In the middle of Bagot community surrounded by drinking and drug abuse, terminal diseases and frequent suicide attempts is the most beautiful little girl and for some reason she picked me.
Meet Bernadien, or Bernie as she insists I call her, a mischief making girl I met here in Darwin.
I am not really a “kid” person. Children are not usually tempted to race across the street to leap into my arms. In fact I can’t remember any child but Bernie ever doing that before.
She leaped into my arms and I carried her around the neighbourhood listening to her talk about whatever went through her head as we attempted to find people to invite to our girls group. At one point she even gave me one of her plastic purple bracelets as a present. Turns out only Bernie and another little boy from the community ended up coming to our “girls” group.
They both sat and talked to us as we painted pictures in the church. I didn’t really expect anything to come out of our time painting in the church and I kind of assumed that was the end of my time with Bernie.
But Bernie thought otherwise…
The next time we went out to invite people to church she once again raced out to leap into my arms. That night she came to church with me.
About halfway through the service I realized that Bernie was copying me. She clapped, sang, said ‘Amen’, bowed her head to pray when I did. Her favourite thing to do was to flip through the Bible looking for imaginary scriptures, point to a place on the page with her finger, look up at me and demand to know what it said.
For a while she was struggling to get through the Old Testement books like Numbers and nothing that I told her was really interesting or very important to a 5 year old. Then she flipped to a page in the book of Jeremiah, I think it was chapter 17, she pointed and I read over her shoulder expecting something weird. The verse talked about how a young tree, planted by a stream, flourished. Those who place their trust in the Lord will grow up like that tree, healthy, vibrant, full of life and vigour.
I stopped and looked at Bernie’s insistent finger poised on the page. Most of the world would deny it based upon the circumstances she was born into but this little girl was supposed to be that tree. She was supposed to be strong, determined, and full of life. She was supposed to have deep well watered roots and a foundation built on the love of the God who made her and loves her deeply.
So that’s what I told Bernie…
This past week Bagot Victory Church has been blessed by the music, testimonies and dances of a youth group from another aboriginal community. It has been so encouraging to see the gospel making an impact in the lives of this group of youth because work in the community is slow.
On the outside it doesn’t really look like there has been any change but small gradual steps have been taken. One of those tiny changes happened to a little girl who got to hear someone tell her that she is destined for great things. There is hope for Bagot and I firmly believe that children like Bernie will grow up to be that change.
Our ministry here ends tomorrow evening. Please continue to pray for our contacts David and Isabel, for the people of Bagot Victory Church and other aboriginal communities here in Australia. Pray especially for Bernie. For her salvation, safety and that there would always be someone in her life to tell her, and all of the other children here, that they are destined for greatness.
