Please pray for Timor

Timor Report

In April 2006 God really drew my attention to the Nation of East Timor, although it had already been bubbling around in my heart for many years. I was in the Bangkok airport on my way home from Cambodia and having some time to kill, Googled Timor. A photograph of several Timorese children came up and I remember thinking, “Wow, they’re just like the Cambodian kids, I could do something for them.”

It took nearly 12 months but I have just returned from East Timor where    Graham Endicott and I spent eight action packed days.

We went with somewhat of a plan: to Meet Kirsty Sword-Gusmao, the first Lady. Follow up a small water project Heartland had financed on the opposite side of the Island and find a young couple who were already on the ground serving the Lord and could use a bit of extra support and encouragement.

To our amazement God had the same agenda and went before us opening doors all over the Island Nation.

We got to meet with Kirsty Sword-Gusmao not once but on two occasions and found her to be an amazing down to earth Australian lady with a real heart for her adopted homeland. Kirsty is the founder of the Alola Foundation an N.G.O organisation targeting the needs of woman, children and education in this struggling Nation. These needs alone are huge but Kirsty explained that between 12 to 15 times a year she gets requests for financial support for other small projects that fall outside of Alola’s criteria. Kirsty’s heart is obviously full of compassion and despite the shortage of available funds endeavours to meet these requests where she can, in her capacity as First Lady. As a result of these meetings Heartland International is partnering with the First Lady to complete as many of these projects as finances permit. Donations to any Community Development Projects in Timor are tax deductible.

We then travelled from Dili to Betano, a 130-kilometre trip that took 6 hours of hard driving. Several months earlier Kirsty had forwarded to us one of the many requests she receives. This one was for a well, water tank and pump for an orphanage and kindergarten that had no running water. Graham and I both agreed it was worth the drive to see our first completed project.
The sisters from C.I.J, the Congregation for the Imitators of Jesus also took us to several of their associated works between Dili and Betano and shared many of the needs ranging from something as simple as snacks for children who attend playgroup through to the purchase of land and construction of an orphanage. Although the latter is obviously out of our reach there were several smaller projects that we would like to be able to help with on our next visit.

The following day we headed back towards Dili with plans to meet up with Charles and Lenda Bessie, a young couple who head up the A.O. G. Church Planting School in Aileu. As we didn’t know their address we passed through Aileu and stopped at an A.O.G. Church about 10 km outside of town. Evaristo de Oliveirar the local Pastor was kind enough to bring us pack to town to meet up with Charles and Lenda. We had a beautiful lunch together that Lenda had prepared that morning and commented to her husband,“ I have cooked to much today, I don’t know why.” We had great fellowship together and believe it to be a divine appointment. We are staying in touch with Charles via e-mail and hope to be able to work together in the future for the advancement of the Kingdom of God in Timor.

We were also privileged to hear the testimony of Ps Evaristo de Oliveirar who spent 2 months digging away the side of a hill to form a pad on which to build his Church. He originally approached one of the foreign aid organisations based in Aileu to use their idle earth moving equipment, but when refused did it by hand. This amazing and humble Pastor went on to level 3 more pads by hand. Two were for simple thatched buildings where he teaches and feeds 100 children through a Compassion program. The other for a prayer chapel on top of the hill which now stands where a machine gun used to be.

Back in Dili we also meet Josue and Claudia, a young Missionary couple from Brazil, doing their 2nd term in Timor. They made us feel very welcome and inviting us to the graduation of the Transformation Alliance, combined Church Bible College where we met several of the local Pastors and Ps Rick the founder of the Transformation Alliance from Singapore. Josue and Claudia regularly host teams from Singapore and offered their help and expertise should Heartland bring teams in the future.

Just as a great tree started from a seed and the tallest of buildings starts with one plot of dirt being turned, only time will fully reveal the significance of this, our first trip to Timor. I am confident as I look back on how God’s hand so clearly guided and protected us and though it is a small beginning it is not one to be despised.

Andrew Cook
Chairman

Please pray:

That the Lord will place “peacemakers” in the leadership of this nation, and that he will rule with justice and excellence.

That the deceits of the enemy will be overthrown and there will be no place for violence, corruption and disorder.