Friday, September 12, 2008

Only the Lord

We have had many wonderful and surprising experiences in Tasmania, but one of the most has been getting to know Robin and Richard Stedman.

Robin and Richard are originally from the mainland but moved to the Tasmanian town of Sheffield to retire. Sheffield is beautiful Tasmanian town West of Launceston, is the shadow of Mt. Roland (1,234 meters high), and is known as the town of murals. Many of the buildings on and just off the main street have murals painted on their sides. Their is even a little park where they have some murals free standing. Due to the murials Sheffield is often visited by tourists.

How did Robin find out about the Southern Presbyterian Church in Launceston? Through the Heritage Reformed Church denominational periodical
The Banner of Soverign Grace Truth. How did she find out about The Banner of Soverign Grace Truth? Through the Reformation Heritage Books bookstore. How did she find them? Through the internet.

Robin had been looking for some good Christian books and found some at Reformation Heritage Books
and ordered them. The folks at Reformation Heritage included with her order a copy of the Banner and she really enjoyed it. Robin then ordered a subscription. As she was reading one of the issues of the Banner she read an article written by John Coles, the clerk of the SPC Presbytery, that spoke about a man moving from Grand Rapids Michigan to take up the ministry in Launceston Tasmania. She was very surprised. She began checking our blog, sent an email, and came and visited us at the Montifiore Manse. Richard, her husband, has been making the long drive to Launceston every Sabbath morning since so Robin can worship with us. Robin and Richard have become a regular part of our lives and church family, for which we are very grateful.

Only the Lord can send a man from Grand Rapids to Tasmania and then inform a Tasmanian of that man's arrival through a periodical obtained from Grand Rapids.



Robin with Julia


Julia was right at home with the Stedmans in Sheffield.



The three of us


Another one of the three of us, but in their backyard. Mt. Roland is in the background but under cloud cover.


Our Cinco de Maio taking a ciesta !


Richard and Julia, they were very cute together.


Mt. Rowland under cloud cover


Robin and Richard, very cute together too!


One of the murals depicting the Christian history of the town


A park with diffrent murals free standing

Some examples of the murals on the buildings


Romans 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is "debonminational" something a bit like an abomination?

Terreth said...

Thank you anon. Change has been made.

Joolz said...

I am sorry to correct you again. Sheffield is North west of Launceston. It is a great place and the murals are wonderful and for those who have heard of it it is comparatively close to Cradle Mountain.

Robert-Sandra said...

Hey Terry & Martha,
Good to see you all again (even if it is only via cyber pics!). I am wondering if you would be able to email the 2 family pics from this set in a jpeg format? That would be awesome. I would like to print and frame them and hang them up in our home!
love you guys. Julia looks like she's more than thriving...she's beautiful. Hope things are going well. I'll send an email update on things here sometime in the next few weeks.
God bless.
Love Sandra XO (and the rest of the Stam gang!)