He is Always Working
Before launching into an update on our work over the last month, we want to say that we are heartbroken over the recent events taking place in the U.S., but also encouraged to see people rising up and standing together in the fight against racial injustice. Though we are on the opposite side of the world, we are standing with you in prayer, finding (and sharing) resources on the issue, and giving what we can. People in Indonesia already know the name of George Floyd and the city of Minneapolis and ask us if "all Americans are racist"--which is absolutely heartbreaking. But racism is a global issue. Our friends here have deeply rooted prejudices against three groups of people in particular, and as they see these events play out in the U.S. we are hoping to continue to have conversations about how this issue needs to be addressed here.
In other news, cases of COVID19 in Indonesia continue to rise. The lock down here continues, which was especially hard for our cousins as they were unable to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families. We had plenty of phone calls with friends, but the holiday looked much different from last year. It has also been hard to feel like the min. side of our work has slowed drastically, but God has been faithful to show us that He is always working. We are hoping and praying that in the next few weeks businesses will begin to open again, but it is difficult to predict.
Here are a few updates from the last month:
Jake finished his first year at Brawijaya and is getting ready to start his thesis. We are hoping that by September he will be able to make trips out to Sulawesi to get data for his research. More details below.
Amber is still teaching English online. She continues to grow closer to the girls she is meeting with one-on-one, and is thankful for this time to build new friendships.
The new website is up! Make sure you like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram (@javabitedriedfruit) to get the most recent info, and visit store.javabite.com to check out our products and village impact.
We broke ground on the Boaz Factory land! In spite of other restrictions in place, construction workers are still able to start building the new factory right here in Malang.
Jake's Thesis
Jake has finished the coursework portion of his masters program, and now continues to prepare and design his thesis research project. As an update: he is moving away from the idea of a soil suitability index. The research will instead likely focus on mapping the distribution of Loka Pere bananas, and then analyzing soil characteristics in their range in comparison to the surrounding area to identify any unique soil factors that may be limiting the potential distribution and cultivation range of the crop. This still will contribute towards the goal of identifying areas for the local people to sustainably expand production of this underutilized crop for the economic benefit of the community. He hopes to incorporate some heavily relational components to the project so that our relationships with this hard to reach community will continue to grow and develop.
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