More of Kapunda

Out walking with Julie and Biggles

Crops all ready to harvest, this is the area surrounding Oak Lodge.

Dusty old merinos

Rhonnie Larsen spoke in a meeting about going out walking with a family in this very area, and she saw something she'd never seen in her life.  A ewe was nearby, panicking because she heard the people but only ran in circles. The closer they got, the more panicked the animal became, but only ran in circles, trying to get away from them. It was getting exhausted and it's legs were slipping out from under it, but around and around she went in circles.  When they got close, someone who had the heart of a shepherd went to it, and found it had got grass seeds in its eyes, they'd gone infected and she had no sight.  Where there is no vision, there is no direction.  A very sobering thought.  Prov 29.18 "where there is no vision, the people perish..."  It was a hot day, the ewe was thirsty, there was water about 10 metres away, but she couldn't see it.  

On the same line of thought, Lloyd told of a stormy, winter's night in Canada, a man's car skidded off the road and landed in a ditch. He knew if he stayed there he would die of hypothermia, and noticed there was a light from a farmyard nearby.  So he got out and started walking toward the light.  In the morning, the police found the car in the ditch with noone in it.  They found tracks going in a straight line, so followed them, then came across the man's body.  They noticed the tracks stopped going straight, and instead were all over the place, in circles and wondered why. They saw the farmyard nearby and figured the man was going toward the light.   They went and asked the farmer what time he turned the light off, and when he replied, they knew that was when the man began to lose his direction.  Jesus the light of life came to give us direction.

Rowanne Wenham, Rhonda Larsen, Theresa Williams.  Rhonnie's mother died when she was just 17.  When her parents were married, they said to God that they would be willing for their children to be used to preach the gospel if need be.  Rhonda's only sister Linda started in the work 1996, and Rhonnie followed a few years later. This year she's going to East Timor with Julie Armstrong. Theresa is on a home visit to SA as she works in NSW, and Rowanne will be returning to Kazakhstan in January.

Joanne Campbell and her niece Addie (18) visiting from Canada

Julie Armstrong with her adopted family, Graham and Alison Mason, and little Edward.  Many years ago, Alison came out from Scotland and landed herself a job in a little school in the back of beyond in Sth Australia.  She wondered what on earth she was there for, and prayed that she could be of help to somebody.  That somebody turned out to be Julie, one of her fellow teachers.  Jules went to the meeting out of sheer curiosity, and 8 months later, concluded that those people only went because God was there.  She's been in the work since 2006 and is also going to East Timor this year.

Sorry this is blurry, but it's Julie saying goodbye to a very inspiring man called Bobby Telford.  He grew up going to meetings, but chose to go his own way in life. He was a real hard case, but 18 months ago he came back, made his choice to serve God and then asked if there's a time limit to be baptised 😄. He was baptised at convention last year. Just months later he found he had motor neurone disease, and now can't even lift his hands.  But, he is SO happy! Just wants to be at every meeting he can, tells everyone who feels sorry for him that it doesn't matter, this is only his body, he has so much to look forward to in eternity with God!  

Last day of 1st Kapunda