Indonesia Tour 2011 (Timika)
Thursday, 31 March 2011 08:04
Our Indonesia Tour has three important parts.
Check out latest reports and pictures from Timika, Manokwari and Bandung!
Click on the pictures to watch more videos of Indonesia !
This is where you sow into! Thank you so much for standing with us! Your prayer and support make it possible for us to go to the nations and bring the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Together for the Lost,
Suzette & Team
The price of ministry
From the heart of Suzette
It is late at night, or rather early morning, when I finally put down my earphones having listened to a song by Robin Mark.
When it’s all been said and done There is just one thing that matters Did I do my best to live for truth Did I live my life for You
When it’s all been said and done All my treasures will mean nothing Only w hat I’ve done for love’s Reward Will stand the test of time
Lord Your mercy is so great That You look beyond our Weakness And find purest gold in miry clay Making sinners into saints
I will always sing Your praise Here on earth and ever after For You’ve shown me Heaven’s my True home
It is during these quiet hours of the night, when there are no lights, no microphones, no people to break through spiritually, when the only sound I hear is the air-conditioner in my room gently blowing to keep the room somewhat cooler, it is then that I ask myself, “Is all this really worth it? Is the price not too high?”
I live in hotel rooms out of an endlessly repacked suitcase, and the stillness reminds me that I am all alone; I ask again, “Is all this worth it?” Most of my time I live in someone else’s apartment, taking care of their things, and yet I have a beautiful apartment in Germany that stands empty. I wash my clothes in a hotel sink, and yet I have a washing machine at home – “Is it worth it?”
When God lets me sleep a few hours, then wakes me up to pray because He knows how full my days are and what demands are upon me from all sides; when the Holy Spirit wakes me up just to fellowship with Him, not to intercede, or war, or prepare a sermon, or to respond to the innumerable emails, but to simply spend time with Him and love Him – “Is it worth it?”
It is then that the song of Robin Mark sings in my ears and helps me to focus afresh – When it’s all been said and done … only what I’ve done for love’s reward will stand the test of time! When all that we do, say, or act upon goes through the fire, and only that which is gold, silver, or precious stone remains, and all the wood, hay, or stubble is destroyed, it is then that I understand why Jesus went out alone into the night to pray. It was to be away from the demands of people, signs and wonders, and simply to have fellowship with His Father. It is only in that fellowship and in the presence of God that the fire of the Holy Spirit burns away the dross, deals with attitudes, pain, loneliness and the deep, deep price of ministry. God will always cover our mistakes, but He will never cover our pride. He will expose our heart, our attitudes, even our very self until nothing remains except that the trial of our faith results in the praise and glory and honour of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pure refined gold pales into insignificance in the light of this proof of our faith.
When hundreds, even thousands of people cry out to God, when the fire of the Holy Spirit re-ignites the ashes of lukewarmness, confronts comfort zones, or even, as during the meeting last night, the tangible presence of God was so apparent, it is then that I can truly say, “Wow, this is what it is all about”! When thousands upon thousands commit their lives to Jesus, or Almighty God shakes the population by signs and wonders, again I could say, “This is what it is all about”!
But it is not all about the meetings, the break-throughs, the healings, or any of the other wonderful manifestations of the love of God – it is all about, Have I lived my life for Jesus? Have I given my best for Him? Have I lived my life for truth and love? – For only that will stand the test of time and fire before Him.
It is then, as I look at Matthew’s picture, and cry as the pain of missing him becomes too much, and I long to be with the team, yet all around me is the stillness of the night and the gentle purr of the air conditioner, and that song reminds me that “Heaven is really my home”.
