Time for the Winter Woolies!

(Dining) Room with a view

Brrr…. We certainly knew we were camped on the top of a hill when we woke up this morning! Waking up to the sound of the wind whistling around the windows was a sign of the things to come.  Amazingly, we pretty much saw all 4 seasons before the end of the day, and spent the best part of the day outside experiencing them! Thankfully, it made coming back inside to lounge in front of an open fire with big ‘picture’ windows looking out onto spectacular scenery, all the more enjoyable.

    Despite the prediction of low-level snowfalls, we were not to get the close-up view today that we'd hoped. We did however get to enjoy a dusting of fresh snow on the distant hills while eating breakfast.  Mind you, if we had been venturing to Cradle Mountain today, we may not have even got there, as the road in was closed due to snow! The plan for today included a short walk this morning to an even higher spot on the hill where there is an outdoor chapel area. We were joined by a small number of residents who live in the Poatina community; I daresay the icy-cold wind may have kept some tucked up inside. Sitting around a campfire (desperately trying to give off some heat, but being beaten by the persistent wind!) we were led in a time of worship by Steve, a teacher at the local school. He challenged us to focus on the verse in Ephesians where it talks about forgiveness, by putting it to music and singing it, and spending time just ‘listening’ to God and to any reflections that people wanted to share. Lachlan helped to begin the process of putting it all to music and was heard to say that he loved the chance of being able to worship God outside in His creation…. and in all the elements!

Outdoor Chapel

The intrepid adventurers

The more adventurous component of the group braved the icy-wind to walk down to a nearby creek and back before lunch.  Heading off all rugged up with layers and layers of clothing, the group were led by Charlie, who found a really good creek crossing….. After we all dried our feet, we continued on our journey back the way we came; whose idea was this?  In the meantime, Bethany had taken a short-vertical-cut down the bank, while Conner took the overhead-log- route across the creek.  Those left behind at the Chalet included the lame and maimed and any others who co-opted themselves into this category in preference to braving the weather conditions, or who were just too tempted to sit by the fire playing games!

The not-so-intrepid!

Cooking lunch

'The Chalet'

Part of the ethos of being involved in Poatina Community is to bless each other by sharing and serving.  After a BBQ lunch capably cooked by several of the students, we were given opportunities to help out the community by washing windows and cars, cleaning out gutters, filling in large holes, planting and mulching small garden beds and even taking some young kids for a walk. The occasional snow cloud blew off the mountain during this time, giving us a chance to briefly see a few small specks of snow close up…..Yeah!!....but it was cold! There aren’t many shops in Poatina, but after all our hard work we had a chance to ‘hit them up’ too, helping to contribute to the local economy.

Cleaning gutters…...

Filling holes…..

Still cleaning gutters….

Gardening….

Roast dinner and dumplings…in front of an open fire…Year 9 marches on it’s stomach!! Whilst a few went off to Lonnie to visit the hospital (again….for a check up) and airport to pick up a student who missed the boat (don’t worry, we really do have everything under control….) the rest of us were involved in a devotion with a roller-coaster of emotions! It was really great to see our kids grappling with some important life issues leading on from our discussions on ‘suffering’.  Does God really love His son?.....Does God really love us?......How is this possible with all the suffering that some of us have experienced first hand? It was a privilege to see the extent of the love and care that these guys have for each other. Finishing the night off with a late supper, while rehearsing songs and skits in preparation for our visit to the school tomorrow morning, meant that it wasn’t long after ‘lights out’ that they were ‘all out’ to it!

By the way…… Welcome to Jane who just flew in from Sydney where she had competed in a Statewide Basketball competition, with her team becoming the eventual winners….Yeah!!  And the 24 hour post-accident check-up shows that Martin's broken arm is 'on track' and just now needs the customary plaster-bound healing time. It's encouraging seeing the kids getting around him, looking out for him and praying that it won't limit him too much in the activities planned for the remainder of the trip.