Mission: Indonesia 2018
Jesus weeps over hundreds of millions of lost Indonesians
We wept — just like our Savior, Jesus Christ. In John, chapter 11, we read about the death of Jesus’s good friend, Lazarus. He has been buried in a tomb for four days when Jesus arrives. “Jesus wept,” it says in John 11:35. But then, in the midst of his sadness, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
Sadness turns to gladness. It can be done.
As we met with like-hearted brothers and sisters to discuss Muslim unreached people groups, we were told about the 170 MUPGs (at the time) with populations of more than 100,000. For several years, ministries had been encouraged to GO into all the Muslim world and preach the Good News, but none had responded to the 170 people groups in question. The chair of our meeting called it a “travesty.”
We prayed and asked God to forgive us. We cried.
Then we, Climbing For Christ, determined that the Konjo Pegunungan needed to be rescued from the dead.
The Konjo people live in two groups: coastal (Pesisir) and mountains (Pegunungan). They have embraced Islam, but most maintain animist practices. “Even the most devout Muslim among them fears the spirits,” reports the Joshua Project. “When there is conflict between the teachings of Islam and their traditional beliefs, the traditional practices win out.
“Their motto is: ‘kami tidak akan membuang peraturan adat.’ (We will never throw out our traditional way of life).”
The Konjo Pegunungan have a population of 166,000 in Indonesia, according to the Joshua Project. Eighty-one percent are said to be Muslim and 14 percent practice ethnic religions. Five percent of the population profess to be Christian (with well below 1 percent considered evangelical).
The Konjo Pegunungan live on South Sulawesi, where the two most prominent peaks are Rantemario (3,440 meters/11,286 feet) and Moncong Lompobatang (2,874 meters/9,429 feet). But Gunung Bawakaraeng (2,830 meters/9,284 feet) is the area’s most popular hike. There are many other peaks in the province that require much longer treks. 
PRAY: For the most populous Muslim nation in the world. With less than 15 percent of the 240 million living on the 6,000 islands claiming to follow Jesus, persecution may play a role in deterring believers. Indonesia was ranked 46th on the 2017 Open Doors ministry list of the 50 most difficult nations in which to be a Christian.
GIVE: Whether we are working with a community in West Java, helping guides and porters on Lombok’s Mount Rinjani, or seeking to engage any of the numerous unreached people groups in Indonesia, this is a mission that needs financial support.
GO! Late May-early June. This is the start of the four-month-long dry season. Cost is estimated at $1,750. For C4C members only. Fly to Makassar (from Jakarta), drive to Tana Toraja, and hike the highland of Southern Sulawesi (known as “The Land of the Heavenly Kings”). Email info@ClimbingForChrist.org for a mission application.
829