So let us lay everything on the altar of God, for God cannot pour out His fire upon an empty altar – the altar of prayer, commitment, love, and service to Him. On that altar, His consuming fire will burn all the dross, pride, ambition, wrong attitudes, and self righteousness of our human nature. But that altar also brings His presence, His love, His holiness, His character, His beauty, and above all, His gold as He tested your faith by fire (1 Peter 1:7)
In the words of the old hymn, let us sing from deep within: All to Jesus, I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all, All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.Let the fire burn away the dross, and let our faith become like gold, purest gold…
Blessings,
Suzette
Indonesia, An Interim Report
Following the excellent outreach in Timika, I returned to Jakarta in order to prepare for the forthcoming 3-City Tour for the Indonesian National Prayer Movement (JDN).
Before departing for Bandung, the first major city of the outreach, we held a crusade critique in the apartment that had been put to my use. How enjoyably different it was to be able to host such a meeting in the place in which I am staying. Usually, we all arrive from different venues, meet and then depart. This time, I was already there and able to meet and greet the various team members and also play the hostess, instead of just the chairperson! Pak Paul flew in from Surabaya, Ibu Vero from Australia via Singapore, Pak Toar from Papua and I, the real foreigner, was at “home” in Jakarta.
I first of all want to acknowledge, thank, and honour Pak Junuis and his team for the work of sixteen years, caring, preparing, providing and working, making a way for me to minister and love this land of Indonesia.
The critique was a great success. We addressed a couple of areas in the previous crusade that needed a bit of attention, and what immediately became so apparent was that the team was ‘gelling’ and becoming an homogeneous entity. There is a dynamic building amongst us that can only work out for the glory of God. When I use the word ‘us’, I include all those who support us by prayer, finances, or administrative skills, from whichever part of the globe they come. It is not just the ‘feet on the ground’ that matter, it is the whole worldwide team. Yes I am the person holding the ‘steering wheel, I am the driver, but what is a steering wheel or driver without a car?
We are all working for Jesus not man, we are all part of the souls being touched. No matter where in the world we are situated, we are building the Kingdom of God. I would rather be “used up for Jesus on the mission fields, than rusted up at home doing nothing, dealing with gossip and tea parties”. No, let me run through the rain, losing my shoes in the mud, soaked to the skin, but praying for the sick! Preaching in pouring rain, bringing the gospel of Jesus to a needy and lost world, what more could I possibly want?
It is my joy to announce that a wonderful and respected young man of God called Pak Christian, a Papuan, is joining our team for the projects and outreaches. I count it a gift from God for us to have him on board.
I would now like to introduce you to some of the people from Jakarta who were active in our Timika outreach, and whom I could introduce as being ‘foreigners in Papua’, seeing that now I am a ‘Papuan’. It brought smiles and joy to the crowded venues.
It was an honour to have Pak Haryonto (one of our supporters) to be a speaker at the morning seminar, as well as Pak Daniel Pangi and Pak Sofian from “Abba Love” Ministries. Pak Christian (as mentioned above) was also a speaker, but he did much more, he led the men’s character-building camp afterwards.
Not to be outdone, the ladies camp was also an outstanding success, to the credit of Vero, as it was her vision upon which we built.
As we look back to the Timika crusade, we estimate that in the four nights of outreach some 42,000 people stood before the Throne of God, and, in the pouring tropical rain, had the right to decide for themselves concerning their eternal future. To God be the glory.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12)
My next report will be from Bandung, which is a few hours drive from Jakarta; so until then may the Lord bless you and keep you in His love.
Suzette
“Joy, joy unspeakable and full of Glory...”
That was the theme of the last night of our outreach in Timika, Papua, Indonesia.
The sea of people in front of me grew rapidly, and it seemed as though the river of people streaming onto the crusade ground was never going to stop. It did not take long before some 20,000 people were gathered together to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, and as we opened the meeting, the weather was fine and clear.
Seven large screens showed the crowd everything that was happening on the stage as well as at the foot of the stage, when later we descended to pray for the sick and incapacitated. This kept the expectation and enthusiasm at a high pitch. It also gave everyone a feeling of participating in every move and dance as it actually took place on the stage. The local committee and VIC Indonesia team have done an outstanding job in all this preparation.
