NEWSletter from Bob and Deb McKerrellOctober 2010

Dear Friends . . .

The time is slipping by very quickly and we leave Elliott, in three weeks time to begin our trip home.

When we last wrote we were heading for Robinson River for a couple of weeks to spend time with Ray and Thelma Dixon. We had a good time of fellowship and working together. Bob was able to help Ray to get a few jobs done .. .. like build a clothes line for Thelma – no more hanging the washing on the barb wire fence.

We camped just outside Ray and Thelma’s yard in a lovely shady spot, that was nice as it helped keep the van cool.

During our time at Robinson we enjoyed fresh fish, yabbies and freshwater prawn, and were able to share this tucker with Ray, Thelma and family. It was time for us to leave and start heading back to Elliott. After leaving Robinson River we headed back to Borroloola to pick up mail and fuel. We decided to go a different way, so at Cape Crawford we turned south until the Barkly Stock Route. For a bitumen road it was very rough and we were glad when the turn off was reached. By the ..

At Robinson you do get a sea breeze, even though you are surrounded by mountains. We enjoyed fellowship nights and showed a number of DVDS’s which brought quite a lot of people around. The nights were cool and so we enjoyed sitting outside looking at the stars, no big city lights to block them out.

Time was spent talking to other folk and as everyone knew who we were and that we were Christians, conversations often turned to “God things”. Bob shot his first wild bullock and had the “honour” of slaughtering a goat for meat.

.. end of the Barkly Stock Route our comment was; well we have done that, don’t need to do it again. It doesn’t look far on the map and it is only approx.229 kms but, it is all dirt, flat as can be, bull dust and cattle. It look us hours to drive this route as we were continually slowing down for cattle. You just can’t trust a cow, which way will he go? It was also nearly 40º, we had planned to stop and camp somewhere but it was too hot so we pushed onto Elliott. (see map)

Cape Crawford

Barkly Stock Route

Corella Ck

NEWSletter from Bob and Deb McKerrellThe last weekend in September saw us heading to Tennant Creek (see map) to do the children’s program for their church (AIM) birthday weekend celebrations. Thankfully we were able to camp in

the church grounds so we didn’t have far to cart all our gear. We used the puppets and taught a memory verse and shared a Bible story with the children. Daniel in the Lion’s Den and Jonah. We had approx. 80 children on the Saturday morning and 60 Sunday morning. Thankfully we had some help. People came from all over the place and we were able to make some more contacts for going and doing children’s programs. Corella Creek was one. It is on the Cape Crawford to Barkly Homestead road, so we might have to do the Barkly Stock Route again!

We have now been in Elliott 4 ½ weeks and our “plan” is to leave here on 1 November, drive to Camooweal and spend a few days with Jono and Grace Wright and family, AIM missionaries,

then we will head for Toowoomba.

Elliott has been quiet but with enough to keep us going. Bob has been helping Harold Dalywaters to enclose their back area, build a shed and a shelter on the side of the house where they can sit when it is raining. As there is no hardware store or any place to buy materials, they spent time at the tip and driving around asking for old scrap tin etc. God directed them to just the right places and they were able to get enough to do the jobs that they wanted to. Even down to a piece of shade-cloth just the right size. They also found ½ bags of cement at the tip to concrete the posts into the ground.

Painted Rubbish Bins

Thanks so much for all your prayers, we know you have been praying and God has been looking after us. We have done many kms this trip, approx13000, and have another 2500 to 3000 kms to go.

Please keep praying for us and for Harold and Kaye Dalywaters here in Elliott .. .. and Ray and Thelma Dixon in Robinson River, it is hard when you don’t have much in the way of Christian fellowship.

We thank God for safe travel; we have only had one flat tyre. Please pray that our time here in Elliott will be profitable. Deb is putting together some Sunday School material for Harold and Kaye, pray that this material will be a blessing to them and to the children.

We mentioned that our Linda, was applying to OMF. She has been accepted and God willing will be going to Taiwan in July next year.

“Keep on looking up”

Bob and Deb McKerrellPartner Society Missionaries with Australian Indigenous Ministries and Mission

Partners.