Ellen and I returned about two weeks ago from what we consider a very rewarding and successful trip to several areas of Indonesia. We left in November and returned before the Christmas and New Year’s holidays for a total of about five weeks in Indonesia. This giant of S.E. Asia is always a beehive of activity with its 220 million inhabitants, and we were involved in a steady stream of activities with the brethren there.
We first spent two weeks in the Bekasi/Jakarta area and worked with three congregations in worship and teaching classes. I spoke at a combined worship service of the Bekasi and Darma Wangsa congregations on our first Sunday there. Brother Daniel Setiabudi continues to lead the congregation at Bekasi in a fine manner and is heavily involved in teaching World English Institute and World Bible School classes as well as conducting a benevolent program for indigent/orphan children which is funded by those supporting Steve Cate. He and his wife are working to primarily feed kids who are from garbage collector’s families. Those families are so poor they cannot afford to send their children to school and get by usually with only one meal per day. The local members at Bekasi save their newspapers and plastic bottles to recycle and give to the families of those children as that gives them a little additional income.
I was given the opportunity to conduct the WEI classes that meet every afternoon and night except Tuesday, where we teach English using Bible lessons as the text. They almost always turn out to be more Bible than English, and we had many lively discussions on Bible topics. Ellen took part in these classes and often gave insights from a woman’s perspective that were helpful especially to the lady students.
We had a WBS seminar at the Bekasi meeting place on one Saturday, and the attendance and interest were very good with about 30 students present. The class lasted from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and there were a lot of Bible questions and discussions after I presented two lessons. There are usually many of the same questions at each seminar and Bible class so I am now working on a series of tracts that will address each of these questions. These can be given to the students and they can pursue the study further in the privacy of their home. On Sunday after the seminar a young Chinese couple was baptized. Daniel had been studying with them for some time and they also were married in December after we left for the States. They have no baptistry in the shop house where they meet so they use a kid’s plastic swimming pool which is filled and then drained afterwards. People in Indonesia often amaze us in their ability to improvise to meet the challenges of their situation.
On our second Sunday we met for combined worship services at the Darma Wangsa meeting place and I preached for the congregation. They had a tremendous fellowship meal after services with an abundance of their local foods and snacks. Sandra who is member there and caters events prepared much of the food with help from other members. It was real feast ! Brother Alip Djoehari leads the congregation at Darma Wangsa although he works full time with Chevron Corp. He preaches each Sunday and also puts in a lot of time translating material for Truth for Today published by Eddie Cloer of Searcy, Ark.
On Sunday afternoons we met with the Chinese brethren in central Jakarta. They are small in number but are gradually growing as they meet and worship each week. Brother Jayadi Bunyamin leads singing, although he had never done so before he recently took that responsibility. Brother Francis Cakra brings the lessons each week, although he had no experience in that area and had never preached before. Both of these brothers are taking on these responsibilities although they are business men and work full time at their jobs during the week.
While we were in Bekasi/Jakarta the Muslim community held their annual sacrifice day which they commemorate in honor of Abraham’s supposed sacrifice of Ishmael ( rather than Isaac). They have special prayers all day from the mosques and cows and goats are slaughtered and the meat distributed to the poor. One cow cost almost $1000 and a goat cost $600. All over town there were makeshift pens with cows and goats for sale by the side of the roads. There were several riots in connection with the distribution of the meat and many folks made accusations of unfair distribution by the authorities. Some of the meat had even spoiled by the time they got around to passing it out since refrigeration is minimal and almost impossible in the situation.
From Bekasi/Jakarta on the island of Java, we traveled to Medan in North Sumatra. The congregation at Suka Baru is in need of a new worship place as the home of the late brother T. Laiya where they have met for years for worship is to be sold. They have been diligently searching for a plot of land in their area, and have a plot which they are in the process of purchasing. A special and much appreciated individual contribution was given toward the purchase price of land and we feel this will greatly facilitate the growth of that congregation when they have a permanent place. We added more funds to the special contribution as the price was more than we had planned for initially. The local brethren are saving all they can to help with the building. It is really essential to the Lord’s cause and for reaching the local people that these brethren to have an adequate meeting place.
