Newman Here We Come | Newman WA

Friday-Sunday: 31 July – 02 August

An Early Start and a Providential Arrival
Leaving Broome just after 4 am on Friday morning, the team set off on their longest journey yet – all the way to Newman. It was a big day on the road, and as it turned out, timing was everything.

Remarkably, they and the Sabbath rolled into Newman at almost exactly the same moment. This was providential, as the park lights on the vehicle had failed earlier that morning. Thankfully, they pulled in just in time, and made their way to the warm and welcoming home of Pastor Erickson Fabian and his wife Jackie, old friends from New Zealand, who generously hosted them for three nights.

Essie Waits Her Turn
Due to some rather draconian Shire regulations, Essie was not allowed to leaving her trailer. Getting permission, it seemed, would have required an application lodged months in advance.

A Blessed Sabbath
On Sabbath the team joined the local church congregation in Newman, where Pastor Gordon delivered the sermon. They closed out the day on a hilltop overlooking the town. It was a joy catching up with the Pastor and his wife, as well as reconnecting with a former Church member from Christchurch and her daughter, who had been baptised many years earlier.

Giants on the Road
One unforgettable feature of the Newman stopover was just how often the pair had to pull completely off the road to let enormous transporters rumble past, hauling machinery of almost unbelievable size. So, on Monday morning as they prepared to leave, they couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the Prado and Essie’s trailer parked proudly beside one of these giant trucks on display.

Sharing Hope, One Overlander at a Time
Without Essie’s usual promotional presence, handing out literature around town wasn’t possible this time. Still, the mission continued in a quieter way – more than 15 copies of the Overlander, along with health resources, were shared with those attending Church.

One more highlight of the visit was meeting a young woman, her mother-in-law, and her baby, attending Church for the very first time. They happily accepted a copy of the Overlander and other TIJ materials, and left excited to return the following week. A beautiful reminder of why the journey matters.