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Michael and Sylvia Penny tour to Australia and New Zealand - Sept/Oct 2006 (1/3)
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2. Annual Conference of the Berean Bible Fellowship of Australia at Camp Toukley |
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1. A Brief History of our Time in Australia!
We spent 3 ½ weeks in Australia altogether, and the time just flew by. We met a number of old friends, and many new ones – so many, that we lost count after a while! Mike was kept busy for most of our trip, taking meetings in several different places centred around the Newcastle area, and also near Brisbane. By the end of our visit he had conducted nearly 30 different meetings. On our occasional free days our hosts kindly took us to visit different places of interest, to give us a “taste of Australia”, and we ended up seeing lots of beautiful scenery, and many plants and animals unique to Australia. We also sampled lots of home-cooking which was wonderful, the most unusual dish incorporating some kangaroo meat!
Arrival
We were met at the airport by John and Joan Craig, weary from jet-lag, and having spent over 24 hours on different aeroplanes. They anticipated everything we would need on arrival, and gave us a brilliant welcome.
After being showered, rested and fed, Athol and Eveline Walter met us half way between Sydney and Newcastle and took us straight to David and Janelle Tavender’s, where we stayed for the next four nights, and Mike recharged his batteries ready to take his first meeting on Thursday night.
David and Janelle took us to see some of the local sights including Lake Macquaire, the Sugarloaf Mountain and Black Butt Reservation where we did the standard tourist activity of watching koalas and kangaroos!
Our first week
Our first meeting was on Thursday evening at Clem and Julie Milgate’s house, where Mike spoke on how to approach the Bible, using circumcision and the Sabbath as examples of instructions given by God that changed depending on the time in history, and who He was speaking to.
We were then whisked away into the country to stay with Athol and Eveline Walter on Friday night, before travelling down to Camp Toukley with them for the first weekend conference, which ran from Saturday to Monday. (a separate report on the conference weekend appears a little later). We had a wonderful, although tiring, time at the camp, and having conducted 11 meetings one after the other, Mike then had a brief break until Tuesday evening.
Martin Walter organised a meeting near Gosford for the Tuesday night, and Mike again spoke on approaching the Bible, this time using the example of healing to show how things change depending on what period of time it is, and who God is dealing with. On Thursday night there was a meeting at David and Janelle Tavender’s where Mike dealt with the dating of John’s gospel, and who it was written for.
During the week from Monday to Thursday we stayed with Clem and Julie Milgate who made us feel totally at home, and although we had never met before, by the time we left, we felt we had know them for years! They drove us around showing us more highlights of the Newcastle area, including the quaint village of Morpeth, the Newcastle foreshore, and the spectacular Hunter Valley Gardens.
Our second week
On Friday, off we went again to stay with Athol and Eveline until the following Tuesday. It was lovely to have along week-end out in the country, but despite being told many tales of kangaroo sighting in their backyard I’m afraid I was never out of bed early enough to see them! Friday was free, so we visited Nelson Bay at Port Stephen, and had a relaxing day masquerading as tourists, eating fish and chips and ice-cream, and admiring the beautiful views.
Saturday was spent at a day conference in Charlestown. Mike gave three talks giving an overview of the whole Bible, outlining the background and differences between the Old Testament, the Gospel and Acts period, and the present age of grace starting at Acts 28. Sunday was spent at Athol and Eveline’s with an open day of fellowship, an informal session of questions and answers, and plenty of good food to help keep us going. On Monday, Mike led the regular Monday evening meeting at David and Janelle’s house, and gave a talk on prophecy, setting out the scenario for the end times, both before and after our Lord’s return to the earth, and touching on the resurrection of believers and unbelievers and when this will be.
Our third week
On Tuesday morning we flew up to Brisbane to stay with Frank and Merilee Haegler until the following Monday. We had a very relaxing week, and Mike had a chance to rest his voice from speaking.
