Enabling the Church to Respond Generously

WINTER 2021 UPDATE | COVID-19 and Compassion Indonesia

This year, the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe threatened to derail the launch of 284 new child development centers. This would have left impoverished children and families unsupported during an unprecedented health and economic crisis. But generous donors like you stepped up to ensure many of the centers were empowered to provide life-changing holistic care for these beneficiaries, even though they hadn’t completed the child registration process.

Thanks to your support, the partner churches are engaging with the most vulnerable children and families in their communities. They are distributing food baskets and hygiene kits, providing access to health care, and even visiting homes to provide emotional and spiritual support, where it is permitted and safe to do so. They are also providing educational support through online or WhatsApp lessons or by delivering educational materials to children. Although most of the children are not yet formally registered, they are very much a part of the Compassion family, and they are already learning that they are known, loved and protected.

 

Aventura Equips Churches in Indonesia

Church: Gereja Toraja Jemaat Salubungin Rawamangun
Location: Luwu, Sulawesi Selatan
Projected Registered Children: This center projects registering 100 children, 3-8 years old, when it is permitted to restart operations

COMMUNITY PROFILE

• The church is located in a village that is home to approximately 9,600 people.
• The primary language is Indonesian.
• Typical houses are constructed with cement floors, wood walls and tin roofs.
• The primary regional diet consists of rice and sago (a common local starch).
• Employment opportunities are day labor and subsistence farming.
• Community would benefit from schools with sanitation facilities and playgrounds.

A Message From the Pastor of Gereja Toraja Jemaat Salubungin Rawamangun

First, we convey our greetings and prayers that the Lord Jesus will always be with and bless us in each of our respective duties and responsibilities. I am Yohanes Sappu, S.Th Pastor at the Toraja Church, Salubungin Malengko Congregation. I am also the person in charge at the church’s child development center.

We are located in North Luwu, South Sulawesi province in Indonesia. The people in our area are generally farmers and laborers. Their income is very limited, moreover, they can’t work all the time so they sometimes find it difficult to meet their basic needs. In this pandemic, their school-age children must learn from home. As parents, they have to spend more to buy credit so that their children can learn, and in fact some children have to surrender to the situation because of limited facilities and costs to participate in the learning process.

The presence of the child development center at our church is very helpful. In this pandemic period some parents have difficulty finding jobs. Your gift has had a tremendous impact, especially for 100 prospective children and families. They are very grateful that in this difficult period, God has provided help through people who have compassion on them. During these recent months they have been greatly helped by the provision of basic necessities, medical devices, props for both playing and learning for their children.

In addition, through home visits conducted by staff, each parent received counseling on how to keep themselves healthy and avoid COVID-19. They were given an understanding of how the virus is transmitted and how to prevent it. They received materials about child protection and many lessons about how to nurture and direct children well during their infancy. It is a shared hope that the children will grow into a generation that has a much better quality of life, has a Christian character and makes an impact.

The staff and administrators are committed to remain faithful and enthusiastic to carry out these services even in a pandemic situation, of course by complying with health protocols. We would like to express our deep gratitude to you as donors who have helped us a lot here, especially 100 prospective children and families. We pray that the Lord Jesus will always bless you and always give you health and whatever you need to make you successful.

Letter edited for clarity.