The crowed listened intently as I preached about the consequences of receiving or rejecting Jesus. Truly the Word of God is like a two-edged sword, piercing the heart of man with love and conviction. As I preached, the Australian team performed an amazing drama, which made a powerful, visual impact of my message.
After the message, thousands prayed the prayer of salvation with the deepest sincerity, and the angels rejoiced at the additions to the Lamb’s book of Life.
Then it started raining! However, I did not mind and neither did the people, the message of salvation had gone out and had been received. Umbrellas popped up like mushrooms, giving the scenery a colourful look. Soon, torrential rain swept like a wall of water out of the skies, but nobody minded; we were drenched, but no one moved. We prayed for the sick and soon, those with a testimony of their healing pushed their way through the crowd.
For one little boy, life will never be the same again. For nine years, he had been dumb. He came forward and began to try to speak. At first, his speech was not clear, but as I continued to speak to him slowly and clearly, the clarity improved, and soon the crowd were shouting and praising the Lord for what He had done in this young boy’s life. They could follow the whole change in his speech on the large screens, which were showing the video of his healing.
A little girl came up to me, and although she was scared with all the lights and crowds around her, she wanted to tell me what the Lord had done for her. Her mother, who was with her, confirmed that she had been deaf since birth. I spoke so softly into one ear that even I could hardly hear myself whispering, and yet the little girl repeated everything that I had said!
In the torrential rain, it became difficult to separate those who had come forward with a testimony from those who had come for more prayer. But suddenly, something seemed to pour from heaven that was not just rain, but a river of joy.
I asked the choir, which was made up of 150 young people from twelve local churches, to sing again one of their own local songs, and as they did so, what seemed like a river of joy turned into a mighty torrent of joy unspeakable, as the Lord poured out His blessing from heaven. Everyone started to dance and laugh, victory was in the air and in the hearts of those who had been set free from the bondage of sin. “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
We danced, and I mean all of us danced in and through the mud, with the water flowing like streams, but nobody cared – the joy of the Lord abounded; joy unspeakable and full of Glory!
On my left, I had a policeman holding my hand, and on my right another policeman holding me with one hand and with his other his AK-47! There were police all around as well as the people, everyone dancing and laughing as heaven poured rain and joy from the throne room of God.
Timika, the first of three cities in our outreach to Papua was changed, blessed, and set free by the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saturday morning is the ‘anointing meeting’, at which we will pray for all those who have been present at the seminars. However, before we enter the meeting, we will present our ‘MegaVoice’ units to the pastors and leaders from the remote areas. A MegaVoice is a hand-held, solar-powered, digital audio Bible, and it is a wonderful tool for bringing God’s word in areas where there is no electricity or where the population cannot read.
As we come to a close in Timika and move on, the one thing that will remain is the wonderful river of joy and blessing, because this is not dependent upon our presence, but on the presence of the One who paid the price – Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Blessings,
Suzette
Report will be out soon!
Last night, we stood in a river of rain, but tonight we seem to be swimming in the river of God’s blessings. About 10,000 people attended the meeting, at which we had wonderful clear weather as well as an atmosphere that was ‘electric’ with expectation.
When the call of salvation went out, a sea of hands lifted unto the Lord as people committed their lives to Jesus. Oh, the deep need of man to connect with his Maker. There then followed what seemed to be a river of joy and miracles. There was a real spirit of Victory present, and the singing and dancing just added to it all. Several very powerful miracles happened, here are just a few.
• An eleven-year-old girl was healed from a totally deaf ear. She had been deaf in that ear from the age of six months old. Tonight, Jesus opened it.
• A little deaf and dumb boy was so shy at first to say anything, but as we talked ever so soft and gentle with him he joined in, and with a smile began to repeat what I was saying.
• One man came last night with his crutches, yet he was not healed last night. Tonight, holding the crutch up in the air, he ran around the stage with me! Completely healed!
• We also had several people who had been in accidents, and who testified to their healing in their bones, chest, or spine.
Hallelujah!
