Heera
I don’t know what our team would do without this lady. Heera and her husband Christi is originally from India who moved to the middle of nowhere to teach. The moment we met her you could just tell that Jesus was just bubbling out of her. She invited us over for tea and then also a good India dinner, and then a few days later she let us move to her house to stay where there was air conditioning. I don’t know how many times you could be blessed by someone in such a short time but she was so incredible. It was so hard to leave when it was time to head back to Darwin. She has an incredible story and she was so nice all the time. It was amazing how God provided for us through her and to go from a metal shack to meeting her was just incredible.
Lindsay and Louise
Lindsay and Louise were our ministry contacts while we stayed in Jabiru for a few days before Oenpelli and. They are incredible Christians who open their home to many people and have such a heart for ministry of the aboriginal people. They served us so much than we ever could have deserved and will be awesome people to hopefully do ministry with the World Race in the future.
Noelen and Leon’s family
These were the main ministry people we worked with. They have such passion for worship, seeing Jesus glorified in Oenpelli and a desire to learn about the Scripture. During the disunity of the Christians in the community, Noelen became a voice of reconciliation and forgiveness. She led the way to restoring peace. Their house was in much need of being cleaned because of the thick dirt on the walls, ceilings, and floors. You could walk in and see many spiders and insects/ticks all in their rooms. This was their life and our team found out that a “construction company” was repainting house. Noelen’s house was on the bottom of the list but they told us that if we cleaned the house then if we did good, they would move it to the top. After two days of intense cleaning and scrubbing, we found out that the company inspected the house and moved them to the top.
Chris:
Chris recently moved to Oenpelli as the Youth Activities Center director from Melbourne.
Chris is about 23 years old and become a quick favorite of ours. We got really close, got to talk a lot about life and had the ability to share the gospel with him one afternoon in a way that he was very responsive and honest. Chris isn’t sure if he even believes that there is a God, but he told me that he still had some things that I had given him to think about. I just praise God for the opportunity and trust that there’s nothing I can do, only be faithful. He was such a great guy who gave our team freedom to just do whatever at his place and was willing to take Billy and I out to a waterfall one day. If you can, pray for Him that God will just make Himself real to Him. But I believe He’s very open about it, and I know he has incredible gifts and passions in his life.
Conrad:
Conrad was an aboriginal man who I had the privilege to get to know; especially in my time at Oenpelli. He took our team out to the huge waterfall and then a couple of nights later he showed up at one of the fellowships we had at Noelen’s. I was told that he believed in Christ, but recently has slipped away in some regards because of the immense influence of curses, spirits, and alchohol. The night he showed up, I walked up to him and wasted no time. The first thing I said to him was, “So I heard you become a believer and now you’ve been struggling.” He never hesitated at all, but just started pouring out his life story. We sat on the back of a truck as the rest of the team did fellowship with the people. He told me about his whole life, how he believed, then he struggled with alchohol for a while once we found out his wife left him for another man, he then was found by two people who spoke life into him and he came back to God when we was 31. He still struggled for a while with drinking but has now been sober for three years and he’s now 37. But the issue of curses is so strong in the aboriginal culture, many Christians still battle with it there. I told Conrad two things: First, that he must always remember the true victory in Christ and it’s incredible to see how God has just preserved his life this far, because he said there was a time when he almost died. I told him that curses are very real, they are a tool that Satan uses, and for me to say that it’s just a “hoax” then I would be lying. I told him there’s a greater war out there but He has to remember that Christ lives inside of Him, the one who conquered death and cast demons out of people. Great is He inside of us that what the world can throw. He said he never realized the true power and victory He has in Christ and that it’s up to Him to believe that truth instead of getting weighed down by things that have no true power over the Spirit. Second, I told him I could really see Him being a huge leader amongst young people in the community. He told me that he once had a vision in his 20’s that he and a friend had cross a huge river and after they crossed, on the other side were thousands of other people who couldn’t make it across. If they tried, then they drowned in the river. At the same time, Conrad and his friend were holding candles that were burning. He told me how this vision and what I said is like a confirmation, that he has the light and people are drowning in despair and sin, and he has the light to help them get across.
THE POWER OF PRAYER & COMMUNITY
This past month in Oenpelli was a very good month for our team. Of course, when you put seven people together from all over the country with different personalities and lifestyles then you will have conflicts at times and tension, but it was so awesome to our growth. We learned so much about handling conflict head on, being open an honest with each other, but a lot about living in community. One of the greatest things about living with people of intense faith is finding out the good and bad of yourself, but not from an internal perspective. You are able to open up yourself and people can see how you truly interact from the outside and be willing to receive feedback in love. Our team has grown together in an incredible way when it comes to that. I’ve learned a lot about myself, the crap that I have in my life from what people see, and even though the process hurts it’s very good for me so that I can take it to the Lord and become more like Christ.
We as Christians are to help each other, speak life into each other, and to be bold with each other in strengths and weaknesses so we can become more like Christ. I’m beginning to find more value in this and how much more it is even if I’m in America or on this mission trip. It’s making me desire to always be in a community where this constantly takes place. How can someone love people like God would have them if we struggle to believe the truths about ourselves and we don’t help each other reach their destiny?
The power of prayer:
Our team’s boldness in prayer and for myself has grown so much. I would honestly say that prayer has always been a struggle of mine. The biggest struggle has been listening to God instead of just making request and also truly praying in faith and boldness. If we are God’s children and heirs of the kingdom, then our prayers should become a mirror of that. We are warriors in prayers, sons and daughters of God, and above all, the enemy of the Devil. May our prayers be in real faith, of sincerity and love, and may we always keep our ears open to what God may tell us.
One of our last nights in Australia our team had an incredible night of prayer. Someone was struggling on some personal issues and it was love that brought the team together. It was love that made us lay hands on and all of a sudden it was like a monsoon of the Spirit just poured down on us! We all truly felt his presence and there were people praying like they’ve never prayed before. Teammates who were shaking on the inside because the Holy Spirit was coming alive, and for the next half hour our team was powerfully moved by the community of each other and the presence of God. I can’t remember a time of prayer like that in a very long time where we didn’t feel like we had to say “big words” or do it because it’s the thing to do. We were seven people who were enveloped in this mystery called the gospel just pouring out of our mouths bringing life and healing. When we had finished we realized that tears could not be held back and that God is always with us, we just act like He’s not sometimes. God has given us truths that sometimes we let our fears, past, and current circumstances permission to bring in lies of Satan. But how great it is, when His children come together in faith and pray in boldness and love for each other. When was the last time you’ve been on your knees in sincere prayer before Him? When was the last time you can say that you’ve prayed with other believers and felt the presence of God so much that the Holy Spirit can do nothing but leave you changed? Increase my faith O Lord!
