Learning to Be

“It’s not all about doing.  It’s about being.

You need to just let yourself ‘be here’ first before you start doing stuff.”

-Robin Jones Gunn

I have finally been able to define what this season of life is…a season of “being”. For all of my life, I have always been a doer and not a person who just is. I always found ways to do something for the kingdom, but I am realizing more and more than I don’t have to always do something, but I can just be and God can still use me. When arriving in Indonesia, I was so busy with doing: lesson plans, adjusting to marriage, and trying to figure out the culture, but I was forcing myself to do what God had not made me to do. The last five months have been a very different season, I am learning to “be.” I do not need to do everything, but I need “to be” in Christ. I am learning the language by being and practicing in my everyday life and with the help of my wonderful tutor and I am being and allowing God to bring opportunities daily my way, whether that would be cooking with my helper, having long conversations with my helper, UNO games with my helper’s daughter, or long walks with no agenda. God is renewing me and allowing me to see the culture and allowing me really love even more being in Indonesia. Through this time of being God is slowly revealing to me ways that I can “be” effective and use the gifts and skills He has given me to use for His glory.  I am still figuring this one out…stay tuned for more information in a later post. Sometimes it is not easy to “be” and I want to “do”, but God is showing me His Will and allowing me to rest in Him and Him alone during this time. I challenge you to stop doing of your own strength and to start being in God’s strength and allow Him to do amazing things in you.

Our new Senior Pastor helped demonstrate this greatly in his sermon this morning during both the and English service in his sermon on Bezalel and Oholiab. Most of you are probably thinking…who?  Bezalel and Oholiab were the two people God appointed by name and whom God had given ability and skills for the different crafts needed to construct the Tabernacle (Exodus 35-36). He continued to tell us that we are called to do great things like both Bezalel and Oholiab and we may not be recognized or known, but that God has given us each skills to different purposes and we should use them for His kingdom. Pastor Ardi also warned us against being “Superman” and relying on our own ability. We are not Superman, and our abilities are given by God, so we should be and allow God to use us to do amazing things through the skills that He has given us with.

I don’t know what season you are in, but I challenge you to allow yourself to “be” in Christ. I also challenge you if you are in a season of doing that you would do within the skills God has given and you would do within His strength and not in your own ability.

Prayer Requests and Praises

Praises:

-          I am so thankful for my wonderful Mom this Mother’s day (or at least it is in America).  I am also thankful that my Mom is healing after a very long recovery after her Gallbladder surgery….Praise God!!

-          Housing stuff is slowly coming together and it looks like we will be able to completely move into our new house at the beginning of June. Only thing that must be done is to put curtains up around the windows.

Prayer Requests:

Indonesia:

-          Pray for the 150 million unbelievers and the many unreached groups in Indonesia.

-          Pray for the 600 Baptist Churches around Indonesia and of those 600 churches 200 of those churches do not have pastors at this time. Pray for workers to be sent from the harvest from other countries and from inside Indonesia.

-          Pray for the believers and Ms to stand strong amidst the persecution that surrounds us.

-          Pray for the spiritual and material poverty.

-          Pray for the government of this nation.

BAIS:

-          Pray for the many upcoming events:

• Tuesday, May 15 (around 2:00 AM central time) is the Music department at BAIS last performance. Pray that His Name will be made known.
• Wednesday, May 16 is Middle School Banquet that Bryn and I will be attending.
• Saturday, May 19 is Senior Banquet.  Pray for the Seniors and this time of building them up before they leave.  Bryn will be speaking on behalf of one of the Seniors, please pray that God would give Him the words to say.

-          Pray for all of the new teacher that are coming in August: Mark and Joelene Boccaccio and his and family (Business manager), Peggy Alex (5^th grade), Hermione Zhang (Mandarin), Brian Lovejoy (Secondary Math), Matt and Erin Squiers and their boys Kadin and Jace, Beth LaMertha (Secondary English), Lisa Witham (PE), Paula Christensen (Secondary Science), Rachel Carpenter (ESL-Immersion), and Caroline Miller (ESL-Immersion).  Pray for transition for all of these singles and families, especially the Squiers family with little kids.

-          Pray for the outgoing staff: Diyan Yap (moving to Brazil after getting married in Indonesia and then having another ceremony in NY with his fiancé who is working at the NICS school in Brazil), Lori Newsom (going to US for summer and then to India), Kelly Thompson (going to America for a season), Janine and Gregg Hegle (going to America for summer and then going to NICS school in Peru), Jason and Janet Phillips and their 5 kids (to states for a season of seeking God’s will, will be leaving May 31^st),  Adam and Bekk (will be doing to Australia and then possibly India), and Yuhei Taguchi (moving to Canada).  Please pray for great last weeks and for their transition to the different countries that they are going to.

