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Nick Wight, East Coordinator of Indigenous Ministries Australia and coordinator of Indigenous engagement at SURRENDER, celebrates the endurance, perseverance and resilience of Aunty Margaret Little.
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Resilience… this is the current that runs strong and unbroken through Aunty Margaret’s life… endurance, perseverance and incredible resilience.
Aunty Margaret Little is a proud Noongar woman from south-west Western Australia now living and ministering alongside her husband Greg amongst the Indigenous community of WA’s third largest city, Bunbury.
Aunty Margaret was just 16 years old when she first heard about Jesus. Her decision to follow him was almost instantaneous, but only two years later she walked away from her faith. Soon after she married her husband Greg.
It wasn’t until their eldest son Alan was around 14 that Margaret and Greg renewed their faith – in the early 1980's – and immediately jumped straight into a ministry role further north in Port Hedland.
Aunty Margaret and Uncle Greg then faced four years of very dark times. They were tested physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Aunty Margaret can testify to the very real spiritual forces at work during this time. The terror was real. Uncle Greg ended up with an alcohol addiction and it placed untold pressure on their relationship, the community and with God.
The only consistent thing through this dark time was prayer.
The inner voice of the Spirit would speak to Margaret saying, ‘Jesus Christ is stronger than satan’ over and over, year after year. Margaret’s faith and solidarity with Jesus saw her stand with Greg and believe in God’s goodness and His offer of healing in their lives. In 1998 they experienced God’s enduring grace and strength through it all, as He led them to relocate to the remote community of Warburton in outback WA. Here Greg entered a time of healing from his addictions.
Their faith and ministry journey continued, including time back in Greg’s home community of Pingelly, and eventually God brought them to Bunbury in 2000 where Greg accepted a position as an Indigenous Support Officer in the local prison. It's incredible how God would reveal His heart for young Aboriginal people to Margaret and Greg even in the midst of their own very real struggles. They continued to be faithful to the vocational call of ministry and after the death of Margaret’s pastor, brother Len, they moved into leadership of the Bunbury church. Here Margaret’s infectious spirit and hard work has been a bedrock of the activities of the church – Easter conventions, 12 years of work in the local Djidi Djidi Aboriginal school, mentoring of emerging leaders, young ex-offenders living in their home, and an ongoing tireless ministry of hospitality.
Aunty Margaret Little is an Elder who we can say because of her… her resilience, her faith, her love, we can!
– written by Nick Wight.
Share Aunty Margaret's story:
'One Way'
Shaliece Farmer
Nations: Noongar (WA)
Lives: Perth
Throughout this week we are sharing artworks from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who are part of The Grasstree Gathering network. These artworks are currently on display at Newtown Mission in Sydney, available for public viewing this coming weekend. These artworks are being shared with permission of the artists, and are not to be copied or reproduced. If you would like to purchase an artwork from the artist please email grasstree.gathering@gmail.com.
This email is part of our NAIDOC Week series "Because of her, we can!" celebrating Aboriginal Christian women who have shaped our lives, our churches and our nation.
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