Home
Home of UAM
About Us
An introduction to UAM
Opportunities
Openings for Ministry
 Cultural Perspective
Comparison of social values
Messenger
UAM's Official Magazine
Books & Mags
Review Section
Contact
Need to contact us?
UAM's Fav. Links
Our Favourite Cyber Links

that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:19

Messenger Navigator

January - March 2001

A Tribute

Isaiah 9:2  "the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:  they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

This was the vision that Mr & Mrs Wade had and it was to these people that the Lord called them to take the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

So in 1934 they went in search of these people that walked in darkness.

This is a story about a young aboriginal girl by the name of Yikuwarra (known as Lula Nelson in later years)  She was one of the first girls who came into the mission home at Warburton Ranges.  She came to know the Lord and accepted him as her saviour and Lord and was baptised.  She was married to a tribal man as is the aboriginal custom, a very unhappy situation, but there was no other way.

However, the husband died leaving her with three young children.  She came back to the mission and used to help Mrs Wally Mack in the boys' home, and was also a great help to the mission generally.

Later she married the man of her choice and they went to work on some of the sheep stations around Laverton.

When we were in Cosmo Newbery, Lula and her husband Clem came to make their home there.  Their six boys went to school and attended Church and Sunday School.  Lula used to take part in ladies meetings and also at camp meetings.
 

Her faith in the Lord who saved her had never wavered in spite of her sad situation and the tragic loss of four of her boys.

Lula Nelson believed in prayer as the following story will tell.

One Saturday afternoon Lula and I went bush to dig for yams.  My husband Claude, took us in the ute and left us at a well 10kms south of Cosmo Newbery.  After we walked around and dug yams, it was time to go home.  Claude came to pick us up.
 

Sunday morning dawned and we were getting ready to go to church.  Lula came down from her home to see me and tell me that she had lost $10 in the bush (which was quite a bit in those days) and asked if Claude would take us out again to the same place to see if we could find it, so after church and lunch we went out.  During Saturday night there had been strong winds and there were doubts as to whether we would be able to find the $10 note.

Anyway, Claude left us there and before we started looking around, Lula said in the language, "Mrs Cotterill, we pray and ask the Lord to help us".  So we prayed and began our search  she went in one direction and I in the other.  Suddenly there was a shout and Lula said, "I found it!"  She came back to where I was, so delighted.  She prayed and thanked the Lord for helping her find it.  In her prayer she said, "Lord Jesus, you know we had a big wind last night but you looked after this money, thank you."

Lula had a lovely nature but was no stranger to adversity.  She displayed a faith that was well rooted in the Lord Jesus as her saviour.  In spite of what she had been through, she had never let go of her faith and trust in the Lord.

Last Christmas some of the church ladies went up to the hospital to sing carols and bring Christmas cheer to the older patients including Lula.  In between carols Lula would tell us that she learned these carols at Warburton ranges from Mr and Mrs Wade.  She witnessed to a few of the nursing staff that the Lord Jesus had saved her.

On the 6th of February this year she went home to be with the Lord whom she loved.  She has gone to one of the many mansions Jesus has prepared for her.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Dora Cotterill
Leonora

© 1999-2001 UAM Ministries, United Aboriginal Mission.

Designed and maintained by the design team at Image Is Everything