Indonesia Week Three – Bali to Sentani
Monday we had our last large group meetings. Some of the 160
participants had to leave over the weekend, but those of us who
remained carried on with the work. We focused on how the
future planning for SIL and Partners in Asia will look in our regions
of Asia and how we can best adjust to be the most effective in
reaching the minority peoples with the transforming Word of
God. We did have time for a group picture, but you will notice
that some are facing away from the camera because they are
working in very sensitive locations.
My meetings Tuesday were with a much smaller group (about 25) focused on support services for Asia
and the Pacific. These were great opportunities to discuss face-to-face the challenges we face in our
roles and how we can best help each other across this vast area.
My day didn’t end with these meetings; it had really just begun.
After the meetings ended and we had a bite to eat, Liz and I headed
to the airport for the flight to Sentani, Papua province at the far
eastern side of Indonesia. Mickey and I have known Liz for about ten
years. She lives in Manila where she assists with the Information
Technology needs of the group. She was going to Sentani to lead
several workshops focused on software that is being used in Literacy
programs across that region.
As we left for the airport, I wondered what to call a flight that leaves at 1:25 AM? Is that a late flight or
an early flight? Either way, neither Liz nor I were able to sleep much before we arrived at Sentani at 8:30
Wednesday morning.
As we were preparing to leave Bali, word reached us that the undersea
internet cable serving Papua province was broken. There were quite a few
rumors or stories as to what happened. Was it an undersea earthquake that
broke the cable? An undersea volcanic eruption? My favorite is that a shark bit
and damaged the cable. I guess that really does happen. Whatever the cause,
Liz and I arrived in a true crisis: internet withdrawal was full blown. Every time I
mentioned the internet, everyone laughed. It was sort of fun being
“unplugged” for a while. There was a backup internet connection for the
province, but it was extremely slow-to-non-existent most of the time, but I was
occasionally able to get a brief message home.
Alice is the leader of the Field Security Committee for Papua Province. She picked Liz and me up at the
airport and took us to where we would be staying. This gave me some time to settle in and get the
training materials ready for the morning. After a nice supper with one of the families working in Sentani
and a good night of sleep, I was ready to begin the Crisis Management Team training. This one day
seminar is to prepare individuals to join a Crisis Management Team which will assist the Field Security
Committee in dealing with significant crisis situations involving Wycliffe members. SIL is no longer
working in Indonesia, so the Wycliffe members working in Indonesia are sponsored by local
organizations. There are currently seven non-government organizations, three church organizations, and
one mission school sponsoring these Wycliffe members. Each of these organizations, as well as the
Wycliffe organizations these individuals came from, are looking to the Field Security Committee to care
for their Wycliffe members in case of a crisis. It is a big job.
Twenty five years ago SIL Aviation turned over leadership of the
aviation program in this region to a new non-government
organization known as YAJASI. The program has grown significantly
over those years and is under the leadership of an Indonesian
Director and a majority Indonesian Board of Directors. Several of the
families Mickey and I went to Moody Bible Institute and Moody
Aviation with have worked with YAJASI throughout those years. The
YAJASI leadership offered the use of their facilities for the training
sessions and this served us very well.
Twenty five people attended the Crisis
Management Team training including
several Indonesian members of the
sponsoring organizations. It was a
stressful day for many (that is part of
my job to make it as life-like as
possible) and the comments I received
told me that many left with a new
appreciation for what is involved in
managing a crisis to resolution.
Friday was the first of two days of training for the Field Security Committee. This committee is
composed of a representative from each of the sponsoring organizations. We focused on developing an
actual Risk Assessment of Papua Province as the Committee members felt this would be the greatest
help for them. This was a review for two of the Committee members and quite a new process for the
rest. They did a great job and by the end of the day had identified and ranked seventy-one potential
crisis events they felt needed to be addressed. We discussed how to reduce the likelihood of these
events affecting the members, and how to reduce the impact these events would have should they
occur. We also discussed what other help is available to deal with these outside of the Field Security
Committee and possible Crisis Management Teams. It was encouraging to see that there is other help
and support available. Friday ended with a lot more work to be done to finish the Risk Assessment and
begin working on Contingency Plans. That will be the focus for our Monday sessions.
