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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The road less travelled

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.

The neighbours also came intruding 😅

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.🌼

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. 🙏🏻