Desman baptized by Tuloasa

Another photo of Desman.

Desman recently baptized in Medan

Desman studied with Tuloasa and was recently baptized. Puji Tuhan.

Daniel Revisits The Garbage Collector and His Family

I went to visit the garbage collector again today and also talked to some of his neighbors who originally come from the same area of Java. His daughter is ready to register for school today. I will pay for her uniform and school supplies. The room in which the family lives is awful, the atmosphere inside is not good. I couldn’t breath and he felt ashamed. I told him that I’m not a rich man and cannot help others whom he has suggested I help. I suggested that we surrender everything to God. I don’t know why I have pity on this man. I saw him several times when he was returning home from the garbage dump, carrying his children and wife in his cart.

Daniel, not a rich man himself, reaches out to the poor.

I went to the same person this morning around 8 AM. The husband and the wife are ready to leave for searching garbage. but when I came with my wife, they let us enter their "home" made from materials salvaged from the garbage. I saw their children sleep on the dirt floor covered with kapok. The whole family sleeps together in the same room and the room is very dark. They have to pay $3 a month for the land. The land is owned by a Chinese man. This garbage man's real name is Sudira. The former name I mentioned was his nick name. He is from Losarang Indramayu with no inheritance after the death of his parents. His wife also had no inheritance, so they moved to Bekasi and became garbage collectors because they have no education and no skills. They have an 11 old year girl who is not able go to school. He also has other children aged 6, 5, and 2 1/2 plus their last who died because of sickness. He collects garbage, especially plastic and glass. They only eat once a day and they told me that just yesterday they didn't eat anything. They sometimes can't go searching for garbage because the government officials appear to be in the area and could arrest them including the children. Just recently they had to pay a fine of $20 because the children were arrested while searching the garbage. The small children beg for money and search garbage at night when the market place is full of carts selling food. The girl also used to beg when she was smaller, but now she has become ashamed of begging. She just takes what she can from the garbage. I urged the oldest (the girl) to attend school, I told her about about the girl who worked at my mom's house and then she agreed, I asked the father to register at the school closest to their area and inform me about the cost. The village is filled with people in the same condition but I am still very careful about taking pictures of the place. I couldn't do it this time. I had to see their condition first. I saw most of them had tattoos and were looking at us with suspicion. Here, people like that could be criminals. I saw many carts (gerobak dorong) so I realized that they are in the same condition as the garbage collector. Their homes are the same as the garbage collector's. When I asked where my man lived, one of them pointed to the place. It seems they knew I had met the person before and while I talked to the person, some of them were watching us. The person I met agrees that if we have a place where we can put their children and help them to have a better life, he is willing to place them there; but, they would still want to visit them from time to time because they still love their children. They do not like the other children's homes because they forbid the parents to visit them and that's why they do not send their children there.

Abdi also had a problem when he wanted to take pictures of the children sleeping at the market or shop corner. They were suspicious that he came from the government to arrest them. Most of the children have strong suspicions about others.
Daniel

Please Read This Story From Daniel

I stopped this man near a market place and talked to him. He has 5 children, none of which go to school. He says that he earns about $1 a day and feeds his children with that. He comes from an area of Java where poor parents often sell their daughters into marriage at an early age to keep from having to feed them.

He goes many different places in the city in search of plastics, paper or metals and he usually takes his wife and children with him to help.

I asked him if he ever goes through our area and he said he does, so I invited him to visit us. He has one teenager but the rest are not yet 10 years of age.

I asked him about sending his children to school and letting me pay the bill and he said there were 10 families near him in the garbage dump in his same condition. We could spend our whole budget on the children in this one area and there are more than 20 children living in these conditions.

When my youngest daughter was 11, I met a girl that had recently come from West Java. She was also 11. She worked for my mom. I asked her not to work but to go to school. She had been asked by her family to marry so she would not be a burden to the family. She refused. When my sister-in-law heard me encouraging her to attend school, she decided to help. After lots of encouragement, the girl decided to attend school with our support and financial aid. Now she has become a dental assistant passing her exams just this year. Her brother is still a carpenter with no education.

We can make a difference! Please help us. 50 cents a day will make a big difference in the lives of these children and their families.

