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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Hobbling North in Faith

Six weeks since AJ injured his back. The initial three weeks spent in our friends’ house in Tandur were a blur. But it gave us the opportunity to get used to new routines and requirements as a result of AJ’s injury. We will forever be grateful to them for making it possible for us to stay.

All too soon it was time to move on. A helpful friend from church came to our rescue to tow the caravan to our in-law’s property outside Gympie. I was not confident enough to do it myself. That was a huge blessing. I had it hitched and prepped for him with AJ’s verbal assistance … a first for me. (It was time I learned what he does, wasn’t it?!) 

We then moved into the van for 4 nights where it was parked on a driveway in front of the house. 

I had a bad cough, our in-laws were ill with the same bug, and so were our children and family over the hill, from whom we had all picked up the bug. Consequently, we embarked on the road trip from  Gympie to Rockhampton without seeing any of them to say goodbye. 😒

I cannot begin to describe the process of deciding what to take along and what to leave in the caravan. That final morning was hectic – packing the car and making sure the van was in storage mode. AJ, still in extreme pain, couldn’t do a thing and was super frustrated at having to watch. The doctor had warned us to stop often. Along with my loathing of the Bruce highway, and the doctor's warning, there was enough excuse to stop overnight after only two hours of driving. 😅 AJ, being heavily medicated and with movement severely restricted, could not drive, so all the driving was mine to do. 

The first stop was at a B & B … a charming place in a little hamlet called Apple Tree Creek. We arrived at about 3 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling and enjoying the local wildlife outside the cottage. Until then, AJ had never slept through a night since injuring his back. Never longer than 2-4 hours. That night he slept through for the first time! We rejoiced. They reckoned they would use it as a marketing tool … “Man with back injury slept a full night in comfort on our cottage bed.” 😄 Here are some pics of our stay and the gardens.

We left at 10 am the next day and arrived at Gin Gin 30 mins later, where we stopped for tea. The country town bakeries all vie for awards; one bakery’s pies and sausage rolls outdo the next. AJ reckoned that Gin Gin Bakery’s sausage roll was the best he’s had! Ever! 😄

Moving on, we arrived at Miriam Vale in time for lunch. We stopped at a ‘Country Kitchen’ style diner, which proved to be a great choice for deliciousness. Decorated with family farm mementoes, it was also a trip down memory lane. The coffee was seriously good too.  

The next stop was Benaraby (pronounced Ben-ARAB-y). 😊 We had booked at a motel there and were pleased for the stop. Having arrived quite early, we decided to take a 10 km drive to view Tannum Sands on the coast.  

It was a cold, cloudy day, but the place must be a hit in the summer! It’s beautiful there. Another town that reminded me of Amanzimtoti, Kwa Zulu Natal, where I grew up.

The usual motel-equipped room was all we needed. AJ slept through another night. Clearly, he had turned a corner! Yay! The next morning, we enjoyed our oats-yoghurt-fruit (in jars) that we had carted along for breakfast, and after a cuppa, hit the road to Rockhampton.

Having heard all manner of horror stories of this portion of the Bruce ‘Highway’, I must admit that I felt queasily nervous. (Bear in mind, this ‘highway’ is only one lane north and one lane south, on a very narrow strip in places. 

The first two days on the Bruce had gone surprisingly well. I could only hope that it would continue. And it did! Yes, the road surface was a horror story – rough, potholed, uneven on the shoulder – but when I had to avoid potholes, nothing was coming from the front. We had so many people praying for our journey. Once again it was evident that prayer helps.

We arrived in Rockhampton and navigated our way to the house. It’s quite the city, Rocky (Aussies shorten every single pronoun 😄). Although it was mid-morning, the traffic was dense. The homeowners, David and Thelma, had made it very clear that they would be offended if we bought lunch in town. We were spoiled with a delicious lunch and later on an equally delicious dinner. I was able to get the run-down/intro on what was expected, and we were introduced to some of the neighbours. The next day, at 9 am they were collected for the airport and our 3-month stint here began. The next few hours were spent emptying the car and settling in. 

