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| January 18,
2007
Dear Friends,
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 Pastor Nable of the Philippines being translated by Pastor Tambunan |
our pastors to lead their churches to start giving to missions now, not later. He is showing how they can work together to have a good missions program. His main point for the pastors is that they are the key to having a strong church that is doing the work of the Lord.
The pastors here in Indonesia look forward to these meetings. These meetings re challenge our pastors to be faithful to God's calling. Most of our pastors labor in lonely places where they face multifaceted problems involving their community, government, families, and church. It is difficult for them to not be beat down by their many problems until they have often lost much of their ministry vision. However, they know that these meetings are going to re challenge them to do God's work in God's way.
Secondly, these meetings give them legal status in the communities where they labor. Independent Baptists are a strange entity in this country, as almost all the churches here are run by very structured organizations that have central control. Even the Southern Baptist churches of Indonesia recently announced that they will now use a synod system with their churches here in Indonesia. To be an independent Baptist in Indonesia requires a strong belief that God meant His church to be an autonomous local body. Our pastors know that they are going to leave these meetings with the belief that God wants a strong autonomous local Baptist church in their community. Finally, these meetings allow pastors to encourage pastors. Our successful pastors remind the discouraged pastors that God will build His church in His way. The important thing is that we just remain faithful to God's call in our life.
The last couple of months have been filled with two things for Janice and I -- meetings and Tom's vacation. Upon arriving back in Jakarta from our trip to the States, I raced to finish my classes in the Bible school. Classes were finally finished, tests given, but there wasn't any rest in sight, as Janice and I took off for Batam island to be with Pastor Andar and his folks.
We had good meetings in Batam with seven people professing faith in Christ, and several dedicating their lives to the Lord. Pastor Andar's church has experienced good growth in all aspects of its ministry. He has started a small Bible school, and the school finished its first semester with six students completing the semester. In Brother Muncur's home they have a Sunday school that they started four years ago with children ages 2-4. Today the Sunday school overflows Brother Muncur's home each Sunday, with children ages 2-12. Many of the mothers in the community faithfully bring their small children and both mom and child listen to the Bible lesson. Several families have come to know Christ because of this Sunday school. Now Pastor Andar and Brother Muncur have a vision to purchase a couple of empty lots in front of Brother Muncur's home and start a new church which will include a kindergarten to serve the community. I trust you will continue to pray for Pastor Andar, his family and the church there in Batam.
After Batam island, we were busy with several Christmas programs here in 
Jakarta. Christmas normally presents a good opportunity to proclaim the gospel within the communities where our churches are located without raising the ire of the fanatics. So, normally the churches have big services, invite everybody, and generally try to get the message out through preaching and with the Sunday school children quoting lots of Bible verses. Most of the time, the Sunday school children will start with verses professing the birth of Christ and end with the Roman's road. Often these services are long and tiring, and by the time I get up to preach, I just have a few minutes to try and tie up everything that has already been presented. Yet, these services have proved to be valuable in getting new contacts over the years. Often, new converts first set foot within our churches during one of our Christmas services.
However, the real reason this letter is late in getting out is that Tom took a vacation. Since the first of January, I have been on a bit of a vacation. That means, no travel, book reading, arranging my stamp collection and working with computers. I have been upgrading the linux software on the computers at the Bible school, and getting a couple of laptops ready to be sent to our pastors that are ministering on outlying islands. Several new linux distros (Ubuntu 6.10, Fedora Core 6, Slackware 11, Mandriva 2007, and Slax 5.1.8.1) have wound up finding their way onto the school computers, laptops and even pen drives. All of this has a lot of play value for me as I do enjoy it. Now however, I need to get out my prayer letter, make a trip to Nias, and get ready for the next Bible school semester. I would especially ask you remember my trip to Nias as their are several important matters that need to be addressed while I am there.
We would also like to ask you to pray for our daughter Jennifer Preston. Jennifer has had some serious health problems recently. See has been having seizures, but so far the doctors have not been able to come up with any answers. Jennifer, her husband Jeff and their three children live in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and minister at Bay State Baptist Church. The folks at Bay State have been a real help and blessing.
We do appreciate your prayers for the ministry here in Jakarta.
In Christ,