Friday night was an opportunity to get out of the
classroom and visit Hillcrest International School
which most of the Wycliffe children attend. This
was the final night of their big basketball
tournament. There were boy’s and girl’s teams
from Hillcrest and several other area schools. It
was a very loud and fun night of basketball and
burritos. I was able to see quite a few other
friends at the games and had a few conversations. Did I mention it was really loud? The Hillcrest girls
won and the Hillcrest boys came in second. Everyone had a great evening.
After all that fun, I was off to find some sleep and get ready for Saturday. Some friends invited me to
join them for a day at a beach and I really did not want to turn that down. Imagine leaving snow in
Pennsylvania and finding yourself on a tropical beach. There are a few perks to this work.
Early Saturday, Tim and Tammy picked me up and we joined a fourvehicle
caravan over some amazing roads (four-wheel drive would have
been nice) to get to the place where we could take some boats across the
bay to a very nice, private beach. (Well, it was a bit private - four other
families joined us, so there were lots of us.) It was a very nice break from
traveling and teaching. It was also a great opportunity to get under the
water again. Sever families brought scuba equipment, and when they
heard I had not been scuba diving since we left the Philippines nine years
ago, they insisted I join them. I didn’t resist very much. I borrowed some
scuba gear from Jason and Erin and joined Jason for a very nice dive out
on the coral reef.
After such a day of fun, we braved the road back to Sentani.
Frans, the Director of YAJASI, invited me to join his family for supper that
evening. It was a very nice opportunity to get to know him and his family
better, and to hear of his history with YAJASI and his dreams for the future.
It was a great week, and I found myself pretty tired by the end. This trip is also quickly coming to an end,
but that is a story for my next, and last, letter on this journey.
Blessings,
Al
Monday, April 30, 2018
Al Williams in Indonesia: Week 2
Indonesia Week Two – Bali Sunday, April 15, 2018
BACK IN THE AIR AGAIN
Early Sunday morning, April 8, I was in a taxi on my way from the Yayasan Suluh office to the Jakarta airport. Dodi and his Blue Bird Taxi got me to the airport in about an hour and I was soon checked in. After a short Garuda Airlines flight (only 1 ½ hours; really short compared to the 14 hour 40 minute flight last week), I arrived at the airport on Bali, Indonesia. By the time I arrived, I could tell something was not quite right in my stomach.
Indeed, by the time the taxi dropped me off at the Grand Inna Bali Beach Hotel, I could tell it was not going to be a good day. I rarely get sick on these trips, but something I ate in Jakarta was letting me know that this was going to take a while to get over. I spent the rest of Sunday getting some rest, and wondering how I would be able to work on security for the meetings and still be near a restroom.
One of the things I do on a regular basis is give pre-travel briefings to new members before they leave for an overseas assignment. I try to live what I teach in those briefings and this time it certainly paid off. I travel with a small bottle of Kaopectate caplets and I’m sure glad I had them.
By Monday, I was up and moving and getting to work, though not over that stomach bug yet. Gary, who lives in another Indonesian city, joined me on the security team for this conference. We are also assisted by Tiar and Yusak, two men who were in the training I led in Jakarta. Tiar and Yusak have been very helpful in interfacing with the hotel staff. They are also assisting with the logistics team for the meetings. Gary is very interested in becoming much more involved in security and contingency leadership in Asia, and this has been a great time for him to gain experience and for me to get to know him better.
Tuesday found me much more functional. I was sure glad for that. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Most of the 160+ participants from across Asia and the Pacific, and a few from farther away, had arrived by Tuesday morning. About one half were with me in a leadership training program Tuesday and Wednesday, while the other half were meeting with Asia and Pacific church and partner organization leaders.
The impact of Bible translation in Indonesia became very clear Tuesday as I was talking with one of my friends here. She told me that some years ago, she and her husband were involved in a translation project in Indonesia. Much has happened in that people group since that time, and one of the men she knew from those days is now a Pastor and significant church leader. He is here attending this conference, representing his church and their strong interest in Bible translation and reaching other Indonesian groups with the translated Scriptures.
Thursday, all 160+ of us met together to hear from our senior leaders and to discuss very significant topics related to the Bible translation movements in Asia and the Pacific. Topics, like the Indonesian Church, MUSE (Multilingualism, Urbanization and Scripture Engagement), and Localization (the encouragement of local leadership and participation in the Bible translation movement) filled our days. There were some times of extra excitement too.