Rom and Mary Harper and family gave us a wonderful “taste of Queensland” on Thursday when they drove us to the mountains for a tree-top board-walk above the subtropical rainforest, followed by a journey to see the Gold Coast in all its glory just as the sun was setting. It is a tourist’s paradise, and we all dutifully removed our shoes and walked along the beach and paddled in the Pacific. I couldn’t believe how warm it was!
On Friday night, Mike gave his first talk in the area, just south of Brisbane at Highgate Hill. He spoke on the Sabbath again and its significance at different times, and who was required to keep it, and when. On Saturday and Sunday there was a conference at the usual meeting place at Redbank Plains. On Saturday Mike gave 4 sessions on the “Meaning of Miracles.”
He started off by asking what the significance of miracles was to Jews as compared to Gentiles. The second study was on the miracles of healing, and how this changed from before the Acts 28 dividing line to the situation we have today. The third study was on the miracles of judgement, which are too often ignore, and showed how they go hand in hand with miracles of blessing. The fourth study looked at the miracles of speaking in tongues, and at the gift of wisdom and knowledge enabling the “unschooled and ignorant” disciples to speak boldly about their faith.
There was time for questions and answers after every session. Sunday followed the same format, and there were 4 sessions, this time on the “Work of the Holy Spirit” throughout the Bible.
Firstly, Mike talked about the Holy Spirit being a person, rather than an impersonal force. The second talk discussed the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and the gospels, showing how He filled particular individuals for a particular purpose, but then withdrew again when the task was done. The third talk referred to the Holy Spirit during the Acts period and about the gifts associated with the Holy Spirit. The final talk concentrated on the work of the Holy Spirit in the present age of grace. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells all believers, as we are sealed with the Holy Spirit at the point at which we believe (Ephesians 1:13,14).
It was a great week-end of studies, questions, answers, singing, fellowship, and sharing in lots of good food provided by everyone who came. Our whole time together was uplifting and enjoyable, and centred upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word for us. Rom and Mary added a final finishing touch to our week ‘up north’ by taking us out for a lovely Chinese meal followed by deep fried ice-cream!!!
Departure
We left Brisbane first thing Monday morning, and flew back down to Newcastle for our final few days in Australia. We were met by David and spent Monday evening at the usual meeting, this time with Athol in the chair! For me, it was a chance to hear someone else other than Mike, and for Mike it was a chance to ask some questions rather than be asked! As the subject was the 70 weeks in Daniel’s prophecy, there were plenty of questions to ask! It was an excellent study, presented clearly and succinctly.
David and Janelle drove us down to Sydney by way of the scenic route, with a lunch stop at ‘The Entrance’, and a nostalgia stop at Terrigal to show us where we came for the conference 22 years ago. They dropped us at Peter and Anne Ward’s apartment on the banks of the Paramatta River, where we spent our last two nights in Australia. We certainly finished our trip in spectacular fashion by seeing the sights of Sydney both by day, and at night. We toured the opera house and viewed Sydney harbour on a delightful boat trip, and the final cherry on the cake was attending a Gala performance at the Sydney Opera House celebrating the 50th anniversary of Opera Australia on our final evening there. It was a fantastic finish to a wonderful trip, and for Mike, a dream come true!
Final thoughts
We both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Australia from start to finish. We would like to thank everyone for their more-than-generous hospitality, their warm welcome, and the way everyone made us feel so at home. We would particularly like to thank all those who welcomed us into their homes and were so generous towards us with their time and their hospitality, and who helped to make our trip so memorable. We have very fond memories of the many people we met, of the meetings that were held, and the discussions we had. But most of all we remember the wonderful way that our belief in our Lord Jesus Christ binds us together in a unity as co-members of the body of Christ with Him as our Head. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to serve Him together with so many others with a unity of purpose.
Annual Conference of the Berean Bible Fellowship of Australia at Camp Toukley >>
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