Joy Comes in the Morning

 For over a year South Australia and Victoria have been in drought.  Dams are dry, crops have failed and trees are dying.  

When the community bought the property 19 years ago we invested in sinking a bore to ensure water security.  The water quality is good enough to water the stock and our gardens.  We also have large rainwater tanks which have kept water to the house.  However, if the drought had of continued we would have hooked the house up to the bore water as well.   

We had stored enough hay to feed our sheep and alpacas and they were well fed. 

Investment in the infrastructure has been a big expense in both finances and labour over the years, but it's in years like this that it's well worth it.  It brings so much joy to see the green grass and gardens when the paddocks are bare and dry.  

Praise YHVH, the rains came last week!   We have received 40ml over the last couple of weeks and more is on the way.  Joy indeed came in the morning!

But after the joy came confusion and frustration.  The house tank did not collect the water.  It was only after Rob investigated further to discover there was a blockage in the filtration set up.  Now I'm really looking forward to the next rain and seeing the tank levels rising again.

Having this property, especially with its challenges and blessings,  provides endless opportunities to be in communication with our Father to ask for wisdom, answers to problems and patience.

It also is an endless source of practical examples of life.  I did think this week of how applicable the example was of there being such joy in the rain, only to discover that the rain did not fill the tank as expected.  The blockage was only a fine layer of silt lining the wrong size filter for the filtration system.   

We can be in the middle of an outpouring of His Ruach and blessings but only to find the next day that the cares of the world, old roots of bitterness, unforgiveness or a host of other reasons, have prevented any real infilling.  What we need is to be filled to overflowing, pressed down and shaken together! Luke 6:38  

The seasons have changed and we are now in winter.  There's change in the natural and change in the spiritual.  One of the changes that we are implementing here at Hebron is to remove all stock from the property.   The fences need too much repair to be confident that the flock won't push through into the neighbours or onto the road.  I will also be away in Victoria more as time goes on so can't keep an eye on the them.  For me personally, this is a very difficult decision. 

So we sent a trailer load of lambs off to be processed and we now have a freezer full of quality meat for the coming year.  The rest of the flock will be sent off to the saleyards next week.

Today our alpacas, Don Pedro the white older gentleman, and Pablo, the black crazy younger one, got picked up.  I will miss Pablo's shenanigans - he's such a drama queen.   (I will not miss trying to get them to turn into a 90 degree corridor to get them into the yards!)

And I cried.  I cried because I will miss them.  I cried because I enjoy the lifestyle of caring for them.  I cried because it's change and change is hard.  I cried because what lies ahead is more of the unknown.  And I cried because of the awesome privilege of being a servant of the Great Shepherd and trusting Him to take care of the details.

So we as a community put Hebron into His hands and again ask for wisdom in stewarding this property, and provision to develop the infrastructure to enable bigger gatherings of His body for the feasts, teaching times and fellowship. 

Our prayer continues to be....May Your will be done and Your Kingdom come, here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!