Wednesday, 21 July 2004

Opal is the only reason to live in Yowah and we were there over the 4 days of the Yowah festival. This weekend the population boomed ...

from about 130 to 300 (an Aliki estimate). The landscape was rugged, dusty, vast and beautiful. I loved it. We went to the public fossicking area one day in the hope of finding treasure. We got dirty, had fun and headed back to the caravan with pockets full of happy memories. We ate dinner each night round the bon fire with locals and festival visitors, asking lots of questions and listening to fascinating stories.

I was guest speaker/singer for the Sunday morning service. It was held at the crack of dawn on ‘The Bluff’. The Bluff is a small mountain near town with a great view of the outback. The frosty wind swept over the top as I shared and sang with a camp fire blazing in front of me, attired like never before for a church service – in a beanie and ugg boots!! It was insanely cold. I mean INSANE. Our friend took a small generator up to run the sound gear. The kids lay next to me wrapped up in a brown blanket. They looked like a sausage roll!

The sun rose just as I began. Rays of the new day hit my face as I sang “At Your Throne”, I lifted my arms for a moment and as I did the wind picked up and I felt the presence of God move on that mountain. It was like a big “Good morning” from heaven and it happened right as I sang these words from Isaiah 45 “I Am the Lord, there’s none like me”. It was gloriously tender ‘God whisper’. I will not forget that morning. It was artic & unique in everyway.