We left Melbourne airport on Sunday morning and arrived in Los Angeles International airport that same Sunday morning. We were tired, hungry and anxious to get to our hotel. When dad told us we would be attending church after fifteen hours of flying, we became quite disgruntled.

We walked in to the Hollywood Church of Christ a few minutes before the service began. One thing that sticks in my mind is the friendliness with which the church members made themselves known to us. Dad and I began speaking with a man named Tim Davidson. We soon learnt that Tim also knew Gordon and Jane Hogan - friends we were going to visit later in Arkansas. This was something I learnt by the end of our trip - in America, it seems that members of the church know many others across the country, despite the distance between them. These friendships may be the result of a common university or hometown, yet what it really boils down to is a common faith.

Throughout our trip we visited many different churches. The people in these churches however, were similar in many ways. At every church we attended the members welcomed us, and even extended their hospitality to us on a few occasions. It was refreshing to experience such genuine kindness in a foreign country. Throughout our trip we had the chance to visit the Hollywood Church of Christ, the Harding College Congregation, the Rockwall Congregation in Dallas, the Kissimmee Church in Orlando, the A&M College Church and a Church of Christ in Boise, Idaho.

These were some of the biggest churches our family had ever attended. It was a new experience for me attending some of their youth classes. The notion of introducing myself to so many new people my age was daunting at first, but fortunately, as soon as I made it known I was an Australian the social barriers vanished.

I will not forget the vitality and vibrancy of the church members in the United States. The kindness these people conferred unto us as guests immediately made us feel at home in a foreign place. For that I, and I think the rest of my family, are grateful. They made an effort to make us feel they were a people who cared about us. I think that we in Australia are good at this, but we can still improve! Simply acknowledging someone on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night conveys warmth and a sense of worth to the recipient.

Our trip to the United States was a good experience. At times I feel I miss it, but it’s good to be back home.