Dear Friends and Fellow Laborers, January/2024
Happy New Year! Praising God as we approach our first full year here in Indonesia! I’ve never hear fireworks like we experienced at 12:00am January 1st. Later this month, on January 30th, Gina and I will celebrate our first anniversary in Indonesia! So many wonderful things have happened, and so many more to look forward to!
A quick update on our Language School: Gina and I both scored passing grades after our final evaluations. Gina was a little upset when she “Only scored 91.” A score I would have been very happy to receive. I am very well pleased with how well she is doing learning Indonesian. I scored 78, which is a little lower than I am pleased to report, but as I’ve told Gina many times “This time is set aside specifically to learn.” Please pray for our continued growth in the Indonesian language.
Speaking of the language, I told you guys last month about a couple of opportunities to preach in Indonesian on December 31st. It was quite the experience to not only preach in Indonesian. Both services were shorter than a typical service would have been, mainly because I am still learning Indonesian. But it was great to be able to speak and be understood, even with all the grammatical errors. Please pray for me as I prepare that God would give me the word to speak to His people as we close out one year and welcome another.
Thank you so much for praying for Thalia. She is home and well, mostly. We have all recently caught some sort of flu-like bug. No fevers, but scratchy throats and stuffy noses. I guess it’s just that time of year. The rain I’m sure doesn’t help, but it does make for some beautiful weather here in Jakarta. Please keep the health of our family in your prayers.
Thank you for being faithful to pray for us, and for our prayer requests. Pray for us to have patience and wisdom to deal with the trials that God allows to come our way. Pray for our children that we may teach them about the Lord so that they may one day have a personal relationship with Him. Lastly, pray for us as we continue to grow together as a family.
With Love in Our Hearts,
In Service to the King,
Jens, Gina, Thalia & Inara Looney
Your Missionaries to Indonesia