Green’s Creek
This morning, we woke up to another misty morning here in
Green’s Creek … the cooler weather delivers beautiful ethereal scenes in the
valleys around us. We are just outside of Gympie City. We are housesitting for
friends for a total of 8 weeks, while they are in Greece for missions’ purposes.
We have the loveliest views all around because the house was designed with
large picture windows to enjoy the views that nature delivers all day long –
rolling hills, cattle pastures, creeks, forests dams and more.
We are not far from our children, so we can catch up now and
then. There are no animals to take care of, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage
– we love having a dog around, but it is also fine to have a break. However,
now that the morning walks are not mandatory – self-discipline must be
employed! But we have discovered a quiet route into the hills, which is challenging
elevation-wise, and so peaceful, among cows, pastures, and open forest.
Road trip
The road trip to Gympie was so enjoyable. In some places we tried taking the road
less travelled, and on one occasion found ourselves on a narrow stretch of farm
road with only enough place for the caravan. Thankfully, we had no one approach
from the front. It was an example of what can happen when,
one, you don’t know the countryside, and two, you trust Google Maps. 😆
We left Mount Marshall at lunchtime, and made our way to Clifton, 20 minutes
away. We stayed at the Showgrounds camping ground. It was exciting to be in the van again and we enjoyed a lovely, albeit
chilly night.
From there we drove through a small village called Nobby, destination Toowoomba, a bustling Southern Downs city. There too, we stayed at the showgrounds. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to explore the local attractions, so, God willing, we shall have to return at some point. In Nobby we spotted a charming old pioneer hotel with a free camp opposite it. However, most people would buy a meal in the pub as a thank you to the town.
Lots of history and stories associated with Nobby. Have to go back sometime.
We made our way the next morning to our South African friends’ property in Toogoolawah because we had invited them to a lunch BBQ at the van. The 90-minute drive kicked off with a steep descent into the Brisbane Valley, which we were not expecting. My nerves were frayed, considering we hardly ever drive longer than 30 minutes before stopping for the night. (I must admit the towing gets to me.) I know, I know, I can hear you laughing and saying, "And you want to live in a caravan?!" Lol. 😅
We had it all planned, but our timing was waaaay off. 🥴 Fortunately, our friends were patient, because at the time we were supposed to be serving up lunch we had just started prepping the food. I was adamant that I would stick to what I had planned …a baked potato dish, BBQ chicken, a rice pudding … I got stuck in while everyone chatted, and an hour later we were enjoying our lunch-cum-dinner. 😄 To be honest, you have never seen such a mess in the caravan … I’ll leave that there. 😆 You don't want to know.
To top it all, the next morning I had a sourdough bread to bake. They allowed me to use their oven at the house, and I was able to gift them a sourdough starter for their kindness. After tea, we left for the next stop which was also ‘down the road’ at the Kilcoy Showgrounds.
There AJ discovered he had another repair job to do on
the box at the rear of the van as it had shaken loose. This is a box we added to house all our water pipes.
The next morning we were on our way again. I was sweating bullets at the onset of this section of the trip, and AJ was like, yeah … bring it on. 😄 Why? We had decided to take the shorter route to Kenilworth, which involved climbing Maleny’s mountain again. Waaaa!😨 I was like a corpse, so tense I was.
The
cruiser towed like the crocodile that it is, and AJ was a champ, navigating
those mountain passes, steep hills, and descents in safety. God was good to us …
we had no B-doubles chasing us, and on narrow hairpin bends we didn’t encounter
anything from the front.
 |
| Maleny ... on top of the world. |
Did we breathe a sigh of relief on arriving in Kenilworth?
Again, we stayed at the showgrounds. Many showgrounds in Australia offer budget-price
camping, with power and water, so they are always a hit.
Our next stop (30 minutes away 😅) was off-grid at a golf course that offers campers a place to stop. It is situated 10 km out of Imbil, in the Mary Valley. We arrived to find a van in the only flat spot, but fortunately, they were just ready to depart. We pulled up when they left, and we had the most wonderful 24 hours in a perfect setting. We aim to go back.
AJ played a round of golf on the challenging course, more for fun, really, with me, in tow, more interested in the frogs and butterflies, than trying to locate any lost golf balls.
We loved the natural scenes about us with the sounds of the birds. That night we made a fire in the firepit provided, and baked a pizza to enjoy around the fire.
The following day we pulled up at our in-laws’ property in Gympie, which was only 30 minutes away. They generously gave us a spot to park, with power and water for two days, until we were due to move into this home.
Our favourite low-cost camp in Gympie has closed down. Basically, a private property that allowed vans to stop for a night, right next to the Mary River. The only other option, when you need power and water, is the caravan park; with funds tight, we are appreciative of the generosity shown by friends and family.
