Rated R for Domestic Violence
Pima’s dad threatened to kill him more than 10 times in our school office this week. By the end of the meeting both Pima and his dad were crying and we had made a little progress. I tried to help Pima understand that his father’s love is what makes his dad so fearful and angry about Pima stealing a laptop and wanting to drop out of school and hang with a really rough crowd. If his father didn’t care, he would just walk away. Pima’s mom died when he was a baby and Pima has had a pretty rough and lonely go of it all these years. He has that “beaten dog” look of kids who are starving for love. The terrible wounding going on in families just rips us up inside which is one reason why Ob Anggen is so committed to family empowerment. I dream of the day when a professional family counselor will come do an excellent job of what I currently try to cobble together. We often want to do a superman sweep in and rescue but God made family, our job is to try to redeem. Sometimes it feels hopeless, but the greater the struggle the greater the victory and there is nothing sweeter than seeing a family catch and start to live the design God made for family. I asked Pima’s dad not to beat him but to love on him, to take Pima with him everywhere he goes and mentor and shape him into the man he needs to be. Please pray with us for a little miracle.
I am reading a book on inner city kids trying to make it in school with all the pressure of gangs, violence, drugs and sex. The root of most of this is broken families. It is the same song here, just a different verse. Elementary isn’t too big of a problem but when kids hit junior high the drama begins. So please pray for Pima and his dad and the 50 other kids we have facing the same basic challenges of broken family.
Our war problem is not settled yet, the training facilities and houses that were taken away look like they will never be open for us to use again, the land dispute issue is just on the back burner and we just lost another teacher last week to family pressure. But, we are at peace and we feel a strong sense of God’s presence with us. In church on Sunday a leader stood up and apologized for his public angry announcement a few months back saying that our family had to leave Bokondini and the school shut down. God is working in hearts and attitudes are changing. We are grateful.
Tomorrow we have a celebration for our government permission for a high school. Apparently multiple high schools have lost their permission to operate and only 2 new high schools are granted permission with us being one. We paid no bribe money and it happened in record time. We are amazed. This is HUGE here for the parents and community who have always been suspicious that sending their kids to our school will mean that they will never have a government approved diploma. Tomorrow we will have hundreds of folks gather for a pit feast and praise celebration for what He is doing. This will also be a good opportunity for the nay-sayers and trouble makers to come and disrupt. Please pray with us that God will be glorified, and His name praised regardless of what happens and His presence will be felt by all.
We are so grateful for quality people that God keeps pulling in.
We have a supercharged YWAM team of 8 here with us this last 2 weeks who have enthused and inspired the teachers and students. We are so grateful for them!
JD is our pseudo-hippie-Berkley Alumni-Chinese-Indonesian-techy-guy helping us with all kinds of internet and electrical issues who came at the perfect time when internet has gone out in 2 campuses and electric down in 2 campuses. Now that the high school is going to Kolibri/Khan Academy based learning we have to have a super reliable intranet system otherwise death by technology results.
Tina has come on as our part time manager and just spent 6 weeks doing a way better job than I have ever done at managing which is a huge load off of me. She will help from distance over the next months and we are encouraged by the responsibility that our new principals are showing. Please pray for Priskila, Letera, Demsita and Ones as they practice servant leadership.
We have some amazing people applying to come work with us next school year which I am really excited about, please pray that God’s chosen ones will work out!
Thanks for holding us up, we are grateful for you.
Scotty, Heidi, Walker and Arwen with the Ob Anggen Crew.
1) If you haven’t watched Walker’s little video on our muddercycle ride on the “new road” it is pretty fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ57RE_ZxnQ&t=3s
2) Pictures. Parents meeting. Tina as our new part time manager, One of my Bible Classes in God’s classroom, Our married couples growth group which meets every Monday, YWAM team in Eragayam,