Operation ‘Bless the Bush’ – We’re In This Together


May, 2007

Jan and I set out on our ‘Bless the Bush’ meetings believing (along with our partners and friends) for rain – both in the natural and the spiritual.

We believed to help restore some hope, to see people saved and for those rain clouds to drop their precious load over the parched outback.

The moment we crossed the range I felt right at home, there soaring magnificently on the thermal currents was not just one wedge-tailed eagle, but a couple.

I love the Aussie bush and so for some time now the Lord has been leading us to hold meetings in the smaller country towns - to go back and ‘bless the bush’.

Since the drought has dragged on for so many years numbers of outback and country churches and towns have been doing it tough – to say the least and these people need all the help they can get.

They need to know that we are in this together!

Rain – Beautiful Rain – The Best Rain in 9 years!

We started this series of meetings in Pastor Brian Steele’s church in Chinchilla on the Saturday we had over 70 men gather for a ‘blokes get together’.

Numbers of pastors attended, some travelling up to five hours from Charleville and Roma, while one man who attended was from Bourke – 10 to 12 hours away.

I was shocked when he told me he remembered their last shower of rain – it had been August 2002 – five years ago!

Jan and I (along with many other believers) had been praying and believing for rain – and down it came!

IT RAINED!

It rained from lunchtime until about 8 pm at night - 8 hours of good steady, soaking rain.

After a great Sunday service we moved on to Dalby.

Pastor Murray Tomlinson has a great church there and we enjoyed another great meeting.

A week later we were heading south along the New England Highway where we visited a cattle property at Waicha owned by Mark and Dee Morawitz.

Dee is the daughter of one of the Reborse brothers - cattlemen who I had known in the Northern Territory some years back.

AND IT RAINED!

Then we held a meeting in the tiny town of Quirindi at Harvest Christian Centre.

From there we drove to Tamworth where we were able to visit the Beersheba Barracks and present Lt. Col Hanna with my book ‘800 Horsemen’.

We held a meeting at the church in Tamworth and then drove to Inverell.

What a great little town Inverell is, there we met the very friendly and enthusiastic pastors Chris and Lea Russell. We held a great meeting in their church that night and were able to leave them with an encouragement pack.

We held some meetings at Pastor Dave Logan’s church in Armidale and we saw numbers of people touched, healed and saved. Praise God!

While in Armidale we were able to give books to the schools and Light Horse Museum.

From there it was up to Tenterfield where we held meetings at Pastor Geoff Hovey’s church where Jan spent some time with a number of young Indigenous kids.

AND IT RAINED!

It rained all the way to Inverell and then up into the mountains, good steady rain!

The first rain Inverell had received for some time they told us!

Then we visited the little town of Bingara up in the mountains. This was some of the best country I have seen for a long time.

We arrived in Narrabri to find how dry it was, the local town lake was bone dry. One local farmer told me that he had only been able to plant 15% of his normal cotton crop due to the drought.

We held some great meetings for Pastor Mike and Anne Ross, we had 80 blokes at a men’s rally where I was able to minister to them about being Godly examples, husbands and fathers.

Jan spoke to the women about holding on to your hope.

That night we held a combined service.

AND IT RAINED!

It rained quite heavily for hours.

I awoke around 4 am and it was raining. I love lying in bed listening to one of the most beautiful sounds in the world – rain on the roof.

It rained for 8 hours (30 mm). Praise the Lord!

Some places reported the best one day rainfalls in several years! And we had some great news that it had rained in Bourke too!

In fact, according to the TV News, Bourke was blessed with 90mm – the best rain it had experienced in 9 years!

This is what you – our partners and friends have been praying and believing for.

Our wonderful partners and friends (as well as our home church Impact Ministries –Gold Coast) have been standing and agreeing with us that we might be able to help bring some hope back to the bush – AND SEE IT RAIN!

Strength and Courage

During our time in these country towns I felt led to preach a lot on courage, strength and commitment – especially to the men. I believe many of these blokes just need some help to stand in these very trying times.

Some of these men have lost (or are losing) the properties that have been in their families for generations; imagine what they must feel like!

Not only are they losing the past, but they are losing the present and the future!

I’m glad we can play a small part in helping restore their courage and strength, by sowing into these towns and by donating heritage books to their schools and libraries.

Also I believe the ‘Aussie Encouragement Packs’ we left with these great people will be a help and blessing to them.

And we saw numbers of people respond to our altar calls asking us to pray for courage, strength and hope!

I once again reminded myself that Australia is more than beaches and cities – much more!

Some of these tiny places may not be the end of the world – but you can certainly see it from there! We were blessed to lead one pastor to the Lord, yep you read it right – a pastor. Can’t tell you what denomination as it might prove embarrassing for the fellow.

Here’s a late note from Quilpie (outback Qld)

I was on the ......and while I was away Ross measured 24.8 mm Thursday night/Friday!!!!

Until then our yearly falls had amounted to 49 mm so this is just beautiful and has halted, at least temporarily the de-stocking process.

Just lovely to come home to clean trees and red damp earth. We finally reached double figures in a fall and are waiting for the day we measure 25mm!!!

Thank you for praying for us.

Cheers

Wendy 'Clifton'
Station Wildlife and Wild Bush Characters

Qilpie Paddock in Jan 2005	Same Paddock Feb 2006

Of course we had our challenges, like anyone else in ministry in these trying but exciting days.

The wildlife was abundant, roos everywhere.

We left a number of books for schools and over $1200 worth of 'Aussie Encouragement' packs with needy people and churches.

Thanks for all your help and prayers.

Next I'm heading out to Emerald in Western Queensland.

Blessings

Col Stringer