NTM

In a few hours (1:30 PM Feb. 6 our time, wee morning hours Feb. 6 for most of you) we’ll be starting the very long journey from West Kalimantan, Indonesia all the way to San Antonio, Texas. Please pray for the Lord’s protection and strength for us on this long trip. Pray that we’ll make all our connections, and that Areli and Galilee will be able to sit still for the long flights.

We came out of the tribe 4 days ago. It was a very wet trip downriver in the rain for 3 hours, and then an hour-long flight (not wet, thankfully!) on out to the coast. That day DJ was feeling tired and achey but wasn’t sure if he was coming coming down with something or just tired. By the next morning he was showing full-blown malaria symptoms, so he took a malaria treatment. Unfortunately the first treatment didn’t work, so he was very sick by the time the second treatment finally started working. He doesn’t have fever anymore now, but he’s still very weak and having a hard time getting back to eating. Please pray for him especially since he has to make this trip not feeling very well. Pray that the malaria will really be gone, and that he’ll regain his strength quickly.

Thanks so much for praying! The next time you hear from us, we’ll be back on your side of the world. We’re so excited!

DJ and I just returned from a 3-day trip downriver to attend inter-tribal church fellowship meetings, and for me to have an ultrasound. Both goals were successfully accomplished. Praise the Lord, and thanks to all of you for praying! The ultrasound showed that we are only having one baby this time, and that this time it’s a boy. We’re very excited.

As for the rest of the trip, well, it would be impossible to describe all the different sights, smells, experiences, and impressions of travel in this part of the world. So I’ll just give you a few glimpses of some of the thoughts that passed through my mind along the way:

"If I have to climb one more notched-log ladder in front of 20 people, I’m gonna scream." Travel in this part of Indonesia is almost always done by river. That means that every stop involves climbing a high river bank on anything from a skinny pole with grooves in it to a mind-boggling array of slapped-together pieces of scrap lumber zigzagging across the water and up the incline. At every ascent, our traveling companions (tribal believers who were coming down to attend the church meetings) were convinced I wouldn’t be able to make it to the top. I must admit I prayed, "God, I know it’s just pride, but please don’t let me fall while everyone is watching."

"This must be what the tower of Babel was like." Picture a meeting of believers from 4 different tribal groups, each speaking their own languages in their own groups, and switching to one of two other languages when they wanted to speak to someone from one of the other tribal groups. As I was asking one of my Hobongan friends to tell me what things were in Hobongan (in an attempt to continue my language study), other ladies sitting by would be offering the words in their own languages and in the area trade language
(Melayu) as well. And then they wondered why I couldn’t remember anything!

"If I have a least favorite thing about grocery shopping, I guess it must be the smell of week-old fish in the sun." We saved our shopping for fresh goods until the last morning, so our lettuce, carrots, potatoes, etc. could survive the all-day trip back upriver. We’re so thankful that we’re able to get so many fresh vegetables in the market now. DJ’s family remembers a time when very little was available. I would venture to guess that the fish has always been available, though–in every species, body part, and state of decay you could possibly hope to want.

We arrived home tired, sore, and very glad to see Areli and Galilee again.
Their Aunt Rachel took good care of them while we were gone. Thanks so much to all of you who prayed for our travels, and please keep praying for DJ as he goes upriver for several days starting tomorrow (Jan. 19.)

Christmas was a busy time in our village, as the Hobongan-speaking believers from two villages (this one and one upriver) got together for 3 days of food, fellowship, and teaching from God’s Word. The church leadership from both villages took turns teaching on the theme "Why did Jesus have to come to earth?" Since there’s no Bible in Hobongan yet, they use the Indonesian Bible and then explain in Hobongan what the verses mean. We all look forward to the day when they have Scriptures in their own language that all of them can read and understand.

Rachel is still busy working on translation. She’s in the beginning stages of translating Scripture now, starting with the story of Joseph in Genesis.
This week one of the church elders and his wife have been coming over every morning to work with her on that.

