Tag: Compassion

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TUHAN ITU BAIK KEPADA SEMUA ORANG

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All three of the churches we visited in East Indonesia had the same banner with the same “tema” (theme/motive). It was from Mazmur 145:9a. With such a high chapter number, I figured that “Mazmur” was a verse from “Psalms”.

With the help of the YouVersion Bible App (available from bible.com with a few hundred different languages to boot) I found the verse.

“Tuhan itu baik kepada semua orang, dan penuh rahmat terhadap segala yang dijadikan-Nya.” (Mazmur 145:9 TB)

The first part means: “The Lord is good to all”

A great God centred verse to focus on in church.

The second half, the bit not quoted on the banner, said: “he has compassion on all he has made.” (Psalm 145:9 NIV)

Apt considering we were there with Compassion!

It was a joy to go to church with our Indonesian brothers and sisters. Lots of bible reading, confession of sin, songs of praise and items from different groups within the church.

Our translator, Claudia, did a sterling job with communicating the sermon to us in English. A solid sermon. The preacher spoke the word of God faithfully with some culturally relevant and pertinent application.

It was good to spend time with our family after church and over good food.

The LORD is indeed good to us all.

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FEGA’S PAIN-FILLED POEM

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One afternoon we stumbled into a Compassion project class while they were proudly sharing their poems. Rodrigo had just shared a moving poem about how his “mumma” is everything to him. Pride, joy, gratitude and affection for his mum was evident even before we heard the translation into English.

Fega (on the right) was much more coy when it came to sharing her poem. She was visibly moved before reading it. And chose not to share it with the class.

However, she shared it with me. Her poem, like Rodrigo’s, was about her family. Filled with grief and tears she shared how her dad had died when she was young and her mum was gravely ill. The poem spoke of anguish and uncertainty about the future. Gut-wrenching.

Although only with her for a short time, it was special to be able to comfort her with the comfort of Christ and to pray with her.

Hopefully this doesn’t seem too crass, but Fega reminded me that sponsor kids are real people, with real families, with real emotions and real pain.

Poverty in our world is massive. The number of children that die each day from preventable diseases is heart-breaking. But it’s easy to let the tragic numbers wash over you. Fega isn’t a number or a statistic. Her deceased father and ill mother aren’t a number or a statistic.

I’m thankful to God for Fega’s grandmother and her care for Fega. I’m thankful to God for Compassion and their care and support of Fega.

Compassion know that children aren’t statistics. Compassion workers on the ground know the children and their needs: physical; spiritual; and emotional.

Check out www.compassion.com.au if you want to bring comfort, care and compassion to precious little ones like Fega.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)

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THE TEAM

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Here’s a pic of the team that went to Indonesia.

We were lead by Paul Beeston from Compassion Australia. The team were an impressive bunch of people. It was a privilege to spend time with them, see them in action and share lots of laughs.

Back: Andy, Justin, Jen, Paul, Colin, Riley & Tom.
Front: Tom, Me, Sam, Jon & Michael.
Absent: Marcus (Visiting his sponsor child)
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I’m almost at the end of this series of pictures/posts from my recent trip to Indonesia. Stay tuned…

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JESUS LOVES KIDS

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#CompassionINDO @CompassionAU

Jesus loves kids. Compassion loves kids. Kids in Indonesia now love Jesus because of Compassion’s love “In Jesus’ Name”. What precious work!

“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:13-16 NIV)

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TAKRAW // CONNECTING THROUGH SPORT

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I mentioned in a previous post that it’s difficult to connect across language barriers. One way to break down barriers is through sport.

We spent an hour or so one afternoon playing Takraw (3 vs 3 soccer tennis style Asian sport). Sweaty work. Good fun. Great to connect with the boys.

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THE TASTES OF MANADO

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We enjoyed so much delicious food in Manado! My favourite was the fish on Bulakan Island (bottom right pic) and the avocado juice.

There was also lots of sketchy food to stay away from. I’ve since heard that more than half the team were sick upon arriving home. Bummer. Literally.

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WRITE LETTERS TO YOUR SPONSOR CHILD

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Vicky’s family were given critical support by Compassion after a typhoon ripped the roof off their house two years ago. It was a privilege to be welcomed into his home and see how Compassion has restored their home and loved this family.

One framed photo stood out on their wall. It was an Italian couple: Antonella and Roberto, Vicky’s sponsors.

When asked if he had received any letters from them, he dashed around to his bed and pulled out a precious tin box. Proudly he presented the letters he’d received from his generous friends from Europe.

A consistent message from Compassion staff and kids in the projects is that letters make a difference.

We met a veteran letter translator in the Compassion office. She passionately pleaded with us to write letters and encourage other sponsors to write letters.

Convicted. Rebuked.

We’ve got 2 sponsor children in Swaziland, Bandzille and Silungilie. We regularly pray for them but have been pretty slack in writing letters. The plan? Start writing to them. We want to share our lives, share our hope in Jesus and let them know we love them and are praying for them.

Got sponsor kids? Write often.

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