I conducted Bible classes for four nights in Medan and there was very good attendance for each study period. We used some of our literature funds to provide Bible concordances for the local teachers in that congregation and will be supplying concordances also for the teachers in the local churches in Nias, which will be about 85 total. Each book costs about $8, but is a vital tool for those brethren who have almost nothing to rely upon as study helps. Their income is very limited and goes for the basic necessities of life, thus they have no extra funds to purchase such materials. I preached at Sunday services on two different weekends , once before going to Nias, and once after returning. Bro Tuloasa Ndruru , the son-in-law of brother Laiya is the preacher for that congregation and he is doing a fine job of leading them in the ways of the Lord. He also works with a new congregation that he established in the mountain area south of Medan. His wife has severe diabetes and had been hospitalized for over a week before we arrived in Medan. We enjoyed being with the brethren there as we lived and worked in that city with the churches there for over eight years in the 70’s.
We are getting out printed materials and preparing more for publication as well as working on additional materials that we will have printed soon. We had 1000 copies of the book, “ The Church of the Bible” by J.C. Choate translated into Nias language and printed and distributed to brethren in Medan and Nias. We will need to print it again as all of the copies have already been given out. I translated this book into Indonesian many years ago and we will continue to have it printed in Indonesian as well. Also, “ The Role of Woman” by Betty Choate is now being translated into Nias language and we will have it printed as soon as it is finished. I translated it into Indonesian a number of years ago and it is much needed for training and instruction for the churches on Nias. We are currently having 2000 copies of the book “ Bible Index” printed as it has been translated into Nias and the brethren there desperately need books like these for tools to help them in being effective teachers and preachers. As I mentioned before there are about 80 congregations of the church on Nias and the need for printed material as Bible study helps is one of their most pressing needs.
From Medan we traveled to Nias for a special training series for local teachers and preachers who came to Gunung Sitoli, the capital of Nias, for this 10 day seminar. I taught classes on the Parables and also dealt with a wide variety of Biblical textual questions and as well as questions about every day Christian living. Twenty men came from their various villages for these special classes that are designed to better equip them for ministering to their home congregations.
There is now a children’s home in Gunung Sitoli that is sponsored by various donors from churches of Christ under the direction of Dennis Cady and the local brethren. We visited the home that has been open for a few months. They have 16 children and have plans to build another building on the same property to house about 29 more. Most of these children come from homes who parent(s) or relatives are members of the church and are destitute and would likely not live but a few more years at best without some kind of provision such as they receive from the orphanage. Brother Cady told those involved with the work when they began that they were looking for children who they thought would not be alive in three years if their condition was not alleviated. They had a list of over 200, but could only take 16 to begin with. Since they have been there one of the children had two siblings in the village to die, and he likely would have also died had he continued in that situation. Their deep poverty is hard for us to imagine, especially when a father dies and leaves a mother and several small children to care for when she has almost no chance of providing for them . The Christian couple who overseer the home also conduct a Sunday School class there each week, and that Sunday they had over 100 kids present from the community.
Brother Cady and other brethren who are generous givers are also providing special skills training in computer literacy and sewing classes in some class rooms on the church campus in Gunung Sitoli. These classes are equipping people who are primarily from churches of Christ with skills to help them make a living in that tough economy. One young man that we reported about who had married at age 13 and had five children finished the sewing course and is doing so well in his home village that he recently came to Gunung Sitoli to purchase a second sewing machine and is hiring someone to help him with his work!
Ellen and I are so grateful to each of you for your support that allows us to prepare Bible study materials and provide training for the churches in Indonesia. We feel blessed to have the opportunity to do a work that we feel is so vital to the spread of the gospel and the strengthening of the church in this giant nation of S.E. Asia. We couldn’t do it with out your prayers and support. Thank you! In His Service, Colin & Ellen McKee
