Revival in the Long Grass

The Long Grass people. Indigenous to Australia, the Aboriginals have faced generations of injustice. They have seen racism, prejudice, judgments, and harshness through the years and have witnessed very little change for better. Coming to this country I couldn’t help but recall scenes from the movie Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Much of the film is based during World War II, a war that occurred nearly 70 years ago. In my naivety, I assumed that things had changed for the aboriginals, that they were viewed differently by white people and treated as equals. I hadn’t ever heard of an equal rights movement in Australia like we had in America, but I assumed things had to be different after all this time, things had to be better, these people had to be considered equal with the Anglos.
The term “Longgrass” comes from the fact that in the mid to late 20th century many slaves and prisoners were once displaced from their residences in the South to the Northern Territory to camp along the outskirts of the city, in the long grass. This occurred because it was no longer “as appropriate” to simply kill them as they had in the past. Now the term is used more loosely for the poor, homeless and hungry people around Darwin, namely the Aboriginals.
But I was wrong. Yes, circumstances have improved since the early 1940s, these people are no longer slaves or treated like the complete scum of the earth, they are not murdered just for being colored. But the reality is that these people are still considered to be lowest in society rankings and to my dismay are not even welcomed in many Anglo churches! If the church isn’t even welcoming these people how do we expect the rest of the nation to?

That is where the Long Grass Mansion comes in. The LGM is a place where any and all are welcome, but this place specially caters to the Long Grassers. The indigenous, the homeless, the hungry, the hurting, the addicted and ashamed. The LGM is a church and fellowship center that operates to bring Christ to the LGs of Darwin, Australia. It seeks to shine light in the darkness, offer hope to the hopeless, redemption for the ashamed, and a fresh start to anyone who is wanting. This is our ministry this month. Each day we spend at the LGM our ministry looks a little different. We do Bible study, prayer meetings, worship and church. But in addition to these we feed them breakfast and lunch, do “prayer tunnels” and spend time with them, getting to know them and their stories. They are so hungry for prayer, healing and receiving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is so thick in this place. He is moving mightily.
Last Sunday, a fellow team member shared about her past and the Lord’s faithfulness through it. She had been beaten by an alcoholic father and abused emotionally more times than she could count. Through Christ’s power and His power only, she was able to face her father, love and forgive him and she continues to pray for his salvation. The service concluded with prayer time.�I laid hands on a woman and kept praying the word “receive” over her.�I didn’t know why, but I knew she needed to receive. Receive love, receive a word, receive prayer. My teammate who had just shared her testimony joined us as we prayed. After talking with this woman, Ann Louise, we discovered that she had a similar story to Brittani, minus the love and forgiveness part. She comes from a family of abusive alcoholics and is in a relationship she’s scared to get out of, but is dying too be free from. No has told her she is beautiful in over 20 years. When we told her she couldn’t believe it. I told her that it wasn’t just us that thinks she’s beautiful, but God, too. �”The King is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him, for He is your Lord.” Psalm 45:11) This blew her mind. She was overwhelmed with love and told us she was so encouraged by the fact that two young women like us would take time for her. She walked into the LGM with a coat of despair and loneliness, but felt it come off, like a breaking of chains, by the time she left. She said she knew the Lord called her to church for a reason that day.
Another night at a prayer meeting, a Longgrasser came in to pray with us. He mostly wandered in for the appeal of shelter from the heat, but left that night singing, “Jesus, I love ya, you died for my sins. Thank ya. Oh show me the way.” He confessed Christ as Lord that night and has salvation!�This man had nothing.