David and Thelma, both 79, are now in Italy for a 3-month holiday. They are fit, active and full of flair! A lovely couple who are also expats, having emigrated from the UK many years ago. They too toured around Australia in a caravan for 3 years while working on and off as they travelled, and they loved it. Our plans are now on hold, but we look forward to possibly beginning early next year. God willing.

AJ still struggles to walk and to lie down. But at this point, although he is in pain, he is able to walk around the garden and do some physio-prescribed exercises 3 times per day. We had heard from David and Thelma that the nearby university trains Physiotherapists and runs a clinic for the public. They recommended that we give them a call because they are really good. Third-year students are put to the test, overseen by trained therapists, all for a lower fee if you agree that the students can work with you. Physio treatments are very expensive in Australia, so we jumped at the chance. But when I phoned, I was told that they cannot help us until the end of September. AJ was in agony at that point. (He has one good day, and then two bad.) I requested to be put on a waiting list, only to be told that it was full. My spirits were down, as we had so looked forward to getting some help while we were here. I mentioned, very quickly, that David and Thelma had thought we might be helped there. Did I detect a slight change in the tone of voice on the other side of the phone? No, I thought, I had imagined it. I proceeded to make an appointment for the end of September.

That night, the cold weather brought the rain. And did it rain?! The next day it rained for hours. It rained for 2 nights and 2 days straight. A huge weather event had built up and was hanging over the Rockhampton region, just bucketing down. The day after my call to the uni clinic, we got a phone call from them, “There has been a cancellation due to the rain. Can you make it?” “YES!”, said I. It’s only 10 km down the road, and it wasn’t driving, gale-force, rain. So, AJ and I made our way over and he got to have a physio session! What a blessing. They spent 2 hours assessing and working out what would help him, for a mere $35, compared to $175 per hour at a private clinic. We were overjoyed. 

A rather wet Kangaroo, taken from the physio room's window

Once again, we could see the hand of the Lord. He knew we would need an affordable service, close by, so he brought us here. God used the rain cancellations. And perhaps David and Thelma's name played a part. Nevertheless, God knew AJ needed at least 3 months to heal under supervision, and this housesitting is the perfect opportunity. He's already had 3 treatments, all due to cancellations. Yesterday, the therapist noted that he was the 'luckiest' patient, since he's already been able to fill THREE cancellations! Could it be God? 😊

The garden is low maintenance – only watering – easy for me to cope with. The grass never grows because they don’t usually get rain here (go figure 😆), so mowing is never necessary. (However, because of the rain, if it is needed, the neighbour has volunteered his service. People are so kind.) 

A bit of a backstory ... this housesitting gig was booked a year ago, long before AJ stopped work in October 2023. We applied for it because it was further north than we had been, and we wanted to explore. It’s also warmer here at this time of the year compared to Gympie. They let us know a few days later that we were on the short list of candidates, but they wanted two references and a police clearance. (Their two previous house sitters had been horror stories. 😣) One morning we received a call from them to say we were chosen; did we still want to house-sit for them? Yes, we replied. Then AJ’s contract ended.

When it became apparent that AJ was not going to make inroads here in Australia for Aviation work, we decided that we should cancel. It’s a five-hour drive, petrol is expensive, and we needed to find work, not housesit. The first time we began thinking of cancelling was while minding the cows in December last year. The second was in April while we were in Mt Marshall. But each time we wanted to contact them re cancellation, David and Thelma beat us to it, almost to the day, calling to check if we were still coming. They sounded so sweet, so welcoming and we could hear they were elderly. Twice we had not quite made up our minds and were still trying to determine if our finances would hold out for this trip. So, on both occasions, we said yes, through gritted teeth, hoping against hope.

