YOTO4 Begins

So we officially set off Saturday morning on our outback trip - YOTO4.

Silly name really, but there's no changing them now! YOTO is "Year Of The Outback", which was officially held in Australia in 2002. That was the year we first did a trip to the outback combining sight seeing with meeting up with people from local churches in joint activities. None of the current committee can claim any credit for the original idea - it was a pastor from WA who drempt it up. But we had such a good time we thought it would be good to replicate it in subsequent years, and so a second tour in 2004, and a third in 2006, and now this fourth one, were developed. Personally I never liked YOTO2, but that's what everyone called it and it has gone on from there.

For YOTO4, the group will be a similar size to the three former tours - 11 vehicles in all, and will again head into the Australian desert. The people involved don't all know each other - we have several coming on this trip that we have not met at all thus far. The original YOTO went to North-western WA, YOTO2 to the Flinders Ranges, and YOTO3 to Alice Springs. This time we track north from Broken Hill to White Cliffs, Sturt National Park and "Corner Country" - the surprisingly remote and desolate quarter of Australia's most populous state. Apart from going to the likes of Kennedy Ranges and Mount Augustus on first one, this will probably be the remotest country we have driven through, and I have previously posted a bit about Mount Wood in particular.

But YOTO tours are about far more than testing out our four wheel drives. We firstly seek to develop a strong sense of Christian community among the travellers. We pray at the start of every day, and we have times of fellowship around the campfire at the end of the day. We also seek to give opportunities to travellers to do things outside of the comfort zone - not only physically but spiritually. Then, as we travel we seek to connect with local Christians serving in some of Australia's most complex environments. The four tours have thus connected us with 19 churches across five states. Some of these we are still in regular contact with, while others have become more of a faint memory. Most - I suspect and hope - would welcome any of the group back warmly should we visit again, and look back fondly on the things we have done together.

The three communities with whom we will join during YOTO4 - Southern Mallee Cooperative Parish, Broken Hill Baptist and Wangaratta Baptist - were selected almost 18 months ago, so it is interesting that each of these now finds itself at an interesting turning point in their journey. We seek to approach these opportunities with a listening ear - not claiming to have all the answers. No rocket science there - we don't have all the answers! However, time and time again, we have been amazed how God has opened opportunities for us while we travel, and we pray this trip will also be a blessing for all involved; the travellers and those we visit.

See you in a few weeks! With some stories, I hope!