Steve Grace’s epic 11,823 km trip to 30 remote desert communities in Australia has been been hard work with long hours of traveling to reach remote communities with the Gospel and and a personal invite to Reality Alice Springs with Will Graham in May 2016.

Long, unpaved roads, days and nights in inhospitable areas and unexpected mechanical problems took a toll on Steve and his co-worker, Mal King with Mal becoming seriously ill and eventually returning home….but the work continues!

Steve said, “We haven’t finished the mission, but we are encouraged because we have seen so much positive interest in Reality and response to the Gospel message.”

We are blessed that most Indigenous Australians have heard the Gospel in their lifetime and many have responded. However, the overwhelming evidence from Steve’s trip is that many of our brothers and sisters in outback desert communities feel a heartfelt need to respond to the Gospel again and recommit their lives to Christ – and we rejoice in that.

Steve said there are many Indigenous Christian leaders across Australia praying and believing that Reality Alice Springs will bring a genuine revival in the Outback.

We are amazed at the lengths to which Steve and Mal have gone travelling incredibly long distances to reach populations as low as three or four hundred people. This is a powerful metaphor for going to the ends of the Earth with the Good News of Jesus Christ. In every community, Steve and Mal saw people come forward with decisions for Christ and to ask for prayer.

In some communities, by the time Steve and Mal left the next morning, they saw posters of Will Graham’s Reality Alice Springs event all over the community.

Here’s a brief summary of 10 of the communities visited so far:

Ali Curung
Population: 400
Attendance: 50

A really cold night so people listened from their homes and cars; the entire town heard the message as the park is at the centre of their small community.

Ampilatwatja
Population: 300
Attendance: 140

A really special community with a Lutheran mission history. They started their own church after a revival in 2009. It was a really cold night but people sat in their cars and sat around campfires to listen to the music and the Gospel presentation.

Ernabella
Population: 300
Attendance: 60
Ernabella is one of the key communities in the Pitjantjatjara regions with a Uniting Church and Wycliffe Bible Translation work in operation. It was football finals day so attendance was low, with a small but appreciative crowd sitting in freezing conditions. Two families recommitted their lives to Christ and we prayed for six others for health needs.

Mt Isa Men’s Shed Night
Population: 20,000
Attendance: 50

Local pastors from Australian Christian Churches and the local Baptist church are excited for Reality Alice Springs and keen to transport people from their community for the event.

Lake Nash Alpuruurlam
Population: 200
Attendance: 80

There is only one church in town, Alpuruurlam Christian Fellowship. There were some recent deaths in the community so our concert and Gospel proclamation were welcomed as a time for ministry and healing. There was strong interest in attending Reality Alice Springs.

Camooweal
Population: 400
Attendance: 50

Only one church in town, currently run by two missionaries.

Tennant Creek
Population: 3,000
Attendance: 140

The local church is run by missionaries who have been serving the region for 12 years.

Lajamanu
Population: 600
Attendance: 160

People gathered around 10 campfires and sat in their cars and homes. There was quite a buzz of expectation despite the cold conditions and the event didn’t finish until 1:00 am.

Yuendumu
Population: 1000
Attendance: 40

One of the more difficult communities to connect with due to tribal and clan fighting that goes back a long way but local musicians really wanted to take part in a singalong event. The concert ran for six hours and didn’t end until 12:30 am.

Papunya
Population: 300
Attendance: 80

Our sound system carried the message across the whole community, one of the great benefits of doing open-air events in remote places.

Steve is aiming to visit 30 desert communities before Will Graham steps onto the platform in Alice Springs to proclaim the Gospel from 20‑22 May, 2016.

Please join with us and pray for:

• safety for Steve and his co-workers’,
• the churches in Alice Springs as they work together to prepare for the Reality Alice Springs event,
• Will Graham – for his safety and that he brings the Word from God that will impact thousands for eternity as he preaches in Alice Springs and his message is broadcast throughout regional Australia by Vision Radio.