Click on the following link to read Saturday's latest news report
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Saturday's Bombing News link
Friday, July 17, 2009
Bombings in Jakarta
I thought that perhaps some of you might be wondering about my safety because of the bombings of the two luxury hotels in Jakarta yesterday. Actually, I'm safe for 2 reasons: (1), I'm not in Jakarta at present and (2), the bombings occurred about 15 miles from my current apartment. I have often driven by these two beautiful hotels and admired them from a distance but I've never set foot in either of them. They can easily be seen from the toll road which I have used a lot in the past.
The war in Iraq, and to a lesser extent in Afghanistan, has made our work more difficult. It has made Indonesian Muslims less tolerant of Christianity than they formerly were. Women especially have more frequently adapted a Muslim form of dress where before they were more drawn to western dress styles. A terrorist group called Islamiah has made itself evident with several bombings in recent years. The government has taken a very harsh view of these terrorist activities and several terrorist were executed last year, a result of previous bombings. Nevertheless, I think it's safe to say that Indonesians see these wars as attacks upon Islam and this causes an emotional reaction which results in harding their hearts against the Gospel. They are not anti-American. They are just more defensive of Islam than they might have been in the past.
We continue to preach the truth without compromise even on a prominent radio station in Jakarta, but we do make every effort to keep from offending our listeners. We continue to draw students from the radio program and we make every effort to open their eyes to the truth of the Gospel, but we are careful not to do it in a way that offends.
Please continue to pray for our success. Thanks.
Steve Cate
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Every Child Has a Story - Dennis' Report
EFREIANUS LAIA is seven. His mother died two years ago. He has two younger sisters. The one who is about two has deformed arms and legs. She has never sat up. She will never crawl. This is possibly because her mother would never have seen a doctor during her pregnancy and her diet would have been very lacking. Efre's father leaves the children unattended in the house when he works in the fields. On the advice of the those who have experience, we have restricted the ages of those we accept to 6-12. Efre is the one in this family who qualifies. In June we walked down a jungle path and waded a river to go to their house, in such bad repair there is no way a person can be in it during a rain and not get wet. It is propped up with poles at a 45 degree angle, so it won't collapse. I took him a plastic toy truck and some candy. He had never even had candy before......remember he's seven. As we walked back out to our motorcycles I asked those with us if I was correct in thinking that when Efre got sick he would never see a spoonful of medicine or a pill. They said “yes”. With us were two university students who live in our dorms. They are not from the poorest of the poor families but they are from villages. I asked them how many children had died in their families. How many siblings. One said 2 and one said 6. Efre has come to Jochebed's Choice.
SUPERMAN WAU is also seven. Superman is his name, not a nickname. He is the fifth of nine children. His father is dead and his mother is irresponsible. She is gone from home two weeks at a time, returning to change clothes before she leaves again. The oldest child is 16. He is already gone from home trying to make his own way and support himself. A 14 year old boy is the “functioning” head of the family. They eat “what they can, when they can”. Hopefully we can provide several years of growth, education and nurturing for Superman. Fifteen or twenty years from now he will possibly be carrying the weight of his brothers and sisters on his shoulders. He will be the one given opportunities the others didn't have. Could his mother do better by her children? I surely think so. Has the strain of facing her nine children daily knowing she can't feed them, can't ever take them to a doctor and can't send them to school become too much for her? Someone might say, “If they can't feed all these children, they shouldn't have them.” Of course that is right. But they are here now. We can't take all the kids in this family under our wing, but we can take one. I want to be Superman's superman.
The above is from Dennis' latest Nias Report. If you want to see a full copy of it, click on the "comment" button below this article or send me an email and I'll email you a copy of it. Photos will be attached.
Monday, July 13, 2009
2 Baptisms in Medan
Dermawan Laiya and Yunila Lase were baptized by Tuloasa last Saturday. Praise God.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Street Children of Indonesia
Read the full document at www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Indonesia%20Child.doc
When asked, “Why are you on the streets?
“My parents liked to fight, I couldn’t stand it in the house anymore so I took off for Jakarta” (16-year-old boy).
“My parents died. I lived at an Islamic boarding school for five years and never saw my family. So I bolted from the boarding school” (12- year-old boy).
“Because things were tough economically I was often beaten by my parents. That’s why I fled from home” (16-year-old boy).
“My older brother urged me to hit the streets because of the economy” (12-year-old girl).
“My parents divorced, so I caught the train to Jakarta”(13-year-old boy).
When asked, “How do you survive?”
One 16-year-old said he sold papers, polished shoes and helped out in a restaurant. A 13-year-old boy said he jumped car rides for tips (some streets in Jakarta cannot be travelled unless there are 3 passengers in the car). Another (17-year-old boy)said he sang in the streets, carried umbrellas for people on rainy days, and scavenged.
“What kind of problems do you have on the streets?”
A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old stated that they had been raped. One was made a cripple from a beating he received (17-year-old). A girl reported that she is always forced to hand over money.
“How do you handle the violence and who helps you?”
“You have to struggle when someone wants to rape you, and you have to fight when the cops try and grab you. Nobody can help you, you’ve got to help yourself ” (16-year-old boy).
“Just keep your mouth shut. The mosque manager can help you out. Also, make a stick out of wood” (17-year-old boy).
“Give them what they want. But you have to fight them off when they try and kiss you” (16-year-old girl).
Complete article can be read at www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports/Indonesia%20Child.doc
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