Caretaking in Childers

In our van again

We spent two weeks in the Gympie region parked up at our favourite spot, which we fondly call ‘home base’. We spent the time reorganising the van and enjoying the peace of the property.

During our last week in Rockhampton, we had thrown our names in the hat for this caretaking gig in Childers. Once again, it was quite odd as to how it came about, because there were no photos or details given to make it look or sound attractive, but the time frame and distance from Gympie fit the bill. And I felt a prompting to put up our hands up for it. We were chosen!

On our way home from Rocky we detoured to meet the homeowners and to set their minds at ease, as they had not used homesitters before. It has to be quite a challenge to go off and leave everything you own in the hands of total strangers, including your precious animals. We understand this. After our meeting we all felt more at ease, and we began to look forward to our time here.

Three moon silos in Monto

On Saturday we left Gympie. Fifty minutes later we stopped off at Tiaro’s free camp for the night, which was, once again, a pleasant experience. It was a hot hot day, but there were trees to sit under with a bit of breeze blowing. We had lunch in the only café and found a seat right under the ceiling fan. A win! 

From Tiaro we drove an hour to Childers’s free camp. This was a new and enjoyable stop for us. Free water on offer, a lovely grassy area with a picnic table right behind the van, with a short walk into town to look around. The night wasn't that good though ... the streetlamp lit the area up like day, the sugar cane train kept rolling by, and the public parks and picnic area cleaner did her job very noisily at 3 AM! Yikes. We were hammered in the morning. 😆 

 

By tea-time on Monday, we arrived to a warm welcome from the owners here in Dallarnil, just 15 minutes from Childers. We spent the day meeting the animals and learning our routine for the next three to four weeks (we're not sure when they are returning 🤭). We parked the van on the front lawn and settled in. The next day was also spent with the homeowners, watching and learning, and taking note of their expectations. Early on Wednesday they left, and we kicked into caretaking mode. A storm on the first evening was mild. But the next night’s storm was robust and rather scary. We tied down the hatches, rolled in the awning, and waited, praying that the large hailstones would pass us by. They did! And thankfully the van is watertight. Although, a couple of times it shook in the strong wind gusts.
The next morning, we were up with the rooster! 😄 Straight after coffee with the sun peeking through the trees, we took a walk outside. For all its ferociousness, the ‘damage’ was quite mild. Tons of leaves and bits of bark, a few broken branches and some chairs that blew about from the veranda at the front of the house. All the animals were accounted for, and no fences had trees across them. Whew. 😅 We face a few more days of storms before they pass. Hoping for the best. 

Our tasks will keep us busy for a few hours morning and evening, but otherwise we can simply enjoy the peace of the bush (that is, if the storms aren’t fierce).  We are also privileged to enjoy fresh veggies from the garden, fresh eggs each day, and fruit that is slowly ripening. The birdlife is abundant, giving us many a chuckle.

I'm also happy to report that AJ's back seems to be healed, so that he is able to do chores around the property again. He is still doing his exercises and is more careful. Sometimes he forgets himself ... like 2 days ago when he climbed onto the front of the van without a ladder, burnt himself on the hot steel, and in his hurry to climb down he fell ... head first! 😣😖😤 As I write this, I realise again, that it is only by the grace of our God that he didn't break his neck (or put his back out again!) *Sighs* All praise to our Father for His protecting angels. 🙏🏼

Future plans? 

Future plans – these are in God’s hands! 
Caretaking gigs are mostly unpaid, like house sitting, in Australia. Most caretaking gigs come with a provision of bounty from the land in one way or another, and a free spot to park up with power and water.  

Apart from the chores that need to be done, I have been working on a few endeavours with the future in mind. My aim is to have a variety of projects for a diversified income. One of these was launching an SB CREATIVE (dropshipping) store on TeePublic.com, a site that makes it super easy to have a ‘passive income' store. I enjoy creating designs and find it to be therapeutic. The store began with an idea for a Christian themed T-shirt. 

Then I heard of a gap in the market for the camping genre too, so decided to try my hand at that. But a million others also heard about that gap, and it is also now flooded. The whole project has taken more of my time than I should’ve spent on it, but it was fun! Again, I learned that a passive income is not really passive. If you don’t market it effectively and constantly, nobody really knows it’s there. PS: While we're on the subject, please pay the store a visit if you can. Number of visits help to bump it up on the algorithm. Please send the link to friends too. Thank you. 

