September 2006

Hello Family & Friends,

From Janet:
We are trucking along with teaching and ministry here. Aside from his normal teaching load, Dennis is busy teaching a
two-week intensive night course on how to present Old Testament narrative stories, 3 hours every night! The Children's
Choir of Anugerah (Grace) Baptist Church has officially begun with 16 children. We already have a singing engagement
for the 55th anniversary of our denomination in October. Our church is renting a large auditorium to accomodate all our
visitors. The Indonesian language is getting easier for sure, but still get stuck in the middle of sentences - so frustrating!
But people are gracious and we're having fun, most of the time! The smoky weather is slowly clearing, and blue sky
occasionally is peeking through the white skies. The rain has begun to fall - thank God.

Today, as usual, at 7:30 Monday morning, we started off the week with a two hour staff meeting at STK and prayer. I
teach the staff ladies and teacher's wives in a voice class following the coffee break. No classes on Monday, as the
students are just returning from their weekend ministries interior. After that, Dennis and I walk the 100 meters home for
lunch, which my house helper prepares :)

Now, we're free to catch up on our errands. This afternoon, I dropped off fabric at a sewing shop to have a skirt sewn,
got my unglued shoes reglued and sewn (50 cents), Dennis bought a volley ball for the school, picked up some groceries,
bought a soft ice cream cone at Kentucky Fried Chicken, unsuccessfully looked for an optician to adjust my glasses, and
arranged some airline tickets to go to Java at month's end.

On Sept. 28, we are flying to Jakarta and spending the day at a Christian private international school called Sekolah
Pelita Harapan. There is an interview planned and some interest there. Sept. 29 we fly east over Java to Bali for a few
days of R & R (not too shabby). On Oct. 4, we take a very short westerly flight back to Surabaya, Arifin and Nani's home
town to conduct a choral workshop/church music seminar and final service on the Sunday, Oct. 8 with combined choirs.
We fly back on Monday to Jakarta and then home to Pontianak, same day.

I have been invited to sit as an adjudicator on a jury panel in Manado for a Choir Festival for 18 men's choirs Oct. 12-17,
so that should be a lot of great music and interesting work. A friend of mine who is leading several choirs in Jakarta and
travels internationally as an adjudicator and choral director, has asked me to go to Jakarta sometime soon to visit her
and see her work. I'm especially interested in her music ministry, forming choirs with street kids and improving their lives.
The world of choral music is alive and well in Indonesia!

We need PRAYER and DISCERNMENT as we go to all these different places to interview, observe, minister, encourage
others, and just see where the Lord is leading us next. We're in a very exciting place right now.

From Dennis:
You just heard from Janet, but I just wanted to add a word of thanks to you all for praying for us lately, esp. for me and
for the rain here. Both situations are much better than a few weeks ago, for which I thank the Lord and you. Working
here just wasn't much fun with the constant smoke and ash, and I know that had a lot to do with my headaches and
claustrophobia. So, when the Lord took things in His own hands and sent a string of rainy days this month, we have had
much better conditions, including seeing the MOON last week (amazing how much you can miss that old ball in the sky)
and even bright sunshine this week....like it really is yellow, not red!

But, for all my complaints, it's really the local people here who suffer, and they are much relieved, and life is actually fun
again! Do continue to pray for Java though...they have no rain yet (El Nino is acting up again!) and 110 million people
are now having to import rice and dig wells to survive...that's highly unusual for Indonesia! They're only an hour south of
us, but in a different weather pattern, so still waiting for the rainy season to start.

Trust you are all getting into the fall season and feeling excitied about what the Lord can do through you....if that isn't
happening, keep on trusting Him...and let us know your concerns...it's my turn to pray for you! We are aware of What's
Happening Wed. and Alpha starting up tomorrow at WRBC, so will be focusing on that this week.

I have been very happy with the opportunity to teach this night course here (though 3 hrs a night for 10 days seemed daunting at first!). It has forced me to be very creative with team-work on class material, games and competitons
(you'd love it, Glen!...tonight Indonesia defeated Brazil in a close soccer "game" 7-6, and I raised a "yellow card" on one
student...for even more fun!!) We'll finish this Friday night, with their final exam, and then a 100 yd. "dash" (not in this
heat!) down to our house for goodies and a Goofy movie...imagine 32 students packed into our 900 sq. foot house! I'll
try to take pictures!

Praying God's goodness on all of you, our dear friends,

Love in Christ,
Dennis & Janet