Exciting week!

And thanks to God who provided us a car!!What an answer to prayer, thank you all for your prayers aswell! And I will tell how God provided:


Eric was working with Charlie and he knew a friend who might sell their car. So they went there and had a look and a talk. What a perfect car it would be for here in AL and for our big family. The car had been waiting for a year for a good new owner...but now how are we going to pay this. It wasn't expensive at all! But still a lot of money that we simply didn't have. So I decided to have a look on our bankaccounts and also on the website for childsupport, as we were waiting for an answer from them. When I looked, there was a email from them that said that in a few days they would transfer money into our bankaccount. Together with the money from our bankaccount, it was exactly the right amount of money , we thanked God for this amazing provision!! On Saturday we picked up the car.

It has been an exciting week! Because of the heat we have to take it easy, so once a week the kids don't have their schoolbooks but just reading books.

On Wednesday at 8.30 am we had a powercut. So that means no aircondition(which we don't use) and no fans...I decided to take all our stuff and go to Shady beach. We sat under a tree, like the Yolnu people do. And the kids did there schoolwork. Ruben was happy playing in his porta cot and little pool that we brought. When we got home at 2.30 pm there was still no power. The kids just had a bath, and at 3 pm we had no water either... Now we had to improvise. We had just bought some gasbottles for our camping gascooker at a garagesale. We were really pleased with those, now we could cook dinner. And also last weekend I had bought a candle,which came handy too. When Eric came home from doing maintances on a roof the whole day, he really was looking forward for shower. We only could offer him a dirty bath left over from the kids, but he was happy. We invited the neighbors Peter and Tina for dinner, because they didn't have anything. Aron had the idea to make a fire, to make more light and we sat out on the deck with a candle,we had to eat all the icecream from the freezer, it was really good! In the evening we heard that there was one place in Yirrkala that suplied water. So Naomi, Aron, Hannah and I went for a walk with our drinking bottles, there was just a nice atmosphere, the yolnu people were sitting outside, as it was too hot inside. A lot of people decided to sleep on their decks.I think a evening like this the kids never forget. They loved it. Finally the next morning at 7.30 the power came back on. And the water took a little longer, 11.30, yeah!

On Saturday the 12th it was Aron's birthday. We had a party planned for in the afternoon at the playground/soccerfield in Yirrkala. But Jason and Kim had asked me, if we would like to come to the river this day too. I thought Aron would love that on his birthday. So Saturday morning we changed the party. We could use someone elses car and so we phoned Aron's 2 friends if they wanted to come to the river instead of the party in the afternoon. It was a special treat for all of us! It was just fantastic. It's a half an hour drive from Yirrkala. I made a cake quickly to take with us and lunch. It was so refreshing! Aron was a little bit worrying that he only had 2 friends and his present didn't arrive on time(we had ordered a bike for him). But I said, you will have the best birthday ever... And what happened on the way back from picking up our new car, we stopped at the dump to see if there was any good we could use.There was a BMX bike...wow.

We took it in the car and Aron and his dad fixed it at home. He was so excited about his birthday present!

Last week I (Eric) had to work with Charles Stockley our MAF maintenance manager. We had to fly on Wednesday and Friday to Elcho Island to do some repair jobs on the house of 1 of the pilot-families there. The Pett's from the UK have 2 sons who are both homeschooled and use the ACE curriculum just like us!

Charles would do some plumbing, while I kept myself busy fixing the leaking roof before the coming wet season! What was thought to be a few patches here and there turned out into 2 full days on the roof for me in boiling hot temperatures and hardly any wind or shelter.

It was very rewarding to replace 5 sheets completely and have the roof "wet-season" proof!

We were flying via Lake Evella outstation where several MAF staff are based, to drop off and pick-up some passengers. Because of the limited time we only had a quick look around at the airport. The green shed you can see on the photo behind MFA is the MAF office where the Yolnu can come and book the flights. From there we flew onwards to Elcho Island to do our work. At the moment it's very busy with flying as there are funerals and the Yolnu people fly up and down to attend their ceremonies, often MAF also flies coffins to the homelands.

At the moment Ruben is sick(fever, rash, throwing up) we would vallue your prayers for him!

This week the 15th of November it will be Naomi's birthday, please pray for her that she will have a really special day too.