FIRE
At our break times, the hotel staff provides us with some snacks along with hot tea and coffee. The drinks come in nice urns with alcohol-andwax-fueled burners underneath to keep them hot. Unfortunately, Thursday afternoon, when one of the meeting participants decided to tip the tea urn forward to get the last little bit of tea from the urn, the can of burning alcohol and wax underneath tipped over and poured the flaming fluid down the front of the table and skirting which all erupted in flames. It made for some exciting moments as several people immediately fought to beat out the flames. Thankfully, no one was injured and little damage was done. Before the meetings, Gary and I had prepared a fire evacuation plan for the room as well as checked the location and condition of the fire extinguishers, which, in this case, were not needed.
Thank you for your prayers for safety. The Lord answered with protection from what could have been much worse. When some hear that we are focused on security, they ask if we really think there will be an attack on our meetings. I tell them that although it is a possibility, it is very unlikely. A fire like this one is a much more likely threat to our group, and that is why we seek to be prepared as much as we possibly can to meet a wide variety of threats.
I would like to send pictures and introduce you to many of my friends who are here with me working through these meetings and topics, but many of them are working in very sensitive locations and cannot have their names and pictures published. This is always a reminder to me of the risks they are taking (carefully) to serve the Lord and reach people in difficult places.
Friday and Saturday, we continued to work on our planning and strategy sessions (Gary and I made sure the flames under the tea and coffee were put out before break time started). We made good progress, and I was able to build some new relationships with the people in my table group. One of them is a Bible translator in a small village in Vanuatu that is served by a road built by some of my friends from Pennsylvania. It really is a small world.
On Sunday, we spent the morning in a time of Bible study, reflection, and worship. We finished the morning with Communion led by a Pastor from Timor. It was a very good day. Your prayers are great blessings, and very much appreciated, as I participate in the next two days of meetings and then take to the skies for my next stop which is Sentani, in Papua province to the East. I’m sure there will be much more to tell you of that part of the journey next week.
Blessings, Al
BACK IN THE AIR AGAIN
Early Sunday morning, April 8, I was in a taxi on my way from the Yayasan Suluh office to the Jakarta airport. Dodi and his Blue Bird Taxi got me to the airport in about an hour and I was soon checked in. After a short Garuda Airlines flight (only 1 ½ hours; really short compared to the 14 hour 40 minute flight last week), I arrived at the airport on Bali, Indonesia. By the time I arrived, I could tell something was not quite right in my stomach.
Indeed, by the time the taxi dropped me off at the Grand Inna Bali Beach Hotel, I could tell it was not going to be a good day. I rarely get sick on these trips, but something I ate in Jakarta was letting me know that this was going to take a while to get over. I spent the rest of Sunday getting some rest, and wondering how I would be able to work on security for the meetings and still be near a restroom.
One of the things I do on a regular basis is give pre-travel briefings to new members before they leave for an overseas assignment. I try to live what I teach in those briefings and this time it certainly paid off. I travel with a small bottle of Kaopectate caplets and I’m sure glad I had them.
By Monday, I was up and moving and getting to work, though not over that stomach bug yet. Gary, who lives in another Indonesian city, joined me on the security team for this conference. We are also assisted by Tiar and Yusak, two men who were in the training I led in Jakarta. Tiar and Yusak have been very helpful in interfacing with the hotel staff. They are also assisting with the logistics team for the meetings. Gary is very interested in becoming much more involved in security and contingency leadership in Asia, and this has been a great time for him to gain experience and for me to get to know him better.
Tuesday found me much more functional. I was sure glad for that. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Most of the 160+ participants from across Asia and the Pacific, and a few from farther away, had arrived by Tuesday morning. About one half were with me in a leadership training program Tuesday and Wednesday, while the other half were meeting with Asia and Pacific church and partner organization leaders.
The impact of Bible translation in Indonesia became very clear Tuesday as I was talking with one of my friends here. She told me that some years ago, she and her husband were involved in a translation project in Indonesia. Much has happened in that people group since that time, and one of the men she knew from those days is now a Pastor and significant church leader. He is here attending this conference, representing his church and their strong interest in Bible translation and reaching other Indonesian groups with the translated Scriptures.
