McKee's Indonesian Newsletter

Sponsored by Dalraida church of Christ, Montgomery, Al.  Working funds supplied by North MacArthur church of Christ, OKC, and other congregations and individuals.

                                                       April 2009

 

   We have just returned from a very successful trip to the giant of south east Asia,  Indonesia. As I have mentioned before, Indonesia is the fourth largest nation in the world consisting of 17,000 islands and with a population in excess of 230 million. It has over 300 distinct languages and culture groups but the country is united with the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, which is the medium of instruction in all schools and government offices as well as the language of all broadcast networks. We were uncertain that we would be able to leave as scheduled since Ellen had unexpected gall bladder surgery just a week before our departure date. She came through the surgery fine, and we were able to leave according to schedule. We left Dallas on March 9 around noon and arrived some 24 hours later in Singapore. The next morning we boarded a ferry for the 45 minute trip to the Indonesian island of Batam. While in Batam we visited the beautiful new campus of the Bible Training School. The building is about three years old, but this was our first opportunity to visit it. They have about 21 students in the school and Winston Bolt, one of only two full time missionaries from the U.S. for the entire nation of Indonesia is head of the school. From Batam we flew  to Medan, and when we arrived at the airport, it was extremely  crowded  because of  political parties and their candidates coming to town to campaign. It was election time for the president and other officials, and the streets were constantly jammed with campaigners in vans, buses, and motorcycles. The next day we boarded a small plane for the flight to Gunung Sitoli  the capital of the island of Nias. Nias is a 75 minute plane ride from Medan and is a very mountainous island off the west coast of Sumatra, 75 miles long and 25 miles wide. Most of the people are very poor, making a living by either subsistence farming or fishing. The bulk of the population seems to congregate along the coast in villages and the rest live in the hills and jungles that are almost inaccessible by road. The 05 earthquake that devastated the island turned out to be a blessing is several ways as many improvements in housing, schools, and roads systems were effected due to generous gifts from various charitable organizations. The main road around the island is 100% better and a new hospital is being completed in Gunung Sitoli since the old one was destroyed by the earthquake. They don’t yet have proper staff or medical equipment for the new facility. The 30 minute ride from the airport to the small new hotel where we stayed was one of the most enjoyable parts of our trip. There are impressive views of the ocean with coconut palms swaying in the breeze, local houses with their small yards filled with banana, papaya, and cocoa trees as well as brilliantly colored tropical flowers along both sides of the road. Many of the homes also have graves and tombstones of their ancestors in their yards.

   Our purpose in visiting Nias was to conduct a special seminar for ten days. The church in Gunung Sitoli holds these seminars for the village teachers/preachers on a regular basis.  Eighteen men came to take part in this concentrated course to further equip them for teaching and preaching the gospel in their home villages. I taught two special courses on The Doctrine of Final Things, and The Harmony of the Gospels (first series). The men were eager to learn and always had a lot of questions at each session. It was a real joy to have a part in helping these servants of our Master grow and mature in the faith. I also had the opportunity to teach several classes for dorm students who are staying in dorms that Dennis Cady has raised funds for and purchased. The students are primarily from the homes of church members on Nias. They were eager learners and had a lot of relevant questions. They would have gone all night with their questions, but we wrapped up the sessions after about two hours. In addition to the seminars there is the great need for printed materials for the churches in Indonesia. I talked with one of the local preachers in Gunung Sitoli, Keri, about the need to make literature available to the churches there. Keri is one of the leaders of the church in Gunung Sitoli, also a son in law of the late brother Laiya. Keri does a great job and stays very busy with classes, seminars and overseeing the sewing and computer classes as well as office work that has to be done to keep all of the programs going. He said they need more copies of “ Why I Am a Member of The Church of Christ” which has been translated and printed many times in the past. Also, the Bible Index is a much needed tool for the local preachers. We are working with them to get these translated and printed in the Nias language as many of the older preachers and members are not fluent in Indonesian. Brother Tuloasa in Medan is working on translating The Church of The Bible into the Nias language also and we will have that printed as soon as he is finished. Keri is going to teach a course for the ladies from Betty Choate’s book on the Role of Women which I translated several years ago. There are still copies of that available in Jakarta which we had printed some years ago, and while we were there we made arrangements to send a supply of those to the brethren in Nias. Copies of that book were also passed out to participants of the seminar in Bekasi as the ladies especially, and a number of men, had many questions about the role of women in the church.