Eventually, when it got to June this year, we knew we would have to come regardless. With tickets booked to go overseas, and preferring someone they could vet thoroughly, they would have struggled to find new house sitters. We couldn’t put them through that. God would help, we said. And he did! Just before we left Gympie, we received news of a tax rebate that we had thought we, as new immigrants, would never qualify for. The funds set aside for the tax man became the funds to travel to Rocky. How amazing is our Father? He knows all the details and organises the little as well as the big things. Then AJ injured his back!

I have never seen someone suffer so much pain. It has been awful to observe and to feel at a total loss on how to assist him. 6 weeks on, he still battles to walk more than 20-30 steps. We are aware of the need to be patient and think positively. Projections just for feeling better are 6 to 12 weeks, and apparently, it can take up to 6 months to have no pain. Our plans may be shelved and/or constantly changing, but we do not doubt that God is in control. Priorities and the approach to daily tasks will also have to change. Even in these circumstances AJ willingly testifies as to how God is working in our lives and in his heart. His faith has been strengthened, regardless of his adversity and suffering. I admire his courage.

Suddenly, all my plans also seem feeble. My priorities have shifted. My tasks have doubled, but it’s been amazing to feel how my Father has equipped me with the energy and abilities I need. Seldom is there a moment to sit still, but I am acutely aware of the need to watch out and not overdo things. We have seen how fickle life can be, and how mortal we are. How powerless we are vs the Creator’s plans for us. Suffice it to say, He has our attention. We are listening! Yet unsure of how our future will unfold.

Again, Psalm 23 pops up in my mind …  in this life, this temporary abode, He will provide all that we need. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT version.)

Sometimes God brings us to a point where He is forced to ‘hobble us’ as it were, like the Eastern shepherds do with that self-willed sheep (see my last blog post). In this way, He gets our attention. If only we would listen to Him before He needs to take drastic action.

“He makes me to lie down beside still waters … He restores my soul.”

A few days ago, I read in a devotional that, as Christ’s followers, we are not promised an easy, trouble-free life…

“In this world you will [note the auxiliary verb ‘will’ ] have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16 v 33.)

and

“If you want to be my disciple, you must pick up your cross and follow me.” (Matt 16 v 24 and 25.) As an aside, this was before Christ was crucified … the Israelites were familiar with the crucifixion torture imposed by the Romans, so the analogy must have filled them with revulsion. The whole concept is sanitised for us … we blithely quote that verse, not considering the actual horror of what it encompasses. But Christ knew how he would die, and He chose to equate the difficulties of this life with ‘carrying a cross’.

However, as His followers we can proclaim, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life …and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” What more could one want than eternal life in the presence of the Triune God? Here on earth, we are beset with troubles, but with Him, we can see it through. His mercies are new every morning. With each sunrise His grace is visible.

Until next time.

Thanks for stopping by. 🌼

 

 

Clues and Signs ... Everywhere

Clues and Signs

Last Sunday saw our departure from Greens Creek to stay at (what we refer to as) ‘home base’ in Tandur for 2 weeks. It is always like coming home when we stay at this property that belongs to friends. During this stay, we will mind their French Bulldogs for a few days as they take a camping trip for a much-needed break. We love their Frenchies… they are such fun to be around!

When we arrived in Gympie from Mt. Marshall and moved into the property at Greens Creek, the clues of winter’s approach were visible. Ever lowering temps, misty mornings, yellowing leaves. It’s hard to believe how 2 months sped by.

We were aware that we had been called to WAIT! Wait, said Father God. Wait! How many times hadn’t the word come to us that we should take one day at a time, and as we wait, to strengthen our walk with Him. The clues were there that we were arriving at that place of thankfulness under all circumstances: peace that passes understanding; feeling hope, regardless of apparent gloom. Hope! That quiet confidence in His ability to work it all out for our good because we love Him and feel that we are called according to His purposes. Surety, that nothing happens without His consent and that the waiting period we were in had a reason, a purpose. Yes, we finally began to feel at peace, regardless.

