Pastor
Doug’s schedule is usually planned years in advance, but God moved mountains of
obstacles to answer your prayers so he could spend two weeks preaching in South
Asia this spring. Thousands flocked to hear him speak in Jakarta. Their hunger
for the Word of Life is profound, and God used you to answer their longing for
truth.
Amazing Facts’
Indonesian staff drove 12 hours to meet Doug and Karen Batchelor in Jakarta
when they arrived on April 16. “It was wonderful to spend time with our staff,”
said Pastor Doug. “Many are young people excited about working with Amazing
Facts Indonesia. They are anxious to grow their capabilities to reach the
people in their country.”
Over three
thousand attended the five-day evangelistic series that Pastor Doug preached at
the Basilea Convention Center in Jakarta. The meetings culminated with a large
baptism, and many recommitting themselves to God’s work. What wonderful
evidence that God is answering your prayers to draw people to Himself in
Indonesia!
Thank you
for being a fellow laborer in God’s work to reach the 280 million people of Indonesia
with the lifesaving truth and hope of a personal Savior. There is much
prejudice against Christianity in this Muslim nation, but many are ready to
accept the gospel and become followers of Jesus.
Sharing Christ in Indonesia
God is
continuing to bless the work of IAFCOE through your generosity. Our fourteenth
group of IAFCOE students have completed their classwork and are currently doing
their practicums in the community. They are engaged in canvassing, visiting
people in their homes, giving Bible studies, leading church services, teaching
about health, and more. Thank you for surrounding these dedicated native
missionaries with your prayers!
Our Klub
Sehat Indonesia clinic (Healthy Club Indonesia) provides lifestyle classes and essential
check-up services (blood pressure, blood sugar, uric acid, and cholesterol). The
consecrated staff you support saw 444 patients from January to May 2024. They
also taught health classes in local schools. Health is a meaningful way to reach
Muslims who may not otherwise be open to interaction with Christians.
IAFCOE also
reaches out through Internet evangelism on three Indonesian websites, along
with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. In the first half of this year,
85,000 people visited the Amazing Facts Indonesia website, and we have reached
24,862 subscribers on YouTube. Please pray that God leads the many people
searching for meaningful answers online to our truth-filled media and that they
meet Jesus through it.
The IAFCOE
team you support is working hard to prepare more materials for print in
Indonesian. In the first half of this year, they translated several Bible
studies, books on the Holy Spirit, and a coloring book. All of these are
currently being prepared for printing. A total of 8,036 pieces of truth-filled
literature were sold in the first half of 2024.
Evangelism
is challenging in this Islamic country. Former Muslims are often shunned by
family, verbally abused, and pressured in other ways when they become
Christians. Your prayers open doors for hungry souls to take a stand for Jesus
despite the opposition they may face.
Literature Ministry Opens Doors
A tiny flutter of colorful paper caught the eye of Ivon,
one of the canvassers you support. He bent down and picked up a 50,000 rupiah
note (worth about $3). Not sure what else to do with it, he tucked it into his pocket
and continued to the next door with his bag of literature to sell.
A little while later, he knocked on the door of a Christian
orphanage in Boyolali. The lady who answered was interested in our books and
magazines but had no money. That’s when he remembered the money he’d found.
“God already paid for it for you!” Ivon told the lady as he pulled the bill out
of his pocket and handed her a copy of the Daniel and Revelation magazine you
helped us print.
At
another house, the canvassers met a man who gave them many reasons for not
buying their books. Yet he seemed strangely eager to talk with them. They
conversed with him for some time before he told them what was really happening
in his life: He hadn’t worked for years, and his relationship with his family and
God was not good. He was lonely and had no friends. He willingly accepted their
offer of home visitations. “Our meeting ended beautifully even though he didn’t
take the book,” Ivon says. “He wanted to be visited and was open to friendship.
God took it from rejection to friendship.”
Thank you
for being a co-laborer in our Indonesian evangelism work. Your prayers and
sacrificial gifts are helping many people move from rejection of God into
friendship with Him.
Please
continue to pray for our Amazing Facts Indonesia team as they boldly share
Jesus in the nation of Indonesia. We cherish your prayers for each one of the
frontline missionaries who is serving God so faithfully. And please pray that
the seeds you are helping sow in this beautiful nation will germinate and grow
into a great harvest for God’s kingdom. Thank you!