Activities In November 2021

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19-20) 

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8). 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58). 

Until November 2021, I have been doing mission work in Makassar city, South Sulawesi for three months. Praise God, my children and I were able to live a good life and doing ministry during last November. My activities in November 2021 were as follows:

Making A Personal Study Agreement with Prospects and Church Members

In November 2021, I also made a face-to-face study agreement with 1 denomination member and 2 local church members from East Luwu who have been studying in Makassar. I used the fisher of men method in introducing the gospel. I started with an introduction or called "buffer", then asked open questions, “Which of these three questions is the most interesting question to you: Does God Exist? If He does exist, who is God? Is Jesus God? Will the day of judgment come?” The choice of each, "Will the day of judgment come?" Next, I asked, “Why this question is most interesting to you?” They tried to answer that the judgment day is taught in the Bible, or they did not know exactly. I don't mind their answer, because I want to bring them to study the Bible with me. So, I then asked, "What does the Bible teach about the day of judgment?" They do not know much about it, which prompted me to ask a closed question, “Would you like the Bible to answer the question?” They agreed and I then made a study agreement by offering a place, day and time to study with each. We have chosen to study on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We will start studying in the early of December 2021.

Teaching Prospects

I still continued to teach prospects who has been studying since October 2021. In accordance with the agreement, we studied every Saturday, starting at 10.00 until approximately at 12.00 noon. On one Saturday, she took her mother to study together. Except Saturday, November 13, 2021, the prospect  had a family event. For about 2 hours, this prospect worked on the course first, then I used the same material for re-discussion. I asked a lot of questions that I built from the lessons material, then she tried to answer, and if it deviated or was not quite right, then I helped her to find the right answer. The questions she asked were about marriage-divorce-remarriage, spiritual gifts, and the difference between evangelists and pastors, also being baptized twice. I turned to and discussed verses like Matthew 5:32; 19:9; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 13:8-12; Ephesians 4:11-16 - there is no word "pendeta" in the New Testament, and Acts 19:1-5 to answer those questions. This prospect will continue to study regularly in December 2021.

Distributing Tracts

I distributed several tracts titles to the people I met and chatted with, and on the back of each tract I put a phone number they could call if they need other services, such as face-to-face Bible studies or taking Bible courses, even attending worship services. Hopefully those who get the tracts read them and get spiritual enlightenment and hope that in the future some of them will contact me for the follow-up study.

Translating Tracts

I have been still translating tracts that can be distributed to prospects or church members. In November I translated two titles of tracts, namely:

- Is Doctrine Important?

- Born Again: The New Birth

I actually would like to continue to offer and send these tracts to other local congregations, but the problem is that the second-hand printer I bought in October 2021 for IDR 600,000 is damaged and the repair costs are high, so I plan to raise money first to buy a new printer that will last longer and has a warranty, too.

Online Bible Course

Since managing the Online Bible Course, I have also been busy with checking new registrations and checking the answers submitted by students, as well as creating and sending certificates to students who have completed the course. There are many questions submitted by the students along with their course answers. So I had the opportunity to study and answer them, then sent them to the students.

There are some students who wish to study face-to-face in their cities. For now, only serving in the cities of Bali, Surabaya, Manado, and Makassar, because only in these cities evangelists of God's churches are ready to teach them face-to-face. Hopefully this method will encourage local congregations, especially in other cities, to reach out to souls in their respective areas.

Worship and Bible Class

In November 2021, my children and I and several members of the congregation, as well as visitors, continued to worship every Sunday at Confie Indonesia Co-Working Space. Worship was held from 10.00 to 11.15 WITA. And after worship, we held a Combined Bible Class with a continuation of last October's theme, "The True Faith" by David Pharr, which was produced by NSSBS. The topics discussed are short and simple, very helpful for students to absorb well and apply in daily life.

Joined and Registered In The Organization of GSJKI Region IX South Sulawesi

On November 7, 2021, on behalf of the Makassar Church Christ Congregation, I wrote a letter to join the GSJKI Region IX South Sulawesi organization which is registered in Dirjen Bimas Kristen Kementrian Agama RI SK 150 and Kementerian Agama Kabupaten Luwu Timur SK 1574, and I have already received a reply from the Governing Body of GSJKI Region IX South Sulawesi by sending a statement letter which stating that Makassar Church of Christ is accepted to join and recognized as a part of the South Sulawesi Region IX GSJKI organization per November 10, 2021. With Makassar Church of Christ joining to the GSJKI Region IX South Sulawesi organization, all Legal and administrative affairs of the Makassar Church of Christ to Kementerian Agama Kabupaten Luwu Timur will be represented by the Governing Body of GSJKI Region IX South Sulawesi organization.

Apply For A Family Card and ID Card

In November 2021, I returned to the Manggala District office to submit the documents needed to become a permanent resident in Makassar. However, the sub-district employee told me to submit the files online through the Population and Civil Registry form on website. They gave me the website page and when I opened it, it was still required a "No Objection Letter” signed on a stamp and attached with a photo of the original ID card of the owner of the rented house we stay in Makassar. A sample form has been provided on the web page to download. After I downloaded and printed it and filled all the required field and attached a Rp10,000 stamp, then I went to the owner of the rented house asking for a signature and attaching her original ID card and then I took a picture of it to make an image file.

I re-opened the Population and Civil Registry form page and entered all  required data and files and then sent them and worked. And when I opened my email inbox, there was a reply from the Population and Civil Registry Department, including an attachment of Family Card Draft of the owner of the rented house in which my name and my two children were registered. After that, I printed the Family Card draft and handed it over with other files to the Manggala sub-district officer to get a new Family Card separated from the previous Family Card draft and she gave me a pick-up card. After a few days I came intending to take a new Family Card that had been printed, but after being searched by the officer, it turned out that it wasn't there! I asked why, and she said that I had not asked for a letter of moving from the Rappocini sub-district where the Family Card of the owner of the rented house is registered.

I prepared the required documents, namely, a transfer letter from Bandar Lampung, a family Card Draft, and the data of my children and mine, then I came to the Rappocini District office to get a transfer letter between sub-districts and took it to the District office Manggala to be processed so that I get a new Family Card and at the end of November 2021 it has been issued and sent attached to my email address by the Population and Civil Registry Department.

Furthermore, I also applied for a new ID Card and Child Identity Card for my two children, and it will be issued and printed by early of December 2021. Hopefully the printing process goes smoothly and we can have a new ID Card and CI Card with our current address in Makassar .

Receiving Second Vaccine

Based on information a few days earlier that was shared by the senior high school (SMP) Frater, where my daughter attends the school, on Saturday, November 13, 2021, at 9 am, my two children and I went and received the second vaccine at Pipo Mall Metro Tanjung Bunga, in downtown. We are very grateful that we had been vaccinated for the second time and we had no effects other than body aches.

May I stay healthy to do mission work in December 2021 and look forward to more and more prospects to teach.

Makassar, 30 November 2021, 

Harun Tamale 

Mission Monthly Report in Makassar Under the supervision of GSJKDI Sawangan, Sawangan Village Guard IV, Kec. Tombulu, Minahasa, North Sulawesi 95662. 

Email: haruntamale@gmail.com 

Blog: https://mission-report.blogspot.com/