However, I can be a ‘Mary’, sitting at the feet of the Lord at the start of my day for an hour or so, but I very quickly transition into a ‘Martha’ who cannot sit still and wait. So, apart from last week when I set up our new bookkeeping system, the entire period in Greens Creek was spent setting up our website store and creating content for it. I’m hoping to turn the love I have for designing stationery on Canva into a form of income that may help keep the wheels turning.

After pouring out my heart to my Father one morning in Mount Marshall, I felt that He was ok with what I intended to do. (Prov 16 v 3.) I leave it in His hands. All set to open a store on Etsy, I noticed that many creators were abandoning Etsy due to changes in the terms and conditions. I felt it best to give the platform a miss. Their problems need to be ironed out. I don’t have the energy to deal with apparent dramatic decisions to close people’s accounts and the withholding of funds on a whim. 

So, to our website I turned my attention. Hosting the store on our website means the marketing falls solely on me, whereas with an Etsy-like platform, it is all done for you. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the secret to making money online, and that part I have yet to learn and apply. But because I can’t pay someone to set this up for me, I DIY and learn as I go along. What do I know about setting up an online store? Diddly-squat! Anyhow, I hope people will look past the amateurish look of the store and check out the content that took hours to create. Perhaps someone will find something useful.

Recently, I registered LibSandy as a business for proofreading services. I then used those registration details to set up payments for digital items created by SBCreative (my pseudonym for the stationery design) on our Undeserted website. 😆This is what happens when you do things back to front! You get tangled in the details. In the end, it was all accepted and payment forms were successfully tested.

Connecting bank accounts to third-party online payment services (PayPal, etc.) was nerve-wracking! Going through verification checks; testing to see if they worked; waiting to see if said third parties had found any problems with my account and/or website. The website must comply with legal privacy requirements, but thankfully it is hosted by the reputable Wix platform which offers good explanations and help towards wording.

While at Greens Creek, AJ kept himself busy around the property. Mowing the steep lawns was a nerve-wracking idea until he began and found that the mower wouldn’t topple and handled very well. 😅 

The van always needs attention, as does the vehicle, and who better than pernickety AJ to correct things and find new ways to load our stuff?  In the interest of safety, AJ invested in and installed a new dash cam that has reverse capability too, as well as a weigh scale for the caravan and car. The scale is a game-changer! Now the guesswork is taken out of the packing and loading each time, so we can travel more safely, and IF we get pulled over by zealous traffic police, we won’t be too nervous, as we’ll know that we are within our weight limit. Weight and balance, weight and balance! That’s the secret to safe caravanning.

Surviving on one’s reserve funds makes you cringe every time a dollar is spent. But we have managed to keep it to a minimum and 10 months on here we still are, by God's grace. For our 43^rd anniversary, we decided to splurge a little and enjoyed a light pub meal at the Kandanga Hotel, originally constructed in 1914. 

Our Children blessed us with a lovely bouquet.

Five weeks into our stay at Green’s Creek, I began to feel stressed about the level of the rainwater tanks. We still don’t really know what ‘normal’ use is and we seriously try to conserve water. But when you’re using someone’s valuable water source, the responsibility runs high. I prayed a couple of times – Lord please send rain. But I shrugged off the request as fast as I made it since this is NOT the season for rain. Well, the Lord complied. "Look what I can do," I imagined Him saying with a smile. Don’t you just love it when He pulls off the improbable? We received 35 mm of rain over 5 days! The tanks were full again. Praise you, Jesus! With the rain, the temps also eased off, and instead of 1- and 2-degree mornings, we moved to 11 and 12 C. That was a blessing! One can think when it’s not that cold. 😊

Shortly after arriving at Greens Creek, we discovered a delightful walk of about 5 km along a country road winding through dairy farms. What bliss! There were two hills on this route – the kind of steep hill that makes you want to bend your back as you ascend because you can’t remain straight up. Phew! Did that get our hearts pumping. Great cardio! 

