Manado & Jakarta - "Mission Team to Makassar"

Mission team Makassar will be departed from Jakarta and Manado on the date of August 20, 2009. They consist of 10 members. For mission, those members have resigned from their job and will looking for the new job in Makassar.

Now, they have rented a place for Mid Week service and have found a rental house to stay for mission team members. And, for Sunday Service room with maximum capacity of 200 people, are now in a process of negotiation. Prayerfully, on September or October 2009, it will be able to be used by the mission.

These following are the profile of Mission Team Makassar:
Ronny had been disciple since 1998 and Sjully since 1997. They married on the year 2002 and became full time staff in Manado church. Sjully was an administration staff in the church of GKDI Manado. They were leaders for married ministry.

Barten is fruitful brother. One of his fruit also goes for mission to other city Manokwari. Barten is recognized as sold out disciple and always available. He grew very fast and become a great bible talk leader. Now, his friend had finished his Guard the Gospel study and will be disciple and ready to be baptized in the near future.

Susi was come from Makassar. He moved to Manado for job matter. Susi changed a lot, from a silent person and hard to smile, become joyful and warm just after she became disciple of Christ. She grew fast in her spiritual life and has led two sisters which are well-known as warm and friendly in the church.

Ronald also came from Makassar. He studied in other city, Surabaya. Before church existed in Makassar, he did not want to be back to his hometown but went to Jakarta to looking for job and worship Him together with church in Jakarta.

Revi also came from Makassar. Since was a kid, he stayed with his grandfather in Jakarta. In Makassar, his mother wanted him to be back to Makassar. But Revi want after the new church will be existed there. His mother know and happy to welcome her son and the mission team member. Therefore she helps church to find their residence and other things. Revi left the company that wants him to work longer.

Okton wanted to go for mission since 6 up to 7 years ago. He wanted to go to Jogjakarta, Semarang and other place but still unable to be fulfilled. Even though there are many challenges from his relatives, he still strong and committed. Okton have good reputation in his working place. The company wanted him to stay to work longer with them.

Fenho and Jouna firstly are hard to go and left the church they lead that is Bekasi Church. They have led Bekasi Church for two years. Many things they had plan and want to implement there. But, after meeting together with other church leaders, listening some considerations and advise from church leaders, they are ready and fired up to go to Makassar. Even though they are still new married couple with small kid, it does not make them sentimental.

MEDAN - "SPREAD THE WORD"

Just before church leaders decided the names for the mission team going to Pekan Baru, 13 potential brothers and sisters have successfully evangelized 1700 people just within 6 (six) days. All of them brought many guests to church service and many were inspired to study the bible with them.

Through many considerations and advice from the leaders of Medan Church, 7 out of 13 were elected to become mission team members for Pekan Baru. These 7 once again do an awesome evangelism. They have evangelized another 1300 people within 4 days and by that they have brought 20 people to attend Sunday service.

Looking at all this, the Medan Church become more and more encouraged and inspired, they asked, “Why don’t all 60 bible talks that we currently have in the church do things similarly just like the mission team members?” After making this decision together as a whole church, 50 out of 60 bible talks in Medan Church successfully evangelized about 50.000 people only within 12 days (Yes, you’re reading this right, 50.000 people). Because of that, many people are studying the bible, and the church service room named Millennium were overwhelmed with many people. The attendance is just like Nusantara Conference which was held about two months ago in Medan.

Mission team Pekan Baru were sent on 25-26 August 2009. They have found a boarding house for them to stay and also for church service. Keep praying for Mission team Pekan Baru and the Medan Church.

To God be the glory!

Medan - "Bringing family to Christ"

Mr. Ivan Piu Zalukhu and his wife namely Mdm. Upik are very inspiring disciples. In their tight schedule and activities as parents of three children including two niece, taking care of their mother and mother in law plus another three workers who stayed in their house, they still managed to spread the gospel consistently. They also serve as ushers and the church development team.

One of their niece, Yani, had been baptized on May 11th, 2008. Also Cici, another niece had been baptized on September 7th, 2008. Then, one of the workers, Yafe, also got baptized on September 28th, 2008. Not long after that another worker, Nani, got baptized on October 19th, 2008. Last but not least, Mr. Ivan’s mother plus the other worker, Agam, got baptized at the end of 2008.

In total, there were six people in their house that had been brought to Christ. Now, the mother of Mdm. Upik is studying the Bible. Pray that she will also be baptized in the near future.

To God be the glory!

Surabaya - "Turn into a powerful character from God"

Many trials had shaped the life of a sister in Surabaya, Tuty. She was then turned by God into a really powerful character.

In the past, she was hurt, bitter, and traumatic caused by sexual harassment coming from her step father, brother and cousin which all of them are non-Christians. However, after three months studying the Bible back in 1997, she decided to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. She stays faithful even though there were many rejections from her father and family, and later on she chose to leave her family whilst being unemployed.

Today, Tuty has become a strong, fired up, and a fruitful disciple. She is a small group leader in Surabaya. Moreover, she is blessed to be married with a great brother, Ricky, and they both has become an inspiring couple in the Surabaya Church.

To God be the glory, Amen!

Manado - "The Family of Pontolawang"

One by one, the family of Pontolawang becomes disciples of Christ. First, Maikel became a disciple back in Jayapura Church in the middle of 2003. His mother and his brother become disciples not long after that. Mdm Rita, the mother, had to walk alone through a very dark and unfriendly garden for years just to attend the midweek service but nevertheless committed to the Lord despite the hard challenges for her.

Michael's father, Mr Benny also became a disciple back in October 2006. One day, their hours and traditional shop were burned to the ground in just one night…But that never stop them from spreading the Word of Jesus Christ. The mother of Mr Benny, Oma Mintje, studied the bible within that period, and and she became a disciple of Christ too.

Today, one of Maikel’s brother will become a disciple and one other will be restored.

On early 2009, Yanes, the younger brother of Maikel also had been baptized to become a disciple of Christ. His life changed totally, from an unfriendly and addicted to drugs person into a joyful and free from drugs person. Yanes also had brought one friend to church to become a disciple of Christ.

To God be the glory!

Manado - "Mission Teams to Makassar and Manokwari"

This year, the Manado Church had sent 2 mission teams to 2 different cities, Manokwari and Makassar. 8 disciples have been sent to Manokwari on June 26th, 2009. They were ready and full of joy to spread the gospel of Jesus to the place that they have never visited before.

One of them is a steady couple, Steven and Melce. After being assigned to be members of the mission team on June 10th, 2009, they were then got engaged and married on June 24th, 2009 and went for the mission 2 days after. Although they had very little time to prepare everything, they are still full of joy and fired up to spread the Word.

Manado - "Manado Church and Jayapura Church send a mission team"

At the end of June 2009 Jayapura Church and Manado Church have send a mission team to Manokwari – the province of West Papua.

The background of sending the mission was the earthquake which was happened in Manokwari and Sorong on the early of year 2009. Because of that earthquake, a numbers of personnel of HOPE Indonesia are required to give counseling for trauma and training people on how to face or handling disaster in the city of Manokwari for more than 6 (six) months.

Mission team Manokwari is led by Musa and Ida from Jayapura Church. They have 2 (two) children, Catherina and Calvin. Together with them, there are 8 (eight) brothers and sisters from Manado Church who then became the mission team members and also staffs or workers of HOPE Indonesia for Manokwari. They are a married couple Steven & Melce, Randy, Billy, Jean Kaunang, Dince, Devi and Sherly. Plus, a woman named Ibu Kus from Jakarta who helped the mission team to Jayapura for one month in the past.