It was Friday afternoon and we were hours behind schedule. But when we saw the car, sitting on the side of the road, we stopped to help. Three young fellows jumped out, and though we soon realized they didn't need our help, they thanked us for stopping and wanted to talk.

We soon discovered that Daniel, Shea and Tom were Christians. When Ben told them that David was a pastor, they started firing questions.

“Is Genesis literal or allegorical?”

“Can non-Christians be saved, if they lead good lives?”

It so happened that they had spent the last hour discussing these questions, but no-one had answers.

As David explained that Jehovah is a personal God, who loves and cares about us individually and it only makes sense that He would intend for us to understand His messages to us, they listened intently.

It was obvious that their questions were not intended for argument or even simply discussion, but because they wanted to know.

Two of their number had hitch-hiked to the nearest town to pick up the car parts they needed and just at the point where we had satisfactorily answered every question, they returned. The repair job took ten minutes. We had prayer together.

Shea started off by thanking God for a broken fan belt. And then, every one of them prayed, many of the others also, thanking God for the providence that had brought us together.

Three Sheets of Paper
God blessed Australia in sending David; and we, Bethany and Benjamin and Timothy, were blessed in having a part in the work and seeing God's providential leading. On our last Friday night together we took down some short hand notes of God's providences in our 'round Australia trip. It filled three A4 sheet's of paper and that was not exhaustive!

We experienced one providence after another. In fact, some of the first of these included God's work of convincing each one of us that He wanted the trip to happen and for us to be a part of it!

Here I am; send me
Even bringing David over was marked by the clear workings of the Almighty. One this side of the globe it included a late night phone call and unexpected financial help, while with David it was timing. If the request had come a week earlier, he would not have seen his way clear to come.

When David invited Tim to join us, he wanted confirmation from God to back his “yes”. So he asked for a sign. Tim lives in Tamworth, where the yearly rainfall averages about 12 inches a year. It had been particularly dry in the recent weeks, so Tim asked God to sent 6 inches of rain in the following week. Well, Tamworth was blessed with the rain, and we got to enjoy Tim's company!

Ben and Bethany's involvement was not originally planned, either. It was on a late night drive where the trip was being discussed, that Bethany found herself earnestly wishing they could be a part of it – like a support crew. Flying was the main planned mode of transport, though, so it was out of the question. Then the thought struck, “Why not do a road trip – you and Ben can drive it.”

The idea seemed too much like fantasy to be serious. But then God provided a car. The car we were driving was economical, but cramped and uncomfortable: out of the question for such a big trip. God provided us with a Ford LTD – sun roof, padded velour seats and plenty of room. It is seventeen years old and the head was blown, so the owner only wanted five hundred. Then someone gave us a reconditioned head. Even the roadworthy was free. What an amazing God we serve! Truly, there is nothing too hard for Him.

And the only breakdown we had on the trip, was easily fixed and turned out to be an awesome sharing opportunity. Tim and Ben love to tell it. Cruise control had stopped working, and the wipers were super slow, so we knew the alternator wasn't charging the battery anymore. Finally, stopped at a red light in a tiny coastal town, the LTD conked and wouldn't start. We pushed it off the road and then discovered that there was a mechanical shop just across the street. The mechanic and his offsider were incredibly friendly and helpful – they had the parts we needed, at an unheard of price, and installed them free. When Tim and Ben offered them books, they were thrilled to accept and promised to read them.

We shared and experienced so much blessing and joy that it is impossible to properly convey it. We travelled together by car as far north as Rockhampton and as far west as Perth. We often drove till late and started early. We ate many meals in the car, stopping sometimes by the side of the road to get some exercise. We prayed together often and earnestly for blessing and guidance. And how God blessed!

David: “At my first stop back in Australia I held meetings for three days, going into much depth about the subject of John 17. An independent minister that attended each evening exclaimed, “I had been wondering about this subject, but had many questions. I praise God! you have answered all my questions!” He later ordered cases of literature to take back to his own country in Africa.”

We held home school meetings, and spiritual meetings.”

Bethany: “Ben and I got to hear the messages David was sharing over and over, but incredibly, instead of getting boring, we found that it just got more tangible and personal for us with every hearing. When we prayed together at the start of meetings, we could sense God’s presence very near. It was thrilling seeing God moving on hearts, though the messages were simple and purely Biblical.

Home school meetings were usually arranged with the home school associations in the different localities. They were held in Wesleyan Churches, Baptist Churches, public halls, and homes. We stayed in private homes of any who invited us, one night even staying in an Anglican church. The accommodations were very nicely arranged there. In one state, we were a bit nervous and prayed much when we found out that the home school association was run by the government. We let them know the spiritual context and emphasis of our presentations, and were overjoyed when they let us know that would be fine as long as it was advertised that way. They proceeded to advertise it in their newsletter, fund the hall, and insurance. They sent a representative from their office to take notes and report back. The representative was very happy with our approach, and said she was taking back a good report. The meetings there lasted for several hours on one day and over a 6 hour period on the next interspersed with breaks.

David showed how we can train our children to think for themselves and become happy, useful members of society, using examples of God's teaching methods from the model school in Eden. These methods are radically simple, but proven successful.

Bethany shared highlights from her own experiences in the home school, including precious lessons learned from her own days of mothering, why she chose to say a final “No!” to movies and how one vital element from her schooling years meant everything when, at three and a half months, her baby died in his sleep. We have DVDs we are happy to share from these sessions that will be ready soon. They are free – ask and you will receive!

We have been amazed to realise the extent to which God's involvement in every part of the tour was demonstrated. It seems that at every turn God was working marvelously, while at the same time, mark this, 'everything' was going wrong. I was impressed over and over again by the fact that when human resources fail, then God opens the way. And it is not always neccesarily the 'way' we might have expected or hoped for. But because it is so obviously His providence, we can delight in it.

New Zealand Tour
David writes, “My flight to New Zealand began with some sadness, because of the friends I was leaving in Australia. My first visit was with a family on the south island, where I met a sincere person who had been wavering on the truth. She had determined not to discuss the subject of the Gospel with me at all, but simply homeschooling. When we began to share, she could not contain the questions, and we ended up studying long hours, hardly taking time to sleep or eat. We were so engrossed, I barely made my next flight.

“The rest of my trip around New Zealand was made by car with a dear brother and his little boy. We had precious experiences, where the people did not want us to stop sharing, asking questions and soaking in the answers till the early hours of the morning. We also had the opposite experience. We faced ridicule, mockery, and accusations. I was told I was commiting the unpardonable sin and would soon suffer the judgment of God, as Annanias and Saphira.

“One very special e-mail I received from New Zealand said

“David, as a result of your meeting with us a couple of weeks ago I spent
some time reading the information on your website which you shared with us. Afterwards an overwhelming sense of peace came over me... This has never happened to me before when I have read quote after quote and numerous bible texts on any other subject.

“I am continuing to prayerfully study the word as I also consider your
explanations based on your interpretation of all of the texts. The truth hangs in the balance of rightly dividing the word and allowing every text to interpret the matter. I am beginning to realise that I could be lost if I do not first understand this.

“Thank you for giving yourself to this work. And thank you for coming by faith to meet with a group of strangers.”

As I consider my trip to the South Pacific, I just have to praise God! What a precious privilage we have to enter into the joy of our Lord. The gardener after preparing the soil, working diligently for months taking care of the little plants has a wonderful joy when he has the opportunity to harvest the precious fruit. Likewise, when we take part in the work of our Saviour, the joy that we experience in seeing souls come into fellowship or closer fellowship with Christ, is precious. May God grant each of you my friends that same opportunity.