May 2007 Report
So much has happened this month! I hope this email isn’t too long.. haha!
And what’s sooo exciting is that in each of the next two months we have major events going on hoping to reach 1,000’s of young people for Jesus! It’s the biggest events I have ever planned back to back! Wow!! The excitement is really building up! Just last week we did a city wide youth event! Inviting all youth groups to join together! Our band ‘All 4 JC†was playing and I have never seen these young people so excited! (pic below) All denominations jumping around praising God together! I shared the vision with them.. and one by one all the young people stood up saying they were ready.. ready to win their city for Jesus! Next month will be the 1st ever youth outreach like this in our city!!
Right now I am Bintan and Batam Island. Islands just below Singapore. I was here last October and really had it in my heart to come back. To minister to the 1,000’s of young people who work day and night in the factories here and live in the dormitories with no hope or future. Yesterday was an absouletly amazing day. Just going from one dorm room to another.. sharing Jesus with all! From Muslims, to Catholics, to Christians, to Jehoveh Witness.. so many receiving Jesus into their lives! So beautiful! On Thursday night I was in home group in one of the dorm rooms.. sharing with over 20 young people how precious they are to God.. how much He has done for them. Afterwards one young man closed in prayer. He started crying and thanked God that, ‘even though the world looks at us like we are worth nothing..thank You. That we have learned we are precious to You!’ It really touched my heart!
Another really beautiful thing that happened this month was with my friend Mita. When I was in Jawa last month I found out they had just discovered she had cancer. They said she would need an operation. But she was standing strong that God would heal her and she wouldn’t need it. Once I got home I gathered together with women from the local church and would spend time praying with her or encouraging her. One of the days I was there she saw an angel come to her room and we knew God was working a miracle! She went to Malaysia the next week for a check-up and the doctors say she no longer needs the opertation! Oh.. He is sooooo good to us!
Now.. I also have some pretty wild things to share with you.. we spent a week in the mountains of Aceh.. this was really an adventure I will never forget!! Just getting there was fun.. going through the worst road conditions I have ever seen in Indonesia! (pic below) Bouncing around in the back of pick-up trucks! Haha.. if that didn’t make the body hurt enough there was sleeping on boards, hiking 4 km down the mucky mountain in our bare feet with our packs on, eating things so gross that you didn’t want to know what they were, because when they told you (that it was dog) it made it worse, and so much more! Out in the extremely poor areas of no electricity or bathrooms of any kind.
The most embarrassing experience was the morning before we climbed down the mountain, which we had to do because it was too slippery for even jeeps to get up to fetch us. We were helping Padmini down a slope infront of the houses there. I had just assured her she would not fall because we were on a non-slippery part (I thought).. but she took a step and started to slide.. she sat down. On my legs! Which caused me to fly backwards.. off the path and roll down the side! By the time I realized what had happened I was laying on my back in the mud with my feet up in the air.. and every little head in the whole village was sticking out of their doors staring in awe!!
I didn’t go through all of that just for fun.. or because I’m trying to train myself for the amazing race.. no. but because every night in those village we preached the gospel! And sacrificing a little bit of comfort was sooooo worth it to be able to bring Jesus to those people who truly need it! (pics below) The miracles that took place were absolutely outstanding!! Healings.. an elderly man who had been lame for 10 years jumped up and down and refused a ride home so he could enjoy walking! Freedom.. a woman finally experienced joy after being tormented for months gave up everything she had from the witchdocter and decided to give her life to Jesus instead! Salvations.. every night so many prayed with us to receive the greatest miracle of all..Jesus living in us!
During one of those nights I was interpreting for Padmini while she was preaching. She was preaching how Jesus is the same. And the people were loving it. Her 1st point was “His words are the same†(at least that’s what I heard) but then that was also her 2nd point! I realized something was wrong and actually had to stop to ask her. Finally after her having to act it out we realized it even though it sounded exactly the same it was two different words! she was trying to say ‘works’ and ‘words’..how embarrassing for me.. I had to explain to all the people that I (a white girl) did not understand the English! The whole place burst out laughing!
Oh.. and so many other things happened.. like I went to my first Muslim wedding! What a joy to be so accepted within our Muslim community!
I will spend the next few weeks preparing for our two Youth Festivals. In my city, Berastagi in July and in the city of Sibolga in August. Please pray that God will continue to open the doors and prepare the finances for this..and that 1,000’s of young people will attend.. and their lives be changed forever!
I will be doing some more village festivals in our area through the next few weeks.. please pray that many who don’t know Jesus yet will come and hear the beautiful gospel of what He has done for them!
In Him,
Susan Joy
Coming events!!: (these are only the ministry with already confirmed dates.. please also keep all others in your prayers as well! Thanks!)
July 8-9 Tongkoh Vilage Crusades
July 23-24 Berasstagi Youth Festival
July 25-30 Denpasar Festival with Pastor Peter
Aug 1-10 Festival set-up in Kalimantan Island
Aug 24-25 Youth Festival in Sibolga