Plight of the poor

More photos have been added showing how the poor survive in Jakarta. We are trying to help children found in these conditions to a better life - food, clothes, shelter, education, health care, hope for the future and eternal life for their souls.

$15 a month will feed one child. Will you help?

To view all the photos follow the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/johndudleytu/GarbageColectors?authkey=Gv1sRgCNO2r5rLjdG4Hg#

Once you are there, click on any photo to enlarge it.

Garbage Collectors

How would you like to live in this neighborhood? The folks that live here are probably very near the bottom of the socio/economic scale in Jakarta. They make their living by sorting through the garbage and saving what might be recycled for some cash. I know that we have waste management companies that do the same thing on a very large scale, but the people that work for the waste management compaies get paid more than a minimum wage. These folks in Jakarta work only for what they can salvage - plastic, paper. We don't show any children in these photos, but sometimes the children also sort through the trash to supplement the family income. Very few of these children have time for normal play with other children or time for an education. The people that live in these houses pictured here are probably squating on government property. The make-shift houses are built with materials they have salvaged from the dump. These are not pretty pictures and to see them in person tears your heart out.

"83% of the garbage produced in Jakarta is collected by the local community, scavengers, the local government and the private sector. The remaining 17% is thrown into the rivers." (a quote from the internet)

For a larger photo of the above, go to the following link and then click on the individual photos. To see all the associated photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/johndudleytu/GarbageColectors?authkey=Gv1sRgCNO2r5rLjdG4Hg#

From Dennis on Nias

Jochebed's Choice Children's Home Report

The children's home is now serving 17 children, ages 6-12. Each child has a sponsor. These kids came from the poorest of the poor families. Only one is an orphan. Others have lost one parent each. This was, no doubt, a significant factor in their extreme poverty. We look for children who would never see a doctor when sick, either would not go to school at all or would drop out quickly, have inadequate nutrition and in short have a life always struggling to survive. I don't doubt at all that some of these kids would not have been alive to see their 16^th birthday. We took them to a doctor and got rid of worms. Internal parasites consume 20% of the nutritional value of any food eaten. They now eat well. They have anything they need for school, and after school three days a week we provide private instruction to help them catch up. Most of them are behind their grade level. One boy who was in 4^th grade last year didn't know his ABCs. The school near the children's home is working with us. They put him in 2^nd grade which is a challenge for him but it won't be much longer. Most of them have never had a store bought toy. Some of them had never seen a bar of soap. Our staff had a problem getting them to wear underwear—when you are poor enough thats one luxury you don't have. (Ever think about underwear as a luxury?) In less than three months the director of the home, Bazaruhdin, himself just a junior high graduate (his father died when he was in junior high, he dropped out of school but later finished in a program like the GED program in the U.S.) has them so polite, eager to learn, sharing, singing songs kids enjoy and leading prayes that would make any grandparent proud. His wife, Wati, and two single girls do the cooking, washing and cleaning under the direction of Yani, wife of Ceri, the coordinator of what we do in Nias. I feel so inadequate when it comes to explaining what this home is doing and will do for these kids. The property purchased in February is 22 kilometers from town and 3 kilometers from the airport, on the main road of the island. The land is 90' x 200'. It had a seven bedroom, two bath house with a kitchen, dining room, living room and large halls. It needed painting, electrical updates, a new tin roof and minor renovations to be suitable for our purpose. We added a third bathroom, built an 8' brick wall around the entire property for security and dug a well. We have since built a 25' x 40' multipurpose building. Construction has begun on a partial second floor which will have four rooms for children and a room for a single assistant dorm parent. This will let us take 12-14 more children. We hope to have this done by January so we can take the children at semester break from school. $12,000. is needed NOW to let us give a home to another 12-14 children. This includes furniture and a fourth bathroom. If we play it safe and wait until the dollars are in the bank to start construction it may not be finished in time to take the kids January 1^st. We can only count on getting kids in school July lst and January lst. We also need a late model used pickup. There is always something that needs to be hauled to or from the children's home. Other parts of the work can use it from time to time. $7,000. should purchase the pickup in the provincial capital of Medan over 20 hours from Nias, bring it to us and do the necessary paperwork to transfer ownership. The kids need playground equipment. We will purchase this as funds are in hand. We would like to provide four pieces of equipment: swings, slide, teeter totter and some climbing bars perhaps. Each will cost $350. so there is a need for $1,400. We will feed, clothe and educate these children. We will feed and train their souls.

