The Hindals arrived in Bandar Lampung on Saturday evening, October18, about 9 pm. Since they had left the hotel in Bangkok at 5:30 that morning, it had been a long day, most of the time waiting at the airport. Sunday was a full day of ministry beginning with a 6 am service at a church plant, followed by a 9 am service at the largest church. Late that afternoon Chris spoke at two more services at church plants.
The Indonesian people proved to be extraordinarily hospitable serving food wherever we visited. They were served bananas in every possible form. On Monday, October 20, they toured the east side of Sumatra visiting 5 church plants. They ate all day long!! What a blessing to hear the testimonies of Indonesians who have come to Christ and have experienced the hardship of being shunned by their families. Opposition to the Gospel is very real. It usually takes 2 to 3 years for a church plant to be recognized by the local government and given permission to build.
Chris spent Tuesday morning, Oct. 21, meeting with the leaders of the Team. God is using this small group to provide the vision and strategy for implementation of their church planting efforts. Part of their goal is to plant ten churches a year, establishing a Church in every town on the island. They believe this aggressive plan is realistic and that goal will be accomplished by 2015. In addition, their vision includes the establishment of pre-schools as a bridge into the communities. They also have goals in theological education and emergency relief. This team has established a direct partnership with Campus Baptist Church in Ames, Iowa. They are asking God for local churches in the US to adopt one of their church plants for a limited time during their start-up phase. If your church is interested, contact Chris Hindal at chindal@garbc.org.
