The Hound From Heaven

We have just finished the Boise, Idaho Royal Family Kids' Camp for children in foster care. What an amazing week with 36 great kids and a committed team of workers. While the week went fairly smoothly and there really was a great atmosphere of peace and unity, it was not without its hiccups. One of these was when a camper - we'll call her Tahlia - ran from the lakeside area (having been upset through not having the beach toy available for her use). This little girl experienced panic attacks, and it was clear that she had a background of severe abuse. As she ran towards the road, Sue and the Grandma Irene pursued her. I radioed the Camp Director, Tom, to alert him as to what was happening, and our other workers continued to supervise the children playing in and by the water. By the time Tom arrived Tahlia had retreated to the bushes (having put Sue through some harrowing moments when she had called out "I will kill myself" as a logging truck came down the road.) And so there was a stand-off. Eventually she moved along towards the building on the property. And then it happened - out of nowhere appeared a basset hound. He slowly ambled to Grandma and myself and I knelt down to pet him. "Look how gentle he is. Oh what lovely silky ears. He is a friendly dog" all said loud enough so our girl could hear. The dog then looked up and made a beeline for her. She fell to her knees, put her arms around him and rested her head on his. At this time, her counsellor arrived, and the tension was diffused. When I looked back, the dog had gone. I learned later that he lived on the next property - but no-one saw him come, no-one saw him go. What amazing timing! Coincidence? I think not - just God looking after one of His precious kids.

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS....

Father's Day in the USA is in June, not September as in my home of Australia. This year I was able to spend it honoring Sue's Dad, Dale Carpenter. It has caused me to reflect on the "fathers" in my life.
1. Arthur Boyd - MY dad. A man of integrity, faithfulness and a great role model to me as I grew up. When he battled cancer, he did it with dignity and the assurance that his God was well-able to heal, but if not, then that was OK. I admit I was amazed at the strength of his faith in facing what he did - he had always believed he would see in the year 2000 and live a full life into his 90's just the way his mother did. He went to be with the Lord in March, 1993 and I still miss his wisdom and his total belief in me.
2. Richard Holland - my friend Hilary's dad. He was my pastor for many years, my friend almost as long and my spiritual dad. It's been just a year since he left at age 89. The way he handled personal onslaughts (health and others) taught me much. When wronged, he would say "It's alright, God knows and He will work it out" when I wanted to shout from the rooftops the injustice of the matter. He pastored a church with the heart of a shepherd who truly did lay down his life for the sheep.
3. Dale Carpenter - my friend and co-worker Sue's dad. A man of great faith, affection, steadfastness and incredible patience. Now robbed of physical strength and ability through aggressive MS he maintains dignity and continues to reach out to outhers in compassion. He loves to escape the house and get to visit people at church on Sundays, and is an inspiration to many people, including me.
The world needs more such men, such fathers.

Perseverance

This photo was taken at Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia. The river had flooded in a big way! Hard to imagine water levels as high as 5 metres and more. Now the waters had receded, and the sun had baked the mud into a clay pan. However as we walked along I spied this plant - pushing its' way through the hardened ground. Tenacity and perseverance. Underneath that mud somewhere was moisture and that plant sent its roots deep to tap into that. I think of our lives - sometimes swamped with schedules, deadlines, other people's expectations - easy to feel overwhelmed at times. But Jesus said "I am come to give you life ABUNDANTLY" - that's not just life to exist - it's life to live to the max, to enjoy, to find fulfillment in His purposes. In times of dryness it takes some effort to find the waters that ARE there for us. Don't look at the surface, they mislead. Dig deep and find the water of life. It's there!

Halls Creek, W.A.

Western Australia (Australia's largest state) is an amazing place and I could write pages on the changing landscapes, the vivid colours, the wildlife and awesome scenery. But for me the highlight of this trip was the people of Halls Creek. If you drive through this town you may get a different impression - it's easy to see the effects of alcohol and to judge and move on. But when you stop and listen - to the stories of the people and the laughter of the children you see a different picture. There are many people in this place who have a sense of purpose and future - our friends at the AAO church there are some of these - they have formed good friendships with local families and are working to see families strengthened and restored, to respect culture and lead in wisdom. For me, the hope is in the children - great kids, huge smiles, terrific sense of humour, a love for fun, enjoying the simple things. For them the future is not something thought about. They play..eat....play again, go to school (not always) and finally sleep. For some, food quality may be a problem...in some homes food money is what's left over after the visit to the local bottle shop. But then that's sometimes the case in families down south too, - alcohol addiction is no respecter of race. My heart goes out to the grandmothers - many helping to rear their grandkids...and to the parents who are endeavoring to break the patterns and raise strong families. As a Christian I see that for these kids Jesus is the answer - not a white Jesus or a religious Jesus - but a REAL Jesus who stands alongside to help us stand up after we fall even if we do it again and again and maybe again. A Jesus who helps us to see that we have potential and can make a change. We have learned so much listening to the stories of the women...of how parents walked out of the desert and met white folk for the first time just over 40 years ago. That's amazing! There is wisdom in these women which we respect and learn from. Hmmmm....we have much to think about after this trip which will not be our last.

