1 Peter 4:12-16 -
'Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.'
Our trip to Indonesia was a sobering privilege in that, we got to live and fellowship amongst persecuted believers and missionaries for a week and a half. And just to clarify, 'we' = myself, Matt Glass (HeartCry Asia Coordinator) and a few other brothers from TX and TN that met up with us there.
Yes, the trip was filled with awesome and fun experiences (like hiking up and exploring an active volcano, eating dog, catching big lizards, etc.)... but more than that, we were able to see the above Scripture passage lived out there in West Java, Indonesia in a way that I had not seen before. And now, those verses have a much deeper meaning to me as I think back on the names, faces and testimonies of the people there. Our main trip objective in going was to check out an indigenous church-planting team called 'Asih Pamitran'. We had heard a lot about them from a contact that we have over there and he had asked us to seriously consider helping the team. Asih Pamitran is made up of a handful of Sundanese believers who have been called by God to reach their people with the Gospel. Pak Nunu is the leader of the group and it was a joy to spend most of our time with him as he explained what it is that they do. The majority of our trip was spent traveling around West Java with Nunu to the different groups of people scattered all over that they serve and help and minister to. The trip was so profitable because we not only got to meet the leaders and hear them tell us about the work, but we got to experience it firsthand and observe their lives.
Basically what happens on West Java when someone becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, they are immediately kicked out of their families, their name gets taken out of the family tree, they are fired from their jobs; and their family, old friends, former employers and neighbors will seek to make their lives miserable. Why? Because West Java is populated by Muslims and they are intolerant of anyone converting to Christianity. They treat those that do convert so badly in hopes of forcing them to renounce their faith and go back to Islam. If they don't return to Islam they are then forced away from the area or simply ostracized and ill-treated by most for life. Recently (within the last year) in a village about 2-3 hours from where we were staying, all the believers' houses were burned. Sometimes the Muslims will even try to kill them! Do these believers fight back and seek revenge? Nope. Instead, they love and pray for those that hate them. Quite a different world we live in over here, uh?
Well, Asih Pamitran is in the midst of all this, and they are there to 'pick up the pieces' and help these people who have been stripped of almost everything. They (Asih Pamitran) will provide housing (if needed), jobs, schooling for the children and encourage and edify within the context of local churches where they can worship and fellowship! The jobs are made available by Pak Nunu who has started small businesses for the sole purpose of providing work for the persucuted believers who are left jobless. These small businesses include: quilt-making, dog breeding, and goat breeding.
HeartCry's role in all this is simply to help Asih Pamitran in any/every way that we can that will enable them to continue on in their ministry and even to expand and start more works and churches if the Lord allows. It is a huge joy and privilege to be a part of their lives and ministry and to be in a position where we can serve these dear folks in a land far, far away! Please, please pray for them - I've included a slideshow with pictures of a lot of the people that I've been talking about and I hope that will help encourage you to pray for them. And I hope that all this that you've just read is a sobering reminder to you that there are people out there right now that are suffering because they believe in and worship Jesus Christ. May we not just thank God that we don't have to live like that and then go on living life enjoying our comforts and freedoms, but rather look for ways to get involved and truly live for God! Is Christianity here really about comfort and ease? Or, is it about loving God and loving and serving others? Who has the Lord place around you that needs love and help? Will you love them? Will you help them?
Indonesia! Up in the mountains, there are villages scattered all over in places that you'd never think were inhabited by people.
Pak Nunu (left) and his family - daughter Jui, wife Ibu Lena and son Vino.
Here are the believers I was telling you about - they are crowded into Pak Nunu's garage worshiping the Lord!
