This is a troopy. It is an outback explorin’ manual vehicle, complete with ascuba snorkel in case you have to drive through water. We have driven our
troopy around a lot this month, and even though it should not always work (it
is ancient and has been used hard), God gives its battery the strength to keep
going every day. The troopy has taught me to rely more on God-for food,
transportation and safety. If God cares about the Troopy, and cares about the
flowers, how much more does he care about me-who is made in His image?
slept in 5 different locations for varying amounts of time, including 2 nights
in Brisbane, 2 nights in Darwin (but in 2 different homes), 10 nights in
Woolaning, 6 nights in Mandora (near Darwin, our contact’s home base), 5 nights
in Palumpa, an aboriginal outstation in the outback, 90 minutes by small plane
southwest of Darwin, and one night in our faithful Troopy at Wangi Falls, in
the middle of Litchfield National Park. It has been a continuous adventure, and
it has been hard to move around so much.
The two constants this month were God and my team. It was
only the seven of us as world racers, who drove off into the unknown on
February 2. Only the seven of us who got trapped in a monsoon rainfall and were
forced to spend the night in a bathroom or the car. Only the seven of us
joining the staff at Woolaning Christian College to be houseparents and
teachers’ aids for ten days. Only the seven of us driving off to Mandora, where
our contact’s homebase was. Only the seven of us there when we broke down and
cried out for God’s redemption. Only the seven of us, split among three
airplane rides, heading out to Palumpa, a very remote out station. Only the
seven of us, working in the school and the community.
And God worked through the seven of us. He worked in us to
draw us closer to Him. He revealed himself to be the one constant, the one
infallible entity in our lives, even when our teammates let us down. I am still
processing through ministry this month-in a lot of ways, I felt like this month
was about God breaking me down and reshaping me so I would be more prepared for
the months ahead. I had a sense heading into this month that it was more about
preparation than pouring out. While we did pour out (some of us more than
others), we also had our hearts worked on and wrecked over. There were and are
a lot of things we as Christians, as people, are still walking through, and I
am thankful this month to have some of those brought to light.
Ministering in these aboriginal communities has been chockfull of weird
dichotomies. Intense poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment plague the region,
but the government has provided housing, money for food, and education. The
problem warrants its own blog with analysis, so look for that coming soon. But
basically, it was weird to minister to these people who should be okay but are
so broken, who have an intense need for the Lord but don’t know it.
work throughout the region shining God’s light. Be praying for Paul, Amparo and
Eugene as they shine the light of Jesus through jobs and school in Palumpa. Be
praying for Damian and Claire as they work in Belyuen. Be praying for Bron,
Brad, BJ, Emma, Grace, Liz, Jocelyne, Neil, Fred and the rest of the staff at
Woolaning.
to know the Lord. Be praying for us, as we transition out of Australia and into
the Philippines-into Asia, into intense poverty and oppression, into a whole
new realm of life and God on the World Race.
Blessings!
