Not ASAP, but ALAIT

Where are we now?  

We are still in Gympie. Happy New Year from us. May your year be filled with joyful moments, health and peace. 🥂🍾

Firstly, a celebration of an 💗exceptional💗 woman

Before I begin with an update on our travels, allow me time to celebrate an extraordinary person. She has just turned 90! A steadfast example to all who know her, not only to her children and children-in-law. She has lived a life of faith and virtue. True virtue. After knowing her these 43+ years, I have yet to hear an unkind word issue from her mouth. She will always find something nice to say about a person/topic. Humble, yet principled. She stands on those principles and is not afraid to lovingly caution those whom she sees are in need of advice. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I have heard her give me advice, and yet, her wise words have stayed with me. At times, when I needed them the most, they were a directional compass to my soul. Her prayers carry each one of us within her family circle; of this, I have no doubt. 

Her name is Johanna Steyn Brandt (Snr.), AJ’s precious mother, my mother-in-law.

It is rare to find someone whom you wish you could emulate, but you know that you lack the ability. She personifies the woman of Proverbs 31. She is always at work with her hands, making something beautiful. Always encouraging. Never complains, regardless of what she might be enduring. May the remaining years of her life be blessed with peace and ease … may our Father hold her in the palms of His mighty hands.

Veels geluk, ons dierbare  moeder! Ons waardeer ma, en ons hou u daagliks in ons gebede en in ons harte. 🧡💜💗

[Translation: Happy Birthday, our beloved mother, we appreciate you and hold you daily in our hearts and prayers.]

The Adorables

They keep us busy. Like mischievous children, they need constant supervision. When I say constant, it means minute by minute! They also give us a laugh-a-minute! They plan their escapades and give us the side eye when caught out. Two are escape artists and hunters. One is happy to rule it over the rest and always close by, while the fourth just covets attention and pats, and won’t let you forget it. What a handful! What a joy! 

I would go to the bathroom, taking a chance while they were all sleeping, only to find all four packed around the door when I opened it. And don’t think they moved out of the way, no, on the contrary, they strive to get in by the door simultaneously as soon as I crack it. “Hello sitter, you left us alone.”  “Is it time to walk?” “Are we getting a treat?” “Can we go play?” 

And don't think you can sit peacefully on the sofa ... nope! They all want up to sit on your lap.😂

This was the task we had after leaving the cow paddock – minding four adorable French bulldogs.

It was the fourth time we looked after them. They now qualify as family! (What’s that? Oh yes, their owners do too. 😊) I call them (the dogs, not the owners … 😄) the Adorables because that is what they are … adorable. The stint of looking after them on their rural property in Tandur began with a deluge on the 2^nd day. Some background info here … in late September we were on the property minding the dogs, and in October we also stayed for a while as we are often invited to do when we need a ‘home base’.  The land was bone dry and brown.

late September '23

late October '23

Parts of Queensland were burning up in bush fires and rain was not on anyone’s radar. Scaremongering had begun from official quarters, about how this summer was going to be a deathly one with heat waves and fires. Well, we had the heatwaves, but amazingly they were interspersed with huge amounts of rain over the Southeast Queensland region during the next two months. In October, we had prayed earnestly for rain … many believers were praying. God granted our requests, against all expert forecasts. The land blossomed and thrived, and the spectrum of green is overwhelmingly beautiful. The fire threat went from extreme to moderate.

When we arrived at the property in December, we thanked God for all the green after the rain. 

I flippantly mentioned that now He only needed to fill the dam. I promptly laughed at the idea, knowing the huge amounts of water that would have to fall to do that – there is no actual channel or creek that runs into this dam. The next day He accommodated that request. (Sometimes I think God gets a kick out of showing us just what He is capable of if our eyes are open to see it.) The heavens opened, and the deluge fell. From a half-full dam one day, it was almost full 24 hours later, and by the time we wrapped up the housesitting, it was close to running over at the bottom end. Amazing! 

When we arrived in Dec

After the deluge

For the balance of the 3-week stay in December and January, we had rain on and off, so a muddy mess never left us. So much so that we marveled, reminding ourselves to be careful of what we ask or wish for. AJ had more frequent mowing to do, and I had muddy pawprints to clean more often. 😂

The dam just before we left

Some days our twice-a-day walkies were in light rain with us humans under umbrellas because there was no ‘staying indoors’ – energy needed to be spent. The dogs loved it!

One specially made a point of running through the flowing ditches and rainy puddles. 😂 Inevitably, the others would follow. On one occasion, while we were clearing debris and dead leaves from the rain’s pathway through the bush, the dogs had a go too, helping us dig into the mud. 😅  What fun we had! Fortunately, they did not mind being hosed down afterwards. ☺ But their fur coats are so thick, they would take hours to dry if not thoroughly towel-dried. This was a workout for me every so often. 😅

Waiting for walkies

We were sad to say goodbye.

