Dear Friends,

          Janice and I send you greetings from Southern California. Over the past couple of months we have been visiting our churches in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and now in Southern California. It is a joy to be with you folks who have invested your prayers and offerings into the ministry in Indonesia.
          We really don't have a lot of news from Jakarta. Usually, no news is good news, but we do ask you to remember our Jakarta pastors and their churches in your prayers. Likewise, we would ask you to remember the Bible school ministry in Jakarta.
          I want to share a letter from Nias that was sent to me by Brother Ama Luther. This brother was the motor that sparked the Nias Bible Project. He is one of the leaders in our church in Gunungsitoli.

Greetings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
          Pak Tom, beginning the 1st of November 2009, I will start my pension because on 11th October 2009, I turned 60. Accordingly, I have developed the following plan for my ministry in the Eksodus church for the next 10 years. I made the plan for 10 years based on God's word in Psalms 90:10 that says, The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years ...
          Therefore, I assume the Lord has given me a ticket for a minimum of 10 more years. I want to fill that time by serving the Lord with all my heart, strength, and mind in the following ways:

1. Continue ministering in the Eksodus church. (Independent Baptist Church in Gunungsitoli)

2. Open at least 2 new churches that will become indigenous.

3. Continue to evangelize the junior high students where the Bibles were distributed.

4. Rewrite the New Testament in the Nias language ... as the present Nias Bible is not able to be read by the majority of the Nias people. This translation will be approximately 400 pages long.

         Such is my plan of work, I hope Pak Tom will give me his thoughts, and also his prayers on these plans. May the Lord Jesus give me the strength and the means to complete these plans.
          Pak Tom, I do ask that you will inform the pastors in America that helped with the Bibles for the junior high schools in Nias about our work plans.
Thank you, Ama Luther.

        Amen, Lord willing, the Lord will allow me to be involved in helping Ama Luther reach all of those goals.
          I also want to encourage you to pray for and, if possible, give toward helping Pastor Andar and his folks in Batam as they are now trying to finish their building by the end of this year. Pastor Andar and his folks had planned to halt the building of the church after finishing the first phase of the building so they could raise funds to complete the second phase.
          However, a couple of agitators in the community have tried to stop the building of the church building. In response Pastor Andar and most of his members coveted to give Rp 100,000 (US$ 10) each week so they can keep working on the building. The strange thing about the community's response is that Pastor Andar has government permission to build his building. Please continue to pray for Pastor Andar, his family and Grace Baptist church in Batam.
          I want to remind you that we are planning to return to Jakarta the last of April 2010. We would like to visit as many of our supporting churches as possible. Most of our Sundays are filled with appointments, but we still have many of our Wednesdays and other weekdays open. It would help if you would contact me (757- 618-2787) if you want us to visit.  We do want to thank you folks in person.
          Personally, Janice and I are doing fine. We have enjoyed the fellowship with all you folks. For all your faithful prayers and financial gifts, we are truly thankful.

In Christ,

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