Ruben looking different with his haircut

It has been a great week with new things happening. On Tuesday our Yolgnu neighbour came over, Dela.(the one we had the shared lunch with). She told she had been in hospital for a couple of days and someone prayed for her and she was better now. She told me that she wanted to know more about the bible.So I invited her to the thursday evening bible study at Nevin in Yirrkala.He has started a biblestudy for the yolgnu people. Usualy Eric is going to this but now I felt I had to go to pick her up. I walked over through the bush you can she on this photo to Dela's house. While I was waiting at her place, her family were singing songs and playing

the didgeridoo. They were releasing a body from their family. This week they will have a funeral.

Dela came with me to the biblestudy, and she loved it, especially the song: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Pray for her health and for her heart to reconnect with God and also for her family.

Dela wanted to learn how to make the Swiss bread, so she came over on Sunday morning to prepare the dough. After church we called her again and so she came over with her family. They said that they had given us Yolgnu names, so that means that they adopted us into their family!

On Wednesdaymorning we went over to our homeschooling friends to homeschool together for the day. The kids loved it. I had a craft to do for Lois and Esther, so they made cards to send for Maf families in the homelands.
It is sad to hear that our Maf homeschooling friends are moving to Melbourne half December. They want to come back but not sure when. We will gonna miss them that's for sure.

Aron has been busy with his lego. He created his own house with kitchen and couch and barbeque etc. In details!!

The kids are doing really well with their schoolwork! They are motivated and know what to do with their goalcards. Especially Hannah has worked really hard this year and can read and write well, the last two weeks I have been working on her maths, because she strugled with it. But after two weeks I can she her moving forwards, yeah!

Naomi and Aron are doing a project together about Vulcanoes and Anger and how it's

related. We're talking about how anger can build up inside of us if we allow it. And also how it works with vulcanoes.

What did we do the last week of October?

We alsmost ended going to hospital with Aron on Sundaynight. In the afternoon he did not feel well and got a rash. It got really worse in the evening, itchy and red patches over his whole body and so for a moment we didn't know what to do. We called a Maf family in Yirkala, (she was a nurse). We decided not to go to hospital, we prayed for Aron and also we had some good cream.
Aron and I(Adriana) had a bad night from it all. The next morning it was already better. He still had the rash, so I decided to go to the clinic in Yirkala, just to get to hear what it could be. We thought it was from playing in the bushes and he had touched a plant. He hasn't played the bush drum anymore. At the end of the day it was almost gone, thank God!



This is the banana plantage 300 meters from our home.
On Monday Naomi started her first job at the banana plantation. She is really excited to have her own little job! She is working with her 2 friends, Patricia and Rebeca. Every monday from 4 to 5 pm. When it gets bussier, Aron can come too.

Eric went flying on Monday and Tuesday. right hand seated. He got to see a lot of new places and was really excited. But the next day ,they had to stop him again, because his licenses was declined. there was missing 1 thing, and he had to apply for it again. It can take up to 6 weeks again, Please pray for this mather that it will come through soon and Eric can go on with what the Lord has in store for him. In the meantime he is helping in the Maf Hangar, which he really likes too. Also he is helping with maintanance on Maf houses. There is so much work to do...but not enough hands.

This is the same for bringing the gospel and disciple the Yolnu people here in Arnhemland.
But He told them: the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvestfields. Luke 10:2
We prayed this morning especially for this in church. It was a great time of Worship and prayer. Gerard and Kevin were with us. They shared their testomony. They went by car through Arnhemland to bring the Good news of Jesus Christ and to pray with people for Salvation and healing and for disciple them. But two is not enough. God need more people like them!

Today we did a nice Yirrkala beach walk.There were even sand dunes!!

I thought it was time to start clean the windows after being here for 4 weeks...this was only from one window and it took me an hour! I took all the little louvre windows out and clean the screen and everything...I haven't done all the windows yet, but decided to leave the glass louvres in. And cleaning with my Enjo is fantastic, I don't need cleaning products anymore but only water.

Other things that happened: Ruben had his first haircut done by my self. I cut all his curls:(

Because of the heat he was so itchy in his neck, that I decided to get rid of his curls. Sorry there is no photo yet.

On Saturday early morning Naomi, Aron and me went to 3 garagesales and picked up some good things. One of the things was a little bike for Ruben. But coming home Lois thought she could have a turn and off she went without training wheels!! She is feeling a big girl now!