Thursday, all 160+ of us met together to hear from our senior leaders and to discuss very significant topics related to the Bible translation movements in Asia and the Pacific. Topics, like the Indonesian Church, MUSE (Multilingualism, Urbanization and Scripture Engagement), and Localization (the encouragement of local leadership and participation in the Bible translation movement) filled our days. There were some times of extra excitement too.
FIRE
At our break times, the hotel staff provides us with some snacks along with hot tea and coffee. The drinks come in nice urns with alcohol-andwax-fueled burners underneath to keep them hot. Unfortunately, Thursday afternoon, when one of the meeting participants decided to tip the tea urn forward to get the last little bit of tea from the urn, the can of burning alcohol and wax underneath tipped over and poured the flaming fluid down the front of the table and skirting which all erupted in flames. It made for some exciting moments as several people immediately fought to beat out the flames. Thankfully, no one was injured and little damage was done. Before the meetings, Gary and I had prepared a fire evacuation plan for the room as well as checked the location and condition of the fire extinguishers, which, in this case, were not needed.
Thank you for your prayers for safety. The Lord answered with protection from what could have been much worse. When some hear that we are focused on security, they ask if we really think there will be an attack on our meetings. I tell them that although it is a possibility, it is very unlikely. A fire like this one is a much more likely threat to our group, and that is why we seek to be prepared as much as we possibly can to meet a wide variety of threats.
I would like to send pictures and introduce you to many of my friends who are here with me working through these meetings and topics, but many of them are working in very sensitive locations and cannot have their names and pictures published. This is always a reminder to me of the risks they are taking (carefully) to serve the Lord and reach people in difficult places.
Friday and Saturday, we continued to work on our planning and strategy sessions (Gary and I made sure the flames under the tea and coffee were put out before break time started). We made good progress, and I was able to build some new relationships with the people in my table group. One of them is a Bible translator in a small village in Vanuatu that is served by a road built by some of my friends from Pennsylvania. It really is a small world.
On Sunday, we spent the morning in a time of Bible study, reflection, and worship. We finished the morning with Communion led by a Pastor from Timor. It was a very good day. Your prayers are great blessings, and very much appreciated, as I participate in the next two days of meetings and then take to the skies for my next stop which is Sentani, in Papua province to the East. I’m sure there will be much more to tell you of that part of the journey next week.
Blessings, Al
Monday, April 23, 2018
Outreach Report to Church Council: April 2018
A Year of Milestones
For a full directory of all of MCC’s outreach and service ministries, visit the ministries page at www.mcchurch.net. A description of each ministry is provided, along with a list of volunteer opportunities and the skills and time commitment required. The ministries highlighted below are just a few of our many outreach efforts, focusing on those that are currently celebrating major milestones.
Meals on Wheels: 30 Years of Service
Meals on Wheels is celebrating its 30th year serving home cooked meals to the elderly, handicapped, and those convalescing. Our Community Breakfast will be held on April 21 at First Campus. We have recently had some challenges with some of our equipment, having to repair our range and an upright freezer. Our convection oven has had some age-related issues and we will be receiving a new oven thanks to Clark Services.
Our client numbers have been low due to many illnesses and moves to nursing facilities, so we are currently able to take on new clients. Those in need of meals can call 872-2415.
Romanian Mission: 20 Years of Service
On June 20th six people from Lancaster County will once again travel to Romania to visit the children at the Casa Ray Orphanage. Three of the team, Scarlett Morris, Mary and Mike Heisey are from our church. For Mike and Mary this will be their 20th year to help organize these trips.
We go to help the children and the Gavril family, who founded and run Casa Ray Orphanage. We will be having Bible studies, crafts and games; but mostly spending time with the kids and just loving them. There will also be opportunities for the team and kids to go out into the community and help others.
We ask that you hold the team up in prayer. They ask for the Lord’s presence and direction to be central in all our efforts. We also welcome financial donations. All donations designated for the Romania trip or Casa Ray will go directly to meeting the needs of these children. Please note Casa Ray or Romania trip on the memo line of a check made payable to Millersville Community Church and put it in an envelope in the offering or Mike and Mary Heisey's mailbox.
Homes of Hope: 10 Years of Service
In October 2017, Penn Manor Homes of Hope celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade we’ve served more than 30 homeless families, providing transitional housing, budget training, and counseling. We are looking forward to building upon that success in the years to come.
