Next to the airport road is one of the cemeteries. Like all the others this one is not really a cemetery but a mass grave. Around 2,500 bodies were unceremoniously shovelled into this one in the rush to stave of disease. There are no markers. There was barely time to dig the pits and bury […]
Those of us who have travelled internationally know the excitement of visiting a different country, meeting its people and learning the culture. This was the experience of Indonesian teachers Flutner Purba and Yentie Simanjuntak, who spent four weeks in Brisbane recently. The visit of the teachers from the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (a partner church […]
Mention the word ‘Indonesia’ and many people would not associate it with the word ‘Christian’. However, it is estimated that there are over 21 million Christians in Indonesia (and growing), making up over 10% of the population. This includes nearly 4 million people belonging to twelve different Lutheran church groups in Indonesia, mostly located in […]
Large granite rocks and cement were used by many people to begin to lay the foundations for new classrooms for two schools of the Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungan (GKPS) church in Indonesia on 13 June 2007. On a day filled with travel on crowded roads bordered by green rice paddies, colourful Batak dancing, energetic and […]
Crossing borders always brings a mix of emotions. On the one hand, the prospect of crossing a border stirs feelings of excitement and anticipation within me. I love travelling, I love exploring, I love discovering new things and growing through these discoveries… On the other hand, it also brings a certain fear of the unknown. […]
Support from the Lutheran Women of Australia (LWA) for God’s mission, is an outstanding example and encouragement to many people. At the recent Convention held in Toowoomba in October 2006, the LWA committed to continue support for the PNG Scholarships and Debora Orphanage. In addition to these projects LWA also committed to supporting 3 new […]
Thursday 11 January in Perth airport. It’s been such a long time, it seems, since I saw the children of Debora. I left there in late April, 2006, after my second visit and hoped to get back straight after Synod in Toowoomba – but it didn’t happen – it wasn’t God’s time. Sometimes it’s hard […]
We are used to thinking that there is always someone working and ready to help or look after us in important places like hospitals, big factories, hotels and some shops. These places are very important to us in our daily life and we might need their service any time of the day. Home of Grace […]
The tiny woman shuffled to the microphone in front of the large congregation gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Queenstown Lutheran Church in Singapore in 2006. In a somewhat unclear way she began to sing the words of that familiar song…’It only takes a spark to get a fire going’ – joyfully rounding off […]
In January 2004 I went to Thailand and spent a month with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thailand (ELCT). While I was there, I met Oiy, who was then a student at the Lutheran Institute of Theological Education (LITE) in Bangkok. First impressions weren’t so good. I found her appealing but was informed (wrongly as […]