In the afternoon we had the 3 kids from the other homeschooling family over.

The heat is really building up now, it's getting hotter and hotter. Today we had to walk to church in the heat. We still haven't got a car ourselves. We pray for Gods provision, He knows what we need and when. We thanked God that we still could go to church although we had to walk through the heat. We thanked God that we could worship Him with others!!

Friday morning we were sitting on the table doing our homeschoolwork. When the kids looked outside, they saw fish laying at the neighbours, so we got curious and put away the books and walked to the neighbours. We asked them if we could have a look how they prepare and cook it. And we were welcome. So they invited us to come and sit on the blankets.We only couldn't stand the green tree ants. But we wouldn't have miss this opportunity!! It was great. They caught 2 Baramundi fish and made a fire in the ground put the fish on it and then stones and then bark and on top of it sand and let it cook for an hour.

We picked up a loaf of bread at home that we could share with them and while we were waiting we had some lovely conversations. Also I could share the story of Jesus sharing the bread and the fish. It was a God given moment. We pray that they will get hungry for the bread of life!

Naomi with her new friends(from left to right:
Naomi, Rebecca, Patricia)

Ruben with Michelle

Oma had given us a nice gift, to have lunch together at Gove house. This is the place where the miners are getting fed.We can go there between 12 and 1 and for 14 an adult and 11 a child, Lois and Ruben free. And you can eat as many and as much as you like.And go for seconds and for thirds! Of course the children love this!

Happy Birthday Oma!!

This morning we woke up at 6.30, because of the yolgnu kids playing the drums. At morning tea Aron went to see them and had a turn on a self made drum from his yolgnu friends.
Aron invited them to church, and for lunch with us, they had a fantastic time.The teacher of the kids was in church aswell and she came up to me and said she prayed for a year for friends for these kids!
The tears welled up in my eyes....Thank God for this miracle and keep praying for these kids! For the love we can share with them.

This is what all happened the second week:

Today Monday the 17th, we had Cultural orientation. And Paul who did it has got an little joey, 6 months old. He found it left alone and took it home to take care for, once its strong and big enough it will go back into nature.

Our kids made new friends. One Yolnu boy stood at our fence and asked for a mango from our garden. We invited him over and he played really well with Aron and Mathew.
Naomi found 2 friends aswell, Rebekkah(12) and Patricia(14) and went to youth group in town with them.
We also made friends with another homeschooling family(6 kids), who are living in Yirrkala. The kids can go on really well with each other and have lots of fun. Last Friday Adriana and Naomi took care of 3 of them, so that their mum, Kath could organize the last schoolterm. Naomi baked little cupcakes with them and we made dinner for them. It was great to help this family.

Naomi wants to be a hairdresser, and cut Eric, Aron and Adriana's hair. She did so well!!

The neighbour dog got 9 puppies, one of them died. The children are in charge of taking care of the mum dog. And soon they are aloud to hold the puppies.
Exciting!

Yeah...the crates arrived last Wednesday! We were all so happy and the children played a long time with their 'new'toys.












This is what the Yolnu people do, washing themselves at the fire tap in front of our house.

And our kids are soon Yolnu aswell...refreshing themselves on a hot day!

We can make fires as many as we like!!

We had so much fun gardening and burning the old leaves, we put marshmallows on a stick and sausages on Arons new barbeque, We had a great time together!

Tuesday the 11th of October, we went for the afternoon to town, to do groceries and swimming.

When we came home, Eric had the bad news that Yolnu kids had been in our home and taken some stuff. Some stuff had been found. One of the thing was Naomis camera. And when she looked on it, she saw pictures of yolnu kids in our house!! This was hilirious!! We all had a big laugh. Funny naughty kids. Its not nice to no that people have been in your house and have gone through your stuff but we didn't make a big deal from it and forgive and bless and pray for them. This has helped us a lot.

Eric is still not flying, as he is waiting for his Australian licences. He is working in the hangar, which he is enjoying aswell. In the meantime he is studying a lot for his flying.

We are settling in really well and enjoying living in Yirrkala. The heat is a real chalange, but we try as much as we can, to stay calm. Last Saturday, it was hot and everyone was tired and started picking on each other. We all went early to bed. Sunday was much better.