Unfortunately, the property we have been using as our transitional home is no longer at our disposal. The property owner is experiencing some financial shortfalls and needs to sell the unit. Therefore, we have begun the process of exiting the unit.
The ministry team has been exploring options for acquiring a new transitional house, but so far none of our leads have panned out. We are hoping that someone who owns rental properties might learn of our need and loan one of their units to the ministry. Until this need is filled, Homes of Hope is unable to accept any new clients or furniture donations. We are also in need of volunteers to fill several vacant positions on our steering Committee, including Chairperson, Inventory Coordinator, and Secretary.
MCCares: A Record-Setting Year of Service
In 2016 Love INC asked MCC to revive our partnership with the Love INC Clearing House, which matches church volunteers with specific needs in the community. I appealed to our MCC family to step up, and you made 2017 a record-shattering year. We successfully filled 85 requests for volunteer drivers, house cleaners, etc.
Beginning in 2018, I turned over the responsibility for coordinating Love INC’s requests and finding volunteers to Jill Billman. I thank her and pray that you all will show her the same dedication this year that you showed me in 2017.
Garden of Grace: Another Record-Breaking Year
In 2017, the Garden of Grace delivered a record 6,217 pounds of produce to area food distribution agencies and families. Since its inception in 2010, we’ve delivered more than 37,800 pounds (nearly 19 tons) of produce to those in need in the Millersville and Lancaster area. Lancaster County Council of Churches and Water Street Outreach were the biggest recipients. Other local agencies served included Arch Street Center, Domestic Violence Services, The LOFT, Millersville Meals-on-Wheels, Millersville Manor Apartments, and MCC’s own Cancer Care Ministry.
For the Garden of Grace to continue serving the community, we need more people willing to help out. This past summer, 44 volunteers (22 from MCC and 22 from the community) worked in the garden. Unfortunately, only a handful of those people served on a regular basis. In order to sustain this important ministry, we need more people to become involved even if it’s only for a day.
Volunteering with the Garden of Grace is very flexible. Though there are some scheduled group activities like spring planting and fall cleanup, most of the work can be done independently. Spending a day in the garden weeding and harvesting produce is a great small group service project. If you don’t have a green thumb, you can help put up the fence or clean out the shed or rain barrel. If you don’t like the dirty work, you can consider delivering to the produce to local food banks. There are many ways you can help out with the Garden of Grace. Contact Joy Olcott at garden@gracemillersville.org to found out how.
Celebrating Our 10th Church Plant in Partnership with Glad Tidings India
Since 2008, MCC has partnered with Glad Tidings India to spreading the gospel in India by planting churches among some of the largest unreached people groups in the world.
In January, 2018, MCC sponsored the planting of our 10th missionary church. Each church plant requires an investment of $3,600. Funds for these churches were provided out of annual outreach allocations, the Luke 19 Project and other fundraisers, and individual givers. The Luke 19 Project generates seed money by giving volunteers $10 and challenging them to invest it in a fundraising effort, similar to Jesus’ parable of the Minas in the 19th chapter of Luke’s gospel.
Our latest missionary/planter, M. Sakthivel, will preach God’s word in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state in India. The region has a population of 70.4 million, of which only 6.1% is Christian. Pray for M. Sakthivel’s church and the success of all our missionaries throughout India. Throughout 2018 we’ll receive reports about the progress of this new congregation, which we’ll pass on to the congregation as they arrive.
But we’re not done yet. In 2018, I will be looking for some generous individuals who are willing to partner with me in winning even more unreached people in India to Christ. If you are as excited as I am by this opportunity to advance the gospel, please don’t wait to hear from me. Contact me at bruceheydt@gracemillersville.org for more information.
The Cottage: Casting a Vision
The board of this new outreach proposal met for the first time on April 4 to begin formal discussions aimed at launching a ministry that provides secure, low-cost temporary housing for women and their dependent children who need respite from the difficulties of stress-filled lives. The board’s biggest initial challenge is finding overnight accommodation in which to house clients. The board will continue to meet and to pray for God to provide the resources we need in order to serve displaced women. For information about The Cottage, contact Diane Duell at dduell204@gmail.com.