The seminars this morning were also a great blessing. I opened and taught on the “The fire of God”. Hundreds came forward and cried out to receive a fresh flow of God’s power in their lives. There were approximately 750-800 attendees at the seminar. Pastor Daniel Pandji of the prayer movement did the second seminar. As always, it is a blessing to minister with him, a man truly used for reconciliation and prayer in the nation.
The team functioned very well tonight, and everything went according to plan. All the technical arrangements were without defect, and the co-operation of the ushers in working with me worked without any incident tonight. A big “Thank You” goes from me to the local, Jakarta, and international teams.
Thank you also for all praying and standing with us in this event; you are part of us as we are part of you.
Blessings, Suzette
When I chose the theme for the crusade – “River of Life” – I did not expect the rivers of rain that poured on us tonight! Since early afternoon, it has rained and rained. The tents we erected on the crusade ground collapsed; the sound system and sound booth had to be covered with plastic to protect the electrics, as rained kept pouring down from heaven. Oh how it moved my heart when I arrived at the site, and saw the intercessors standing in the pouring rain praying and waving their flags.
My heart went out to the people who simply stood there and prayed; they were drenched from head to foot as though they had stood under a shower. The site was one, vast, mud pool, yet the people just stood patiently, waiting for God to touch them! By the end of the meeting, about 6,000 to 8,000 people had gathered in the pouring rain to listen to the word of the Lord. Thousands responded to the call of salvation.
I stood in the pouring rain and preached, for how can I stand under the stage roof when the people stand in the pouring rain? God forbid that I am such an example that I care only for myself and not for the people. We sent some of the local committee members to go and buy umbrellas and plastic bags to distribute amongst the crowd. I preached on “Four men at the cross”, and then I prayed with and for the people.
After that, we prayed for the sick, many were healed, but the crowd was so tightly bunched together that it was almost impossible for those with testimonies to push through the dense mass of people. Nevertheless, some managed to do so, and it was wonderful to hear what the Lord had done on the first night of the crusade.
We then moved to where the physically handicapped were situated and we laid hand upon them and prayed for them. I was so thankful that I had worn trousers and a pair of flat shoes for moving around in all that mud. Tomorrow, I want to preach about healing from Luke 5:19, “And the power of God was present to heal”.
Thank you so much for standing with us and upholding us all in prayer
Blessings, Suzette
When heaven marches in hell trembles!
Just as the rain of the earth poured down outside, so too the rain of heaven poured down inside the auditorium upon the meeting. We were so blessed and yet I never got to preach tonight! The Australian team performed another drama entitled “It is finished”. When they had finished, the anointing was so strong in the building that I jumped up, took the microphone, and, as tears streamed down my cheeks, I felt the heart-cry of Almighty God for the lost.
A spirit of prayer descended upon the crowd, as they poured out their hearts for the lost. It was one of those meetings where you do not need to tell people to pray, the Spirit of Prayer simply moved upon the 1,200 people present. What was so amazing about the crowd was that around half of them were youths or young adults.
When the deep intercession was over, a spirit of joy overcame the crowd. God was on the move and the programme was entirely in His hands, and preaching was not in it. I called the young people forward, and the aisles erupted with people and flooded to the front of the hall. Joy, joy unspeakable filled the air, as everyone sang praises unto God with their own Papuan rhythm. What an encounter; what an awesome God!
Tomorrow, we leave at 6:00 a.m. by helicopter to go to the gold mines and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is still rather amazing that we managed to get a permit and that for a woman preacher. Nevertheless, the lost are on my mind, and Jesus is their only Saviour. We will return on Tuesday morning, and begin the crusade Tuesday evening.
Please continue to pray for us and especially for good, dry weather. We still have torrential rain at the moment, but, wet or dry, the Gospel will be preached. I think we are in for a new dimension.
Blessings, Suzette
As I am writing these few notes, I am listening to the rumblings of the weather. It is hot – very hot, and very humid. We are praying that we might have a few days without rain in order that the crusade ground might dry out so that we can begin work on erecting the staging and sound equipment, but as the crusade itself does not begin until next week, we still have plenty of time.
