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. 🌼