Respectfully submitted by Bruce Heydt with input from our volunteer ministry leaders
For a full directory of all of MCC’s outreach and service ministries, visit the ministries page at www.mcchurch.net. A description of each ministry is provided, along with a list of volunteer opportunities and the skills and time commitment required. The ministries highlighted below are just a few of our many outreach efforts, focusing on those that are currently celebrating major milestones.
Meals on Wheels: 30 Years of Service
Meals on Wheels is celebrating its 30th year serving home cooked meals to the elderly, handicapped, and those convalescing. Our Community Breakfast will be held on April 21 at First Campus. We have recently had some challenges with some of our equipment, having to repair our range and an upright freezer. Our convection oven has had some age-related issues and we will be receiving a new oven thanks to Clark Services.
Our client numbers have been low due to many illnesses and moves to nursing facilities, so we are currently able to take on new clients. Those in need of meals can call 872-2415.
Romanian Mission: 20 Years of Service
On June 20th six people from Lancaster County will once again travel to Romania to visit the children at the Casa Ray Orphanage. Three of the team, Scarlett Morris, Mary and Mike Heisey are from our church. For Mike and Mary this will be their 20th year to help organize these trips.
We go to help the children and the Gavril family, who founded and run Casa Ray Orphanage. We will be having Bible studies, crafts and games; but mostly spending time with the kids and just loving them. There will also be opportunities for the team and kids to go out into the community and help others.
We ask that you hold the team up in prayer. They ask for the Lord’s presence and direction to be central in all our efforts. We also welcome financial donations. All donations designated for the Romania trip or Casa Ray will go directly to meeting the needs of these children. Please note Casa Ray or Romania trip on the memo line of a check made payable to Millersville Community Church and put it in an envelope in the offering or Mike and Mary Heisey's mailbox.
Homes of Hope: 10 Years of Service
In October 2017, Penn Manor Homes of Hope celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade we’ve served more than 30 homeless families, providing transitional housing, budget training, and counseling. We are looking forward to building upon that success in the years to come.
Unfortunately, the property we have been using as our transitional home is no longer at our disposal. The property owner is experiencing some financial shortfalls and needs to sell the unit. Therefore, we have begun the process of exiting the unit.
The ministry team has been exploring options for acquiring a new transitional house, but so far none of our leads have panned out. We are hoping that someone who owns rental properties might learn of our need and loan one of their units to the ministry. Until this need is filled, Homes of Hope is unable to accept any new clients or furniture donations. We are also in need of volunteers to fill several vacant positions on our steering Committee, including Chairperson, Inventory Coordinator, and Secretary.
MCCares: A Record-Setting Year of Service
In 2016 Love INC asked MCC to revive our partnership with the Love INC Clearing House, which matches church volunteers with specific needs in the community. I appealed to our MCC family to step up, and you made 2017 a record-shattering year. We successfully filled 85 requests for volunteer drivers, house cleaners, etc.
Beginning in 2018, I turned over the responsibility for coordinating Love INC’s requests and finding volunteers to Jill Billman. I thank her and pray that you all will show her the same dedication this year that you showed me in 2017.
Garden of Grace: Another Record-Breaking Year
In 2017, the Garden of Grace delivered a record 6,217 pounds of produce to area food distribution agencies and families. Since its inception in 2010, we’ve delivered more than 37,800 pounds (nearly 19 tons) of produce to those in need in the Millersville and Lancaster area. Lancaster County Council of Churches and Water Street Outreach were the biggest recipients. Other local agencies served included Arch Street Center, Domestic Violence Services, The LOFT, Millersville Meals-on-Wheels, Millersville Manor Apartments, and MCC’s own Cancer Care Ministry.
For the Garden of Grace to continue serving the community, we need more people willing to help out. This past summer, 44 volunteers (22 from MCC and 22 from the community) worked in the garden. Unfortunately, only a handful of those people served on a regular basis. In order to sustain this important ministry, we need more people to become involved even if it’s only for a day.
Volunteering with the Garden of Grace is very flexible. Though there are some scheduled group activities like spring planting and fall cleanup, most of the work can be done independently. Spending a day in the garden weeding and harvesting produce is a great small group service project. If you don’t have a green thumb, you can help put up the fence or clean out the shed or rain barrel. If you don’t like the dirty work, you can consider delivering to the produce to local food banks. There are many ways you can help out with the Garden of Grace. Contact Joy Olcott at garden@gracemillersville.org to found out how.