After 2 weeks we began to improve in performance, climbing without resting halfway.  On one occasion we were simultaneously discussing a political issue quite animatedly all the way up the hills. 😄 

Sadly, many a morning was just too damp and misty to walk, and by the time the sun burnt the mist away the morning was well underway with a to-do list waiting. 

With only months to go before we will no longer be housesitting but pursuing paid employment, we have also registered AJ’s business name. He will be AJ-unDESERTED at your service. 😊 At this stage, the signs are that we may move into caretaking of tourism properties, aka caravan parks and/or motels, of which there are thousands in this country. We will focus on preparing ourselves for that while we are at our next housesitting in Rockhampton. 

The next step for me is a food handlers’ course which is, thankfully, delivered online. Finally, after 43 years, I might put my Diploma training to good use. 😆 After that, I’ll need to learn to operate a few types of Reservation Software. It’s still going to be a tough walk.

We have a 2-week trip coming up (God willing) to get to Rockhampton for our 3-month housesitting. Because it’s still quite chilly and because we’re planning to divert inland to take our trip north, we invested in a diesel heater for the caravan. Delivered yesterday, it will be a welcome addition for those bitterly cold mornings when the inside temp of the van has had time to match the outside temp when it’s between 0 to 6 C. *Shiverrrrrs* (Queensland’s interior can get c-c-c-cold.) AJ's looking forward to installing it himself. Common consensus is that it is a must-have for quality of life during the winter. After spending a few winter nights in the van, we believe them!

Scriptural clues

Early in May, after the 3^rd occasion of coming across a verse or a reference to Psalm 23, I had the feeling that God was trying to say something. This made me sit up and take notice. A few days would pass, and sure enough … there was another. And another a few days later. The clues were there … God was drawing our attention to Psalm 23. I recalled a book I have in storage, “Treasures in the Psalms”, by Henry M Morris. I dug it out and AJ and I enjoyed a few wonderful reminders:

• The Lord is our Shepherd. We shall not want. (He knows best! All our needs are met.)
• He causes us to lie down in green pastures. (How real that was! There we were, surrounded by green pastures in a lovely home, and at no cost.)
• He leads us beside still waters, restores, indeed refreshes, our souls. (Finally, we were experiencing peace in our circumstances.)
• He guides us along right paths … (I love how the Amplified Bible puts it: [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. Constantly we ask Him to show us the way, and constantly we feel the return reply of ‘Have no fear’. Wait.)
• Even though we walk through the valley, (that deep dark [sunless] valley of anxiety, of fear of the unknown, of facing steep financial commitments later this year …  that valley of shadows that threatens to engulf you at your weakest moment …) we will fear no evil. (Why? The rod of protection and the staff to guide is an ever-present symbol that He is never far off … always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.)

      

Also, what sheep spends hours in anxiety and sleepless nights wondering where he will get grass to eat the next day? No, he knows it's the shepherd's task to lead and that shepherd has never yet failed to lead. 

The writer also pointed out that if a sheep was prone to wandering off, Eastern shepherds of old would lame that prone-to-wander sheep, and then carry it upon his shoulders until it healed. After that, it would never leave, as it knew the sound of his voice, and sought to remain near the comforting, protective presence of the shepherd.

This is where we find ourselves at present … we only find comfort in His presence and His promises. Some days we feel as if we are hobbled. No, knackered! But He carries us through to the next.

• He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies … (we are not aware of any enemies, except those spiritual ones who wish to bring about our downfall. They are ever snapping at our heels. Eager to scupper the purpose that our God has for us. The enemy of doubt is the worst. Somewhere I read that the opposite of faith is not doubt … it is unbelief! God forbid that we are filled with unbelief. )
• You honour me by anointing my head with oil. (We were "marked" with the oil of His Holy Spirit the day that we placed our trust in Jesus.)
• My (our) cup overflows. (Even as we minimize our spending, we have no shortage of anything. In fact, we have recently been challenged to give up even that which we have – to cast our bread upon the waters, as it were. It’s not ours anyway … everything we have is from His hand and remains His to direct.)
• Only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life, and through the length of my (our) days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my (our) dwelling place. (How we long for that eternal home! Here, on earth, we are merely travellers passing through.)

