Jan 2007 / Feb. 2007 / March 2007 / May 2007 / June 2007 / August 2007

TEACHING JOYS
On April 10th, six days after my return to Indonesia, Jan and I returned to our Indonesian roots for a one-week intensive teaching session. We were at the Christian Church Bible College, and we were the only teachers that week. Jan taught with me Monday afternoon and brought the chapel message Tuesday. I brought the chapel message Thursday, and taught classes every day from eight a.m. to five in the afternoon with a break for lunch. My subject was the autonomous, stand-alone church. We dealt with aspects of dependency and developing the Indonesian church to full maturity and independence. My pleasure was enhanced by the serious commitment of the students. They were enthusiastic and responsive, a tribute to the continuing work of fellow-missionaries who built on the foundations we helped lay. I have an open invitation to return which I intend to accept, probably next January.

A RETURN TO FORMER JOYS & AN EDITORIAL
God called me to serve Him by leading the congregation in Ciputat and to evangelize in Pamulang, Ciputat, and Kedaung. Our congregation is small, but I feel extraordinary joy when serving them. We are a family; we help one another. When one is weak and falls, another is ready to pick him up, pray for him, advise him until he is strong again. In April I had the pleasure of preaching once more in a church I helped to establish. This was at Jelok. We used to call it Jelok-Purwokerto because the locals always referred to the two villages together, and because it was fun to confuse Indonesian friends who are familiar with the two towns in Central Java with these names. This was the first time back after a twenty-seven year absence. We greeted old friends, their children and their grandchildren. Many had gone on to glory, but there were still plenty who remembered us. The preacher is the man our son, Rob, lived with when he did his internship in 1987. The man is now a widower; he has one son working at the Bible College and a daughter working in the office of the churches they call “Lembaga Kerja Sama” (churches working together). One man in a wheel chair because of a stroke, and too weak to attend the church service, came just to see me and say hello.
The church now has its own cement plaster building. They are now projecting an enlargement of the building. This produced the only jarring note of the whole weekend because they hinted they might be seeking outside help. I have been proud to hear and to see over the years most of these small village churches building with their own means. Sometimes their buildings are quite humble. This might be the church that spent a whole year gathering the rocks for their building’s foundation. Every Sunday members each carried a rock to the service and added to the pile. I don’t think it was the price of admission, but it surely was the mark of their commitment. This same church is served by a preacher who regularly preaches for three other churches. In 2004 we toured several church buildings on the mountain above Boyolali including Jelok, and a beautiful building higher up which had been built with financial help from a foreign mission who makes it their ministry to provide money to national church-building programs. This was the only place we were told we could help if we chose. Now this same group has paid for another building, and we are told another church, one we know does not need it, is having money offered to build a new building. This is not progress. It is a step backward into dependency, letting the wealthy foreign Christian take responsibility for things the nationals should do themselves. We fight this attitude constantly. Our goal is not to have more properties or things, but help more people find Christ and to know the joy of living in God’s love. To this end we have set a goal of funding twelve evangelists to start new churches. This funding is with definite, specific parameters so the new church knows and accepts from the beginning their responsibility to be God’s people depending on him alone and answering to God alone. Please pray about the serious problem called dependency. Pray we will have the wisdom to show the Indonesian the respect he needs to be independent of man and dependent on God alone.

JAMU SELLERS IN ACEH
In keeping with our determination to lead all our evangelists to full self-responsibility, we have this month provided start-up funds for a “kaki lima” (five footed business). This is a little misleading. This term usually refers to a cart with two wheels and a foot which provides three of the “feet” and the one pushing it supplies the other two. In this case it’s a four wheeled cart “our man in Aceh” pushes to a busy street location and parks to sell health drinks. The purpose of this is threefold. One, we want to capitalize them long enough to make a going business of it. This is why we have advanced start-up money and are holding capital for future expenses. Two, this will provide valuable cover for two evangelists who are witnessing where the majority say you may not and reinforce this to the point of killing violators. Three, and perhaps most important, this is an on-going opportunity to meet new people, develop new friendships and eventually witness to them. Our man in Aceh and his wife are planning their first baptisms on location, that is right there where they live. Do please pray God will grant them wisdom, discretion, safety, perseverance, and victory.

CIRACAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH, EAST JAKARTA
served by Arllin & Martius Tarigan
Evangelist Daniel preached in Ciracas April 22nd. It was the first time he had been there. He was impressed; he said the people are enthusiastic and on fire for the Lord. The congregation is composed of Bataks from Sumatra and Javanese - two distinct cultural personalities - but the same in Christ. A new family from East Java is worshiping with them every Sunday and studying with Arlin. Pak Banggun, his wife, Yanti and son, Roni will be baptized May 17th. Arlin also reported that there are three new students in her Christian Religion class at the elementary school where she is a teacher. Two of the students are from Muslim families and one from a Buddhist family. The two Muslim students, Minarni and Agnes are also studying with Arlin at Minarni’s house, about 3/4 mile from the Tarigan’s. Minarni’s father has just become a Christian, but is attending a different church primarily for the safety of the Ciracas congregation. His wife is still Muslim. He’s afraid if he and his daughter attend there, some of the Muslim neighbors might make a problem for the congregation. You might remember it was closed down for a while last year, but is accepted now.
WE PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS
Please pray for:
1. Perseverance & guidance for all evangelists and Bob & Jan.
2. Final Title on mission property at Bukit Indah.
3. New missionaries & evangelists to work with ICM.
4. Funds for new mission car which we hope to purchase July 1. We’re short about $5,000.