God is always ahead of us

Narrabri Wee Waa Road 

Well, the last couple of weeks or more had the cars in the yard and the bag sitting in the corner! The first week was writing the blogs for the time I was away - it was frantic remembering the stories of two great events. I "mind dump" when I do the blog.  Sue (and now Kara) has to work out the punctuation ('?!.,) I leave out, but I also miss things like "I (put the) bag in car".  Often I have a thought and start typing, but then get called away so the sentence is left "hanging".  Or it runs into the next thought.  Sometimes my "editors" can work out what and where I'm going or trying to write, or else I get a "red pen" phone call asking "What do you mean here?". The hard part is when I can't remember what I was trying to say!!  I could not do this blog if God didn't put people in places to take on this extreme literary challenge.

NENW Presbytery Retreat (L and R photos)   

Being home also has meant that I had time for some local events.  I attended a training day on Code of Ethics prior to attending the New England North West (NENW) Presbytery Retreat, led by the Moderator.  The retreat was great.  The Moderator spoke of being a "slow" church - we need to stop filling life with things we think we have to do, because we always have to be doing things that light us up, that empower us.

I have also been doing some work with a local based service I am involved in, called "Life Worth Living". I led a service in a local park for those who have lost loved ones to suicide.  The first part was poetry and we let some balloons go, saying prayers and messages.  I really felt God was there.  A young man came to be part of the service, as he was passing through town on his way back home.  He had travelled north to be with his mum as she was dying.  He said to me through tears that he had not been a good person; that he had done drugs and he asked if I could pray for him and his mum.  I was going to do a prayer service for those who wanted to stay, so asked the group could I pray for this man first.  This young man stopped in the right car park and at the right end/time.  God's care and love is evident every day!

I headed back on the road again this week, to Walgett.  This region has been doing it very hard.  As I sat talking to Robyn, the local Rural Resilient worker, I talked about the  growth I seen on way over, "that is now dying off again" she said.  Small things break hearts:  I told her I talked to the farmer doing it tough (she had give me their phone number) and how as we talked about a problem she talked about the hot water system,  (with strian in her voice) Robyn then told me of another lady she knows , who is seeing her beautiful garden fall into ruin and as she hasn't got time nor the youth on her side  to be able to fix it back up to what it was.Answer she needs help  children on school holidays Problem no money,   Some might say "small things", but  the rain should come it's  been two years (the Walgett area normally has  2 to 1 year cycle 2 drought then rain  but it might be too late if not here in  next week or two after 3 years of doing without small things Become BIG .

The photo below is of a place that's suffered drought - what it was 2.5 years ago (first photo) to Wednesday this week (second photo).

       

This is the tree, now dead, shown in the above photo and several salt bushes. 

This is a paddock up the road.

But the paddocks are looking pretty good at the moment - good rain has changed things.  The last photo is how the area all looked before the rain. But much of it is on the edge.  I am getting calls to help people who could "fall through the cracks" as they aren't part of main community groups and services.  I am so moved by what I am hearing and seeing, but am in awe of how God provides ways to meet the needs of those who struggle to make ends meet.  Matthew 24 calls us to do what we can for all, big or little.