We are where we are meant to be

OK So we are not on the road travelling around Australia as we had hoped to be in our motorhome.  For us it was never just about seeing our wonderful country and enjoying our retirement, we also wanted to do volunteer work along the way, to worship God in the beauty of the countryside as well as worship in various churches and meet many different people that we'd never get to otherwise meet.

The Robbiebago bus on the road

However God apparently has other plans for us and we have had to curtail our travelling for the time being at least. It started of with learning that truly, life is unpredicatable:  Michelle (yep that's me) was diagnosed with a rare head cancer. Finally I was given permission to go travelling providing I take it easy and have regular check ups along the way. So we began planning our RV trip to Tasmania. Then whilst in Tasmania I had my first attack of kidney stones and had the first two of my 5 hospital visits in Tasmania including some operations and one as soon as we get back to our home city.

My hospital bed

We were to be  home for a month or so for a daughter's wedding and then we had hoped to  head north.

Rob & I with our beautiful daughter
Now it was Rob's turn: Rob had started to notice that he was much more out of breath than was warranted. We followed it up with various tests, sadly it wasn't simple. Rob needed a bypass and a lung biopsy taken at the same time resulted in the diagnosis of Usual Interstitial Pneumonia which, as I understand it, is basically a hardening of the fibrous support around the lungs which stop the lungs from expanding (taking in enough oxygen). This is impeding Rob's recovery from the bypass. There is no cure and it will progressively get worst but at this stage, we have been given no time frame. We have yet to discover what treatments are available and with that we might have more information.

Rob recovering at home
We don't know what God's plan is. I have to remind myself time and time again that God never makes mistakes. We are as He wanted us to be: tall or short, shy or out going, simple or brilliant, practical or imaginative, pretty or plain, healthy or otherwise, etc.

Don't we sometimes wish we  could control certain aspects of our lives. I know I have fallen in this trap from time to time in my thinking. "If only ______, my life would be different and possibly better." But really all of our hard-wiring is the result of God’s glorious creative ability. There were no accidents, no glitches, no thoughtless moments. Sadly, most of us are not happy with who God made us to be nor where we are especially when life is not as we wish it to be. Sometimes the circumstances of life that we have had to endure have moulded us to who we are and the way we respond to life in general.


Hardships, in whatever format they appear whether it be health, death of loved ones, abuse financial strife are part of what makes life difficult at times. By the way that doesn't mean that He is happy when we suffer nor does He bring calamity upon us to 'teach' us or whatever. We need to have a sense of identity that will not fail us when we're buffeted by the guaranteed storms of this life, we must start at the beginning and recognize that we were made by God and we are very precious to Him.


Stop and think about it as these are powerful and amazing words! Every part of the fabric of your personhood was carefully knit together by God’s creative hands. There was no part of you that was hidden from him. He carefully examined every aspect of your unformed body before you were born.


We don't have to know where we are but we can rest in that we are exactly where we are meant to be. We can trust that God knows the way and that it will eventually lead to him.

MASSAMAN PRAWN AND PUMPKIN SOUP

When you are out on road, whether it be camping, in a caravan or in a motorhome, you will need to cook at one stage and a quick simple meal is something most of us want. Now if you can find one that is cheap and tasty too then you will come back to it time and again.


This tasty dinner hits the jackpot every time in every way. I love it so much that I like to cook it at home too.

MASSAMAN PRAWN AND PUMPKIN SOUP

1 Tablespoon oil
1 onion chipped finely
5 Tablespoon massaman paste
1 small (500g) butternut pumpkin peeled, remove seeds & chopped into small cubes
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 cups chicken stock
280ml coconut cream
200g raw prawns peeled & devined
100g grape tomatoes, cut lengthwise
60g snow peas cut into long strips
coriander leaves and/or shallots for garnishing


Method:

  1. Cook onion in oil until soft then add paste & cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  2. Add pumpkin, lime leaves and stock. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes until pumpkin start to soften.
  3. Add cream, prawns, snow peas & tomatoes. Simmer for 3 minutes until prawns are cooked – do not over cook the prawns.
  4. Remove from pan and add garnishes.
 
Exmouth Big Prawn on our way to Cape Range National Park

Hints:

  • I chose to serve with cooked rice or rice noodles to make it more filling.
  • It is just as nice without the prawns if you want to go vegetarian or you could substitute with chicken instead.
  • If you wish to freeze half, my suggestion is that you eat ALL the prawns at the first sitting and just have the soup minus the prawns the 2nd time OR add fresh raw prawns and cook for 3 minutes as though you would in step 3. (I found the prawns went tough on reheating.) 

So that's it, just 18 minutes from start to on the table. 
It really is so fast, simple and tasty!