Annie, Erin and I got to spend a couple
fun-filled days at the farm. Pastor Merv took us out to Maranatha Farms to help
Aaron put in a stretch of fencing at the end of their property so that the
cattle can roam freely without getting lost in the national park right next
door.
By the end of our second day of slamming
pickets in the hot sun,
and after tons of water breaks,
we had helped to put in over a kilometer of
barbed wire fencing!
While we were there we went out to the
fields to feed the cattle (they get a molasses mixture that makes their tummies
itch so that they’ll eat the dry grass in the dry season)
and I got to help Pastor Merv feed the
little piggies…
It was cool to see them eat all the veggies
we had spent bunches of time sorting back at the center.
There were a few sows that had free reign
of the place and we often found Tinky in the hallway between the kitchen and
our bedroom.
Pigs really do eat anything – even
bacon-flavored chips!
My favorite character on the farm was Bull.
You usually found him right where you wanted to go. He liked hanging out
wherever there was food. Unfortunately, he’s jumped/broken way too many fences
in his day and he might end up in the cold room soon if he doesn’t stop.
When our work day was over, we got to enjoy
some local activities. I got a ride on the back of Pastor Merv’s bike
(three-wheeler)
and in the late afternoon, Pastor Merv and
Aaron took us out to Hardies Creek in the national park to try to spot some
crocs.
They must have heard that we were coming.
We didn’t see anything until we were on our way out the second evening. We saw
a pair of eyes sticking out above the water for a couple seconds before they
disappeared again. Even though we were a little disappointed not to see more of
them, we enjoyed the sunset over the beautiful billabong!
And our time wouldn’t be complete without heaps of wallabies and kangaroos!
The Maranatha Farm is a part of Christian
Outreach Center’s (COC) ministry. Like the hostel and the furniture store owned
and runned by COC, any income generated at the farm goes to support the work of
missionaries all over the world, spreading the good news that Jesus told us to
go tell the nations.
