. She is wonderfully excitable and wears bright blue pant with yellow shirts and knee high converse shoes. I’m forever passing her as I wake up in the morning, both of us trying to tame our short brown hair. She is a joy to have around, bouncy and expectant and forever looking forward to the days ahead.

Have you ever met a born storyteller? I have. Her name is Steph and she is my housemate. I cannot even begin to tell you how nice she is. She is wonderfully patient, staying up late into the night to hear the stories of everyone in the house. Every time she gets on the computer it is to type two or three page e-mails to people back home. I often find her in her room reading long letters from her army of friends in Canada, all of whom have been obviously touched by her generosity and friendship. We cook together, we watch One Tree Hill together, we talk about writing and admire journals together, and we buy matching bikes. Suffice to say, we get along pretty well. Our closets may be completely different but our hearts are a lot alike.

I am so excited to do this season of life with these four incredible women. They have unmatched hearts and a desire to see God do incredible things in their lives and, by extension, their communities. I love them. That is all.

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