Wassup OutbackContents:
 Rural Mission North NSW
Peter & Jean Ridley (Majors) December 2007 Report Our Mission to the Bush Christmas 2007 was the focus of December even though we took time out for refreshment at Congress. This time was set aside for us to soak up the atmosphere of heaven and to receive good teaching and encouragement and to catch up with friends, old and new; we are very thankful for this time and came home refreshed and ready for the next challenge. Our Mission to the bush, Bourke and Pilliga, has been on our hearts and minds for many months, our intercessors have been praying for many months, and other preparations such as collecting toys and gifts has been ongoing for almost a year. Many times it looked like we would not have all that we needed to do what we felt God was asking us to do but just at the right time everything we needed arrived. We spent many weeks packing toys and pamper packs, thanks to the great volunteers from Moree Corps, and sending them off to their destinations. Many people gave generously; Trevor Williams from Newcastle was able to gather many gifts, Salvo Stores gave thousands of F1 caps, Sarah Lee, and Pat Daley from the PR dept organised the Northern Beaches Newspaper to ran a toy collection which proved very successful; and Hurstville Corps, Farmers Child appeal and the Hornsby Hospital medical staff topped up the donations of toys… without these individuals and groups (and many others) our Christmas mission would not have been possible. We were very well supported by our DHQ and I would like to make special mention of Pam Wilkes who worked tirelessly to help us and make the mission the success it was. Also our illustrious leaders John and Narelle Rees were our constant backstops and supporters always ready to give inspiration and leadership and to pitch in and do whatever was necessary. And to all the staff at DHQ we are thankful for their support and prayers for us and the mission. Approximately 30 people joined us over the 12 days of the Mission, coming from many parts of NSW to add their talents to the team, and for every one of them we give thanks and praise to God. On Thursday the 6th of December a small group met at the Pilliga Bore and set up camp to await the arrival of the team members who arrived on Friday. It was amazing to watch the team as new members arrived: they would help set up the new arrivals and help them to settle in.  Friday Night was an informal gathering of the team where we were all introduced and had an information session about what would happen over the weekend and what was expected of the team members. We also joined in prayer asking God to bless our efforts and to keep us safe.
 Saturday Morning, after some Band practise, saw the men set out to minister to the drovers on the roadside while the women set themselves to the task of wrapping gifts and enveloping vouchers for distribution at the Pilliga Christmas tree.
The men set out for Graham McNair’s place to get instructions for the whereabouts of the drovers in the district and after Grahams instructions and with mud maps in hand two vehicles set off to find drovers and give our their Christmas cheer and prayed with them. Both vehicles arrived back mid afternoon filled with stories about meeting up with drovers or nearly being bogged on the muddy roads. Nearly all the drovers were located, the last drover, Connie (aged in her 80s) came to the Burren Junction Christmas tree. Saturday night was spent at the Pilliga Pub with, it seems, hundreds of locals joining in the fun. The local fishing club ran the night and had a BBQ and jumping castle for the kids. Phil and Marilynn Butler along with Major Gary Cooper (Port Macquarie) supplied the entertainment for the night singing many of the favourite carols with a country music lilt! What a great night it was! It was almost dark when Santa arrived on the RFS fire truck, much to the delight of all the kids; every child received a gift from Santa, and every family received a hamper, supplied by the Narrabri Corps, and a Bible. It was such a great experience to see our team members sitting around talking to the locals and all having a great time. No one wanted to leave!   Sunday Morning was our Meeting, held around the bore and lead by Majors Gary and Sharon Cooper. And what a sight it was! Major Sharon preached the word (and how appropriate it was!), Phil and Marilyn singing and approx 30 farmers sitting around the pool while the kids  enjoyed the warm waters of the bore! Many of the team said it was the best meeting they had ever been to, and many of the farmers present expressed their gratitude for being able to attend a service. Many farmers are not able to travel, because of fuel costs, to Wee Waa or Narrabri to attend a regular services.