DJ and I are planning a trip down river to the nearest town January 13-16.
Rachel has graciously offered to keep Areli and Galilee for us during that time. While we’re down river, we’ll be attending some fellowship meetings between the area tribal churches, meeting a boat from the coast that has supplies for us, and getting an ultrasound to determine how many babies we’re having this time! As far as we know it’s just one, but after last time we just want to be sure.

After we get back, we’ll just have a couple of weeks to pack up and get ready to leave for our home assignment in the USA. We appreciate all of your prayers for our travels. I (Jennifer) am still feeling pretty sick, although I was thinking I’d be feeling better by now. I would love to feel better by the time we have to do all our traveling, so I’d appreciate your prayers for that too.

In response to our last e-mail update, we received an outpouring of prayers and encouraging e-mails. Thank you all so much for praying, and for writing to let us know you were praying. We are so blessed to have encouragers like you.

Speaking of thanks, we had a special blessing for Thanksgiving–visitors from the "outside world." The Buettners, a missionary family who serve out in town, came interior to spend 4 days with us over the holiday. For Thanksgiving dinner we had a baked chicken (we just pretended it was a
turkey!) with most of the traditional trimmings. We had even hoarded a couple cans of cranberry sauce for the occasion!

We wanted to let all of you know that we’re planning to return to the States for 6 months of home assignment from February-July of next year. Lord willing, we’ll arrive in San Antonio, TX on February 7, spend about a week with my family, and then travel up to Ohio. Our window of time for traveling to visit churches and other supporters will be mid-February through the beginning of May. After that we’ll need to be back in Texas for the birth of our baby (due June 14.) We plan to return to Indonesia the first week of August. We hope we can see as many of you as possible during our time back in the USA, and we’re looking for opportunities to share what God is doing here in Indonesia and specifically among the Hobongan people.
If any of you know of such an opportunity or want to make sure we fit you into our traveling schedule, please let us know.

We appreciate your continued prayers more than we can express. Praise the Lord that we’ve had no more malaria or other serious illnesses since we last wrote. I (Jennifer) am still very sick with nausea, but I’m hoping the end is in sight now.

We ask for your prayers for Rachel as she works on her first translation project–a small book called "How the Jews Lived." This first project is to give her and the Hobongan believers working with her practice in using the translation techniques. The book will also be valuable cultural information to help the Hobongan understand the setting of the Bible–a cultural setting so completely different than their own that it’s hard for them to even imagine it. After they are finished translating "How the Jews Lived," they will move into translating Bible passages.

Pray for Rachel that she’ll be able to have the time she needs to work at a desk. Some days people come to the door needing one thing or another almost all day long. It’s hard for Rachel to get uninterrupted time to work on translation.

Please be praying for our family too. My pregnancy-related nausea continues to make it difficult for me to function. DJ has had to make 4 trips downriver in the past month, all involving at least one overnight away from home, some as long as 5 nights away. He came down with malaria after his last trip, but thankfully we were able to find the right medicine to treat it (on the second try) and it only lasted about 24 hours. He and I have both battled one skin infection (tropical ulcer) after another in the past month, but we finally seem to be on the mend now. Some days we feel very discouraged. Knowing that you are praying for us helps encourage us to keep going. Please don’t stop!

We’re happy to announce that the Lord has blessed us with another little one on the way. (At least we think it’s just one, although after last time we aren’t taking anything for granted!) I’m due June 14, so I’m about 5 weeks along right now. I’m already very sick with all-day nausea just like I was last time. We’d appreciate your prayers. I’ve had to stop any formal language study for the time being. Just trying to keep my family fed and the house work done is more than I can handle most days. Cooking is my least favorite job, but there aren’t any restaurants, fast food places, or tv dinners in here. I probably have another couple months of being sick if it’s the same as last time. Hopefully after that I’ll be able to get back into language study.

