I am writing in the dark, hiding from the thousands of bugs that have infested our living quarters. It’s quite terrifying. We accidentally left the door open and it seems like they are under the impression that we would be great friends. Wrong. Half of them are meeting their death between my index finger and the screen.
Insects aside, we had quite an eventful day yesterday. It began with the opportunity to hold a worship service at an assisted living center. It is one of the only centers for elderly Aboriginal people. These precious residents are looked at as outcasts in their culture and receive no visitors… my heart broke when I heard this and my love for these people just kept expanding. Their favorite song in the whole wide world is “Jesus Loves Me”. How precious. Among these 14 residents is a man named Stanley. Oh, Stanley! He was in a car wreck not too long ago and also suffered from a stroke which has impaired his speech and movement, but not his joy. He smiled the ENTIRE time we were there and kept spelling out the word blondie on his hand and pointing to me- my new boyfriend, probably.
I also met a man named Alan who looked like he was straight out of somewhere, I don’t know where, but he was adorable. He had on a straw hat, a shirt and vest pairing, and had his guitar in hand. His toothless mouth made him a million times more appealing. I could have listened to him sing all day long.
And one last man I will talk about, Dandy. He is a blind man who is one of the two, still living, Aboriginal men who were involved in the Wave Hill walk off. And we get to spend these next few weeks with them!
After our time there we headed back to our humble abode where we cleaned an old dirty bus for a few hours- my entire body was one giant bead of sweat. Then we had the opportunity to go to an Indigenous community called Beswick and be a part of their worship service. The services in these types of communities normally don’t get started until around 9 oclock, after the sun goes down and they have returned home from fishing, and they last for about 3 hours. It was definitely past 12 when we left but it was one of the most amazing experiences I have had the privilege to be a part of. It took place in the middle of a red dirt road- outside of somebody’s house, in the pitch darkness, with the exception of one light. The sound system was on the ground and there were speakers, 2 microphones and a keyboard. We just worshipped God under the stars in their native language and in English. We were able to pray with each other and see the Holy Spirit move in peoples lives.
I think these are the things Jesus smiles at. His sons and daughters worshipping him, barefoot under the stars, or toothless singing the songs that were written for children. You don’t need to be within 4 walls to worship the God of the universe. We most certainly can but I don’t think that‘s quite how God intended it to be. Worship isn’t just singing, it’s loving and encouraging others. It’s praising God for what He has done. It’s giving His love away. He pours into us what we pour into others- by giving it away you are actually doubling it. All I’m here to do is to encourage, serve, and love others. I love that I get to encourage my brothers and sisters all over the world, we are all washed in the same blood.
And you don’t need to go across the world to give people Jesus. There are people right where you are and you might be the only one who can reach them. Ask God what He is already doing and then join Him. Don’t believe the lie that I did for so long- the lie that told me I had nothing to offer or that I had no one to offer it to. You have a responsibility on this earth that no one else has. It’s unique and it’s special- so we better get to it.
In Acts 3 Peter says, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk.” I may not be able to offer people money, or I may not have the ability to fix their problems, but I can give them Jesus… who is Lord over everything.
Please continue to keep me in your prayers, it isn’t an easy journey but i am so thankful that you choose to take it with me.
x
bek
PS I know I don’t get home for another 9+ months but if anyone wants to take me to Wahoo’s and then go walk around Disneyland when i do… I wouldn’t hate it. Just thinking ahead, you know.
PPS bug #37, terminated.