Victoria's Terror

In 1904 Dorothea McKellar wrote a poem called "My Country". While the first verse described the fields and orderliness of the English countryside,the home of many of those who had journeyed across the sea to find another life, the rest of the poem beautifully describes her new home, Australia. The second verse goes like this:

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!
This week Australians have watched nature in all it's terror as the state of Victoria burned. Over 29 fires roared up hills and into valleys, across rivers and roads. At the whim of the wind it devoured homes, property, livestock and most tragically of all human life. At one stage the fire travelled 25 km in just four minutes. In some areas, by the time people saw it coming, it was too late to leave.
As I write emergency services are at full force aided by the Australian Army, Red Cross, the Salvation Army and many others. The CFA (Country Fire Authority) which is almost totally volunteer driven has worked in shifts around the clock. Three days after the hottest day on record for Victoria (47.6 C or 117F) fires still threaten country towns and the radio station dedicated to emergencies continues to read out fire warnings. "If you can see smoke, you have time to leave. If you see flames it is too late." Some of the survival stories are amazing - a group of three who crawled into a wombat hole and covered themselves with wet blankets - the fire roared over them but they were safe. The family who hid in a bunker reluctantly built by a husband who thought his wife was overreacting at living in the bush. It saved their lives too. A little boy found burnt but alive in a ditch with totally destroyed homes around him. As I write this, the death toll is 181, but all the homes have not been able to be reached and the thought is that this toll will rise significantly. Some of the fires had been deliberately lit - what does society do with someone who does this? But it is at times like these that community becomes a word with great meaning - Australians have huge hearts, and almost every district, club, sports team, church and school along with corporations are opening their pockets to provide relief to the thousands of now homeless people. If you are reading this, please pray for the people who are fighting for life in the burns units of our city hospitals, who grieve the loss of loved ones, for others who desperately wait in emergency centres hoping that their missing relative/neighbout/friend will show up alive, for those who sit dazed and bewildered with reality not yet set in, for those who literally only have the clothes on their back. Pray - give - and pray again. For up to date fire news try
www.abc.net.au/news/events/bushfires

New Knox Camp!

January saw the culmination of almost a year of planning, praying and working to see a new Southern Cross Kids' Camp come into being. A new camp launched in the Knox area, making seven camps now happening in Australia plus one in New Zealand. Colleen (pictured here with me and Bluesea) joined me in directing the camp and did a great job. We had 24 first-time buddies and staff members, who joined with experienced workers to give these kids an unforgettable camp experience. Bluesea didn't do too badly either in her very exacting job of watching for campers displaying good attitudes and kindess. Check out SCKC at www.sckc.org.au

GOODBYE 08 - WELCOME 09

One year drawing to a close....the turning of a page to the opening of a new, blank space. 2009 is approaching fast, and it is usual to reflect on what has gone before and to anticipate what might come. I don't know about you, but the page for 2008 was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster - lows (loss of dear ones,added pressures and expectations of others.. highs - news from a far land, unexpected blessings (my red Forester!) travel to people and places I love (Thailand, Cambodia, USA)....good friends, Southern Cross Kids' Camps... along with the aching of joints that used to work smoothly. What will 2009 hold for all of us? World finances topple....nations continue to war....millions starve or subsist...children are still in enslavement and deprivation. I don't have the answers - I do know that all I can do is my bit. To help where I can. My Compassion boy "Ton" will be educated, fed and given some spiritual input this year, because God faithfully provides for me so that I can provide for him. There is an old song that says "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is gone, Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives." [Bill Gaither] It pretty much sums it up - as the psalmist says "My times are in His hands." Psalm
31:14. So I choose to look forward to the year ahead with its challenges, blessings, unexpected surprises. I look forward to deepening relationships, to new friends, new travel experiences and new growth. (Inward growth that is, not a widening girth!) :) To everyone who checks on this blog from time to time - may 2009 be a great year for you and for the ones you hold dear.