  The seminar was conducted in the new church building of the congregation in Gunung Sitoli. Dennis Cady has given and raised funds for this beautiful facility which also has annexes which are used for teaching practical courses in sewing and computer literacy. Those courses are very important for training people in a practical way to may a living for themselves. It is a great opportunity for open doors to teach the gospel to the students who attend those classes. One young man who is taking the sewing course told how his parents in the village forced him to marry when he was only 13. He now has five children and with the training he is receiving, he will be able to provide for his family. Dennis Cady worked in North Sumatra with us in the early seventies. He was in Siantar and we were in Medan. After several years there he returned to the states to full time preaching but was involved in business also, and some years ago he went into business full time and has been very successful. He has used his success to help with the work in Nias in a very generous way and has raised funds for rebuilding churches and schools that were demolished in the 05 earthquake. He was in Gunung Sitoli when the earthquake struck and survived with only an ankle injury. Hundreds were killed in that quake. I had the honor of preaching the first sermon in their new building which had just been completed before we arrived. There were about 200 people present, but my preacher count had many more than that! They will have a grand opening with government officials invited, a usual practice for a new building in Indonesia, next month when Dennis makes another trip there. I mentioned the dorms in Gunung Sitoli where students from church member families can come and stay and further their education. Without those facilities schooling would be unavailable to them and the future ability to make a living would likely be limited to village farming alone. Bible classes are held for the residents of the dorms four nights per week. On the first Sunday we were there the church had a fellowship meal after morning worship. The cost of the food was pretty high, but the dorm students gave the money to purchase the vegetables, which amounted to about $30. That was quite a contribution for them in that society! On our second Saturday in Gunung Sitoli we were able to visit the house and property which is being renovated for use as an orphanage. John Bailey, son of the late J.C. Bailey, long time missionary to India, provided the funds for that building. Brother Bailey, who is a retired dentist, does medical missions in several third world countries. He has participated in, and helped to fund several medical missions to south Nias. His foundation, BANDS, has also funded orphanages in other third world countries such as China and the Philippines. The orphanage is sorely needed on Nias as some parents simply abandon their young children to fend for themselves. Keri told about a seven year old girl who was abandoned by her parents as they moved away to look for work, and the girl has to work in the rice fields and in other ways to provide for herself and two younger siblings. The home will initially house 16 children. There are now some 70 congregations on Nias and the need for training and maturation is acute. We are in the process of getting literature prepared and printed in the Nias language for the use of the brethren throughout the island.

  The small hotel with an ocean view where we stayed has only been opened for a short time and is only a few blocks from the church building, thus making the commute to classes and to worship services much easier than on previous visits. Sometimes we walked, sometimes we took a becak  ( motorcycle with side cart), and sometimes I ( Colin) rode on the back of Keri or Yesi’s motorcycle. Our room was small but clean and the air conditioner worked! It was interesting to look out our window and see the various activities going on along the beach. The beach is far from white or pristine. The people living there are poor fishermen with their families. Goats ,  ducks, chickens, and cats roam up and down the beach looking for food and kids are playing in the sand and water. Those living there go out early in the morning and dump their garbage and household waste on the beach for the tide to take it away. They usually have no inside bathrooms so they resort to that practice to function as their sewerage disposal.

  From Gunung Sitoli we returned to Medan for several days where I taught some special classes for the Suka Baru congregation. That congregation has been meeting for years in the home of the late brother Laiya, but the house is going to be sold by the family members and those brethren need help in purchasing a small lot to erect a simple building in that part of town. Brother Laiya’s son-in-law works with that congregation which is made up mostly of brethren of Nias origin. These brethren are very poor but they are saving all they can toward buying a plot of land. Most of them are trishaw drivers or manual laborers. They are giving as much as they can and need others to help them obtain a permanent place for worship.

  From Medan we flew to the monstrous  metro plex of Jabodetabek ( Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi) with a population of over 22 million).  We helped with classes and Bible studies that are conducted regularly by Daniel Setiabudi and Martin Johnson in Bekasi. Daniel and Martin teach classes that use the Bible to teach English four nights per week , and often the classes are much more Bible than English. Daniel also conducts a radio program on Sunday nights. He was converted through World Bible School courses over ten years ago and from the outset has been very diligent and faithful in service to our King. There are hundreds of excellent contacts through the radio program and from students bringing their friends to classes. Martin Johnson and his family are now helping with the work in Bekasi. They had worked for five years in Papua and recently moved to Bekasi to be involved in that work. He and his wife Julie, have two precious young children, Sarah,, age 6, and Seth, age 2,  and they are doing a great work. I was impressed with Martin’s soundness and eagerness to teach the gospel to the students. Please remember them in your prayers that they all stay safe and healthy and continue to uphold the truth of God’s word. The interest of the students there is very high and we enjoyed the opportunity to share truths from God’s word with them. We had a two day Bible seminar where World Bible School students were invited to come and study from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m.  The building was crowded for each session and it was a wonderful opportunity to teach a room full of people for two days who were not Christian. A number of the participants and those who take the regular classes are near to the kingdom but they are having real struggles in making the break from their family traditions or denominational ties. There have been a several of them converted already and hopefully others will soon make that commitment.  I preached at a combined service on Sunday with brethren from Bekasi, Pinangsia, and Darma Wangsa. The congregation at Pinangsia is made up mainly of Chinese  brethren. The  congregation at Darma Wangsa is led by Alip Djoehari and his  brother Manto. Alip is the brother whom I work with in the translation of Truth for Today materials and he does an excellent job in that.  His father was converted from Islam years ago through listening to a radio program that Steve Cate conducted. He and his brother, Manto, are solid brothers and I believe are good prospects for the eldership in the near future. The congregation at Darma Wangsa although very small, gives money each month to help support two brothers working in East Java and works with them in their programs of evangelization. The church at Bekasi meets in and conducts the Bible classes in a shop house that Steve Cate recently rented for two years. Steve has been going to Jakarta/Bekasi for about the last ten years and staying for two months at the time, then back home for one and then again to Jakarta. He has been involved in the classes in Jakarta/Bekasi and the radio program and follow up with the Bible Course students for all these years. We stayed in his third floor apartment of the building in Bekasi which was very convenient.  The opportunities and prospects throughout the nation of Indonesia are great. Exciting things are happening and souls are being won for the cause of Christ. Pray with us that many more hearts will be opened to receive the truth of the gospel. The only answer for the problems of Indonesia, for our problems, and the problems of the world, is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your support which enables us to do our part in getting the gospel to this massive nation of lost souls.

In Christ, Colin & Ellen