Sharing encouragement in the homelands: MAF reaches out
A campfire crowd beside the red gravel airstrip in Waṉḏawuy homeland looks like any typical bush barbecue, but the site—at the foot of a plain white cross with a small white aircraft alongside—sets the scene for a gospel gathering, expressed Yolŋu style with food, music and dance.
“They’ve been really eager for us to come,” said MAF pilot James Gullett.
“The first time, I think there was a little uncertainty beforehand about what exactly this was going to look like. But then we came, and the Yolŋu in Waṉḏawuy really enjoyed what we were able to share, an opportunity for fellowship and a way of getting to know them better.”
James and several MAF staff members recently visited Waṉḏawuy to reach out to Yolŋu believers and other homeland-dwellers outside of normal fight operations.
Yolŋu culture is not time-bound and favours relationships over transactions. Attendance at events can vary depending on family and cultural obligations, but, as James observes, “God’s working in ways that we don’t know and we don’t always understand, but we can take encouragement from that.”
The aim of the outreach gatherings is to encourage Yolŋu believers in their faith through sharing food, fellowship, Bible stories, worship songs and dance, and the informal nature of the events allows community members and outsiders to establish relationships.
One of the believers in Waṉḏawuy has a close and special connection to the gospel message.
“During one outreach event, we shared the Good Samaritan story,” James said.
“Following this, we distributed copies of Mark’s Gospel in Dhuwaya, one of the languages that is spoken quite commonly there. For one believer, this was very special as her grandmother translated it many years ago.
“This believer and others in the community were so excited that they had received these copies and how this heritage of faith had been passed on, and how they could share Mark’s Gospel with her children and others in the homeland.”
Although life in the homelands can be idyllic, local folk can struggle with sickness and family violence and the general challenges of remote area living.
In addition to providing access to education, healthcare and infrastructure services, the planes and the people of MAF deliver help, hope and healing in less tangible ways that nevertheless resonate deeply with Yolŋu believers.
“There was this one gentleman, he has these regular chest pains, and he was feeling particularly unwell whilst we were there,” said James.
“In that past week we had given him an option to come into hospital, but he had declined for certain reasons. But he was there, and we prayed for him and his partner, and they really appreciated that.”
In turn, the MAF Arnhem Land team has been encouraged by the way God has been working through these outreach events, not just in Waṉḏawuy but in other homelands too.
“We are so grateful that we get to be a part of God’s plan for this remote region and can encourage and share the good news of the gospel with one another in these places.”
