Susan Hoover

9 Cities + 11 Services in 9 Days = An Awesome Week Ahead!

Ron — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:59:57 +0000

Greetings from the beautiful island of Sumatra!

I’ve been back for almost one week now.. it is great to be back!

I had a wonderful time in North America.. and it was so great to see all of you that I got to see! I think it was the fastest month of my life! haha

But I needed to get back; there was a lot waiting for me here.. churches to preach in, students and staff to meet, new school year to prepare, events to be set up, those waiting for a visit or encouragement, ministries to be continued, etc.

Starting tomorrow I begin a tour through North Sumatra with some of students from the Bible College. We will be ministering to young people in 11 services in 9 cities in the next 9 days. Wow! It is going to be great! The students are so excited for it!

It is exciting. Actually, looking ahead to another year in Indonesia is incredibly exciting! I know God is going to do such great things.. more than we can even imagine!!

There are lots of new things ahead this year… can’t wait to see what is going to happen! I am ready to watch history being shattered as the gospel reaches people like never before!

Speaking of new things, I tried something new last night. I played badminton here. I somehow pictured just kind of batting the birdie around.. I forgot I am in Asia. Wow…. Let’s just say I have never sweated so much in my whole life. Hahaha..

Anyways, I need to go make preparations for our tour starting tomorrow…
Please keep us in your prayers in the next 9 days!
For lives to be inspired and changed…

Thank you for being part of another year of great things in Indonesia!!!

Amazed by Him,
Susan Joy

di mana…??

Ron — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:52:10 +0000

Hi there!

I am writing this to you from the wonderful world of… Canada!!

The time has come for my annual visit back to North America. It is wonderful to be back and to visit friends and family for almost a month. I had a few immigration problems and flight problems when trying to leave Indonesia.. but God is soooooo good and within a few days He worked it all out! And now I am enjoying a beautiful time here!

One of the last things I did before leaving Indonesia was our youth event near Yogyakarta, Jawa. I had dreamed of doing an event in that area for 3 years and had heard many times from many people that it was “impossible” and would never happen.

I thank God that not only did it happen, but that it will never be forgotten. Although things don’t always work out the way that we plan them to, there is no need to be disappointed because we can always learn from what happens and see the wonderful plan that God had worked out how it takes place in the end. On the last night of our event some of the local people got very angry about Jesus being preached in their area and they started an anger rising up in the community. A week later the problem was rising and I ended up flying back from another island to deal with the situation. I was not about to allow the local church to be persecuted and have to stand through it alone because they had worked with us. It was honestly quite scary to go back to that situation for me. I knew I would go back to face an angry mob. But I really just prayed God would soften their hard and angry hearts before they even saw me. And that is exactly what He did! I was amazed how in only one day of me being there and visiting the local leaders there was peace made and apologies accepted and even stronger relationships built between the local church and some of the muslim youth groups than ever before!

God doesn’t just change situations.. God changes hearts! Sometimes when I am experiencing these things I feel like I am living in the Book of Acts. And then I remember what I have taught my students.. News Flash!! We ARE living in the Book of Acts!!

I learned a lot from this experience… and am ever more determined than ever to take the wonderful news of God’s love to more and more young people in areas where they have never heard it before.

I plan to go back to Indonesia next month with a new excitement to do even more.. but, until then, I am enjoying my Canadian visit! In case you or your church would like me to visit while I’m here you can see my schedule below.

July 22 – July 26 St. Catharines area (visiting NCC on July 25^th)
July 27 – July 29 St. Joseph Island and Sault Ste. Marie area
July 30 – Aug 1 St. Catharines and Toronto area (speaking at TICC Aug 1)
Aug 3 – Aug 9 Rockford, MI area (speaking at Bridgeway Community Church Aug
Aug 11 – Aug 15 Knoxford, NB area
Aug 16 – Aug 18 Wasaga Beach area

If you would like to reach me while I’m in Canada you can always email me or contact me on my (new) Canadian cell number 905-324-6556.

