Susan Hoover

I thought that title would grab your attention!.. I just returned from that trip. What an honor and a great opportunity. I live among the ‘batak’ tribe here in Sumatra. Up until about 100 years ago they were cannibals. Which makes me thank God that He sent me now and not then! Hahaha.. When the 1^st missionaries came to Sumatra, Indonesia they were killed and eaten by part of this Batak tribe. There is a local pastor with this village on his heart. That village, even to this day, feels like they are living under a curse because of what their grandfathers did. So they gathered the village together for a service and then for dinner.. and invited me as the guest speaker! As a missionary today.. it was so great to share God’s grace with them! I stood out in that village and told the people how God freed them from their sins, their sicknesses, their curses, all through what Jesus did on the cross! (pics below) They received it so well!

 

One man representing the village stood up and thanked me. He had a huge smile and tears in his eyes.. he said what I had spoken was something that they realized they needed to learn: What Jesus had really done for them! Many of the elders came up to hug me and thank me. And in the end we even had a little ceremony in the head elder’s house of them letting go of the past and how they can work together with missionaries of today. (pic below) This head elder received the message so well that night that he got healed! He had been suffering for so long with rheumatism in his legs. But that night he stood in front of the village and shared how Jesus had healed him that night! It was such a beautiful night! Praise God! No matter what we, or our past generations have done, we are new in Christ Jesus! Forgiven, healed, blessed, and set free!

 

I experienced one of the most amazing crowds while preaching the gospel this month. In the Prostitution Rehabilitation Centre. After teaching an English class we gathered with the girls. (pic below) I made it very clear that anyone could leave. But almost all them, about 20 girls, chose to stay. I shared the gospel.. just so simply. What Jesus had done for them. And how each and every one of them, even though many of them are from other religions, could call out to Jesus and He would answer them. All of these young women just sat in awe. Hanging on every word that I said. It was so beautiful. How awesome it is to share Jesus with those who have never heard it before! How simple but how powerful is the gospel!! Nothing else could ever even come close to comparing to it!

 

It has been a great start to the new year! God has been sooooo good to us! Wow. Even in this first month so much has come together! We’ve gotten a new place and all the instruments for the band and to start a studio. We bought a bus.. and already use it on a daily basis! Now we can reach villages we could never have reached before! And we’d been praying for a small sound system at a good price.. God did even more than that.. we have use of one for free now! Everything we need for a village outreach: sound system, bus, keyboard, sound system, projector, etc.. Before it would be so expensive and sometimes difficult to get it all together.. But now I own it all! God is so good to provide for all the needs here.. and He does it through you!!

 

Recently we’ve been visiting the women in the prison a lot more often. (pics below) Last week one of the women decided she wanted to receive Jesus into her life. So we prayed with her. And when we came back a week later it was amazing.. she was like a completely different person! She greeted us at the door and brought us into the room setting up the room and just bubbling over with joy! She looked radiant, like a whole new person! It was sooooo incredible to see the amazing change that takes place in us when we receive our new life in Jesus! How precious is each and every one to Him!!

 

In the next few months I will be focusing on a few things. One of them will be on doing large youth outreaches. God has put some cities on my heart. I have started visiting the cities. They are as big as 300,000 in population and even in hard Muslim areas. Nothing like this has ever been done before! We are making history!! Thanks for joining with me to make this all possible!! We are not afraid to step out and do this, because our Jesus is not just big.. he is huge!! He is Everything!! Haha.. Thank you for your prayers and support.. The young people of Indonesia will hear about Jesus through us!!

 

In a few days one of our team members, Eva May, will heading back to Canada. Eva May has been a great example to all the Indonesians and to all of us Canadians. Her coming to do missions at the age of 71 reminds us all there are NO excuses. With Christ as our strength we really can do anything! We will miss our ‘team grandma’ so much here.

 

Last night I was sitting listening to my band worship God. I was looking at how much their lives have changed! Looking at all that God has done! Looking at all we have! Looking at all the new ones who have recently decided to come back to God and join us! Looking ahead to the future and how God will use us….

Wow…..  

I just felt so thankful and blessed!

Thank you for being a part of it all through your prayers and support.. I am truly so thankful!

 

One night earlier this month I was walking home and I was thinking about my life. And I think this statement pretty much sums it up:

 

WITHOUT JESUS we are NOTHING. But WITH JESUS we have EVERYTHING!!!

 Susan Joy 

Pictures:

 

Preaching in the village festival.

 

Some of the people who received healing in that festival came up to testify. This woman with the mike is telling everyone how she could feel that she was healed of her heart condition!!

 

These are 3 beautiful grandma’s who are eating the dinner together after the village festival. When the event was over they all came up and gave me big hugs sincerely thanking me for coming to bring them the good news.

 

In the village with the head elder. Shaking hands to show the past has already been forgiven and now we continue on together to a better future, together, with Jesus!

 

Teaching English in the Prostitution Rehab Centre

 

The next two pictures are Eva May and I sharing with a  small group of women in prison.

 

Eva May and I gather for a group pic with some of the women in prison. The one below us is the who had just received Jesus into her life about 20 min beforehand.

 

This is our CJI team for 2007-2008.. woah! Goodlooking bunch! Hahaha..

Me keeping the team in line.. hahaha.. kind of a team joke.
www.susanhoover.org

This entry was posted on Friday, March 7th, 2008 at 1:47 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.