While we were in Rocky, I managed to do a course to obtain the Food Safety certification needed when working in the hospitality industry. In my nervousness, I almost lost the tip of a finger during the practical assessment. So much blood from the tip of a finger! Ugh! The blood was not as much as my embarrassment, though, I can assure you. At least it helped them tick another box - the one on how I dealt with injury while working with food!! 🥴🙄 It was a rookie error! 
In other news …

Ongoing are courses in Reservation Management Systems. Every job (as in every field, everywhere) requires experienced persons. How you get experience beats me. But we will keep on trusting and trying. A gazillion other projects are in line, and in my mind. *gulps*  

Blogging takes a lot of time, a commodity that has not been in abundance for me lately. The travel blog on our website isn't doing too badly for a start. You'll see a 'Buy me a Coffee' link below all my blog posts. This is merely a polite way to gain support to keep on writing.  

Through the faith lens...

God invites us in Proverbs 16 v 3 to “commit your actions to the Lord, and all your plans will succeed.” (Note the word, will.) I constantly remind myself of this verse, as I attempt to tick off items from a ‘to do’ list that defies any efforts to shrink it. As soon as one item is ticked, another is added. Next week, I’ll be trying to complete a few projects that I’m currently working on, but each day delivers new curve balls. I am no closer to mastering SEO or constructing a contractual agreement for any work we might receive. I realise that I took on too much. I have admitted that much, and that's a beginning. I am constantly tired with an over active brain. Depression began to gnaw, but the busyness of life didn't allow me the luxury of wallowing in its mud.

Some days our panic levels enter the red zone. (Here I can assure you that box-breathing is a thing, and it helps! 😄) On other days, we are confident that God has got this! All I can say right now is that He is our refuge and strength. When we panic, we turn to His Word. Yes, it’s our crutch, but I’ve come to realise more fully that it is not merely a crutch, but a light illuminating our path (Psalm 119 v 105), driving the darkness away. However, our spiritual enemy doesn’t give up … he prowls and snaps at our heels, looking to dismantle any gains and reminding us of our weaknesses. Ephesians 6 v 10-18 is vital to withstand these attacks.

As believers, we sing, ‘I give you my all’, and ‘Just as I am …’. Easily uttered! You're prepared to give him everything, until He asks for it. Here is when your sincerity and loyalty is tested. The value you place on things is challenged. Those that offer security: your goals; your plan Bs; your bank account; your dreams; your independence; your strength; your skills; and your habits, to name a few. You face the glaring reality that something else takes precedence above your love for the Lord and it is a sobering awakening. The tendency to fall apart at the mere idea of losing what you hold dear becomes a raw realisation. You recognise how your thoughts gravitate more towards these things than towards God. Outside of the devotional hour, and away from the prayer stance, you stand in your own strength – expecting Him to fall in with your plans and desires, and impatient when He fails to respond to hastily uttered requests. This is the path I travelled over the last few months and it hurt.

AJ is focussed on actually believing God. This has challenged me to think more on it. We say we believe His promises, but do we? As a couple, we remind ourselves time and again of earlier promises that came to us via various sources through the years, beginning as early as the day of our baptism in 1988.  (A person in the church presented us with a prophetic word and a passage of scripture to back it up. And how it has been fulfilled again and again since then!) Many years later, after a church service in Benoni, a total stranger came up to me and gave me Psalm 27 v 14, and he said "The Lord says He will give you the heart of a lion." I often recall that moment, how when at my lowest, God sent a stranger with a Word. Lately, I have felt His strengthening hand.

Presently, we choose to believe, and so we feel more often at peace than not … and when one of us begins to doubt, the other is usually able to encourage. God’s Word is filled with promises, we simply need to take that step and believe. It’s called ‘faith’. Every time I'm sure that I understand what faith is, I find out that I'm still discovering the fullness and the mystery of it. And, dear friend, it is an active choice we must make – to believe fully. To look at our life through the lens of faith.

Lastly, I feel the Lord urging me to ‘run the race’, ‘finish the race’, and to ‘run and do not faint’.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb 12 v 1 , 2.)

Looking back gives us the confidence to look forward. Our God is faithful. His Word says He doesn't change. God, the Sovereign One over all, determines the details. Whether we know Him or not. Our focus has shifted more fully onto Him. Because He has asked us to hand everything over to Him, we can only trust Him to guide our efforts. In the end, we pray that His name will be glorified. 

