I am not going to lie, I REALLY did not want to return to Bagot after our first experience we had. The thought of having to minister in such darkness made my hair stand up on end. I wanted to know why God intended my team to be in such a place-Why here, why now?
The second time we went to the community, we felt the same intensity we had felt the night before. This time, however, we got to see EVERYTHING; the people, stray dogs, trash build-up…you name it!
It would be our first day working with the Bagot Church, which seemed to be the only source of light in this community. The rectangular-blue building is located towards the front of the community and has no walls; an interesting perspective from an outsider looking in. The idea of the church having no walls was actually a blessing-it allowed the Bagot people to SEE the presence of the Lord come to life and became an open invitation to hear the gospel.
The first thing my team decided to do was to pray over the community-So, we did! Then my team split up into groups of three and walked around the community; letting the people know that church was being held that night. While we were gathering people for church, I could not help but notice the poverty and hopelessness around me-Jesus was nowhere to be found in the eyes of the people I came in contact with. This was the moment I realized that God had a purpose in mind for the aboriginals in this community; we were just clueless to what that was.
That night, Denise shared her testimony and we watched a video about the end times…people actually showed up! Part of me wondered if the reason why they went was because of the free food that was laid out; but then I stopped that thought in its tracks. I know from experience that Jesus works in mysterious ways and what works for some cultures, does not work for others. So for the rest of the night, I sat back and observed the people who surrounded me on either side.
Throughout the night, people asked for prayer through their drunken state-and prayed we did! Every time my team prayed over someone, I could feel the spiritual battle that was going on in each person…Jesus was fighting HARD for the souls of these aborigines; it was overwhelming.
What I found that night was that even though Satan reveals himself strongly to the aboriginals, Jesus could make himself more KNOWN to the lost and forgotten community.
So, how would Jesus make himself REAL to the people of Bagot???
What will the aboriginals take from their experience with us???
Better yet, what would we learn from them???
This we learned in the most unusual way…
(To Be Continued…)
