Susan Hoover

Happy New Year!!!

Too late to wish you a Merry Christmas… but I do hope you had a wonderful one!

December was a busy month! I was teaching both of my classes in the Bible College all day everyday while preaching in numerous Christmas services at night.  I really enjoyed the opportunities that I did get this month! One of them was preaching in the large field right in the middle of our city to a crowd of youth. This was the Christmas service provided by the government. I was really honored to be chosen as the speaker! Also.. I was so blessed to speak to 100’s of university students in some of the events this month. And I was amazed at how captivated they were by the message! And so many of them made the decision to do more than just listen.. but to accept Jesus into their hearts!

On December 30^th I had had enough of the holidays and catching up on work and felt I had to do something for the lost.  So I messaged some of the students and announced I was going to the hospital tomorrow to pray for the sick and they were welcome to join me, a few of them did. We arrived at the hospital not knowing anyone in particular. So we just walked into whatever rooms we wanted to and begin to meet the people, sharing love and hope from Jesus with them!

I was going from room to room in the lung section of the hospital when I saw a group of people all sitting outside one room. So many families who couldn’t celebrate the New Year at home because of loved ones in the hospital. I felt a boldness stir up inside me and I called them all together… and I preached the gospel to them! I spoke loud enough so that the patients inside could hear me too! Then, I went in and started to pray for them one by one.

The first patient was a 23^rd year old guy, Andy. The doctors told him they couldn’t do anything more for him. He had been sick for 4 years. They said he had to go to Jakarta (the capital city) for treatment. His family didn’t have money for that and was in a desperate situation. After I shared Jesus with him and his mom I could see they were both really touched. I asked them “have you ever asked Jesus into your heart?” Even though they were from the Christian religion both said they hadn’t.. but wanted to. So I lead them to receive Jesus! It was beautifu and so I stayed to talk with them a few minutes. While I was still talking to them Andy took of his oxygen. “Why did you take that off?”  I asked surprised. “It’s not hard to breathe anymore” He answered matter of fact. I realized.. the miracle was already taking place! Praise God!

So.. I continued on to the other patients. So many of them not only wanted healing prayer but also to receive salvation through Jesus! Even the Muslim families too! We even got to share Jesus with a couple from the province of Aceh (where it is against the Muslim law to preach the gospel to them)!

As we went out to the parking lot I spent a few minutes reminding my students that anytime they want to they can do this kind of thing. There is a huge building right there, just full of people without hope we need us! It is so easy to bring hope to the hopeless… if we will just take a bit of time to do it.

Well… that was the end to 2011! And.. I am even more excited about 2012!! So many amazing plans! I’ll be sharing some of those with you next time..

For now I’ll leave you with this video… a look back at some of the highlights of 2011. God really did so much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAJk8lVvIuM

And.. I’m thankful for each and every one of you that also took part in all that we did here this past year.

Rejoice with me as you watch this video…!

Susan Joy

oh! and for Facebook users:

Hi there!!

Hope this email finds you well!

Sorry it has been a while without an update. I just returned back to Indonesia after spending just over 2 weeks in Canada. It was a lot packed into a few weeks and a great time! I taught Book of Acts and Evangelism in World Impact Bible Institute in Toronto.. and enjoyed it thoroughly! The students there were amazing! They came back everyday with testimonies of how they had shared Jesus and prayed with their families, co-workers, people they met on the bus, in hospitals, etc.

Now I am back and today started teaching my own students here in Indonesia! This year God sent us just over 30 full time students.. and I couldn’t ask for any better ones! All of second year students continued on and are as excited as ever! And I can already see the potential in our first year students!

Coming back from Canada I am excited to get to train these new disciples even more as I teach in the school. I am also really excited about the many other areas of ministry we are planning before 2011 comes to an end!

Instead of me writing all of this update I thought I’d include 2 stories from 2 of our 2^nd year students:

Tiominar Manullang:

One day when I went back from SAC, one of my neighbor waited for me because we had an appointment to pray for a friend of her in Marta Friska Hospital. When we arrived there, I saw that lady was laying on her bed and her husband sat next to her, she just finished heart surgery and I also saw another lady on the other bed (there were two patients in that room), we started talking and I started tell them about the Gospel of Jesus, then we prayed together. Praise God just few days after, they both were allowed to go home even until now I still visit my neighbor’s friend regularly to share about Jesus, while the other lady already went back to her home town, and we just know that she already spent 1 month in that hospital but after she heard the Gospel of Jesus she got healed even she went back home earlier than my neighbor’s friend. Praise God.

Florita Marpaung:

A friend of mine in boarding house was sick hepatitis (caused by liver problem), she already stayed at home for 3 days, could not go for work or anything. Then i felt compassion of God came into my heart, i said to my friend to pray together, she was a bit curious to me because she saw that I’m not kind of religious person then i said “don’t look at me, just trust Jesus the healer”. We started singing then I laid my hand on her and pray, I said “all kind of sicknesses leave from this body, by Jesus stripes you have been healed”. Tomorrow morning my friend already woke up from her bed, she looks so good and ready to work again, while before she only stayed on bed and she planned if until 1 week she could not get healed, she will come back to her village, but praise God, Jesus show us His miracle.

Also.. I made an appearance on the tv show Encounter while I was in Canada. On this program I preach for 20 minutes on something interesting God revealed to me about the older son in the prodigal son story.

You can watch it on your Grace TV channel at these times:

Friday, Nov 11th          9:00PM

Saturday, Nov 12th      8:00AM

Sunday, Nov 13th        5:00AM

On online anytime:

http://gracetelevision.net/watch/55220

Be blessed always!!

susan joy

Another month has flown by!!

Last time I wrote I was just about to head out on a tour with some of my students… wow! So much happened on that.. and since that time! If I wrote about all that happened on tour alone… I could fill pages…

So… I will save your eyes and your time and just believe me when I tell you I can sum it all up in one word: AMAZING!

This past week could have also been described as that as well as I took a large step in taking our ministry further than ever before… by multiplying it!

I don’t think I will ever forget how I felt as I stood on the boat, waving goodbye, as we pulled away from the dock where my 6 graduates were standing (waving their hands off) as I leav them there to be missionaries for the year. I cannot even explain how happy, sad, excited, proud, wondering, and elated my heartfelt at that moment.

I was looking over the city as we sailed by.. I know it is a place that needs the gospel so badly. There is no doubt in my mind that those 6 new missionaries will make a great impact there! (in fact they have already begun to do so in their first 3 days there!)

I looked at that city and knew it was a place I could ordinarily never reach. Travel by train for 5 hours than another 4 by boat. How could I do anything long term and lasting there? But now.. there are 6 of me there.. well. Even better than me. There are 6 of Jesus’ disciples there now… bringing impact and the light where we never could have before!

As I stood in the doorway of the boat looking at their dock until I couldn’t see them anymore I knew in my heart this was the first time.. but I would do this many times again.. this is the first team of many!

I feel this may be one of the most effective things I have ever done here in Indonesia… and … I get to do it all over again as on Monday we will receive our new students!!  It is an amazing feeling to take this step.. but also a great responsibility. Your prayers and financial support are what we enable me to be able to keep this team going… and continue to prepare others to go out as well!

It’s time for the world to be saved… so.. what are we waiting for?? Let’s do it!!

Susan Joy Hoover

Pics below!
Nikmati! (enjoy!)

p.s. .. entering a very very busy time and big decisions… extra prayers appreciated! Thanks! J

moreeffectivethanever___2