Zig-zagging through the country
We started in Qld
visiting Winton. Dennis and Lois were charming hosts and while the ladies were occupied with domestic duties, the guys
were asked to attach wire mesh under the eaves of the church to stop sparrows getting into the roof cavity. Working on 3
metre scaffolds in 38˚ heat only made the task more challenging.
At Gilgandra we met Rich and Julie, youth workers in the town. Julie had a plan to establish a vegetable garden as an outreach programme to make contact with ladies in her area. We set out to prepare and till the soil. After removing all the grass and digging the area with a rotary hoe, we asked the members of the congregation to help with their local knowledge of vegie growing after we moved on. This project showed us a practical way of putting the Parable of the Soil into action and we pray that both the soil and the contact with the ladies bore a good crop. As a finishing touch, Marion knitted Julie a tea cosy to use with the ladies for those much needed morning teas. During the week, we joined other members of the congregation at a local hotel. This hotel was being demolished and there was a working bee to clean bricks removed from the walls. The church was to receive half of all the bricks they cleaned which would then be used for renovations to their church building. A win, win for the church and the demolition team.
Richard and Danielle at Lightning Ridge were going on leave during the time of our visit but were able to leave a list of jobs for us to complete. Replacing runners on sliding doors, repairs to curtains, reticulation and gardening kept us busy for over a week.
Hillston is not on
one of the common tourist routes, so is a town that not too many people seem to visit. We arrived a few days after the
minister and his family had left on transfer to Adelaide. Members of the congregation were concerned that they would get
forgotten by BCA but were pleased that we offered a presence they had not counted on.
The empty rectory gave us an opportunity to
go through to repair all the little things that seem to get overlooked such as loose screws, locks, light fittings,
latches, taps etc. It was a pleasure to work in and clean-up the rose gardens and to drive the ride-on mower cutting a
large area of lawn. We also managed a few jobs in the church hall with repairs to curtains, plumbing, fitting smoke alarms
and repairing doors. It was our good fortune to be present when Don Wilson and the Tag-a-long Tour from Richmond and
Kurrajong churches arrived on the last leg of their journey through the West Darling Parish and we felt privileged to be
invited to join their activities. I feel the locals would have been overwhelmed with the vibrant enthusiasm of the younger
members.
We returned to Port Hedland in WA to have Christmas with our family.
Our local minister, Bill Ross, welcomed us with “You’re BCA Nomads now, have I got a list of jobs for you”. Marion was kept busy with her sewing skills making and mending. Gardening, clearing out the kitchen, scrubbing walls, general cleaning and vacuuming, repairs to lightning rods, letterbox, doors and locks also kept us busy for weeks.
Once back on the road, we returned to Broken Hill. Ron and Crystal had us involved cutting out and creating a nativity scene that they would be able to use on the porch of BCA House. It was very satisfying seeing the finished product after two weeks of cutting, sawing, pasting and painting.
Our experiences with the Nomads have given
us a special focus while we are travelling and going to all centres has encouraged us to visit towns that we may not have
previously considered. At times we even feel our visits have given encouragement to those people who have committed to the
Lord to work in the more isolated areas of our country.
Now we are back on the road again, we plan to continue our quest to visit as many centres as possible. Unfortunately we cannot predict where or when, but that will be another story.
Yours in Christ’s service
John and Marion Geoghegan
Copyright © 2008 Bush Church Aid Society of Australia