Enjoy your beautiful summer… wherever you are!!
Blessings,
Susan Joy

Below some pictures from our time in Yogyakarta:

- Working together with the local youth for the event

- The excitment in the neighborhoods to get our flyers

- Me preaching at the event

- The youth in the crowd enjoying the event

- The local of the event. The field is right beside the local Mosque

- Visiting “Borobudur”. One of the World’s Wonders.

- Our drug seminar

- Me with the local pastor who was Chairman and his family (please keep this family in prayer. They just opened thier church a year ago. They are bold with the gospel and have a true desire for their area to know Jesus)

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Participants in last event 80% Muslim!

Ron — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:37:54 +0000

Yes.. It’s true.
It was an amazing event!
And what was really great is that I didn’t have to organize this event.
I did a large outreach event for youth in the city of Kisaran one year ago. And the committee was so excited about what they saw they were inspired to keep doing it!

So they completely organized a full day event which included a band, speaking and dance competition. That night all the participants joined a celebration to find out the award winners.. and there I was given a chance to preach the most important thing to them.. the love of God revealed through Jesus to them! It was recorded that of the 300 participants 80% were Muslim!

I was so touched to see the Pastor there among all the young people that day.. it was really like Jesus in action among the sinners! Loving them so they can accept God’s great gift of love! It is so wonderful to see that the outreaches we do our not just events that last a few days.. but are really life changing moments for all those involved!

That night 100’s heard the gospel, many for the first time ever! In about a week we will reach many with the gospel for the first time as well.. but 1,000’s!

We ask for your prayers and support for July 1-3 where we will be proclaiming Jesus on the field of Sleman (a suburb of Jogyakarta, a large student city in Indonesia known for its strong religious roots). This event will be the first ever like it to take place in this area!!

It is another opportunity to change history!! Thank you for taking part!!

So many exciting things have, will and are taking place!

Including just a few days ago we had the 2^nd graduation for the Bible College here. It was such a joyous celebration. And my heart is so filled with pride when I see my students full of excitement and fire to preach the gospel and live in God’s calling for their lives!

Indonesia will be saved!!!!
Thank you for taking part…
Love,
Susan Joy

Below are just a few pictures of the event and graduation..
And here is a link to video I just made to tell the story of what happened in our last big event!
please check it out… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eltz9edm_Cg

To support this work financially you can make a check out to : Celebrate Jesus International

And put in the memo: Susan Hoover

And send it to: World Impact Ministries, Box 968, St. Catharines, ON, L2R 6Z4

Ron — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:28:26 +0000

Hi there!

It is has been two weeks since our last big youth outreach event!

As usual… 1,000’s flooded the field each night!

It is so amazing to me that even though we didn’t have any celebrities or perfect publicity that still 1,000’s of people would come! It is such a proof to me that God really tugs on their heart and brings them. Why?Because He loves them so much and desires them to hear the gospel so they can be saved!!

While I was preaching I saw many Muslim people in the crowd. There were two girls standing right in front of the stage. They were listening very intently and seemed to be enjoying everything that was going on. (pic below)

Youth from local churches did what they were trained to do on the field. They met and ministered to the young people they met on the field. Gave them books that explain what salvation is all about and they take their phone and address so that they can continue to visit them to help them understand it even more.

I was so overjoyed when I heard that those two Muslim girls were met by local youth and went home with the salvation books that night!

It is a joy to preach Jesus to them for the first time and sow the gospel seed in to their hearts! And it is also a joy to see the youth from local churches doing their part to help that seed inside of them grow so that they can really understand Jesus more clearly!!

“Joy” is maybe the best word to describe all of the emotions we can feel while doing a big event like this. I truly felt so honored to be a part of it as I heard the voice of the crowd follow me in praying out the salvation prayer with me and receive Jesus into their hearts! (You can actually watch and listen to this in the video link below!)