To wrap up, a quote from AW Tozer: 

“In natural matters, faith follows evidence and is impossible without it, but in the reality of the spirit, faith precedes understanding; it does not follow it. The natural [hu]man must know in order to believe; the spiritual [hu]man must believe in order to know.”

We are constantly aware of the signs of His presence. Of blessings all around. The memory of His faithfulness in the past. The answers to our prayers of last month, last week, yesterday and today. Even the ‘No, not now’ response is still a reply.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55, v 8.

Thanks for reading this far. Until next time. 🧡

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Current update:

The above was written ready for me to post on the blog the minute we arrived here in Tandur 10 days ago.  

Well, we had our plan for this time, but the Lord allowed another. 😢

As we arrived in Tandur on Sunday and AJ exited the car he became aware of increasing agony. An hour later he was doubled over, unable to come upright, and in extreme pain. He had been aware of hurting his back three days before leaving Greens Creek, but we thought it was muscle spasm. (He had lifted a lawnmower and simultaneously twisted his body to put it down to stow it.)

After a sleepless, agony-filled Sunday night, it became apparent that it was worse than muscle spasm. I took him to the emergency department the next morning early. After several tests and investigation, they assured us it was muscle damage and to rest at home.

But after another night where he could neither sit, stand, walk, lie down, much less sleep, we rushed to the doctor on Tuesday. He was sent for a CT scan, and sure enough, the doctor’s prognosis was confirmed. AJ had a slipped disc.

Agony is a meek word for what he was (and still is) enduring. With heavy medication, we were told that all he could do was rest and …. wait! There is a 50/50 chance that he would heal with no lasting pain. If not, a future operation would be the way to go. We are praying for a healing touch from the Lord.

Words fail me for the turmoil of emotions that beset us in the following days. What about work prospects? What about our van life? Will he come right? Why did this happen? If only he didn’t do that activity that day …! All the usual questions and thoughts came flooding in that beset a person after an injury. 

The dogs arrived for 4 days, but they were a welcome distraction that had me running and operating to a routine. After 4 days, their owners picked them up and promptly insisted that we stay in the house until the 2^nd of August, as they were not planning to come up for the next weekend. Speechless, we accepted. This huge blessing will give AJ a chance to remain in bed as much as possible and to heal for a good 3 weeks instead of 2. God is so good to us through this couple’s generosity. 

Many more blessings abound ... the Lord is our Shepherd, right? All our needs are met! 

• We had just recently found a South African doctor, who has been incredibly supportive towards us. 
• We have State Medicare, so we have only paid small amounts for medication.
• We have friend's rallying to support and to pray. 
• AJ was able to load, hitch and tow before the worst pain kicked in. If it happened while we were at Green's Creek things would've been so much more difficult. 
• We are able to stay here where it is peaceful and comfortable, and we have all we need. (Green pastures ... quiet streams.)

It's a week on and AJ still cannot come upright and walk properly. We are assured that it will improve, but only over 4 to 6 months. I first thought that I would need to go on to the next housesitting alone. But he wants to go along. However, the van will be stored for the 3-month duration. We have a friend willing to tow the van to store it at our in-laws' property. AJ cannot drive or risk operating anything mechanical, and the van requires a lot of manual labour. 

Our two-week trip into the western reaches of Queensland will have to wait for another day. Now is the time to heal. Fortunately, the next housesitting is light work with no pets. We are solely there to care for the home. Time to heal indeed.

Thanks for stopping by. We appreciate your prayers at this time. 

AJ and Sandy 🌼