Our group of 16 met at a private property on Bethells Rd by arrangement with the owners. After our usual gathering in a circle for intros and prayer, we set out at 2:15pm to go up through bush to a wide expanse of ironsand dunes. We dropped down to the edge of Lake Wainamu where people were taking advantage of an autumn summer to cool off in the waters. Doing our trip anticlockwise instead of the usual clockwise on previous occasions, we followed a bush track through private property with public access to the track only. We came to the waterfall at the east end of the lake and had our afternoon tea break. Again we saw people bathing in the pool taking advantage of the hot sunny day. Soon after we carried on along the track on the north side of the lake, we came to a shady spot where Geoff gave the devotions about stories. Good stories all belong to God because he is the grand weaver of the great tapestry behind the scenes. People often say that history is really His Story. A favourite fictional story of Geoff’s is Lord of the Rings. J R Tolkien was a devout Catholic Christian whose motive in writing the book was not about dragons or monsters but about Christian virtues such as faith, hope, courage, loyalty, self-sacrifice, and friendship. In the world today we see narcissism and self-centredness, we see ourselves as the central actor in a life movie. If we are God’s children, God will not allow himself as just a supporting actor. The real world is not Hollywood but the world God created with Christ in the centre. Each one of us has a special part to play in God’s story and the greatest thing we can do is to find who we are in Christ and fulfil the role He has appointed for us. Geoff cited Joni Eareckson Tada a Christian woman who broke her neck in a diving accident at the age of 17 and became a quadriplegic. She hoped and prayed for healing, but that didn’t happen. Joni had to figure out some way to live, and ended up being involved with ministries for the disabled around the world and publishing many books. Her life was a wonderful story, a testimony that real happiness and fulfilment comes only from God.

We continued along the track and came to the lake’s outlet. Again we saw people jumping off the jetty and swimming, and sliding down the sand dune. As we carried on along the track we found ourselves wading through the water in sandals or bare feet. Eventually we came out to Bethells Rd and it was a short walk back to our starting point, finishing about 5pm. Distance 8km.