Sunday night we travelled to Burren Junction to attend their Christmas celebrations held at the rear of the RSL. We arrived to find that the Narrabri Corps, lead by Lt. John Mallows had already arrived  and set up the emergency trailer and had started to cook up fantastic BBQ for the locals. Again Phil and Marilynn and Gary played and sang for those gathered, nearly the whole community came! And we were also joined by Trevor and Heather Williams who added to the numbers of the band who played Christmas carols for the sing-a-long. Again Santa arrived (he was thirsty and came via the bar!) and all the children were given gifts and all the families were given food and fuel vouchers tucked inside a Bible; also all the mums received pamper packs and the dads received a pack of personal items such as toothpaste & brush, shaving cream etc.. Again it was a great night, we met up with folks we have visited and known before hand and were also able to meet some that we had only spoken to on the phone, and also make many new friends. Monday was a rest day! We all gathered at the wine Shanty at Cuttabri for lunch and delivered toys and gifts for their Christmas tree on the following Saturday. Tuesday all the team members were sent out to visit farmers in the Pilliga area, to sit down with them and simply listen to their story and to pray with them, what a blessed day that was! One group visited a widow, Anne, in her late 70s and did some maintenance and repair work; they cleaned out guttering and cleared water tank inlets, Paul used his mechanical skills and fixed the water pump that had broken down 6 months earlier, the back steps were repaired and many other small jobs completed, much to the delight of Anne! Wednesday we travelled to Lightening Ridge and Thursday night attended the Carols by candlelight put on by the local Anglican Church. Our band was only able to play before the Carols but we all had a great time and especially enjoyed the Puppet show! Friday we all travelled to Bourke stopping over in Brewarrina for morning tea at the oldest Greek Café in Australia. In Bourke we stayed at Darling Farms and were hosted by the Buster family who were very kind to us and supplied a number of houses for us to use during our stay. Friday night the whole (new) team (including our three journalists from Sydney) gathered together with Ian Cole (GM of Darling Farms); we sang some Christmas carols, accompanied by the band, and chatted about what we would be doing and what was expected of the team members, unfortunately the Kempsey team didn’t arrive until about midnight. On Saturday Morning a tour of Darling Farms was organised and all our team were loaded onto two buses and given the grand tour of the farm, the second largest cotton farm in Australia, with Jack Buster, the original pioneer of Darling Farms, as the tour guide. After the tour we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with the entire Farm family and were able to distribute gifts (and caps) for all the kids and the mums and dads after singing a number of carols ably assisted by the band. This was a great time!  Saturday Night we split the team into two and headed in opposite directions, one team went to Louth, 90km south west of Bourke and the other team went to Fords Bridge 80km north of Bourke where we again gave gifts for the children and to mums and dads. Bibles were distributed with food and fuel vouchers inside them; these were received and greatly appreciated.
 Fords Bridge had a rock band, train rides for the kids, a reptile awareness show and a magician for the kids. But in Louth our band supplied the music and Capt Julie Kruss entertained and challenged the kids with the gospel.
At both venues the heavens opened and deluged the surroundings making it incredibly difficult for the drive home; on both roads our vehicles were more sideways than travelling straight ahead. The rain was very welcome but had it rained more we would have had to camp out and wait till the water dried up. In fact the road to Louth was cut by 2 feet of water the next day, so our team got out just in time. Sunday morning the teams again went in different directions to conduct services in two of the local churches. Team one attended the Bourke Christian fellowship where Capt Julie Kruss lead and preached. I think the local elders offered Capt. Julie a full time position as their pastor. The other team went to the local AOG church where we witnessed a baby dedication, participated in communion and Major John Rees gave the address. This was followed by morning tea and great fellowship with the local members.  Sunday Night we attended and the band played accompaniment for the carols by Candlelight put on by the local Ministers Fraternal. There were about 3-400 people in attendance and we wee treated to a Christmas pageant put on by the Sisters of Mercy from the Catholic Church, & a dance display by the local jazz dance group. Toward the end of the night we were able to break out the boxes of fluffy toys and every child received a gift. Many of our team members joined in and sang with the choir.
 Monday Morning most of the team gathered together to say farewell before heading home. Ian Cole, who was our host for the weekend came and read Henry Lawson’s “When the Army prayed for Wattie”, he also prayed with and for us before we left.
