Never Planned on Australia
Looking Back
August 1, 2018In 2016, I logged onto my computer early one morning and there was an email from a man named Eddie in Queensland, Australia. It simply was a request to order a Turnipseed Trilogy DVD. I quickly replied yes, I’d be happy to send one to him. But I wanted to know how he found us. John Turnipseed’s book “Bloodline” had found it’s way into an Australian prison, and it changed the life of the inmate reading it. Eddie is a Corrections Officer, was curious about the Turnipseed story and reached out to me.
Soon, we started communicating via Skype, bringing more and more people into the conversation from Australia and the USA. John Turnipseed’s Ted Talk “Fix The Damn Roof” has also made it’s rounds there, and so the decision was made to pay a visit to our friends “down under”.
They built a Mens Conference around the visit, which was to be myself and John Turnipseed, but John’s visa was declined due to his criminal background and I found myself on my way to the Tablelands Region of Queensland (far NE). But clearly God had paved the way ahead of time for this visit.
John spoke at the Mens Conference via Skype, and brought a very powerful message to both the conference and to the church service at Destiny Church. Eddie and I met several key people, opening doors to our Lifeblood curriculum getting into the largest prison in Queensland as well as a drug/alcohol treatment center for the Aboriginal people. We were also able to spend time with Mr. Universe contestant Joey Clark, who has a huge heart to help people lead better lives. Joey will be Mr. Universe in the very near future.
And the trip concluded with Frank’s story. Frank is a transformed ex-offender who is raising 3 children as a single Dad. His story is powerful, a testament to the transforming power of God. Frank sat down in front of my camera in Eddie’s shed to record this, and there is something very beautiful and raw about his story. Here it is in it’s most raw form, with no audio or color corrections added as of yet.
I love transformation stories, stories that only can be attributed to God’s love, forgiveness, and never giving up on us.
Steve Johnson
Steve’s producing career specialized in both live and taped events, managing multiple projects simultaneously and developing innovative program and content concepts for clients ESPN, FOX Networks, Turner Broadcasting and others. After meeting John Turnipseed around the campfire, a passion for telling transformational stories of redemption was formed, and Five Stone Media was born. Steve and his wife Jennifer have four grown children, and enjoys the world of aviation and chasing race cars.
