My dear family across Zenadh Kes,
Praise the Lord.
As we come into Advent, I want to share something from my heart. Advent is a word people hear in church, but sometimes we forget its true meaning. Advent is not just candles or Christmas decorations. Advent is waiting. Advent is preparing. Advent is opening our hearts.
In the old days on Masig, before the big boats came, before the planes, families used to sit down and prepare for important moments together. Clean the house. Make the yard beautiful. Tell stories. Straighten yarn. Bring the young ones close and remind them of who they are.
That is Advent.
Advent is when we make space inside ourselves for hope again.
It is when we look toward the light and say, “I am ready.”
Ready for healing.
Ready for forgiveness.
Ready for good pasin to return in our families.
The birth of Jesus is not a small story. It is a story of a child who came into a hard world to remind us that God walks with us, even here, even on our islands. Jesus was born quietly, in a humble place, just like many of our own children. No big ceremony. No big noise. Just love arriving in the dark, like the first star over the sea.
Advent teaches us that healing begins before the miracle happens.
Healing begins when we prepare our hearts.
So this Advent, my family, I ask you to remember our four Buai principles:
Respect.
Recognise.
Do not abuse.
Good pasin.
These are not just old teachings. They are our Advent work. They make our homes steady. They make our minds light. They prepare us for the birth of hope again.
Sit with your family.
Straighten yarn.
Forgive where you can.
Laugh together.
Pray together.
Hold each other gently.
And let Jesus find you with a clean heart and a warm home.
Advent is not only a countdown to Christmas.
Advent is an invitation to become more loving, more patient, more steady in the head and the heart.
May the Lord bless you, protect you, and guide every household in Torres Strait.
Praise the Lord for every breath, every tide, every child, every new beginning.
Walk strong in this season.
Walk with hope.
Walk with good pasin.
Praise the Lord.
Uncle Ned Mosby
Uncle Ned’s Advent Prayer
Heavenly Father, Lord of the sea and the islands,
We come before You in this season of Advent with open hearts.
Bless our families across Zenadh Kes.
Fill our homes with peace, forgiveness, and good pasin.
Make our minds steady and our spirits gentle.
Teach us to recognise one another, to respect one another,
and to keep our hands and our words from harm.
Lord Jesus, as we wait for Your coming,
shine Your light over our islands the way the moon lights the tide.
Heal the wounds we do not speak about.
Strengthen the weak places in our hearts.
Guide our children, comfort our Elders,
and remind us that You walk with us always.
Let this Advent be a time of healing, a time of hope,
a time of returning to love and truth.
Bless every home, every family name, every island from Mer to Boigu.
Praise the Lord, now and forever.
Amen.