Goodiwindi to Longreach and back to Bourke

Goondiwindi on to Longreach then back to Bourke

As I have continued on from Goondiwindi the next town was St George and on the way there I met up with a man on the road and a couple at a road camp and they also were believers so we all had a great evening of fellowship together and left the next day very encouraged. I made it into St George and stayed a few days meeting up with some lovely Christian folk. I caught some Yellow belly down at the river and had a two good meals of that.

After I left there my home church pastor Gavin and his wife Jill Jackel met up with me on the road and we had dinner in the wagon before they went on there way back from there holidays. I stopped in at Surat and met a couple who lost there son through a drowning and was able to share the Scriptures with them and went to there house where he did a welding job on the wagon.

I then made my way on to Roma and stayed the night at the saleyards on the way into town. The next morning I met Alan Green a lovely Christian man at a market where he had booked me in to set up near him. Alan gives away Bible verse on a plaque and makes them himself. He gave away 39 that day and I gave away a lot of literature and Bibles. I went to a church there but it was very disappointing as the truth was not preached and the people seemed to be unable to see there great need.

I pressed on to Mitchell and found that the going was hard on the horses as the road feed had changed and the grass had not a lot of nutrition in it. I should have been giving the horses more grain and pellets with theLucerne chaff  and more often so the horses lost some weight and this was a concern. I went on to Morven where Alan and Marree Green live and they looked after me well and gave meLucerne hay and chaff.

Next step was to go to Charleville and stayed with John and Cathy Bursall, they helped me greatly as well and Luke also. We had a church meeting at the Bursall’s place the Green’s come from Morven to that as well we had four people that I invited to the meeting when I was up the street with the wagon and horses. I preach a very strong salvation message that day.

The next week my son Tony and two of my grandson’s came Ethan and Judah and we had a great week as I was home sick before that and wanted to see my family and friends from our local church. We went out shooting and fishing as well as other things and it was sad to see them go.

Judah's birthday party at the Bursall's house, Tony and Judah standing and Ethan front right

I was feeling better though and was able to go on with the help of the Bursall’s and the Green’s, the Lord knows what they done for me the horses and wagon. They also got together and brought me a UHF radio so I can talk to the truckies when in a tight situation.

You are constantly  being pulled up by people as you travel along so this slows us up a lot but I am able to share the truth of God’s Word to them and that is a blessing.

From Charleville I went to Augathella and then on to Tambo from Tambo we made it to Blackall where I was met by a group of people near the caravan park where I hoped to stay. I was unable to book in there and started to go back to the wagon and a lady and her husband offered there front yard and a small back paddock for the horse while in town and this was perfect. As I left the town at about 6.45am a man approached me and asks for some spiritual guidance and help so I was able to advise him and give him some booklets to help instruct him. From Blackall I went on to Isisford where I met up with Colin Clewet and John McDonnell and spent about three weeks with them as we went from Isisford up to Longreach.

Longreach was as far as I thought best to go at this time as the Lord seemed to close the door onMount Isa where we had hoped to attend to rodeo there and reach out to the locals. The problem was that we could not get any place to stay while there as every area was booked out. We found out that being the biggest rodeo in the Southern hemisphere it also attracted a lot of bad drunkenness and undesirables and is hard to get anywhere with them at that time so we thought best not to push it. I decided to take a break from the wagon ministry for about ten days and give the horses a spell which was the best thing for all.

I was having a hard time with the home sickness and this helped me some what. We drove up to the golf country and did a bit of fishing and had a look around.

Getting back to Longreach we worked the street there and set up the wagon and met a good number of people.

I was talking to Alan Green and he volunteered to bring the horses and wagon back to Cunnamulla on his truck so I took up the offer as I would have been going over the same areas I had been before. Once at Cunnamulla I went up the street to minister there for a while and then head of to Bourke. On the way I met two truckies who wanted to know my life story how I came to be doing the wagon ministry so I was able to give them the Gospel message in that and they were very interested.

I stopped at the NSW and Qld. Border at a place called Barringun and was able to give everyone there a few tracts and talk to a lady and her husband who had had a stroke 6 years ago and was in a wheelchair and his dear wife was looking after him along with the shop and accommodation place they had.

From here I headed into Bourke but not after I had a bit of a set back, I was getting water for the horses in a side paddock and as I came out I stopped to close the gate and it was a very windy gusty day and some thing spooked the horses and they bolted with the wagon down the road and came to the highway and turned onto it as normal and trotted down the highway with me chasing them. I was about to catch them when I felt my hamstring give and then the inside muscle on the other leg gave out as I stretched forward to grab the side of the wagon and then fell to the road. The horses and wagon just kept going with Sally the dog looking over the side of the wagon and back at me as if to say what are you going to do now. I got up and hobbled after them and the horses stopped to a walk and I was able to catch them up and get aboard. My ankle which is not good a the best of times was now really painful and I was having trouble walking. I also lost my phone and was unable to find it in the long grass where the chase started.

Well we made it to Bourke ok and stayed at a caravan park on the way in and then went to the showgrounds the next few nights. All in all it was a good time of ministry as I met a few people that wanted to hear the truth of God’s Word.

                 

From Bourke I went down the Darling River to Louth and met a few along the way which took Bible tracts.

From Louth I went on to Tilpa and the next day on a dirt track I had 25 people take Bible stories of me about salvation and spoke to them concerning where they were going to spend eternity.

I finally made to just out side of Wilcania and camped on the Darling river where I met up with two men and was able to share with them some spiritual thoughts concerning salvation. The next morning I went into Wilcania where I was met by some very keen people and also some workers on a building site that wanted me to come and talk with them and invited me to have a shower and clean up there. I took them up on this and had some very meaningful discussions with them concerning there spiritual needs.    

 I have now left Wilcania and am making my way towards Menindi.