Global Ministries

Since you last heard from us we’ve entered what we call the “three-shower-a day season.”  This morning I woke up at 5:00 AM as I always do, and it was 86 degrees!  The humidity comes later in the day. 

Lectionary Selection:  Luke 17:5-10

Prayers for East Timor:  

Loving God, in our fractured world you have brought us together with partners all over the world. You call us to unity and make us one in the sharing of bread and cup, the water of baptism and meditation on your Word. You ask us to be your people wherever we are. We are thankful for all that we learn from all our global partners. On this day we pray for the Protestant Church of East Timor. We ask that you lead and guide them in their ministry of the Word. Bestow upon its ministers wisdom, patience, and courage. Strengthen the faith of its members. Bless the clinic workers, teachers, and young people. May their ministries in your name be salt and light for all your children in East Timor. In Jesus name, Amen.

Global Ministries mission coworkers Tom and Monica Liddle share these success stories of young adults of the Protestant Church of East Timor.

Alberto Viegas was the intern at Imanuel Church when we came back to Timor in 2016. We worked together for 9 months before he went back to school in Indonesia. Alberto has been in Lospalos this month doing some research for his Master’s in Theology. His topic is the church and poverty. For his research, he’s interviewing church members about their lives, work, struggles, and faith. Since Alberto is Timorese, he’s familiar with what life is like here. But after studying theology for the past two years, his perspective has changed. He sees with new eyes. His questions are different. He’s more preoccupied with people’s suffering and the church’s response. He wonders how people interpret their world, their suffering, and their future. He wonders how Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God can kindle a new mission for IPTL’s ministry.

Porque él es quien hace la llaga, y él la vendará; El hiere, y sus manos curan. Job 5:18

El camino hacia el pueblo de Motara en Timor Oriental es un pantano de lodo durante la temporada de lluvias. Cuando llegamos a las 9:00 am para una clínica móvil, docenas de pacientes ya se han reunido. Las madres y los niños pequeños constituyen la mayoría, pero también hay hombres y mujeres de edad avanzada. Dos empleados de la Clínica Emmanuel y un médico del gobierno descargan varias cajas de suministros médicos y comienzan a consultar. Para cuando la clínica haya terminado, más de 60 pacientes habrán tenido la oportunidad de recibir atención médica que de otro modo no habrían tenido. Esta clínica es un esfuerzo de colaboración entre la Clínica Emmanuel y el Ministerio de Salud de Timor Oriental.

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Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Matthew 10:8

The road to the village of Motara in East Timor is a virtual mud-bog during the rainy season. When we pull up at 9:00 AM for a mobile clinic dozens of patients have already gathered. Moms and young children make up the majority but there are elderly men and women too. Two Clinic Immanuel staff and a government doctor unload several boxes of medical supplies and start consulting. By the time the clinic is over more than 60 patients will have had the opportunity for health care they otherwise wouldn’t have had. This clinic is a collaborative effort between Clinic Immanuel and the Timorese Ministry of Health.

“…I am a worm and not human; scorned by others and despised by the people.”

Psalm 22:6

Lectionary Selection:  John 10:22-30

Prayers for East Timor:  

Good and gracious Shepherd, we have heard your voice and your invitation to follow. From day to day, in many and diverse ways, you walk alongside us. You are at work in the rising of the sun and its setting. The intricacies of creation and human relationships show forth your presence with us. And for that, we give you thanks. On this day, we lift up to you the people of Timor-Leste. We pray for the Protestant Church of Timor Leste and especially it’s vital ministry Clinic Immanuel Lospalos. Bless us with your wisdom, patience, and compassion. Guide us that with each person we consult we would see your own face. Amen.

Reflection for Advent IV: December 23, 2018

Luke 1:39-55

Reflection for Advent III, Sunday December 16, 2018

Isaiah 12:1-6; Luke 3:7-18

On Thursday of this week we’ll have 40 – 60 youth arriving at Immanuel Church Lospalos for a Christmas youth event. They’ll be coming from the eastern part of Timor-Leste for three days of fellowship, faith development and fun! This generation of Timorese youth is particularly vulnerable. They are, mostly, born after the independence struggle and are therefore somewhat estranged from the identity-shaping power of that time. They are pulled in two directions: traditional culture with its tight social fabric, and the modern world with its insistence on the autonomy of the individual. They have mediocre opportunities for secondary education and an economy with little in the way of employment possibilities.