"Ends of the Earth" (June 2021)

From East Java to "the Ends of the Earth"

The last month has been full of exciting activity, and as usual we are thrilled to see the ways our Father is working in spite of our own human limitations. He truly is redeeming and multiplying the time! Last week Jake traveled to Sulawesi to finally dive back into his long-awaited research project on the Loka Pere banana. After a day of preliminary research and connecting with the villagers who grow this rare banana variety, he was invited to spend the night at the home of the village leader. He later found out that he was the first foreigner to ever spend the night in "Adol"! Read below for more stories of favor on this trip. We feel as though we are gaining a new, tangible understanding of what "the ends of the earth" means, and we can't wait to see what will come from these new relationships.

Here are few additional updates:

• "The Gathering" is back in full swing.

• Amber's English teaching has been going smoothly, and she is thankful for all of the time she had to prepare lessons and materials while Stateside. She will soon start teaching a new class for students ages 11-15.

• There are currently six summer interns joining our team from the States, and Jake has been partnering with two of them to hopefully make more headway on a project managing fruit drying waste.

"Adol" Village

After Jake was invited to stay at the home of the village leader - "Pak Simon", he was surprised to find out he would be sharing the space with his 15 children! Typically the culture in East Java is to have only one or two kids, but in "Adol" having big families is a high cultural value. This is a tight knit community of incredible, hard working people. Most families make their living off of the land, either farming or raising goats. They treat guests "like kings", so Jake had plenty to eat and felt welcomed.

Jake was given the gracious opportunity to share stories and values with a few people in "Adol", in particular Pak Simon. Pak Simon has the heart of a servant husband, father, and leader of his people. They discussed fatherhood, servant leadership, and the meaning of greatness. We are excited to see what will develop in and through this relationship!