And so, we find ourselves in Gympie once more. We are again gobsmacked at the grace of our Lord for giving us a lovely home, with a magnificent view, and everything we need for the next 8 weeks. Home sitting is volunteer work, we don’t get paid, but we save much because we don’t have to pay camping fees, or for power, water, or gas. And we get to use Wi-Fi which is always welcomed. This time, the Wi-Fi doesn’t appear to be as reliable as it was in Mt Marshall, but I have just managed to post a ‘Where are we now?’ blog post on our website blog, if you would like to read a bit more about our new home town, Gympie.
Moving in ... again!
Here in Green’s Creek, the home’s garden is very steep. AJ will have to watch out on the mower! (On that day I’ll have to inhale a little extra lavender salts to calm myself. 🤭)
There is a lemon tree and a pink grapefruit tree about to abundantly deliver. Hoping they will ripen before we leave so that we can enjoy a few grapefruit. Who doesn’t love the sweet zesty flavour of pink grapefruit, right? The tall trees around the property attract a host of ravens (crows) who can be very noisy at times. Other birds are also plenteous.
We had initially thought that, because there were no pets, we would stay in the van so that we wouldn't have to
unpack it. But on the day we arrived in Gympie, we found that our gas water
heating system stopped working. Fortunately, it held while we were camping
off-grid. Cold showers are never welcome. Thankfully, the repair is covered by
the warranty.
So, because this house is totally off the grid and we cannot run the van’s battery system on theirs also, we carried everything into the house! Honestly, that is the bane of my life. I was thoroughly depressed on the day… up and down stairs, up and down stairs, up and down … a hundred times. Ugh! After 8 weeks one forgets about it, until you have to carry everything back again. Double-ugh!!!! 😣
This is the reason, along with the large homes to clean, that I wish we could
stop housesitting. But it may not be possible for a while yet. However, by the
end of October, we complete our last housesitting agreement. We trust God to
show us the path to take after that. Please keep us in your prayers.
His tender care
We think back to Mount Marshall with fondness. Recalling
those morning walks now, I picture Christ walking with me while I poured my heart out to Him … Christ tending to
AJ in the shed as he tinkered many a day away … Christ hovering over us as we were healing from His discipline
and correction, Christ wiping both our tears during moments of anguish. Oh, we came through a refining
fire! Someone has said that the dross is never fully burned off, even until you
finally lay your head down on the day the Saviour calls for you.
We now have peace about the future that even we do
not understand. We are sure of the Lord’s help. We are confident
that He won’t leave us or forsake us.
In an earlier blog post, I wrote how I felt that God was saying that He was 'doing
something new'.
“Look I am doing a new thing.” Isaiah 43
When I looked up this verse a day ago (I had forgotten where to find it), Isaiah 43 opened up. I began reading, and then I remembered … upon our baptism in 1989, Gustav’s nursery school teacher handed me a bookmark with this verse,
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour."
Said she, “I felt that this is for you as a couple.”
I still have that bookmark, though it is weathered and torn. Throughout our lives we have turned to that scripture for reassurance. For this reason, AJ often felt that
He could replace the name ‘Jacob’ with his name. And yet here, in these circumstances, we had
forgotten about it. I was speechless. Why? Because it continues …
Verse 5, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Italics are mine.)
And verse 10 …
“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
Over the past few months, we have distinctly felt that God is calling us to witness for Him wherever He will send us to work. Work we must, to earn our keep. But it is sad to see how the society we live in is not partial to God. Apart from the people in our church, we have yet to meet a Christian couple/family. Many whom we speak to are openly atheist. But we do not feel that we measure up. We feel unworthy. Unequipped. And yet, are we not all called to be His witnesses everywhere we live and move and conduct our daily business and hold relationships?
It doesn’t end there, verse 18 and 19 continues ...
“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Could this also be symbolic of the wilderness and dry wasteland of unbelief?
After this, there is a portion pointing to discipline and correction. But also of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. An apt description of what we experienced in Mt Marshall.
So we wait. In confidence. In trust. In anticipation. God, our Father, our Saviour, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, is doing a new thing. He is working within us to equip us, working behind the scenes, and putting the pieces in place for His purposes, according to His will. Even in this, He has us on the road less travelled. We do not know what lies ahead.
In the meantime ...
I am at work setting up a source of passive income via our website. This also serves to keep me busy while we wait out these months until October. And I do love designing documents on Canva. If you visit our website, be sure to look out for the store. Hoping to launch soon.
We shall see how things progress. Times may still become quite challenging, but this we know, God will not forsake us! He is for us. He is with us.
Until next time.
Blessings.🌼