Speaking of language study, we’re excited that Rachel (DJ’s sister and our
teammate) has just completed the final level of her formal language study.
That means that she’s fluent enough in Hobongan to start translating Scripture. Please pray for her and all the Hobongan believers who will be helping with the translation as they get started on this long and difficult but thrilling and life-changing process. It has taken 2,000 years for the Bible to make it all the way to this remote part of the jungle, but soon our Hobongan brothers and sisters will be able to read it for themselves in their own heart language. Your prayers are an essential part of what’s happening here.

On August 28, we flew from the coastal city to a smaller town in the interior.  We spent the night at the best hotel in town.  Unfortunately their best rooms were taken, so we got a “business class” room–meaning no air conditioning and the bathroom down the hall instead of in the room.  At least it did have a queen-sized bed (which all four of us shared) and a fan mounted on the wall to keep us cool, so we got some sleep.  The next morning we shopped for vegetables at the open market, loaded our boat, and headed upriver.  Due to a leaking boat and motor trouble, our trip up was long and eventful.  We would have preferred the trip to be boring, but we were thankful to finally make it “home” to our house in the jungle.

In the week and a half since then, we’ve been trying to get settled in and get used to life far from “civilization.”  Here are a few of the things we’re adjusting to:

–Early to bed, early to rise:  Our village is hours away from the nearest public utilities.  We’re blessed to have a generator, which we usually run for a couple hours in the evenings.  But once the generator is turned off, we all go to bed so we can get an early start the next morning.  Nights here are pitch black and filled with jungle sounds.  Sometimes it can seem like being on a completely different planet.

–Monkey wars:  The nearest “grocery stores” are 3 hours away by boat, so we grow some vegetables and fruits around the house.  Any of you who’ve ever fought with rabbits over a garden may understand something of what we face to keep our produce for ourselves, except that rabbits can’t swing in from the treetops to snatch away bananas, cassava, and pineapple tops.  Yep, the monkeys have discovered our bounty, and nothing seems to deter them from helping themselves.

–Language:  This is a huge one for me (Jennifer.)  While most people in the village can understand some Indonesian, many of them aren’t comfortable speaking it even on a basic conversation level.  And even the Indonesian words that they do use often have different meanings here than elsewhere.  If I’m going to be able to build friendships here and eventually talk about spiritual things with these people, I HAVE to learn their heart language.  For the last few days, one of our neighbors has been coming in the afternoons to help me start learning Hobongan.  Right now I’m just learning basic words for things like numbers, colors, body parts, and household items.  Even that is exhausting work.  Pray for me to have perseverance as the language learning process is long, exhausting, and sometimes painful.

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

"I have known many troubles in my life, but most of them never happened." –Unknown

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." –Matthew 6:34a

Dear Friends and Family,

After moving 7 times in less than 5 years of marriage, we should be used to it by now. But it seems that every move brings up some of the same worries: How will we ever get everything packed and all loose ends tied up before we move? Will we be able to feel at home in the new place? Will we be able to build new friendships? How will Areli and Galilee adjust? Will so much moving around make them feel insecure? For me (Jennifer), this particular move comes with its own set of worries. I have to start learning my second brand-new language in as many years. I’ll be moving into a village where my husband has almost thirty years’ worth of friendships but I don’t know anyone. Not only do I not know them, but I don’t speak a word of their language or understand any of their culture. Hey, didn’t I already do this last year?

All that to say, the Lord has been challenging me with verses about not worrying, and I (and the rest of the family too) could really use your prayers as we get ready to move to Kalimantan next week. Pray that we’ll be sensitive to Areli and Galilee’s needs and have wisdom in explaining things to them. Pray that we won’t forget that moving and adjusting to new places and learning new languages aren’t ends in themselves–they are means to the end of seeing the Gospel and God’s Word in the hands of tribal people.

Please also pray that my (Jennifer’s) sister Julie will get her passport in time for their departure from the States (July 18). They’re planning to come to visit us over here. Julie applied for her passport over 3 months ago, but it still hasn’t come. The people she has been in communication with at the passport office say she should have it by Monday (the 16th.) We’d appreciate your prayers that it arrives in time. Thanks so much!