For we are [[all]] His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. (Ephes. 2 v 10 from the Amplified Bible.)

Blessings, until next time.🌼 

Stock photo: 'Believe', by Kevin Malik, on Pexels

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So Much Time?

Where are we? 

Jones Hill, Gympie. Part rural, part suburb. We are within an expanding housing estate with many new builds. 

Time? So much time? 

Every other day we have someone, usually a very well-meaning individual, remark on how much time we must have on our hands!  Or they ask what we have recently done that’s exciting. Of me, women often ask, “Are you knitting? Do you crochet? You must have so much time now.” “Which books have you read lately?” Of AJ, "How's your golf coming on?" 

Politely we answer, but before we are tempted to roll our eyes, we remember that folk do not grasp the intricacies of our lifestyle.

Before the wheels of the van can roll, countless tasks must be ticked off. Checklists are our go-to. Everything must be secured and ticked off. Inside and out. Once the campsite is set up, the interior also needs setting up to function smoothly. There is a checklist for that too. Everything must be placed where it belongs. ALL. THE. TIME.

The day usually begins with a walk. A long walk. Or with an attempted workout session. 

After a shower we have breakfast. A good one! Stamina is needed for the day. Morning devotionals, Bible reading and prayer – THE most important ingredient for said stamina – are slotted in somewhere too. Often while we walk.

The van must constantly be kept clean, or we have uninvited passengers – the creepy-crawly kind. Usually, there are tyres to inflate and then deflate. (A must for towing.) There is fuel to be sourced. Water to be sourced. Yes, we must plan where to get water. 

Like you, we can simply open a tap in the van, but it must first get into the tanks beneath us, before we can open the tap. That can be hard work and take a good chunk out of the day.

In between daily tasks, there are routes to work out, reservations to make (if necessary), supplies to be shopped for (we cannot carry a month’s worth in a van), and washing to do since we only have enough to wear for a few days. House sitting research and agreements are time-consuming. Making doctors’ and dentists’ appointments takes on a whole new dimension, as you ponder the calendar to see where you will be at that point.

Inevitably there is something to fix. Or something to reattach to the wall. Or something to store under the bed, which requires taking everything off the bed that you have temporarily placed onto the bed to get it out of your way.

And then there’s the admin! Logbooks to update for the taxman. Expenditure spreadsheets. A budget to monitor. Annual payments to schedule. Job research. Warranties to maintain through annual inspections. Online advice to monitor, to keep up to date with State requirements. Since we mostly work online, we have a commitment to update and maintain computers. Software updates. New software to learn. Technology tutorials. 

Social media! Keeping followers happy. Replying to multiple messages from the four corners of the world is a pleasure, albeit a challenging one. Thus, these blog posts. Interacting with others is what it’s all about … after all it’s called social media. Conversation, like tennis, cannot be maintained only from one side. And one doesn’t lurk! Lurking is … in the same camp as being a peeping Tom. It takes me a long time to write and publish a blog post. 

Suffice it to say that I write and read, read and write; write and read … mull over … sleep on … edit. Read, edit, read; rewrite and read. Then edit some more! You get the picture?

“Time waits for no one,” said someone somewhere. How true! When you look again, midday is encroaching. My man believes in meals at a certain time. It’s the way he was raised, and the way it’s been done for 43 years of our togetherness. But it’s good because once the main meal of the day is done, the afternoon affords more time for tasks. (Shall I let you in on a secret … by 3 pm I’m usually horizontal for 30 mins, struggling to remain vertical. But even then, I simultaneously listen to a grammar podcast or read editing theory. Oh, for a good fiction book! Maybe one day. *sighs*)

House sitting

When house sitting, the home must be kept scrupulously clean or else the task is that much harder once we’re ready to vacate. When we have house sittings booked back-to-back, we find ourselves in a strange house, cooking in a strange kitchen, sleeping in a strange bed, and so on, every 2 to 3 weeks. And goodness … can we move in?! 