Jones Hill

Early in December, we were asked by a couple at church if they could pass our number on to friends who needed house sitters. The next day we were contacted, and we secured these two weeks from 12 January. Jones Hill is a historic area, but this house is in a lovely new suburb. Ten mins from Gympie proper, with no pets to housesit, simply minding the home. A very comfortable one too. We feel incredibly blessed.

We had planned to park our van on the sidewalk at the bottom of the sloping garden. AJ, however,  looked at the scenario and decided he might just succeed in reversing the van under the caravan porch, without tearing up the lawn. This decision made me very nervous. They own a much smaller and lighter van to drive up into the porch. I stood back to watch out for the height of the roof. 

He was bang on target to park in the middle of the porch when suddenly the van hit a slope and lurched towards one of the vertical beams. I shouted for him to stop. After checking it all out, did he make a plan?! What a star! 

Precision parking

Close to the roof

Needless to say, I had heart palpitations for a few hours afterwards, as I had already envisaged damaging the porch. At one point there was probably 2 cm between the beam and the van. Eeeek! 😨😱 AJ has since reminded me that we need to get out of this spot again, and now I sweat bullets every time I think of it. 😖

Not ASAP, ALAIT!

You will know from previous blog posts that we felt we have been given specific promises from God, regarding His care and provision. We search for our Father’s will as we progress on our journey to secure an income. More than ever, we feel we need His blessing upon whatever we do, to truly succeed by following His plans for us. For this reason, we are seeking … looking out for pointers … watching for signals, and attempting to be tuned in to that still small voice that says, “This is the way, walk in it.”

“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. ²¹ And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30 vs 20 & 21.

We have again been receiving specific verses pop out at us from random readings and at various times, from a variety of sources indicating that God is doing something new in our lives. What does this mean? Completely new, as in what we have never done before? Or just a new form of the old? We don’t know yet. (We covet your prayers on this issue.)

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

But the world’s cares and our insecurities have a way of intervening and often shout louder. And then we find ourselves trying, no, striving, to make a plan. AJ is more disciplined than I, waiting for, and on God and His clear path. If we allow ourselves to think of the reality of our future, we break out in a sweat. But there are days when we feel at peace. Stupidly confident even. When we consider the past ... has God ever abandoned us? In 43 years of marriage, has He not always provided? Has He not shown us the way…even forcibly moving us along His way at times? Why would that stop now when we need Him the most? Why, when we really have no recourse or plan of our own?

To say that we should take control of our lives is an illusion … because which of us can say with certainty that what we do is of our own planning and ability? How much of it is through grace and mercy? If we forge ahead and follow a path of our own making, is that not due to talents and gifts bestowed upon us? His grace abounds. In mercy, He can bless what we do, but the opposite holds true too … in mercy, He might save us from chaos by closing a door that we think is the way to go.

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

On the second day of 2024, I found myself applying for a social aged care worker permit as part of an independent organization that offers social support to the aged and disabled. For an hourly rate, you provide the service that you, as the service provider, stipulates, albeit transport to and from appointments, company for a few hours, light gardening, reading, etc. I, not a lover of social engagement with strangers, applied because someone mentioned it as a possibility, and I wanted to explore if this was from God. It took hours to go through the vetting process online, which included yet another police clearance. After 3 days I was registered successfully, with no problem, only to find that I needed additional first aid certificates and further vaccines before I met the stipulated requirements. In a quest to get workers, this was not divulged at first. I may yet take this further. Time will tell.

AJ considered applying for online training via local organizations. He may yet do so. However, the Australian requirements for training adults make it harder to land a position, especially at his age. He has a wealth of knowledge that will be wasted if he cannot find a way to share it with the industry. It is a talent he was endowed with — the intricate knowledge of the helicopter he trains on.

There are various options available to us for grey nomad jobs, which we will discuss during this month. Online work? There is that too.

And so, we keep our spiritual ears pointed and alert … waiting, waiting, hoping.

A few days ago, we began a New Year’s devotional online called ‘Start Over: help and hope for your new beginning”. In today’s reading the author, Scott Savage, spoke of God’s ability to do more than we can think of or imagine. (Ephesians 3) As we seek His face, as we wait upon His guidance, and as we seek a helping hand from Him, we want it not to be ASAP (as soon as possible), but ALAIT (as long as it takes) to provide the certainty of God’s plan for us. As Scott says, while we wait, God is working on our behalf. The knowledge and certainty of this fact require faith in the all-encompassing goodness of God’s nature. And in His supernatural care. Psalm 116 states, 

“I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! (vs 1 & 2.)  How kind the Lord is! How good He is! So merciful, this God of ours!’ ( v 5)

We pray for this kind of faith. May His name be glorified in the end.

Thanks for stopping by. 🙏🏻