Dear Pastors and praying friends,
It has been an exciting time for us to be missionaries! We finished deputation on a high note. Our last missions conference was close by to Faith’s family, and we were able to stay with them for the duration of the conference. Saying goodbye to family is always tough, and I’m grateful we spent that last bit of time with them. Also, the speaker for the conference was the president of Vision Baptist Missions, Pastor Austin Gardner. He has been so instrumental in our training for missions. To have the opportunity of spending a week just before we leave for Indonesia, to ask questions, and to be encouraged for the work was invaluable.
Our last meeting on deputation was also very special to us. One of our very first supporting churches asked us to come back again before we left. We were surprised to find they had prepared Christmas for our family to enjoy before we left. Thank you so much Bethel Baptist in Richmond Hill! I don’t know how to explain what a blessing it was. We have the best friends, churches, and pastors behind us we could ask for.
It finally came! The day we had looked forward to for several years came on December 2. We were all set to leave on November 20, but the day prior, I woke up to news that our paperwork came through to the embassy in Texas. Since it was there we had no way around putting off our departure till our paperwork cleared. We expedited it, enjoyed Thanksgiving with family, and headed to Indonesia. We arrived on the field on December 4th!
We stepped off a plane into a country that seems overflowing with people. Every street, highway, alleyway, cafe, and every business looks to be at max capacity. There is an abundance of poverty just beside opulent wealth. There are multitudes of motorcycles jamming every intersection. It seems the only thing Indonesia is not overcrowded with is the Gospel, churches, and followers of Christ. I read this week that Indonesia is home to over 800,000 mosques. That’s almost 1 for every 320 people. Please pray for Indonesia and us. We start language school the first week of January. I can’t wait to be able to preach the Gospel in Bahasa.
To Indonesia with Truth,
Jesse, Faith, and Ava