Man Half Blind With Three Children

This man used to come to our worship at my house. He's half blind and was left by his wife and his first son. He works as a masseur and tries to feed his 3 young children who now have no mother. Being handicaped he can't care for them well. The children usually wear very dirty clothes and the older son, seen in this photo, has to cook and feed his younger brother and sister. Abdi went to his house to see if they were any better off than before. He didn't find any differences.
Daniel

Daniel, adds that the 12 year old who does the cooking attends school but in a "hand-me-down" uniform donated to him. In Indonesia each child need a uniform and money to cover other school costs.

To see more photos of this family, click on the following link. http://picasaweb.google.com/johndudleytu/Toto0909?authkey=Gv1sRgCMyRidbqyNbG4AE#

Husband and Wife Baptized by Tuloasa Recently in Medan

Praise the Lord.

Puji Tuhan

For all five photos click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/johndudleytu/T1009?authkey=Gv1sRgCIy8yejg48f_Og#

Eshter, 10 years. 4th grade

One of 20 we have been feeding. Will you help? 50 cents a meal is all it takes. Please send your check to my sponsoring church. Thanks.

Andrian , 8 years old, 1st grade

Think of it! He's 8 years old and only in 1st grade.

At least he's getting an education now.

$15 a month will help feed this child. Can you help us?

Bogor children's home

The KOI feeding program at work. The children are enjoying sweets.

50 cents will feed one child one meal. Will you help us feed the children?

Bogor children's home

50 cents equals one meal. Would you miss 50 cents from your pocket change? Will you help us feed these children?

Click on the photo for a larger picture.

Click on "comments" to give us your input. Thanks.

Mud Covered Villages Turned Into Mass Graves

To read the whole articles click on the links below.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/05/lost-hamlets-become-mass-graves-after-huge-quake.html

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/05/indonesia-calls-search-missing-survivors.html

Death toll now up to 1, 100

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091002/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_earthquake

Death toll in Indonesia earthquake rises to 777

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091001/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_earthquake

US Embassy Warden Message - Earthquake

Warden Message: Earthquake in Western Sumatra, Indonesia

October 1, 2009

On Wednesday, September 30, at 5:15 pm there was a major earthquake in Western Sumatra, Indonesia. The worst hit major population center was Padang, a coastal town, about 850 miles northwest of Jakarta. Aftershocks have continued. There is serious damage in the Padang area, and most roads and telephone lines are cut. Airports are open but travel to Padang is not recommended by other than essential emergency service providers due to the complete lack of infrastructure. Other areas of Indonesia, including Jakarta and Bali are unaffected. U.S. Embassy Jakarta and U.S. Consulate Medan staff are attempting to communicate with Indonesian authorities and affected Americans in the Padang area, and visit as soon as possible. We urge Americans in Indonesia to inform interested parties directly of their wellbeing to allow our staff to concentrate on assisting those Americans most directly affected and out of contact.

Indonesia Quake Toll Soars; Thousands Trapped - Asia | Travel | Map - FOXNews.com

Indonesia Quake Toll Soars; Thousands Trapped - Asia | Travel | Map - FOXNews.com

Posted using ShareThis

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/01/indonesia.quake.man.trapped/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

• STORY HIGHLIGHTS
• Singaporean man, 55, has been trapped since Wednesday's quake
  
• Indonesian military trying to pull man from rubble of a hotel
  
• Three people he was with have been rescued, but another person died
  
• The military commander thinks this man is the last person trapped in the hotel

Medan's BMG spokesman Rifwar Kamin said the areas in North Sumatra hardest hit by the quake included Nias Island.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/01/‘thousands-trapped’-under-rubble.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/01/world/main5354548.shtml

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/01/evacuation-victims-top-priority-government.html

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/01/floods-exacerbate-quake-victims039-misery-jambi.html

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/01/navy-dispatch-war-ships-carry-aid.html