Doing events like this takes months of preparation, 1,000’s of dollars, all the energy my body can round up, and many people all around the world and locally all taking up their part… but I am convinced it is soooooo worth it!! Those souls are worth everything.. they are worth Jesus’ life! If Jesus was willing to die for them the least I can do is spend all my time, energy, money and whatever else I have to tell them about it..

Truly …. A JOY!!!!

Thank you soooooo much for taking part in this eternal joy!!
Susan Joy

I have attached a few pictures.
You can see the complete album on facebook.
There is also a few links to watch some videos.
or catch it all on my facebookgroup: Susan’s Indonesian Adventures
enjoy! J

Watch the salvation prayer in Deli Tua:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHRW7yihZtU

Watch a short little clip of the fun we had:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLQZ01Dun9A

Look at the Photo Album:

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=511212132&k=55D5X3VXWT6A4JMGPEX62USTPRAAVT3&oid=1422165085103

EXTRAordinary

webmaster — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:34:58 +0000

Last Saturday I had planned a very ordinary day doing normal things.. A day off to pay my bills, clean my yard, do up some paperwork, maybe even grab some rest. Etc. All of a sudden I received a phone call that the mother of our close Pastor friend had died. I quickly got ready to go to their house. By the time I arrived there was a tent sent up outside the house and many people were there. I stood back and watched as the family carried on their Hindu rituals for quite some time. The Pastor is one of 14 children and there is only one other who is a believer. He decided that the funeral was the right time to share the gospel to his family … and asked me to do it! So after they finished their rituals I stepped in to the circle that this huge family had made around the body. I stood at the foot of the coffin with a little megaphone. And with the family all encircled around me I preached to them that the only surety of salvation is Jesus and Jesus alone. They stood there and listened to every word! It was an incredible honor and joy for me! It was an experience I will never, ever, forget!

I may have planned an ordinary day.. but God had something else in mind. More than I ever could have imagined! I preached to the whole family of one of the hardest Hindu families in our entire city! Truly amazing!

After I finished speaking we prayed and sang a son and then they took to the body to be cremated. I was asked to join.. so I did. But thinking there would be another ceremony before the body was cremated and that was it. But when I got there and saw them stacking firewood below and above the coffin I realized this was going to more than I was expecting as well!! I kept telling myself it couldn’t be real.. it was like something you’d see out of old movie of a knight’s tale. But once I heard, and saw the flames, it became very real indeed. It was at moment I realized I had never attended a Hindu funeral before. And considered that next time I would skip the cremation ceremony.

Another extraordinary day was the Saturday before. I was not feeling good that morning. But felt that I had to go see the women in the prison. When I got there many of the women were in one cell playing their gambling games. I didn’t think anyone was going to even come and join me.. but to my surprise 8 of the 13 women were suddenly all in the cell with me. I explained the real meaning of Easter to them, starting from creation; What Jesus really did for us. When I asked who wanted to receive Jesus all 8 women raised their hands! They all repeated the prayer with me. Right after I said “amen” I continued by saying “now, let’s all just take a few moments to thank Jesus”. After a few seconds I realized I could hear many of their whispering voices so I looked up and around and saw the most beautiful thing.. all 8 faces were tear stained and their lips were shaking and they whispered out their gratitude to Jesus and what He had done. It may have been in a prison cell.. but that moment was so holy, so precious and so beautiful and full of God’s presence!

Last weekend I was also asked to speak at a special children’s service. For the first time the church had decided to invite all of the poor children that are sponsored by “Compassion” there and join them together with the Sunday school children. There was almost 200 kids. I have not preached to children in a very long time and was wondering if I could do it! Haha.. But God is good and when I asked who wanted to receive Jesus in their hearts over 100 of their hands shot up in the air.. I was so happy to see it!

Don’t forget!! The next big event is only a few days away!! Last week I asked you to pray for two things: the permissions and the finances to do it. Well.. a few days ago we got the final permissions!! So now just waiting to see how God wants to pay for it. J thanks for your prayers!

In Him,
Susan Joy