Friday, July 6
220th General Assembly (2012)
Indonesia
Rev. Ms. Odja Lim welcomes Becca Young to her preschool for underprivileged.
Alor is an enchanting island that inspired Cole Porter to write the song ``Begin the Beguine'' after his ship docked at the port of Kalabahi, Alor's capital city. This remote island in southeastern Indonesia, only two-thirds the size of Rhode Island, has 168,000 inhabitants who speak 15 different languages and are predominantly Protestant Christians.
Rev. Ms. Odja Lim serves as associate pastor at one of the largest congregations of the Reformed church in Kalabahi, with over 2,000 members. In addition to her pastoral duties she has two remarkable hobbies. One is a preschool that she runs for disadvantaged children in the city. The second is a junior high school that she has created out of next to nothing in a rural village on the north coast of the island.
Over time Ms. Lim lamented the deficiencies of Alor's educational system, watching as manychildren who lacked good teachers failed to pass the annual national examinations required to progress to the next grade. Once they failed the tests two or three times, the children were written off as uneducable and left on their own.
With an impressive degree of ingenuity, Ms. Lim found an unused church building that she turned into a boarding school for students rejected by other schools. The students sleep on the pews and bathe in a public washroom down the street. Arising at 4:30 a.m. each day, they share cooking and cleaning chores and have morning devotions. Then they devote themselves to their studies with a remarkable intensity. Last year their school had the highest examination scores in Alor. Ms. Lim's dedication allowed God to provide a way out of no way for these children who had been abandoned by their society.
- Rev. Dr. Rebecca Young, PC(USA) mission co-worker
Let us join in prayer for:
Partners/Partnerships
Communion of Churches in Indonesia: Rev. Dr. Andreas A. Yewangoe, general chair, Rev. Gomar Gulton, general secretary * Christian Church of Indonesia: Rev. Royandi Tanudjaja, general chair, Rev. Arlyanus Larosa, general secretary * Christian Church of Indonesia, Central Java: Rev. Litos Sitorus Pane, general secretary * Christian Church of Java: Rev. Dr. Andreas Untung Wiyono, general secretary * East Java Christian Church: Rev. Iman Santoso Puro, general chair, Rev. Tjondro F. Gardjito, general secretary * Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua: Rev. Jemima J. Mirion-Krey, chair, Rev. Hizkia Rollo, secretary * Protestant Christian Church of Bali: Rev. Nyoman Suanda, general chair, Rev. I Made Priana, general secretary * Duta Wacana Christian University: Dr. Djohan, rector (president), Rev. Dr. Yahya Wijaya, dean of theology * Satya Wacana Christian University: Prof. Dr. John Titalay, rector * Indonesian Christian University at Tomohon: Rev. Dr. Hein Arina, rector * Theological Seminary of Jakarta: Rev. Dr. Joas Adiprasetya, rector
PC(USA) Agencies' Staff
Christopher Lega, GAMC
Terry Leiner, GAMC
Let us pray
For the people of Alor this day, we are thankful, dear God, especially for Ms. Lim, her teachers, and her students at Alor's Loyal Junior School. Bless them in their studies and in their faith. In Christ's name we pray, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Daily Lectionary
Morning Psalms 88; 148
First Reading Numbers 24:1-13
Second Reading Romans 8:12-17
Gospel Reading Matthew 22:15-22
Evening Psalms 6; 20
