Our team of 6 could only canvass for one week in Gympie before Music Camp, and we were keen on making the most of time in the area. God had blessed the QLD roadtrip with excellent weather thus far. The Sunshine State was living up to its name!

Yet on Wednesday morning, we awoke to a steady drizzle of rain. Risk book damage, or study and work on inside jobs? Then, a lady from church sent us a disturbing text message.

Her friend's main street business had fallen victim to a freak fire overnight. We'd actually heard the sirens; Gympie's main fire station is just 350 metres away from the church. Firefighters had been able to put an early stop to the blaze, yet the business premises were in a mess and the owner overwhelmed.

We started to see a providential reason for the rain that day. It delayed canvassing but gave us opportunity to pitch in and help with the clean up operation. We headed over to the shop. A mixture of firefighting foam and ash covered everything, but that was no match for systematic team efforts! Traces of the fire were few and far between by the time work finished that afternoon.

The owner had a varied spiritual background; she was brought up Christian before exploring eastern religions and meditation. Christ and His Gospel message had been calling her back though, and The Desire of Ages was one of her favourite books. We felt a part of God's plan - blessed with the chance to demonstrate His love with our hands and energy.