The Hebron Herald

Elaine was a righteous woman who was a passionate supporter for Israel and who committed herself to prayer. It has been many years since she passed away from this life but she left us a reminder of her support for Hebron - an oak tree. She propagated the tree from an acorn and then gave us the sapling, which has continued to grow well and straight despite poor soil and horrendous winds.   When I occasionally wander down to see how it's doing and admire how much growth it has put on over the years I think about the legacy that she has left.  Elaine loved nature and all that it has to offer; being an avid bushwalker all her life.  She wanted to see Hebron planted with many trees and I'm sure if she were to see Hebron now she would smile. Granted, it's not the same species of oak as spoken of in the scripture but naturally there's the tendency to cast your mind to the oak trees of Mamre where Abraham pitched his tents.  I wonder if he knew the journey...

It's been an age since I updated the blog on what's been happening up here in the Hills so my conscience has gotten the better of me and tonight is the night. Summer is a busy time and as with most things in life, there's never enough time to accomplish all that you want, but we've been blessed with good rains this season so watering hasn't been as high a priority.  The bottom dam is full and even the top dam is keeping a good level.  We don't utilise the top dam but the frogs, ducks and dragon flies are appreciative.  It's also a favourite spot to sit at the end of the day.  To be honest there are times when it can be a bit difficult taking care of Hebron and one of those times is when the machinery breaks down.  Last month the tractor, the air conditioner, the mower and the ute all decided they were going on strike and I considered joining them!  Thankfully the difficult days are few and it only takes a moment to take in the close of a day for m...

I have tried to get this post finished for weeks but for some reason inspiration had deserted me.  I've spent hours fondly remembering the various happenings over Sukkot and the people who were missed during this time for one reason or another.  I also have been thinking about how this Sukkot didn't 'look' like I thought it would but how it came together to be a blessed time even so.  Hebron was a hive of activity in the lead up to Sukkot with the sukkah erected by Don the Builder and his team of apprentices and the garden made ready for spring and Sukkot by Beth and Calandra. (I've got some lovely photos of all this activity so when I find where I stored them I'll pop these up as well!) The sukkah is a simple but meaningful structure that reminded us daily during Sukkot that life in this age is but only part of the journey; our eyes are fixed upon the day when Yeshua, the Messiah, will come to rule from Jerusalem, bringing justice and peace fo...

Posting on the Hebron Herald has had a hiatus for the last few months so it's time to pick up the pen, so to speak, and get the ink flowing again. The last few months here at Hebron has had its blessings and challenges; the kind of challenges that 100kph winds bring.  The sukkah was completely destroyed but this gives us an opportunity to build a stronger, more appropriate structure in time for Sukkot in October.  A couple of big trees at the driveway entrance were pushed over but the contract chippers came along at the right time so they cleaned up the mess and then delivered a truck load of mulch.  Now that's what I call a silver lining! The house naturally copped a blast and so there is damage to the guttering, the front door and the air-conditioner so we've quite a list to keep the boys busy for a while.  Unfortunately we also lost a few of our young trees from the horrendous winds and it was rather saddening to see them uprooted, especially my favourite h...

Hebron was full of life, laughter and joy when we gathered together to share in the Pesach meal together.  Falling on a Friday evening it was a busy and hectic week for everyone to be organised and come together in time but it was well worth the effort.  We were also joined by Kerry and Alan from Ballarat way, which made it even more special. On the Monday previous we had several of our flock slaughtered by a mobile butcher in preparation for Pesach.  This was the first time we've processed the sheep this way and even though it is slightly more expensive it was worth it for humane reasons and the less running around.  It was also the first time we spit roasted a lamb and as complete novices it was a day fraught with drama keeping the beast where it should be, but at the end of the day it roasted up perfectly and in time.  Quite a few of our group were able to stay the night so we could continue fellowship for Shabbat.  It was a perfect day o...

A couple of weeks ago we came together at Hebron to celebrate our 10th anniversary and the day was a mix of laughter, tears, praise and fellowship.  Wanting to share the moment with you again I have started this post a dozen times but each time what I wrote felt inadequate or trite.  I was tempted to just throw up a couple of photos but I wasn't content to do that either as it felt like I was minimising what Hebron is and has been.  So to begin the post I'll include the lyrics to a song Dad asked me to write for this auspice occasion .  Despite good intentions and hopes i t did not come easy, in fact I only pulled it together on the morning before everyone rocked up.  Naturally I wanted something celebratory or orchestral but it was not to be.  So what I did do was in as few words as possible outline how YHVH led us, sustained us and blessed us:       Verse 1: Our hearts were drawn and we were called To fix our eyes upon ...

January 2006 saw us take possession of this plot of land that used to be called Anunaka and we renamed it Hebron.  We arrived full of vision, hope and enthusiasm.  A decade later we are a little older, maybe not so energetic but definitely full of vision, hope and enthusiasm.   In a few weeks we will be coming together to celebrate YHVH's blessing and provision, chat through our hopes and visions for the future, and plan our commemorative project, because we just don't have enough projects on the go.  :)  We will be giving our front entrance a makeover and a new sign to create a welcoming first impression. We were blessed to receive 30ml of rain at the end of January and it gave our trees and soil a much needed drink.  There's a bit of green pick out in the paddocks to contribute to the flock's feed, which I'm sure will be much appreciated by the nursing ewes and growing lambs.  It's been a dry spring and summer so the news that the El Nino weat...