On behalf of the team, I offer a belated hello. For every day that the blog was not updated, know that there are a dozen stories that hopefully you’ll get to hear someday!
To recap a little from the Singapore CI, the all-day seminar on Saturday was simply an answer to prayer. This is usually the toughest day of the week, but it was completely different. God glorified Himself through our weakness and all praise goes to Him! During parent presentation, I was so thankful and awed by hearing 115 children on stage, reciting Psalm 20:1-9 together. Their prayer of petition and praise honored God’s name.
How quickly the days pass! As we began this week in Jakarta, we are aware of the short time left. Join us in praying that we would redeem the time, and that we would be willing and obedient to pursue the opportunities God has given us here.
Thank you for your continued prayers for health and safety. The team is overall tired, but doing well. Going from clean, modern Singapore to third-world Jakarta has been a culture shock! From the window of the taxi (or “taksi,” as it’s spelled here), the view strikes me as literally unbelievable. The amount of traffic is mass chaos; people hang out of the bus doors. Mopeds, carrying two or three passengers, weave through traffic constantly. And honking—always honking. When traffic slows to a stop, barefoot children immediately wander into the midst of the vehicles, begging. Mothers holding tiny babies attempt to sell items. Underpasses are generally spotted with homeless people, making a home. The sun’s rays are hot, but they never fully penetrate the oppressive smog blanketing the city.
Yesterday morning, the team visited a Christian drug rehab center, located on the edge of Jakarta. The staff there gave us a tour of the facility and explained the setup of their program. They currently have around thirty men in their program. We spent time with many of them in the center’s chapel. We sang and prayed, and several shared their testimonies—both rehab men and team members. The sweet fellowship can’t be explained in the world’s terms, because it is a mystery and miracle from the Lord. Language barriers, race, personal pasts, nationality, age – nothing mattered. We were one in Christ, because of His power and love in our lives. We joined them for lunch and enjoyed some one-on-one time visiting with them. One man mentioned that they rarely had visitors from anywhere out of Indonesia. They were excited and honored that we would come, but I think we left more encouraged!
Thank you again for your prayers. We feel at the end of ourselves physically and emotionally, and know that anything good that comes is from the Lord.
Pictures coming soon...
