MISSION TIDINGS

GIFTS RECEIVED FOR MISSIONS IN JANUARY 1978

CLASSIS EAST SOURCE AMOUNT

Friend in New Jersey Gift $ 1000.00

Franklin Lakes Collection 431.00

Clifton Collection 668.25

In Clifton Col. Gift 500.00

Friend in New Jersey Gift 100.00

CLASSIS MIDWEST

Kalamazoo Calendars 200.00

In Kalamazoo Col. Gift 100.00

Friend in Zealand Gift 50.00

Friend in Michigan Gift 350.00

Friend in Michigan Gift 125.00

In G.R. Ch. Col. Gift 1005.00

So. Holland Calendars 24.00

St. Catharines Collection 212.14

Hamilton Calendars 47.00

Friend in Chicago Hts. Gift 100.00

In G.R. Ch. Col. Gift 350.00

Unionville Gift 500.00

Estate of Anna Roelofs Gift 8000.00

CLASSIS WEST

Rock Valley Calendars 110.00

Sioux Center Mission Sale 6000.00

Friends in Australia Collection 113.38

Friend in Sheboygan Gift 100.00

Sheboygan Calendars 60.00

CLASSIS FARWEST

Chilliwack Calendars 300.00

Artesia Calendars 49.00

Artesia Collection 608.25

Port Alberni Calendars 32.00

Port Alberni Collection 170.00

Linden Mission Circle Gift 1900.00

Artesia Ladies Aid Gift 381.06

Linden Calendars 60.00

Fort Macleod Mission

Club Gift 1600.00

TOTAL: $25246.08

Dear Friends,

Herewith we want to thank everyone for their liberal support of the mission work. May the Lord bless you and your gifts. It is encouraging that we may start the New Year with such good support. We also include part of a letter of Rev. Vreugdenhil, and as this letter is quite long we will make this short. Wishing you all the blessing of the Lord in behalf of the Mission Committee.

American General Mission Fund Netherland Reformed Congregations of United States and Canada

John Spaans, Treasurer

Plankinton Box 17 RR3

South Dakota 57368

A LETTER FROM LANDIKMA

Dear friends, August 1977

It is high time that you hear from us once again. Recently we have received a considerable amount of mail. We are always glad to receive mail. These letters require an answer, and are mostly about the same things again, that we have written about to one another in the past. We will do it this time by means of D.V.M., that is, a letter in general.

Many questions in your letters are in regard to our work, and also many ask how we are getting along, and how we are. After our return here in Landikma, we started immediately with our work at the Bible school. During our furlough the boys were enabled to work their gardens, so now they can come to the school all day. Their women are taking care of their gardens now, and get the necessary food everyday, mostly sweet potatoes, and once in awhile some vegetables. The Bible school still consists of two divisions, the one part for the less advanced, and the other part for the more advanced students. We have written to you about this before, so we will not do this now.

The curriculum is somewhat extensive, and we have received some more students now. For promoting more Bible knowledge we are using an Indonesian translation from the nice book of I. Snoek, which has the title of “The Holy History.” Also in teaching Bible history we are now using the well known books of Bakker and Bavinch, which are known in Holland under the title- “The History of the Revelation of God.” There is also a translation of this book in the Indonesian language. The students like it, and they are very zealous in studying it. Not so long ago they received some typewritten material, which we were enabled to buy with money that some of you sent us for this purpose. Hopefully, we will get some more when the next shipment comes from the Netherlands with other material.

Giving lessons is for us a delightful work, especially when we see the results, and the fruits of this work. The expanding of our young congregation is still in its beginning. And as you can well understand, this work is a falling and rising. Our churches in the Netherlands have an experience of 2000 years of Dogmatic history. Here everything is yet in its early stages. Still that has its advantage. Sometimes there is spoken of a spontaneous stream of so-called faith, that is, acting on impulse or natural feelings, without any constraint, which is hardly noticeable in Holland, and the religious world round about us.