That was the formal end of the Bush Mission! How God had used and blessed us all, and how he had opened the hearts of the people that we came into contact with. For us it was confirmation that Bourke and beyond is where God wants us to be. We were offered 2 houses on Darling Farms, free of rent if we would come and bring an Army presence back to Bourke. We were encouraged by the openness of the people, who were hungry for the gospel and fellowship; many seeds were planted, we are planning to go back in March and consolidate and expand on this great work. Vickie and Lloyd Graham from Kempsey Corps did not want to leave; they felt the hand of God on them to work with farmers and communities in and beyond Bourke… How God answers our prayers!!!! We farewelled our team and with grateful hearts launched into the final week before Christmas… our mission was not over, we visited many farmers in the days to follow and spent the last three days,  Thursday – Saturday, helping a bankrupted farmer pack rock melons to be sent to market for the Christmas rush. He was in a spot, his multi-million dollar farm (estimated value M$30) went into receivership earlier in the year, and the banks put him into the bankruptcy courts over $5,000.00! He and his wife and family were almost broken by this, but he was given an opportunity to grow and sell these melons, with a lot of community support. We left them with toys and gifts for their family, and food to keep them going as their bank accounts are still frozen. It was a joy to help them out, but it was physically challenging… Our plan to visit the Hungerford Christmas tree on the Saturday night and distribute toys and gifts could not go ahead because of the rain, the roads had been cut in several places and no traffic was allowed through. We had had the foresight to send all the toys and gifts and vouchers through to Hungerford weeks before, so they were able to join together, those who could make it through the flood waters, and enjoy a great night of celebration. We, however, (Jean and I and our son Paul and his wife Vanessa) travelled home on Christmas Eve and began the preparations for our own Christmas celebrations and two weeks furlough. Wow! What a great time December was. We were physically tired and sore, emotionally drained, but our spirits soared! The Lord had been so good to us! He has directed and protected us and used us to extend His kingdom. Thank you Lord! We are looking forward to 2008 with great anticipation, to be used by God to “seek the one(s)” daily. Peter & Jean Ridley (Majors) RURAL MISSION NORTH NSW 0423 293 305 (Peter) 0428 639 437 (Jean) 0280 032 787 (Fax) peter.ridley@aue.salvationarmy.org If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 
The Team at the Back ‘O Bourke Centre (Top)
Col Stringer Ministries "Bless the Bush" Report 
Deniliquin - Albury
We started the meetings at Deniliquin – where we held meetings in the RSL hall. The Jochum family did all the arranging and setting up of this meeting and did a great job! Then it was onto Living Word at Romsey. Jan did a ladies meeting while I did an open meeting that night. Great church being used of the Lord! From there we drove to Albury where we held an all day men’s Rally at City Central Church. It was an awesome time; the building was decorated out in camouflage netting with sand bags and ammo giving it a real military theme. They also had huge posters from Gallipoli with “Mateship’ inscribed on them. We had about 140 men attend, some traveling for up to three and four hours from Griffith, Deniliquin and up in the Snowy Mountains. And again we saw men saved! One fellow was crying while another (on the Sunday) couldn’t get out of his seat fast enough to bolt down to the altar! It’s great to see the Lord touching the men of Australia! One of the host pastors wrote: “Hi Col, Once again I want to thank you, the guys at conference were greatly effected by your ministry and many are now better equipped to be Godly men. We have also had a great response from the Sunday service as well. We will continue to uplift you, Jan and your ministry in prayer. Blessings Dave...”
Culcairn - Echuca
Then we drove to the tiny town of Culcairn where we had some 5 or 6 churches join together for a combined meeting with about 200 attending. And we had at least one man saved! The friendliness and attitude of some of these tiny country towns is a real blessing and credit to them, it makes the trip all worth while. From there we drove on to Echuca where we spoke at Riverland AOG . We were also blessed to have the attendance of two visiting American preachers from Texas.
Jan and I then enjoyed several days and one night cruising on the Murray in a magnificent houseboat – courtesy of the Jochum family. While on the cruise it was my privilege to ordain their sons (Michael and Joshua) into fulltime ministry. We did have one moment of drama when the police came knocking on the door of the houseboat in the middle of the night. One of the people onboard had left the lights of their car on. We were very impressed with his great attitude and willingness to help.
Albury - Adelaide Then it was a two day drive to Adelaide (taking our time as we drove along the Murray). Here I spoke for Pastor Bill Nott (Liberty Family Church) at a ‘Men of Honour’ breakfast where again we had a man respond to the altar call and accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. I also did both Sunday services for Bill at his great church. While in Adelaide I was able to visit my 96 year old Mother (in a Victor Harbour nursing home) and spend some time with her.