Celebrating Our 10th Church Plant in Partnership with Glad Tidings India
Since 2008, MCC has partnered with Glad Tidings India to spreading the gospel in India by planting churches among some of the largest unreached people groups in the world.
In January, 2018, MCC sponsored the planting of our 10th missionary church. Each church plant requires an investment of $3,600. Funds for these churches were provided out of annual outreach allocations, the Luke 19 Project and other fundraisers, and individual givers. The Luke 19 Project generates seed money by giving volunteers $10 and challenging them to invest it in a fundraising effort, similar to Jesus’ parable of the Minas in the 19th chapter of Luke’s gospel.
Our latest missionary/planter, M. Sakthivel, will preach God’s word in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state in India. The region has a population of 70.4 million, of which only 6.1% is Christian. Pray for M. Sakthivel’s church and the success of all our missionaries throughout India. Throughout 2018 we’ll receive reports about the progress of this new congregation, which we’ll pass on to the congregation as they arrive.
But we’re not done yet. In 2018, I will be looking for some generous individuals who are willing to partner with me in winning even more unreached people in India to Christ. If you are as excited as I am by this opportunity to advance the gospel, please don’t wait to hear from me. Contact me at bruceheydt@gracemillersville.org for more information.
The Cottage: Casting a Vision
The board of this new outreach proposal met for the first time on April 4 to begin formal discussions aimed at launching a ministry that provides secure, low-cost temporary housing for women and their dependent children who need respite from the difficulties of stress-filled lives. The board’s biggest initial challenge is finding overnight accommodation in which to house clients. The board will continue to meet and to pray for God to provide the resources we need in order to serve displaced women. For information about The Cottage, contact Diane Duell at dduell204@gmail.com.
Respectfully submitted by Bruce Heydt with input from our volunteer ministry leaders
Al & Mickey Williams' April Prayer and Praise Bulletin
PRAISE ITEMS:
1.
AL’S
TIME IN INDONESIA – Thank you so much for your prayers for Al as
he is in Indonesia. If you did not get
Al’s two email updates from Indonesia and would like to, please let me (Mickey)
know and I’ll send them to you. Al made it safely to his 3rd and
final destination on Wednesday morning after an overnight flight from Bali to
Jayapura. Sadly, he didn’t get much sleep on the plane, so pray he will be able
to get adequate rest each night and stay healthy.
2.
BELATED
CHRISTMAS – We are deeply grateful to the Lord for
allowing Jeremy the privilege of spending time with his children again over the
past two months. It was especially fun having them all here to celebrate
Christmas on March 25. God even sent us a heavy snow-shower that afternoon to
make it feel like Christmas!
3.
MICKEY’S
SISTER – I have really appreciated having my sister staying with
me while Al is away. She is a big help to me and has been great company for me.
PRAYER ITEMS:
1.
AL’S
TRIP BACK TO THE US – Al is scheduled to begin his return trip
to the US on Tuesday morning, April 24 (i.e. Monday night at 10:50 PM, EDST).
The two-day trip involves four flights and little-to-no sleep, so your prayers
for his safety and stamina are greatly appreciated!
2.
UPCOMING
TRIP TO NC – We’d appreciate your prayers for safety as we
travel to NC in May. Al will be participating in meetings, but my focus will be
to visit and encourage colleagues I haven’t seen in many years. Pray also for
my father in my absence. I’m so glad my sister is living in this area of the
country now. She’s been a big help to me as she helps care for Dad. .
3.
JEREMY
AND THE KIDS – Please keep Jeremy and his four children in your prayers as they seek to find their new normal as a result of the divorce. Pray for wisdom and guidance from God for Jeremy as he continues seeking legal help in dealing with the divorce. Pray especially for him and his lawyer in regards to the custody hearing that will take place in mid-May.
Monday, April 9, 2018
My Indonesian Journey, from Al Williams
April 7,
2018
Greetings
from Jakarta, Indonesia.
I greatly
appreciate your prayers and encouragement as I make this journey through
Indonesia. Your emails and notes are a blessing and I look forward to them each
morning. I thought you might enjoy joining with me a bit in the highlights of
this journey, so I plan to write a brief update once each week along the way.
