Getting Settled

Wow, we have done a horrible job keeping you up to date on everything going on here in Indonesia. There is good reason for our lack of communication though. We have been flat out busy. Here is a list of things that we have done, or are doing.

• We have moved into our new home. The problem is we don't have any furniture yet. it looks like it will still be a few more weeks before that comes. Maybe, just maybe, we will have a real mattress by the end of this week.
• Moving into our new home required Steve to redo all the plumbing from scratch, and most of the electricity.
• Steve is looking for some free time to shovel a bunch of rocks, bricks, and broken tile from our yard which needs frequent mowing.
• Laura has started to teach English as a second language at the Red Cross.
• Steve has begun his flight checkout. He will have a flight test with an official from the Indonesian government around July 8th.
• We have unpacked our crates. We now have lots of things from America that will make life easier here, but we don't have anywhere to put it yet, due to our lack of furniture.
• We have visited a few different Indonesian churches. Hopefully we will find one we can really fit into.
• We are praising God for bringing us here, and allowing us to serve him in this way.

Earthquake Update

The day after we arrived on the island of Borneo, there was a 6.2 earthquake near the center of the island of Java. Tarakan, our town on Borneo, is about 800 miles north of Yogyakarta where the earthquake hit. Picture us in northeast Minnesota and the earthquake hit in the middle of Louisiana. Something like that. It’s not exact, but that gives you the idea of how far we are from it. Also, most of the area between us and where the earthquake hit is water. So, we are safe and sound.

However, there are many families that are experiencing a great loss. The last report we heard said that there are about 6300 dead, 40,000 injured and 650,000 homeless in that area. While we are not able to help the people of Yogyakarta and Bantul physically, some of our co-workers and friends who are still in language school in Bandung are helping. Bandung is about 200 miles from the epicenter of the quake.

Here’s what our friend, Amber, has said about what she has been doing and seeing there:

Thursday, June 1 2006: 'Hey guys! Yesterday went to the area that seems to be hardest hit, Bantul, and began distributing tarps and surveying the peoples needs and clearing debris. Today same stuff plus more food distribution. We are working with World Venture and Samaritans Purse. Thanks for your prayers!'

Friday, June 2, 2006: 'Hi All! Yesterday, me and Erin headed up a team in a different area of Bantul called Wanakromo and helped tear down 1 house and several walls, moved much furniture, handed out and set up tarps, and surveyed needs in the area...we have 6 new families that have come today to help...we are still finding areas that have not received help yet, its gotta be over 100 sq miles of damage.'

Our friend, Dave, reported that:

We had the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of the relief effort through OBI [Operation Blessing International]…from helping to make the relief packets, to loading those packets and rice into buses, to distributing those supplies along with blankets and tarps to the hardest hit areas. Usually, we followed medical teams of doctors and nurses who also treated people on location, and we were able to assist with helping to transport injured people, setting up the medical “tents” and distributing medicinal supplies as well as doing translation for some foreign doctor teams.

Time and again, I found our relief and rescue efforts extending far beyond the distribution of simple food and medical help…people were desperate to find an ear to listen, and a sympathetic friend to feel their pain. There were many open and obvious opportunities to listen to peoples’ painful stories, and then share with them why OBI was helping, and why I was there as well. God was and is using Indonesian believers to share his love to many hurting people right now in a very spiritually dark part of the world.