Beach Front Apartment

There's nothing quite like sleeping near enough to the ocean to listen to the rhythm of the ocean waves and smell the salt air. Dennis Cady is and has been doing a great work on the island of Nias and purchased a large beach front property on which to build a new church building with several other buildings used as needed for different purposes. There is a room there where he usually sleeps and which was made available to Beng Chuan Tan and myself in his absence. We even had air conditioning for our comfort and hot water for our showers. Beng spent his free time sitting on a balcony overlooking the beach sending and receiving emails and short messages while I stayed in the room and rested. Thanks, Dennis, for making this room available to us. It was so much better than renting a hotel room, and thanks to all the brothers who provided transportation for us around the facilities we wanted and needed to visit. Keri picked us up at the airport and spent several hours with us while Jessie ferried us around the rest of the time. That was so appreciated. I also enjoyed visiting with Sechi whom I hope will visit us again in Jakarta soon. Here's an interesting side note about Jessie. It was his father T. Laiya who brought me to Nias in 1974 or about that time. Together we established the first two congregations on the island. So good to see the second generation taking up the work of his father. Jessie continues to be one of the dorm supervisors for the high school resident students in Gunung Sitoli and is also now acting as the director of the children's home a responsibility made necessary because of the untimely death of the 31 year-old former director. Our prayers are with the widow and her children as well as the home itself and all of the 86 or so congregations on the island.