This month was our Man-istry Month. It was a month where all the eleven guys on
the squad did ministry together. No
girls -just the guys. You would think
that man-istry month would be all about male bonding. You know push-up contests, extreme
challenges…well you get the idea. But
this month was different. It was good to
just have men pour into each other. A
lot of times we talk about societal roles, but as men, Christian men, there
sometimes doesn’t seem like there is much effort that goes into simply growing
each other. At least that’s how it’s
been on the Race. The guys on our squad
are tight, but there was a lack of unity.
This month was dedicated to understanding what it is to be a man, and
more importantly what it means to be a man of God. Plus, times like these don’t come often,
where Christian men can be Christian men for a month; for the men on the squad
to do life with each other. The focus
was growth, to bring our struggles to the table and realize that we are not
alone. It was a focus on bringing our
struggles in a community of men, but also realizing that we are not alone in
our struggles, and figuring out a way to combat these things together.
The eleven of us piled into a van and were off to our
contacts’ house in Darwin, Australia. They
had been praying that more men would help in their ministry. And the Lord provided. The Lord’s timing is wonderful because that
very day Isobel’s husband, David, was having a hernia operation. It was a time in which we could give Isobel
some help especially with the responsibility of the ministry shifting to Isobel. David and Isobel were missionaries to the Aboriginal
Community called the Bagot Community there in Darwin. They basically did anything and everything
they could for the Bagot Community. For
the past 10 years they have been working hard to the bone to see God’s Kingdom come
to the Aboriginals they serve. The pace
was inconsistent and unpredictable. But
that’s part of what made the month so great.
There was so set schedule. At
first I think our group had certain expectations of the way things were
supposed to be, but that was before we finally saw David and Isobel’s heart and
stewardship.
Every Sunday we would put up church in the Bagot
Community. We all shared in the
responsibility of picking up folks outside of the Community, cleaning the
church before and after, setting up, passing out refreshments, leading worship
and sharing a testimony/ the sermon.
On Wednesday night we would meet at someone’s house in the
Bagot Community for Bible Study. Like
Sunday we all shared in the responsibilities of that looked like. We sang songs, and a couple guys from our
team shared a testimony.
On Friday night we would host the kids from the Bagot
Community at the local pool (which was free).
Like usual a few of us would do pick-ups and the rest would set up for
the weekly event. We prepared about 120
sausages, peeled oranges, and cut up other vegetables for dinner. As soon as the kids got there they just
played around the park until dinner was ready.
Just before dinner we had a time of worship followed by a skit/
word. Again we were left walking away
with humility knowing David and Isobel do this every Friday. And like usual we were left depleted of any
energy for the rest of the night.
Even though there were eleven of us, it wore us out. It left us as a group in awe of how much work
David and Isobel do with limited help. Out
of all the months I’ve been on the Race, David and Isobel work the
hardest. I don’t know how they work so
hard or why they’ve put so much work into the Bagot Community when it seems
like there is hardly any reward for their work.
One day we actually got to ask them that question with their answer
being, “If just one person accepts Christ, then it’s worth it.” At the end of the month, we were left walking
away humbled by David and Isobel’s heart for the Bagot Community. It’s so evident that they truly live on God’s
strength.
