Sheltering in Place


Well, I hope you're having a good day.

 IF you get this email, you’ll probably be surprised.  Please don’t change into your church clothes, it’s not Sunday.  The reason you’re getting this early is that we fully expect to be without all the amenities we call ‘living’ within a few hours, so I thought I better send it while we still have the internet.

As I'm writing this, we're preparing for a "Once-in-50-year" tropical cyclone (In the States we’d call it a hurricane).  It's lurking just offshore today, but all predictions say that in about 16 hours it’s going to take a hard right and slam into Brisbane, then turn south and clobber us here in Gold Coast. The authorities are saying not to panic, but if you live near the ocean, you might want to consider retreating into the Outback! (Oh, too late, they’re now saying we need to ‘shelter in place’ and wait it out).

 I think we’ll be fine here, since we’re a couple of miles inland. Of course we DO live next to a floodplain, and they say if “Alfred” (as they’re calling it) makes landfall during high tide, we could have LOTS of water views out the back window!

 Australia is a country with few natural dangers; the things that want to kill us are just all those cute and not so cuddly creatures, like snakes, spiders, crocs, sharks, and box jellyfish. A cyclone this far south is a big deal, and there hasn’t been one , as I mentioned, for about 50 years.  Our house was built about 47 years ago so it hasn’t even been ‘tested’.  We can tell people are nervous from the grocery shelves that went totally empty in about two hours from the announcement.

 Remembering the 2011 tsunami in Japan, we’ve been going through a lot of nostalgic (and painful) moments as we watch people here trying to prepare. But the big difference between now and then is that we know it's coming, whereas the earthquake and tsunami in Japan caught everyone by surprise. And much like our experience in Japan, we'll be living on soda water because the bottled water is already all gone.

Please say an extra prayer for us here.  Nathan’s into the whole “prepper” thing, his ex-policeman training clicking in…….  Nicki and family are straight in the path of where it will first make land, but they’re in a newish house, so it should be strong.  We will just sit here on the flood plain, waiting for the water views, knowing the water has never been high enough to endanger our house.   

 But on a happier note, let me tell you about a movie we just watched.  It's on Netflix and I had to type it in to get it to show up, but it was just recently released. It's called "Tegkang".  It's dubbed, so you'll have to read the subtitles, but it's well done. It's rated "G" and the reason we watched it is that our friend/missionary brother recommended it.

 We've known this guy for years, in fact we even oriented him back in the 80's.  My children think he's their uncle.  He's single and he is passionate about evangelism and discipleship.  Sort of the 'perfect' guy, in terms of getting the job done.  

 Anyway, he recommended the movie because somehow, he has been associated with this particular tribe/clan that is showcased in the movie.   His work is centred in Southeast Asia and has been there for years. I understand that he just returned from a visit from Bario, the village where the movie was filmed.

 As an indication of the people’s love for him there, he was invited to take part in a naming ceremony. They are from the tribe known as “Kelabit”, and one of the elders there is the brother of our friend’s landlord back home. In the ceremony, he was given the name “Mada Ulun” which means “teacher”. Apparently, that was not just a polite name. Bario has revered missionaries ever since a huge revival swept through the area in early 70’s. Today, the majority of the people in the area are Christians, going and growing through the ministry of seven evangelical churches! The kid driving the truck in the movie is actually a pastor in one of these churches!  

I won’t spoil the movie for you, but believe me, it has an amazing twist that left us both smiling.

 Just another reminder that God is at work, well, EVERYWHERE!  Please pass this movie on to your friends. It’s in the "Top 10 viewed on Netflix" which we know in this crumbling society is a real victory. 

 And so, as we prepare for the worst and pray for the best, we’re reminded that God is still on His Throne. Next time, I’ll tell you what your prayers accomplished!

All the best,

Marsha 

 

 


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