Dear Friends,

Janice and I send you greetings from Jakarta. We do trust you folks are enjoying God's provision in your life each day. It seems the whole world is collectively holding its breath concerning fuel prices, food prices and what the future holds. The common Indonesian person is facing the same problems. Fuel and food prices are forcing regular Indonesian people into grinding debt while the rich government officials continue to spend lavishly. Sound familiar? Yet we do have the answer -- the Lord Jesus Christ. The world says we are arrogant, foolish and clinging to empty promises. We prefer to say we are not arrogant or foolish, but we are trusting the promises of God. Simple, yes, it is a simple answer, but we believe it with all our hearts. To that end we desire that every person in this great archipelago might have opportunity to hear the simple gospel of Christ. Let me tell you what we have been doing to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ over the past couple of months.

Brother Jim Daley and I spent the first 10 days of May ministering in Brother Norio Hiroshe's work in Binjai, North Sumatra. We started by speaking in Brother Hiroshe's missions emphasis services and then spent the following week teaching modular classes to Brother Hiroshe's Bible school students. We had a good productive time with the Hiroshes. The church in Binjai now has a Christian school, a group of Bible school students and a practical vision to reach others with the gospel of Christ. The Binjai church along with the other Independent Baptist churches in North Sumatra own a shop house in Banda Aceh that they would like to use to reach folks in Banda Aceh with the gospel. Pray that the Lord will send the right people to help in this ministry.

Our churches here in Jakarta are facing uncertain times. The government of Indonesia continues to vacillate concerning religious freedom in Indonesia. Little by little radical local governments and groups have pressed Islamic law on local communities. Our churches are continually facing threats of being closed down by local fanatical elements. The constitution of Indonesia technically allows religious freedom, but practically we are seeing the country being taken over by more fanatical Islamic elements that desire to see Indonesia turned into an Islamic state. Yet, our churches continue to roll along. Most of our churches here in Jakarta are growing. Pray for our pastors and churches here in Jakarta.

I have finished up my classes in the Bible school here in Jakarta. This last week we had graduation with ten graduates. Seven of the graduates were from the post graduate program that Pastor Markus is running for the pastors. The three other graduates were from Pastor Markus' church. Pray for our Bible school here in Jakarta as it is facing lots of challenges.

This week, I am working on getting the Bibles for the Nias project transported to the island of Nias. Take a look at our payment schedule and you will see that we now have all the funds needed for the last payment on the Bibles. We do appreciate all the churches that got their Sunday Schools involved in this project, you have helped us to be able to meet the printing costs month by month. Also thanks to Kelview Heights Baptist Church in Midland, Texas, we not only have enough for the last Bible payment, but we also have enough to cover the cost of getting the Bibles shipped to Nias. Any other funds that you folks send for the Nias Bible fund will now go toward the costs of getting the Bibles distributed.

Right now, Brother Daley and I are planning to meet in Medan, North Sumatra, with several pastors coming from the States on July 18, 2008. We then plan to fly to Nias on the 19th of July and begin distributing the Bibles to junior high schools in the Gunung Sitoli area on the 21st of July. Anybody that might be interested in helping to distribute the Bibles should contact me and start making plans to arrive in Medan no later that the 18th of July. If you cannot come and help, will you please pray that the Lord will continue to bless in this project to get these Bibles into the hands of the junior high students on the island of Nias.

One item that I would like for you folks to note is that we plan to take an 8 month furlough starting in September 2009 through April 2010. Tentatively, we plan to be on the East Coast from September 2009 through February 2010. Then tentatively, we plan to be on the West Coast during March and April of 2010. We hope to share God's blessings on the ministry here in Jakarta with you folks that have so faithfully supported us with your prayers and offerings. If you would like to have us on a special date or for your missions conference during that time, I would appreciate it if you would email me at tjcford@gmail.com or tjeford@cbn.net.id. (That’s an “e” not a “c”)

Janice and I are fine. Due to some problems with our email, we will be dropping the tjcford@gmail.com address within the next couple of months, so please update our email addresses. Janice now has her own email address at: jakartabu@gmail.com

For all your faithful prayers and financial support we are truly thankful.

In Christ,