MISSION to AMBON

Our Pastor of Counseling, Sammy Roslim and I went to Ambon for a ministry trip this last Friday and arrived back this Monday. It was an awesome time of ministry in several Churches and venues! Every service in which either one of us ministered uniquely accomplished each God appointed mission. The primary Church which invited us was Kuda Mati GSJA (A/G)… a Church which has experienced incredible growth over the last couple of years in direct correlation to their Missions Emphasis. They have been maintaining a pledge campaign every 6 months for two years. Though the monetary figures which they are giving to missions cannot compare to a big city Church, for Ambon and for their size, 140 people, they are off the charts in their giving… truly sacrificial! They are sponsoring Bible School Students, supporting Church planting efforts, buying chairs for Churches which have none and much more! I am so excited to see yet another Church that “Get’s It…” When our focus is outward and when we honor God’s plan for missions, He is moved to bless and increase our inward work in a mighty way!

It was good to catch up with AGWM Missionary and friend Donna Brown who coordinated much of the additional ministry. God has opened a door for her and lavished her with incredible favor to advance God’s Kingdom and also to work towards greater cooperation and unity in the Ambon Churches. It was also wonderful to work with Eka Tupamahu (from APTS background and working at SATI in Malang currently... his blog is www.tupamahu.blogspot.com) who did all of my interpretation and added so much to what God was doing!...as usual!!

I and Pst Sammy have developed a heart for Ambon! The many Pastors and people whom we met have touched us! It is a needy area which was in the world press quite often many years ago because of a conflict which claimed thousands of lives and ripped the infrastructure of the Island to shreds… and the residue (hatred, distrust, hopelessness, etc) of this conflict still remains even though the world has mostly forgotten. But God does not forget and we at ICCJ are committed to Ambon. Pst Sammy will undoubtedly be assisting the region with counseling, I am certain that our Missions Pastor, Rishi Anandani will be involved along with myself to possibly assist in the planting of an English speaking Church… talks are underway but it must be God’s way, of course, and we are planning with our Creative Arts Ministry already, a large evangelistic and unification concert sponsored by several Ambon Churches in the summer of 2008! It has been confirmed through some of our intercessors who prayed for us while we were there that we will be also be involved in some “healing events.” This we will definitely be considering further in prayer and discussion.

Friends, please pray for Ambon! The Lord strongly impressed me that as Ambon heals and progresses in unity, that He will use Ambonese people in a powerful way to not only to be a shining example to the rest of Indonesia and beyond, but He will send these wonderful people throughout this nation to make a tremendous impact towards what is to come as God turns this nation into a lighthouse for the gospel to the world! Let us enforce God’s plan with purposeful prayer!