In our last update, we asked for your prayers as we keep serving in the mission home here in Jakarta and also as we start preparing for our new ministry in Kalimantan. This month we have seen the Lord answer those prayers as we have worked on projects involving both our present ministry and our future one.

On the mission home front, we’ve had two Indonesian families staying with us for the past couple weeks. They have been processing their visas to go to the United States and finish their schooling. One is training to be a pilot, and the other an aircraft mechanic. They desire to be involved in missionary aviation here in Indonesia once their training is completed.
We’re very excited about their willingness to serve the Lord in this much-needed way. Please pray for them that all their paperwork will soon be in order and they’ll have a smooth transition to living in the States again (they previously spent a year and a half in the States starting their
schooling.) Besides that, we’re also planning to welcome 3 more new missionary families and 2 singles to Indonesia. They’ll be arriving in mid-April. All this coming and going of members of the missionary community means that DJ has close to 40 airline tickets to book this month.

On the "moving to Kalimantan" front, we recently placed an order for 6-months’ worth of non-perishable foods and household essentials to be sent in to our future home by boat. Our fellow missionaries purchased all of those supplies for us in the coastal city and put them on a freighter boat going upriver. Once the freighter reached the nearest trade town to where we’ll be living, DJ’s dad loaded them into small boats for the 6-hour journey further upriver to the village. We’re so thankful for all the work the supply buyers and DJ’s parents put into helping us get our supplies interior. It will be so nice to have them waiting for us when we get there!

All that to say, thank you so much for supporting us in prayer. The Lord is answering every day as He gives us the strength we need for the tasks at hand.

Please continue to pray for:
–Provision of finances for my (Jennifer’s) dad and sister to come visit us for three weeks in July and August
–Us to glorify the Lord in the things He gives us to do each day
–Wisdom in teaching Areli and Galilee about the Lord. We’ve recently started telling them Bible stories each night at bedtime. Pray that they will start to understand who God is and what He has done for them.

Praise the Lord with us:
–This month we received a package from a Sunday school class in Texas.
It was such an encouragement to us to open it as a family and realize that someone back home is thinking about us and praying for us.
–We feel so blessed by all the opportunities to get to know our fellow missionaries better when they stay here at the mission home

In Christ,

DJ, Jennifer, Areli, and Galilee Searcy

It has been raining almost constantly for the past 4 or 5 days, causing a lot of flooding in the city of Jakarta. Many neighborhoods are under several feet of water, and many of the main streets in our area have become rivers. You can imagine what that does to traffic in a city of over 10 million people. The other day we had to go to the embassy (about 10 miles away), and it took us an hour and a half each way. In several places four lanes of traffic were reduced to one lane because the water was too deep to drive through in all but that one lane. Children were swimming in the street as traffic inched by.

While it may seem unprecedented to us, flooding is actually an annual problem in Jakarta. During the rainy season, the city’s water drainage system (or lack of one!) cannot handle the volume of rainwater flowing into it. Thankfully, our immediate neighborhood is on higher ground and doesn’t flood. We have stayed nice and dry, we just haven’t been able to go out very much since many of the streets we need to use are flooded.

From Feb. 18-24 we plan to make a trip to central Java (where we lived while we were in language study). I (Jennifer) will be attending a Culture & Language Acquisition Workshop. We’re looking forward to learning some valuable information from the workshop, as well as getting a chance to visit our friends from where we used to live.

Here’s a link to some pictures of our family (okay, I’ll admit, it’s mostly pictures of the two youngest members of our family) since we’ve moved to Jakarta:
http://www.ntm.org/dj_searcy/photos.php?category=2006+-+December+-+January

Please pray:

• For a safe trip to and from central Java and a profitable time there
• For all the people whose homes have been flooded in Jakarta this week.
• That if it’s the Lord’s will my (Jennifer’s) dad and sister will be able to come visit us this summer

Thanks for your faithful prayers.