Dear Friends,

Janice and I send you greetings from Jakarta. We trust this letter finds all going well in your part of the world. Sad to say, the world news so often absorbs our minds with war, natural disasters, pestilence and failing economies, that we tend to lose our focus on getting the good news out to a lost and dying world. In this letter we want to focus on getting out the good news, and our thanks to you for your part in that effort.

This last month Janice and I traveled to Batam island to be with Pastor Andar and his folks at Grace Baptist Church. Batam island is a small Indonesian island off Singapore that has been jointly developed by the governments of Singapore and Indonesia as a free port area. Many factories have been set up on Batam, and this has attracted many Indonesian young people to seek jobs there. In October 2001, Andar, who is one of our Bible school graduates, was sent out by the Cipulir Baptist Church here in Jakarta to start the work on Batam. Last year, I went up with some of the men from Cipulir Baptist Church to visit the work and preach. We had good services with several folks saved at that time. This year, Janice and I went over the Easter holiday to hold revival services. We had good services while we were there with four people professing their faith in the Lord and several of the young people dedicating their lives to faithfully serve the Lord. At present, Pastor Andar has three good families and about 10 young adults who are faithful to the work. They have been able to put up a small building which they hope will be legalized by the local government authority. Please pray for Pastor Andar and his family as they minister there on Batam island. Lord willing, over the next few months, I would like to help Pastor Andar get a van or a motorcycle to help with the transportation needs of the work. If you would like to have a part in this please send in an offering and mark it Batam. Thank you so much.

Last Sunday, Janice and I were down at Pastor Munjait’s church in Pelumpang. We had a good group of people (at least 30 folks) and a good service. The church building had several improvements with new tile on the steps up to the auditorium and a nice railing on the porch. We do appreciate your prayers for Pastor Munjait and the work in Pelumpang.

My classes at the Bible school continue to go well. I have a really good group of new students in the basic Bible classes that I teach, and over 45 students in my textual preaching classes. Oh, you should hear some of these sermons! Every Monday and Wednesday morning they preach up a storm of some 10 sermons. Some are terrible, a few I steal myself, but most of them are sermons of young preachers who desire to be used of the Lord. It is all hard work, but what a joy.

For your faithful prayers over this past month, we are truly thankful.

In Christ,