Christine had just finished a six-year term with the Navy when she heard about the Christmas Island role and, although she was looking forward to a bit of a break, she felt the need to find out more. Her tentative inquiry led quickly to an interview and a new appointment; indeed, her arrival on Christmas Island in  December was the answer to many prayers, and the role seems to have been created just for her.

Christine was first drawn to Navy chaplaincy because she felt it was, "the place of greatest need — people isolated, away from home, away from support  mechanisms. I wanted to be able to be alongside people like that."

Chaplaincy, says Christine, is "an opportunity to love people."

The Christmas Island placement is jointly funded by the Anglican Diocese of Perth and the Uniting Church in Australia, after church leaders visited the  detention centre in February 2010. Although the Catholic Church already has a presence on the Island, they realised more pastoral support was needed.

The task is huge, and Christine is aware she is only one person. She sees her role as supporting what is already happening in the community, and has already met with local religious leaders and connected with local Christian congregations.

"What's exciting is that both the services have other languages, depending on who is attending," says Christine, adding that it shows real hospitality for people to have the patience to listen through multiple translations.

A highlight has been a baptism of an Iranian couple, who had converted to Christianity back in their home country but never had an opportunity to be baptised. A local tradition has developed of filling an old rowing boat with water for baptism.

"It's quite a powerful symbol of new life and new hope, and being on the journey with God," says Christine.

While the oil spill from the shipwrecked MV Tycoon which happened a few weeks after her arrival was a difficult time, itallowed Christine to connect with the

community and offer practical support.

"The community response was amazing. I spent every day down there for a week, doing pastoral care logistics. It was quite wonderful to see the commitment.

"Everyone just piled in together. There was a sense of hope about it, we can do something to fix this, and they did."

Other special moments give an insight into the life of an Island chaplain.

In the detention centre, the Iranian asylum seekers don't enjoy the western food, finding it too sweet, "so they wash it and then re-flavour it," explains Christine.

One day, Christine was invited to share the detainees' re-cooked meal.

"They were so proud that they were able to give," she recalls. "People in the centres, they come because they want to get a new life, but they also want to give and contribute. It almost transcended where we were, we could have been in a café on a roadside in Melbourne or Perth.

It was a really ordinary experience in an extraordinary place."

Times of normality are precious. A group of local women runs a Thursday morning women's only space, where detainees can have some time out to relax.

"It's quite amazing, those who come for the first time usually come with a sense of burden in their body language," she says. "Even after an hour or two hours, they are laughing and their shoulders are back. It's wonderful to see that and you hope that will sustain them as they manage households and look after small children."

A similar Friday group runs for male detainees, and Christine has already built good relationships with the organisers, who are handing over co-ordinating duties for both groups while they are away from the Island for a few weeks.

Many of those who work in nontraditional settings talk about a ministry of presence. However, explains Christine, "It's more than just having cups of tea with people.

"It's the intentionality of how you're doing it, and how you're trying to move people; you're actually trying to break open the sacred, in order for people to

feel the love of God."

Christine's placement is funded through the President's 'Care for Christmas Island' Appeal. To donate, visit http://assembly.uca.org.au and follow

the links or contact the WA Synod on (08) 9260 9800 for more information.