Last night, around 1700 to 2000 people turned up for the first “Prayer Concert”, which is a fine title for an interdenominational prayer meeting! The whole room was packed, with barely any standing room, so what with the crown of warm bodies and the excessive humidity, the air conditioning system was working overtime. The expectation of these people is sky-high, and the atmosphere is loaded with faith, hope, and curiosity. Never before had the people seen or heard of anything like this. It is the start of a new beginning for Timika.
The front row of the auditorium was occupied by the leaders and dignitaries from many different denominations, and it was obvious from the crowded hall that the people were also from different walks of life, occupation, and wealth. My heart was singing! Worship soon began to fill the air, and, in front of the stage, the dancers danced with all the grace and suppleness that only Indonesians have. The Australian team also danced to the Lord, performed a drama, which the people absolutely loved and enjoyed. The theme of their drama complemented my sermon, in which I taught on “breaking down strongholds”.
At the end of the service, the 1700-plus voices thundered out in prayer, as, praying after me, they prayed for themselves and those in bondage, breaking down the spiritual strongholds.
This ‘stronghold breaking’ had already begun earlier (much earlier) in the day, as at 4:30 around 150-200 people lifted their voices in prayer, song, and supplication unto the Lord out on the crusade ground. What a beautiful sight it is to behold, as we drive up to the ground, many people already in praise and worship, waving their flags. Young teenagers stand before the Lord praying for their city, their land, their people, and their future. No wonder my heart is stirred mightily.
Today, we had an added blessing; at least ten of the eighteen young people who came with the Australian team were baptised in the Holy Spirit and began praying in other tongues whilst tears ran down their cheeks. For me, that makes life worthwhile. Thank you all for praying for all the team out here; thank you for being part of what we are doing here. We are still on a fast until tomorrow, and then it is feasting time…
Blessings, Suzette
Interdenominational Prayer Concert
Greetings from Timika – it is hot but the city is beautiful.
We have just come from the morning prayer meeting, and morning in this place means 4:30 to 6 a.m. Our prayers take place in the crusade ground in order to dedicate the whole area for the forthcoming Gospel outreach.
We are not alone however, some 250 people also come along to pray with us, and even they do not come alone, they bring their children! They arrive on foot, by motorbike and any other form of transport, but they come. It is no wonder that Almighty God blesses such faithful nations as these. Yet that faithfulness to God comes from persistent persecution.
Sometimes, I think that we have such an easy life in Europe and the West; we are asleep like Jonah in the ship, not aware of the impending disaster about to strike. We plan our events in our minds and in accordance with current protocol, and not with the fire of God. Those who come to pray with us gather their children out of their beds and bundle them onto the motorbikes, or even carry them to the crusade ground, and then they pray; they walk around the area, some waving flags, others, like the Israelites of old simply walk around the perimeter of their Jericho praying quietly to themselves, praying for the walls of darkness and unbelief to come falling down.
We now have before us three days of fasting and prayer. About one hundred churches are participating in this. They are not all big churches, but many, many people are scheduled to participate, which will be a glorious and joyous event. A team from Australia has arrived with eighteen people who will dance and worship with us. We have worked with them previously in Sydney, during the Black Town outreach. Our local committee is really excellent, and they have put and are putting an incredible amount of effort into making this whole event a successful one.
Thank you for praying for us as we continue to believe that God will pour out a mighty blessing by His Holy Spirit upon these dear people. Now, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and may Almighty God bless you all. It is nice to know there are people at home thinking of us.
Blessings, Suzette
Here, we’re picking up mattresses for the Pastors!
As usual, Voice in the City is sponsoring several hundred pastors from the interior; this includes board and lodging, travel expenses and even clothing. Some of them might leave the interior or jungle for the first time in their lives to attend such an event. They are brought by boat and helicopter, as there are no roads suitable for motorcars deep in the interior.
Help these Pastors with “Mega Voice”! More Info HERE
