Leper Colony Ministry

Leprosy! Yes, it still exists in our world today. A men's group that Phil has become involved with has begun exploring ways to assist the ministry in a nearby Leper Colony. This group spent several hours recently visiting with the Pastor and a number of members of a Christian church located in the middle of the leper area. The congregation has approximately 200 members and a Sunday School attendance of 50. Many of these are lepers, but many are Christians living in surrounding neighborhoods too. The congregation itself owns 14 dwellings for those who are unable to sustain themselves through meaningful work. The initial goal for this group of men will be to assist the congregation in establishing a medical clinic on site. A doctor has already volunteered his time twice a week. A building on the church property needs some badly needed repairs and furnishings to enable this to take place. Other ways of ministering are being discussed and explored to ease the burden of the community and the congregation. Pray for success in this new ministry outreach. (No pictures are available at this time per the request of the congregation.)

Tollway Ministry

Imagine living under a freeway bridge. Shortly before Christmas we had the opportunity to join with members from one of our local Christian congregations in spending time with a group of very poor Christians who live and worship under a series of bridges that comprise the tollway to the local airport. It was an amazing day in sharing the Christmas story, joining in singing, distributing gifts to the children, food to the families, and taking a walk through their "village". Most of these families do have "homes" built of wood nestled under the bridges. Some simply spread their blankets, etc. on the dirt and curl up to sleep. The village has its own chief. An area is set aside for the Christian community to worship as well. They have electricity thanks to tapping into the street lights from the tollway. They also have a regular community toilet area, a well for fresh water, and a place for bathing. It was quite interesting as well as eye-opening to see this side of life in Jakarta!