A CALL HOME

Words: Samantha Ortiz

Mandy Garling is often found serving her local church in Darwin, carrying a tray full of coffees for other volunteers. This building has become an important space for her. It has poignant associations with her past, (her parents and sister having been married here), as well as great significance to her present. It’s a place where she’s found purpose and belonging. A place she now affectionally calls ‘home’. You can find her there most weekends, worshipleading and serving, bringing energy and joy, (as well as those coffees), to many around her.

From the outside looking in, it might seem like Garling has been there her whole life — like she’s familiar with the feeling of ‘home’. And truly, her own family tree displays many faithful and prominent relatives, committed to serving the church. But the truth is, though Mandy met Jesus at the tender age of 16, she’s only found the rhythm of belonging in the last two years. For most of her life, music has been Garling’s passion. While currently working as a sound engineer, Garling has a background in radio and is also a gifted singer/songwriter. She’s written fiftyfive original songs, and participated in many festivals and competitions, including the Darwin Festival in 2020 where she performed her original song ‘The Streets of Darwin’ live. It is a beautiful tribute to her childhood — guitar in hand, surrounded by family, surrounded by song, the music rising like the flames of her campfire climbing high into the night sky. Smiles and laughter are found in abundance with the scent of good food and fresh air. She has a gift — one listen and you feel transported.

But music hasn’t always come easily to her. In fact, Garling spent a lot of her childhood deaf.

Diagnosed with a condition called tropical ears, Garling suffered hearing loss until the age of eight. In a family surrounded by many siblings, each as musically and physically talented as the last, Garling

spent her own childhood struggling to hear and speak. Her early days of schooling were spent in special-unit classes as she fought to learn to communicate.

But then, after an implantation of grommets — tiny ventilation tubes that allow circulation around the middle ear — Garling experienced the miraculous recovery of her hearing.

“My mum and dad said I was always trying to hum, like I must be hearing something in my mind and that [sound] was going to my ears and trying to come out my voice, but it couldn’t,” Garling said. “So, after my hearing popped, I just started singing.”

It wasn’t just hearing she gained, but a musical ability she’d carry with her for the rest of her life. She learned vocal technique and how to play piano all by ear, as well as guitar from watching her older brother play.

And it’s safe to say, she never stopped. In retrospect, Garling can easily see God’s hand on her life. But for a long time, their journey together had its ups and downs. For many years, Mandy found herself in patterns of attending church for a few months and then disappearing for six or more. And those weren’t the only patterns she followed. Unhealthy relationships with men, food and with her own self-image weighed on Garling for twenty-plus years.

“Every time I got close to God, I pulled away because I found it hard to commit…I had friends that were not Christians…we were doing late night gigs and that kind of stuff…your life gets busy, and you get used to it. You get used to your strongholds.”

But two years ago, after she received a lifethreatening diagnosis, all that changed.

“I had type-two diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure — the doctors told me that I was only going to live to 44. This sickness has been in my family and some of them have actually died of it. I was basically on the path to my death.”

For the first time ever, Garling headed for transformation. Along with changes to her physical and mental well-being, she sought a spiritual change as well. For three months, she sat in church every week and waited on God.

“I remember sitting at the end of my bed, on my knees…and I gave God everything…. I said, ‘God, I can’t do this anymore, I need you in my life…if you can hear me, I will serve you for the rest of my life.’”

Now, two years later, the doctors have reversed her diagnosis, and she is the healthiest she’s ever been. She has also been back to church for two years straight, having broken many of the detrimental cycles in her life.

“What’s best,” she said, “is that people are witnessing the change within me…non-Christians too, and I’m not ashamed anymore. I tell them I go to church every Sunday for this reason.”

She knows the journey is far from over — she still has to actively reset her mind every morning — but she has confidence that God will continue to help her live free from her old, unhealthy cycles. It’s one of the loudest messages she shares. “If you’re caught in a cycle, remember that…. He can get you out…I gave God my life. I said, ‘Take it. Use

These days she mentors artists from all different walks of life, teaching them to write about their life experiences. She believes strongly in music’s ability to heal, and often involves herself in projects like the Southwater Divas, a song-writing program for women coming from domestic violence and broken homes.

“The beautiful thing about this program is that [the women] get to write their story on a piece of paper and perform it for me. Their families come and support them, and it’s a healing process for them.”

She’s also mentored young Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander women, helping them compose melodies so they too, can share their song.

“The power of music to heal is when it comes from real life…It can give you the feeling of peace, calm — you know, give you strength…that’s why I need music in my life and that’s why I guess I have a lot to give.”

Garling could go on forever about her new life with God, reflecting on all the experiences in her life that bear His fingerprints — leading her home. But as vividly as she can see God in her past, she also sees him in her future.

“I’m not going to hold back [with] whatever he shows me next, because I’m actually excited to see where He’s taking me…I want to [write] more gospel…I haven’t done that yet…but because I’m now working more with God, I want to write songs about that. Yeah, that’s going to be another whole story.”

When asked if she could pinpoint what made her seek God after all those years, Garling smiled. “I think God was always calling me home. I just finally listened.”