Mission Beginnings

(July 31, 2010) – There is some irony in the fact that the first event I find myself attending upon retirement is a reunion of Indonesian missionaries. Held every other year, this gathering of former missionaries, missionary kids who are now adults and their children, along with a few current personnel on stateside, is a nostalgic time of fellowship, reflections and reminiscing. Other responsibilities and scheduled commitments have allowed me to attend this reunion only occasionally, and my children, who grew up in Indonesia are attending for the first time.

We were young and naïve when Bobbye and I went to the field in 1970 with a 2-year-old toddler and 10-month-old infant. Meeting us at the airport were seminary friends Marvin and Linda Leech who had preceded us to the field by six months, along with Jakarta missionaries Bill and Liz Corwin and Leon and Anne Mitchell. Bill and Leon are now deceased, but the Leeches, Liz and Anne are here at Windermere Conference Center for the reunion. Also attending is Mary Alice Ditsworth, still vibrant and engaging at 80; as veteran language advisor, she held our feet to the fire in learning to speak Indonesian. When her visa was canceled years later, she became my administrative assistant in Singapore.

It is a joy to be with Von and Marge Worten—I learned most of what I came to know about church planting in Indonesia on the back of Von’s motor scooter. Then there is Fred and Linda Beck, Charles and Barbara Cole, Hal and Carol Jacks, all senior missionaries who had a part in mentoring and encouraging us as novices. It was a joy to see Drs. Don and Sarah Duval, Oliver and Virginia Harper, Ken Hinton and Merm Misner, medical personnel who cared for us over the years at our Kediri Baptist Hospital.

Seeing pictures and sharing stories, we’ve been reminded of some who were not present this year but enriched our lives in so many ways. John and Glenn Ingouf met us at Glorieta following our appointment, took us under their wings during language school in Bandung and then later moved to East Java and served as mentors and confidants. Bobby and Jo Jones, and later Harry and Barbara Bush, became our neighbors as they lived only three hours away; our kids shared birthdays and special occasions together. Ken and Judy Milam, Charles and Barbara Cole and Ray and Joyce Rogers were among those also assigned to the East Java strategy team. It reminded us no one fulfills the Lord’s work alone; each calling is in the context of a body for accountability, encouragement and the benefit of insights beyond the capacity of any individual.

Sometimes as many as 200 gather for this reunion as families want children and grandchildren to know something of the legacy that has made them who they are. As Clarence Griffin, Ken Ellison, Carl Lee and other old-timers shared anecdotes, it brought us back to the joys and challenges of our mission beginnings. This was a generation who followed an open door after the aborted communist coup in 1965 and had the privilege of being a part of one of the most amazing eras of harvest in the history of global missions. It was a time when we enjoyed open opportunities to preach and proclaim the gospel in the largest Muslim country in the world, and God richly blessed.

Many of those with whom we served were old China hands, forced to relocate. Dr. Catherine Walker just celebrated her 95th birthday. Not only had she been instrumental in establishing the Indonesian Baptist Theological Seminary, she started a camp—Camp Miki—for missionary kids, nurturing in them an understanding of why their parents had brought them to a foreign country. At last count 25 of these MKs from the Indonesian mission are now serving as missionaries themselves somewhere around the world.

We remembered and celebrated the lives and ministry of others who contributed leadership, innovative mission practices and vision to our organization—Keith Parks, Avery Willis, Ebbie Smith, Bill O’Brien, Frank Lewis and John Smith. Especially significant in that era was the leadership of Ed and Jaletta Sanders; not only was Ed mission administrator for more than 20 years, he was our ad hoc pastor, always challenging us to a deeper walk with the Lord. All three of his children now serve in Southeast Asia.

We were, and still are, a family. We had our squabbles and disagreements at annual mission meetings when it came to formulating a budget and determining personnel requests, but we walked through illnesses, the tragic loss of family members, strained relationships with national pastors and threats of government restrictions together. What we remember most is the body life, precious times of visiting in each other’s homes and staying up into the wee hours of the morning sharing burdens and praying together.

God moved in a marvelous outpouring of His Spirit on our mission family in 1971, bringing reconciliation between many, convicting us of a pretentious lifestyle, and revising our heavily subsidized church planting methodology to a more indigenous approach that resulted in phenomenal growth.

We heard once again the stories of when a government crackdown resulted in more than half the mission losing their visas. A few became Indonesian citizens in order to stay. Others were dispersed all over the world, taking a passion and wealth of experiences to influence work in other countries. Although scattered to other assignments, and many returning to the States for retirement, the mutual identity as the Indonesian Baptist Mission has continued to mark us with a unity, vision and commitment to our Great Commission task because of a calling to a special niche in God’s world.

A new generation continues to build on previous foundations. With a less stable government and growing Muslim fanaticism, it is a different challenge than my generation. But the power of the gospel continues to draw people into the kingdom. A strong network of Indonesian churches and leaders who are well-trained and discipled lead the effort. What a privilege to have been called and placed in such a context for the beginning of our mission journey!