At almost all of these country meetings we saw people saved – a great blessing and we were able to pray for the sick and needy. Once again we are only able to do these things because of the generous support of YOU – our wonderful partners and friends. Thanks for all your support and prayers! (Top)
STATE EMERGENCY SERVICES 
For SES Assistance During Floods and Storms dial 132 500 Websites Be prepared ... visit the following pages ...  
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 Safety, Emergency and
Related Links To contact all emergency services in Australia including AMBULANCE, FIRE, and POLICE Check out the AusEmade website for a comprehensive list of emergency related links by state. (Top)
 WEATHER TRACKER
Weather Tracker is your own desktop weather station with live local weather conditions and 7 day forecasts for over 550 Australian locations, plus live warnings, custom alerts, radar and satellite. 
Go to http://www.weatherzone.com.au/ and look towards bottom of page. Click on download for more information. (Top)
Drought Assistance For information on all available assistance visit here Drought hotline1800 814 647
8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday to Friday Important - Don't self-assessIf you don't believe that you fit any of the criteria for the assistance mentioned and you are experiencing difficulties due to the drought, please contact one of the Drought Support Workers as they may still be able to assist you. Mental and physical healthAre you concerned about the mental and physical health of yourself, a family member or a friend? There are many avenues for help, including: (Top)
Drought Assistance & Contacts For information on all available assistance visit http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/drought/ Drought hotline Freecall 1800 025 656 Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm (Top)
Coping with a major personal crisis in natural & unnatural disasters. The booklet 'Coping with a major personal crisis' (downloadable below), is for those who have recently have been involved in an emergency, disaster or other traumatic situation. It provides an insight into the way in which adults and children have reacted in similar situations, highlighting ways to help normal healing to occur. Key issues discussed include: normal feelings and emotions experienced physical reactions family and social relationships children ways of making the events and the feelings about them easier to bear
Reading and sharing the information in the booklet with family and friends may help you and help others to better support you, however in some instances professional support may also be required 
The booklet 'Coping with a major personal crisis' contains information that can help you know how adults and children have reacted in similar situations, and how you can help normal healing to occur and avoid some pitfalls.  Download booklet
(size: 185k/file type: PDF)
http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp (Top)
Government Drought Assistance Information For information on all available assistance visit here (Top)
Dads in Distress is a dedicated support group of men (in Australia) whose immediate concern is to stem the present trend of male suicide due to the trauma of divorce or separation... Current statistics that have been published, indicate too many men will take their own lives in preference to facing family, friends and importantly their own children with the failure of the relationship... We aim to prevent this incidence from occurring by showing the men and the community at large that someone really cares... (Top)
SUICIDE PREVENTION LINE: 1800 771 777
Reaching Australia's Hurting & Needy After seeing many tragic situations and circumstances across Australia, Care Outreach was founded in 1996 by Pastors Bill & Melissa Close. Care Outreach has a unique two-fold operation where it meets people at their point of need, on a natural level and on a spiritual level. Care Outreach gets help and aid to the door of the people who really need it. In many of the areas we service, there is simply not the community structure to help the people. Many of the local services including churches have gone. Care Outreach has, as its major project over the past 8 years, a drought relief outreach throughout western Qld and NSW. This has involved volunteers going and visiting properties, helping people through the heartache of having no income; stock and crop loss; farming accidents etc. Family break-up in the midst of this pressure is common. Working with people who are suicidal and don't know where to turn, is an integral part of our work. When drought is prevalent, the pain is not only felt by the farmer, but the whole rural community. If the farmers are not making any income they don't have anything to spend, affecting the whole economy. We at Care Outreach are all about helping these communities right across the board; holding community events, which in turn lift the spirits of these people who have been going through extremely tough times. We also work with troubled youth in many of these country communities. Care Outreach organise "Cheer up the bush days" featuring BBQ's, jumping castle for the children, musical artists, and sponsor Father Christmas visits (seasonal) - supplying gifts for the children, bush dances and concerts and in the midst of this, bring a message of hope. Care Outreach Ltd can be reached at: Shop 14 Mammoth Business Centre 7172 Bruce Highway, Forest Glen, Qld Phone: (07) 5445 4966 Fax: (07) 5445 3299 Email: info@careoutreach.com.au Web: http://www.careoutreach.com.au (Top)
Have YOU seen an event that should be listed ? Please email the details to steve@wassup.info
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