Making straight paths for Him

Mission: Indonesia

Making straight paths for Him

One of our porters on Mount Rinjani was telling us about his Sasak village on the island of Lombok. When asked what the name of the village meant, he said: “Door fall on you.”

Then, in a display of modern-day texting style, he added, “Just kidding.”

While it was an LOL moment, it also was fitting. Climbing For Christ is a ministry that goes in search of open doors and opportunities to deliver the Good News to people who otherwise might not receive it. After several days in Indonesia in April, it was beginning to feel as if those doors were closing, if not falling on us.

It wasn’t surprising, of course.

“This is the largest Muslim population in the world. This is a stronghold,” said one of the members of our team, which consisted of two Indonesians, a Filipino and an American. “The enemy is going to protect it like hell.”

Indonesia is a country in which at least 86 percent of its 248 million people follow Islam. It is a nation with more unreached people groups (213 of 784) and some of the least evangelized people on the planet.

The Sasak people, who number more than 2.7 million, count a mere 0.02 percent as Christians in their midst. That means only about 540 Sasak follow Jesus.

Our porter’s father is a Christian, but he has moved off of the picturesque island of Lombok.

Ironically, Lombok means “the straight path” or way. It is our prayer that the paths of the Sasak would be made straight.

Our small team hired two porters, who also serve as guides on Rinjani, which – at 12,224 feet (3,726 meters) – is the second tallest volcano in Indonesia. We knew this would be one way to possibly get a foot in the door in this area. They listened to our sharing and welcomed our prayers.

The door isn’t open, but there is a crack through which the Light is shining.

This story originally appeared in The Climbing Way (Volume 24, Spring-Summer 2012).

The Word

“‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” – Matthew 3:3