TIJ Arrives at the Royal Darwin Show | Darwin NT

Wednesday-Sunday: 22-26 July

A Warm Welcome and a Big Arrival
Early on Wednesday morning, hearts full of anticipation, The Incredible Journey (TIJ) team arrived at the Darwin Show grounds to begin setting up for the Royal Darwin Show. After so much anticipation, it was a joy simply to be there! Even the simple act of driving Essie into the pavilion turned heads. Stallholders and “Showies” setting up all around paused, smiling and curious, drawn in by the sight of her. What a beautiful welcome awaited the team from the Darwin SDA Church, whose members, led by dear Rosanna Di Cesare and her parents, worked side by side with the team to bring the display to life and get the TV humming with TIJ videos. As a lovely blessing, the show organisers gifted the team a prime spot. Visible from all four entrances into the pavilion. From that very first moment, it was clear God had gone ahead of them, preparing the way.

Essie the Magnet: Three Days of Wonder
Thursday morning brought the show roaring to life, and with it began three joy-filled, non-stop days of ministry. Alongside faithful, big-hearted volunteers from the local church, the team found themselves surrounded from morning to night. Essie seemed to draw the public in like a human magnet! A very special word of thanks goes to Peter, son-in-law of Alan Sonter, who together with his wife Betty travelled all the way from Taree and gave of himself tirelessly for all three days – what a gift their presence was.

By the time the show wrapped up, the fruit of all that love and labour was plain to see: over 1,500 copies of The Overlander book found new homes, the team’s entire stock of health resources was gone, and many precious souls walked away treasuring a copy of The Great Controversy.

Ouch! A Battle Wound and a Little Nurse’s Care
Now, not everything went perfectly smoothly – and honestly, that’s exactly what made this week so much fun to remember! Cheeky Essie decided to give the team a little nip of her own, with a stray split pin catching the driver’s leg while making way for the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. A quick dab of first aid had it sorted in no time. But Essie didn’t get off easy either – sweet trainee nurse Immy swooped in and gave her some “first aid” too, just to be sure no one else came away with a battle scar! A tiny hiccup, plenty of giggles, and now a little story the team will happily tell for years to come.

Whispers of Heaven: Divine Appointments
Amid all the busyness of the show, God kept tenderly arranging quiet, sacred moments – the kind that make every mile of the journey worthwhile. One such gift was a man from Wagga Wagga, who the team met for prayer. His heart is clearly being drawn by God, and he is earnestly searching for truth. Before parting, he took the team’s number so the friendship could continue.

Then there was Robbie, a beautiful story of gentle, patient love. He’d first come for a ride at Larrimah, and returned to the stall again and again through the Sabbath, hoping to reconnect, only to find the team away, ministering at the church. But God’s timing is perfect: when the team returned to the stall on Saturday night, there was Robbie once more, waiting. What followed was a rich, heartfelt spiritual conversation, and he gladly received a copy of The Great Controversy. Numbers were exchanged, and a new friendship, and a soul’s journey toward truth continues on.

Royalty, Rides, and a Grand Parade!
Behind the scenes, dear Rosa had been busy reaching out to local politicians, and what a delightful harvest it brought! A steady, cheerful stream of dignitaries including the Chief Minister himself stopped by for photos with Essie and the team, each one receiving a VIP TIJ gift bag with a smile. The Lord Mayor was so taken with Essie that he asked to ride in her during the show’s grand parade! While Essie herself couldn’t quite make the trip around the arena, the faithful Prado stepped up – proudly decked out in TIJ magnetic signage and towing the trailer, leading the whole procession of service vehicles through the Lord Mayor’s Grand Parade, TIJ shining brightly for all the crowd to see.

Unexpected Friends and a Little Fun
God’s grace has a wonderful way of showing up in the most unexpected places. The team struck up a delightful friendship with a fellow stallholder who owned a dazzling high-performance Aussie race car – and on Sunday morning, right in the middle of packing-up, the two teams staged a fun mock drag race together! A burst of laughter and camaraderie that spoke volumes about the friendships blossoming all along the way.

A Full Heart, A Full Weekend
Through the whirlwind of the show, the weekend overflowed with dedicated ministry to the local church family. Health programs were run with love on Friday evening and Sabbath afternoon, and the team also had the joy of leading the church’s morning programs – pouring out energy and care in every direction, without missing a beat.

Hope Behind Prison Walls
On Sunday afternoon, the team had the privilege of accompanying Victor Rao, the SDA prison chaplain, to share the gospel across two different prison wings. What a joy to discover that several inmates already knew of TIJ, and some were even completing the TIJ Bible studies by correspondence – a tender reminder that this ministry’s reach stretches far beyond the show grounds, into places the team may never fully see.

A Week Etched in the Heart
All in all, The Incredible Journey Ministry experienced an unprecedented outpouring of exposure and connection in Darwin, and it proved to be an extraordinarily rich and rewarding season of ministry. As has been true in every place visited so far, the local community’s hearts wished the team could linger a little longer. There was still so much more love to share, so many more stories waiting to unfold. But with hearts full and new friendships in hand, the Incredible Journey rolls on.