Monday, April 2, started out as a bit
of a shock. After a beautiful Easter Sunday, we woke to snow lightly falling in
Elizabethtown. By the time I began to put my suitcases in the car for the trip
to the airport, we had more than three inches of beautiful white snow
blanketing our cars and neighborhood. Friends at church have often accused me
of knowing when the snow is coming and planning a trip out of the country
before it arrives. I guess I misjudged this one.
The snow did
not delay my departure, and I was in the air headed to Atlanta by 6:10 PM,
Pennsylvania time. After a two-hour flight to Atlanta and a four-hour wait for
the next flight, I was on my way to Seoul, South Korea. Even as a pilot, it is
amazing to me that an airplane can stay in the air that long. This flight was
fourteen hours and forty minutes. Wow. After a twelve-hour wait in the new Seoul
Incheon Airport, I was settled in for the seven-hour flight to Jakarta,
Indonesia - my first stop on this trip. After a one-hour taxi ride, I was very
ready to stop for a bit. Berton, from the Yayasan Suluh office, helped me take
my bags to the apartment they had arranged for me. I really appreciated his
staying up late to meet me, as it was 11 PM Wednesday, Jakarta time, when I
arrived. If you are wondering about, or even working on, counting up the hours,
I’ll help you out. By the time I closed the door on the apartment and headed to
the shower, it had been 44 hours since I walked out the door of our home in
Elizabethtown. It was a good but very long trip. Your prayers carried me
through those miles and I’m thankful for them.
Thursday morning, I was up early… you
know, jet lag. It helped me to get ready for the first day of Security and
Contingency training with the Yayasan Suluh staff. Several of the staff had
previously worked with SIL when SIL had an official presence in Indonesia. Now
they are carrying on the work of Bible translation and language development as
a national organization led by an all Indonesian Board of
Directors and leadership team. I had been talking with their Director, Veni,
for several years, offering to help her and her staff with this training. The
timing of this trip worked out to be just right this time.
The first half of Thursday, all of
the Yayasan Suluh staff met together to work on personal safety and security
training. This included six members who are working on a Scripture translation
into one of the Indonesian sign languages. Just imagine, twenty people in a
rather small room, six are hearing impaired and many are limited in their
understanding of English. I had Petrus sitting next to me to translate what I
was saying into Bahasa Indonesian, while another person was translating what I,
or Petrus, was saying into sign language for the six hearing impaired members.
Petrus was also translating comments and discussions from Bahasa Indonesia into
English so I could keep up with what was being said. As one of the hearing
impaired folks “said”, “Please speak slowly”. I got the message.
We had a
great time that morning, and after a very nice lunch, we continued the training
with the Yayasan Suluh leadership team. The eight of us worked on the
principles of risk assessment and contingency planning, then began working on a
real risk assessment for the Jakarta office and neighborhood. That took us
through the end of Thursday. By that time, jet lag was catching up with me and
I was very much in need of some rest.
Friday began
with a nicely packaged breakfast of rice, noodles, chicken, and a few things
I’m not sure of, but very delicious, all wrapped in a fresh banana leaf. A very
nice touch of the tropics.
The
leadership team and I continued working on the risk assessment we had begun
Thursday, and settled on twenty-seven items that need attention. This was also
a very good time to talk through not only how to do this assessment, but what
they can do to care for these issues they identified. After another very nice
lunch (are you getting the impression this all revolves around really good
food?), we began working on the contingency planning process. The Chairman of
the Board for Yayasan Suluh joined us for this session, and we had very good discussions
and interactions among the whole team. Several times the discussion went on for
quite a while till someone in the group realized I had no idea what they were
saying, so they stopped and filled me in, in English. It was great to see them
so fully engaged and working together on this task.
Our time finished with a group
picture to remember the days together. It has been a great blessing to be with
them. The work with Veni and Yayasan Suluh is far from finished, and I’ll be
working with them from my office in Elizabethtown via Internet calls and email.
I’m looking forward to that.
Today I’m
back to emails, finishing documents from the past two days of training, and
preparing for the flight to Bali tomorrow morning. Next stop is the conference
of leaders from Asia and the Pacific. About 130 of us in all. I look forward to
bringing you a bit of that story next week.
Blessings,
Al
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