A delightful fact for the Bible school in Landikma is, that since our furlough we could accept four new students, and to a few we could give permission to preach. Evangelists are so very necessary for the towns, where many are still under the strong influence of their heathen ways. All the other work besides the Bible school is also progressing. Some efforts thereof are; the preaching in the towns, the catechism classes in the lower grades for the youth, the medical work that must go on as well as possible now that Sister Mary is on her furlough, taking care of the airstrip, the administration of the Sacraments, the Indonesian services we have every Wednesday evening for the Indonesian coast personnel, also taking care of the carpenter work, and in general taking care of the post.

All is fine with our family. Our hearts may yet be gladdened that we are all in good health, and that is a great blessing in itself. Our little Mirjan is growing up fast, and is a daily pleasure in our family life. Joruna and Gurten are doing well too. The move from the Netherlands to Landikma was a great change for them, since our last furlough. They had so much in Holland which they must miss here. Especially the contacts they had with other children of their age, which they shall not soon forget. They are still continually talking about - “My Juf” who would ask if they had been in school yesterday, although they can amuse themselves here too. Jorina is very sociable with the Yalis, and if she had the chance, she would live with the Yalis the whole day in their huts, or in the gardens. Gurten lives more by himself, and sometimes he teases the little Yalis girls more than he plays with them. Sometimes it is amusing to see how our children eat together with these people. First the food is cooked in the usual manner in which these people get it ready. For us it does not seem very sanitary, but for them it does not seem to affect their appetite. After this the banquet itself starts. The sweet potatoes and the cooked leaves are gone in a short time. Gurten and Jorina have soon learned this from the Yalis. Especially when they eat Bua Merah, that is quite a sight. Bua Merah is a red fruit. They sprinkle the fruits juice on the sweet potatoes or vegetables. After the meal their hands, face, and clothes, are usually fire red and we can hardly wash it out.

The death rate is quite high in this area. It happens many times that one month we announce in the church paper of the birth of several children of the Yalis. Then in the next issue we must announce the death of these babies. The neglect of hygiene is the greatest cause for this. The parents neglect of their children is very sad indeed! We always warn them about this, but it seems that they do not understand their responsibility, and do not want to either. A great number of the little ones get pneumonia, because the mothers carry them on their shoulders for hours from their garden to their hut, in the rain. It is very difficult to make these parents understand, that this is also a sin against the sixth commandment. In closing we want to write something about our dutch school. In the nearby community from our house we have built a small school for the children, where Mama Juf gives them lessons every day. The little building is built very simple. The outside walls are made with self chopped boards, and the inside walls with triplex. We used various kinds of material for the blackboard. A little paint has improved the looks of the school considerable. We are still waiting for the school benches, and little chairs, and also the flannelboard which was given to us by the school in Zoetemeer in Holland. For the time being it will do. To continue with the school, we feel quite confident, will D.V., generally work out.

Naturally, there are many difficult moments, because it is not a class with normal children. But that is the situation here on the mission field. Besides all the other needs on our mission field, we urgently stand in need of your prayers in all these experiences and ways.

Hearty greetings from the family of C.G. Vreugdenhil

NEW MISSION CLERK

At the last meeting of the Mission Board of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations a new clerk was appointed. From now on all correspondence should be forwarded to him at the following address:

Rev. A. W. Verhoef

26 Woodbine St., S.

Chilliwack, B.C.

Canada V2P 5S4

His telephone number is 604 795-9075. Please make a note of these changes in your yearbook.

HOME MISSION COUPLE NEEDED

The Mission Board of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations is looking for a couple to take over the work at the Bethlehem Mission in Baldwin, Michigan.

The work is becoming too heavy for brother Warmenhoven and his wife, so they would like to be released from their task in the near future.

Those who feel called by the Lord to this task are kindly invited to send a letter of inquiry to the clerk of the Mission Board. (Please note the new address.) More information will be supplied to those who sincerely desire to do this work.

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