We’ve been in Australia for only 3 days, and I’ve already heard enough stories and seen enough things to write a dozen blogs! I have a feeling this month is going to be interesting! God is working in huge ways here. While it was very sad to leave Cambodia, God is already showing us how much He needs us here to build his Kingdom. When I first mentioned Australia in my race route, many people wondered why we would come here for a mission trip. Most places are very westernized and have heard about Jesus. Well, let me emphasize most. Yes, we are staying on a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base that has hot water and AC (praise the Lord!)… but just because we have better living conditions here does not mean this place needs as much help as the tiny villages in Cambodia or the streets of the Red Light District in Thailand.
So we are staying in the Outback. The Northern Territory, Darwin to be 
exact. What people may not know about Australia, is that there is a group of people here called the aboriginal people. They are the natives to this land, kind of like our Native Americans. There are still large groups of them. Their history is really very interesting and on top of that, they are some of the most beautiful people I’ve seen. Sadly, the population of aboriginal people here in Darwin has been diminished to communities of government housing, and the majority of them overrun with alcoholism, drug abuse, unemployment, and high suicide rates.
In Isaiah 61 it says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
My team will be partnering with a church this month called Bagot Victory church. We will be working in an aboriginal community called Bagot. The community is overrun with poverty and darkness. The people are slaves to alcoholism and depression, many die very young due to health problems. They practice witchcraft and live in fear of the spirits. We are here to break the chains of darkness in this community and give them a light and a hope. Right smack in the middle of the community is Bagot Victory 
church. It is just a roof with chairs under it, but it is like a lighthouse in the middle of a vast dark sea. After only experiencing one night in Bagot, I can not wait to see what this month will have in store for us! Keep us and the people we come in contact with in your prayers over 
the next month. Just from speaking with a few people in the community, and hearing their stories of how God revealed himself to them through miracles, has shown me how much God is present in this community. He has a plan and purpose for everything….
Acts 26:18 “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Passing out Bread after church!
