Passport, Park, and Sacrifices

Dear Friends and Fellow Laborers, July 2023

This past moth flew by so fast, and there many updates that I need to give you all. Starting with a praise! We got Inara’s passport and CRBA (birth certificate)! Now we are beginning the process of obtaining her visa. LORD willing we will be able to get it quickly so we are able to go to the VBM regional conference in Thailand in August. Please pray with us for Inara’s visa.

Language school is progressing well. The classes are based on learning by immersion so the teachers teach completely in Indonesian. At first, it was very challenging to follow, but already, it is getting much easier to understand what the teachers are saying. We had our first evaluations. We were tested on five different aspects of learning the language. I scored an overall 94/100 in 4 classes, and a 4.6/6 in speaking class. There is another evaluation next week, and then one more month of classes for the trimester before we have our final evaluations.

Recently, the class took a “field trip” to Taman Mini which is a form of “amusement park,” but it is much different than the amusement parks in the US. Yes, there are some small rides, but the main focus of Taman Mini is to show off the different islands, cultures, foods, and religions of Indonesia. It is a wonderful place to learn about the many cultures and beliefs of Indonesia and gives you the opportunity to see the need for the Gospel all throughout Indonesia even if you don’t have the opportunity to actually go visit other islands.

Please continue to pray as we learn the language and culture of Indonesia. Each month it becomes more and more apparent how much we need share the Gospel. In June we experienced another Muslim holiday, Idul- Adah, a day of ritualistic sacrifices. For weeks animals were being gathered all over the city to be offered as commemorative sacrifices. It all culminated with hours of ritualistic prayers over the loud speakers on a Wednesday night and literally thousands of animals being sacrificed on Thursday morning. For most it was a time of celebration, but for Christians, it is a very somber reminder of the millions of lost souls surrounding us every day.

With Love in our hearts,

In service to the King,

Jens, Gina, Thalia, and Inara Looney

Your Missionaries to Indonesia