There is a phrase on a bumper sticker stuck to the bunk bed
at the house we stayed at for about 5 days. It says “Jisas Wan Taim” – the Kriol for Jesus One Time. It is a reminder to the aboriginal people that Jesus died
once for all sins.
Working
with Aboriginal communities this month has been interesting. Wycliff just translated the whole Bible
(Holi Baibal) into Kriol in 2007, and so it is a relatively new thing to have
the Bible available to the Aboriginal people. While the people in the churches (fellowships) are eager to
learn about God, it is difficult to convince them of the truths within the
Bible including how church is “done,” who can be a leader, how the church can
meet anywhere, etc. Most of these
communities don’t think that they can do anything without the presence of
pastors, missionaries, or other “worthy” people.
The
one thing that struck me this month was how amazing it is to see God working in
the church all over the world. No
matter where you are in the world, God’s people are still lifting up their
voices to praise the maker of heaven and earth. It may look different but together the church becomes a
symphony of praise. I adore
sharing life with the people and simply spending time with them.
The
aboriginal people are at a crossroad of sorts right now in which they must
chose whether or not to let go of the customs that have held them in bondage
for so long or move forward in order to seek a better life for the future
generations. The curses of the
past generations are currently plaguing these people. I pray earnestly that the Lord would reveal to them the
truths about Himself so that they might be able impact their nation.