Computers, screens, printer, toiletries, clothing, linen and towels (yes, we use our own), groceries and more are carted in. Everything we use that isn’t ours must be replaced in its spot after use, or we will not remember where it belonged. Our grocery supplies join the homeowners’ in their grocery cupboard and fridge. Each of our items need to be marked, or at the end of the gig we’re going, “Which is which?” “Whose is whose?”  “Is this my mixed herbs, or hers?”  “Is this our tomato sauce, or theirs?” “Are these frozen mixed veg ours?” “Is this hand soap ours?” It’s even more confusing when both shop at the same stores and favour the same products. In some cases, we move so often, that when AJ is looking for something, for example, I’ll say, “It’s on the counter” … when that was at the previous place. In the current house it has a new spot. Sometimes it does my head in. AJ’s too.

 

There are the inevitable small tasks written on a list. And often, when we attempt to use the vacuum cleaner, it needs a cleaning service before it is effective. Or the toilet leaks. Or the kitchen sink leaks. Or a plug doesn’t seal. There is always something that AJ needs to mend.

 

There is usually a garden to water and keep tidy and lawns to mow. Some gardens take hours a day, some a couple of hours a week. Also pot plants … at some gigs there are myriad numbers (plants that I have never seen before which I pray over, for fear of killing them … 🥴😅), tucked away in every nook and cranny, hanging from beams, parading at doorways and then sometimes there are few. I favour the manufactured kind, that do not need water!

Perpetual scanning of your surroundings for critters takes massive amounts of focus and awareness-energy. And time! “Close the door!” “Close the screen!” is the continual cry, as we watch for snakes, spiders, geckos and even toads, which love to slip in by a door. 

The mozzies and midges aim to eat you alive. The big 5 in Africa are mostly contained behind fences. Here, even an insect screen cannot keep the smallest ones out and everything is on a mission – to zap, to bite, to kill, or to move in with you. As I type now, I’ve swatted the back of my neck, feeling something unseen crawl on me. Perhaps it's all this talk of the critters. And I keep spotting that gecko that slipped in two days ago when it dropped off the outside of the door into the house … he’s behind the cupboard in this room. Every time, every time, I spot it, I think it’s a snake.

Just yesterday we had an Air Conditioner go thud, thud, thud, on us, and stop. The hottest day of the year! Feel temp 40C. Upon investigation outside, there it was – a snake – unceremoniously (as our son-in-law remarked) wrapped around the blades of the unit’s fan. Unable to identify it, I phoned the local snake catcher. He arrived 30 minutes later, without me having taken my sweltering eye off that unit. I grinned when I noted that he’s as old as we are, and also takes double the time to get down on his hands and knees to investigate. 

When the cover came off, out came a recently deceased snake, still in its death throes … for a call-out fee of $110. Ugh! 

It’s against the law to kill a snake in this country (or so we have been told), but darn … who can afford a snake catcher? So next time, guess what?! If we are unable to send Scaly-the-snake off to a safe spot, it will be la-la-land for either one of us or for Scaly, as we attempt our own capture-and-release.

While in the Gympie region, if the telephone rings and we receive a request for help from our beloved daughter, everything is put on hold for a good 4 or 5 hours, and off we go to do grandparent duties. We’ve chatted with grey nomads in campsites, who have bravely confessed that their kids don’t know where to find them. And when they do, they quickly move on, leaving them to catch up again. 

So?

“So?”, you may remark, “this is no different to my day, and I get to make things, to read, to gym etc.”

Well, maybe it’s just me/us … but at the end of each day we’re pooped! I hit the sack at 8 pm, AJ not long after. We are up again at 5 am, only for it all to start over. Again, I say, this is the life we have chosen. This is the life we are making the most of. Independence and survival are at the top of the list for us. Where is the time to enjoy a good book? Where is the time to quietly knit or sew? Where is time for sightseeing and doing exciting things? And playing golf takes the better part of a full day!

No … not for us. We had our turn in Qatar. Now, it is not our turn.

Nevertheless, now and then we do get to have fun moments, and they are valued, to be sure. Sometimes they pounce upon us unexpectedly. They can arrive without fanfare. Many times, they are over in a flash … if you weren’t alert and mindful, they’d pass you by. Even some planned moments are merely fleeting. But thankful, grateful, and blessed we are.

 

Thanks for stopping by. 🌼

Blessings. 

Images: 

All tree frog cartoon images by Alexa from Pixabay

Bug image by 17314653 from Pixabay

Frog ornament image by 165106 from Pixabay

Frog in the boat image by Eveline de Bruin from Pixabay

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. 🙏🏻