Word from the Woods

Educational Ministry

When we arrived in Indonesia in 1980, we realized that the only way to reach such a huge population with the message of Jesus was to train local people to work alongside us. That has been our passion ever since. So when we arrived in Europe in 2000, we wondered what doors God would open to fulfill the teaching call He has given us.

ICI-Global University

One of the first opportunities has been with ICI-International Correspondence Insti-tute, a division of Global University, which is the distance-education branch of the Assemblies of God. For more information on ICI-Global, click here. Darrell has been a member of the Europe Regional Office that works to coordinate 15 local offices in 12 countries. Part of his job description includes on-site training and mentoring, with ministry trips to Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania.

Continental Theological Seminary

One of our greatest joys has been our connection with Continental Theological Seminary, located near our home on the outskirts of Brussels. CTS draws students from every populated continent who are seeking an evangelical, Pentecostal, international education in preparation for ministry. With an average of 30 countries represented in any given school year, not only is the student body international but so is the staff. This results in a wonderful composite of what the Body of Christ is meant to look like.

CTS is a stimulating environment to discover how the Gospel transcends cultural mores and often works within those same mores to enrich the message. And the impact of CTS can be felt around with globe, with graduates ministering in 70 countries. It is a tremendous privilege for us to be included on the staff of this exciting ministry outreach.

Bible College Training

We've also been privileged to teach block sessions (usually 1-2 weeks, sometimes a month, of intensive training) in several Bible colleges of the former Soviet Union, including Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Georgia, as well as Bulgaria.

Current Indonesian Ministry

When we had to leave Indonesia, we assumed this portion of our lives and ministry was over.  But God always likes to keep a few surprises!

PERKI - Persekutuan Kristen Indonesia

In 2001, in one amazing moment on the crowded central plaza of downtown Brussels, we learned about an ecumenical Indonesian group that meets two Sundays a month in the Indonesian embassy.

With great excitement, we became members of Perki (Indonesian Christian Fellowship; pronounced Pear-Key). There is no official pastor, but a wonderful lay leader and his committee organize speakers for each service.

Because of our close ties with the fellow-ship, we frequently have invitations to preach, especially when they opened a new branch in the nearby city of Ghent. And starting in Sept. '08, we will have two monthly Bible studies, one in Brussels and one in Ghent.

This particular aspect of Indonesian ministry has proven to be multi-faceted. Even on Sundays when we do not preach, there are numerous opportunities for personal prayer and counseling of the members. Many of the ladies are married to European husbands, and one of our deepest desires is to see them make commitments to Christ.

Rotterdam, Netherlands Bible Studies

Another opportunity has been a monthly Bible study for the past three years with an Indonesian congregation in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

As a byproduct of that connection, Darrell has taught a monthly leadership class in the Netherlands for another ecumenical Indo-nesian fellowship. The students are home Bible study cell group leaders from a variety of denominations, learning how to teach the Word of God more effectively in their individual churches.

Amsterdam, Netherlands Leadership Insitute 

Additionally, Darrell has been invited on the faculty of an Indonesian Pentecostal leadership institute in the Netherlands. He teaches one-week block sessions twice yearly in Amsterdam.

The Hague, Netherlands

And most recently, a "pastor-less" Indonesian congregation in The Hague, Netherlands, invited us to spend a weekend with them and preach on Sunday. We felt an immediate bonding with the lay leaders, and we're anticipating future opportunities to work with this delightful congregation.

Further Opportunities

Word of mouth is still an amazing tool for furthering ministry opportunities among Indonesians! As a result, during the past year we've had an additional half-dozen invitations to speak to Indonesian congregations in the Netherlands and Germany, several of which asked for ongoing training. We don't know where all this will lead, but we know God is behind it and that He will give direction and anointing.

Culturally Diverse Communities

Another multi-cultural ministry that has recently invited us to participate is with CDC (Culturally Diverse Communities). This is an effort to involve European churches in a greater vision to reach the multi-ethnic populations that are pouring into European countries.

Our Indonesian History

Although Darrell was raised an MK (Missionary Kid) in Indonesia, he had to know for himself that God was calling him to the same location.

God confirmed this in both our lives, and finally in 1980, after waiting almost two years for a visa, we arrived in Jakarta. What an exotic, fascinating, and at times frustrating land!

After studying the language (bahasa Indonesia) for a year, we asked the national church leaders of the Indonesian Assemblies of God, where did they feel was the area of greatest need? Unanimously they agreed - the isolated and economically impoverished province of Central Sulawesi.

After an adjustment period while we visited the 11 tiny little village churches (in a province of over a million in population), we real-ized that the only effective way to minister was to multiply our-selves. So was born Maranatha Bible School.

Since most of our students had not attended beyond junior high, we kept the lessons within their ability to comprehend.

The fruit of our teaching became evident as each graduating class pioneered new churches, and each new school year saw converts come to Maranatha from these fledgling congregations.

But good missions philosophy is to "work oneself out of a job" by training local people to do the work of the ministry. So 12 years later we turned the school over to our Indonesian staff, and we moved to the city of Medan, North Sumatra.

In Sumatra, we continued in biblical education, but this time with extension training: taking the Bible school to the villages. After almost 5 years, the national church leaders asked us to move to Jakarta and begin a nation-wide program.

We had only spent 5 months in Jakarta when word came to us: "Your visa has been revoked. You must leave the country... today."

But when God closes one door... He always opens another. Perhaps not the one we expect, but that's what keeps our life of faith fresh!