-          Pray for the remaining of the semester and that God would be working in the hearts of the students.

Us:

-          Pray for protection against spiritual forces that have been raging.

-          Pray for God to continue to reveal what opportunities to pursue.

-          Pray for financial support.

Bryn’s Update for April

Dear Friends, Family, and NICS Support Team:

I suppose after almost two full years this should become normal by now, but it still never ceases to amaze me, as I review my notes before sitting down to write these updates, just how much can happen in only one month’s time. There is plenty to tell, and I could easily go on for pages and pages. Let me make my best effort to give you some of the main points:

Spring Break

For Spring Break at the end of March, Courtney and I went to Phuket, Thailand. We had bought the tickets back in October I think when they were on sale for a pretty good price. And though there were many uncertainties going into the trip, Courtney had thankfully spent much time researching and coming up with a great itinerary. All in all, Phuket was so relaxing, something that Courtney and I both really needed.  There is plenty I could say about the culture of Thailand and what it was like to experience being surrounded by a vast majority of Buddhist adherents, but to save space on this update I will direct you to Courtney’s blog, http://myindonesianadventure.wordpress.com/, where did a great job giving some facts about that part of the trip.

The single biggest praise, for me at least, was the answered prayer that Courtney has been feeling much better since we got back from Phuket. We were talking just a couple of days ago about our greatest joys from the past month, and she shared how nice it’s been to feel like doing things that before she didn’t have the energy to do.

There is still a prayer request in that there are a couple of unanswered health concerns still on the radar. The tricky thing, of course, is knowing when any health issues are simply the body adjusting to such a new environment, or something completely unrelated, or a mixture of the two. As I write this to you, I hope that if you hear nothing else from me in this whole update you will hear that Yahweh has over and over proven himself faithful in all the unforeseen challenges that have come this school year. What a great God to so patiently refine us both for our service to him hear!

New Laptop meet Accreditation

To further flesh out my last sentence… Courtney and I got back from Thailand on a Friday night, leaving a couple of days for me to prep the next week’s schoolwork – which wasn’t just any week, as a team of international educators were coming for our 6 year reaccreditation visit. We as BAIS staff had been preparing for this visit since August, and truthfully I don’t think most of us were too tense about it. We had prepared well, but at the same time there was the reality of these people just dropping into your classroom at any time to see you teach or ask you questions… only slightly intimidating!

Well, I found out on Saturday morning that, after NO signs of problems, my laptop (which I bought towards the beginning of college) was completely dead. Talk about some good timing. Yet, there were so many blessings for me to count. Almost all of my data was backed up (thanks to Derrick for providing an external hard drive to me and Courtney just for that purpose), so I wasn’t really set back in terms of that. Also, I was able to get a new laptop at a really great price with some help from our IT director. Finally, I can’t imagine what it would have been like if my laptop had died during the middle of the week. Though it was an inconvenience, it was simple enough to get everything taken care of over the weekend and be ready for school.

The longer I live the more fond I grow of these testing moments – when Yahweh so pulls things outside of your expectations or control that you have no choice but to rely on him for the timing, the finances, and all the other means to carry things out. Faithful is our God!

Eternal Conversations

Speaking of Yahweh’s faithfulness, he also works so well in ways that defy our expectations. I’ve written about this several times already, but Courtney has so been excelling in her language studies! Still, the reality of language acquisition is that it just takes time, and so Courtney and I have been processing through what the next few years will look like for both of us. We were pretty well feeling peaceful and patient about the process, when very unexpectedly Courtney was able to have a conversation with our helper’s husband in which just the right door opened… that Courtney was able to share her faith with him – all in English!  Isn’t it beautifully ironic how the Lord can take us where we’re at, if we’re willing to be used by him?

As of yet, we don’t know that this person has changed has faith from that of the majority faith here, but regardless, Courtney was a faithful sower of the seeds given to us. Though this doesn’t change our visions of what the future will look like and the amount of time it’s going to take to get there, it’s so exciting to see God bearing fruit in the here and now. May we be faithful to trust the Holy Spirit to be our interpreter.

School Stuff: Spring Concert, Praise Teams, and a Very Special Birthday Party

The month of April was certainly a whirlwind at school, and it’s honestly been a tough month for me. We had our Spring Concert on Thursday, April 5th, and it’s very exciting to see how the students have progressed from semester to semester. Though, again, the process isn’t as fast as I might like, it’s exciting to see the Lord working through all my insecurities and lack of training to grow the musical abilities of the students.

What’s tough is that there hasn’t really been a break since the concert, because we had to jump right into preparing for a “recital” performance that will happen on May 15th. This was somewhat of an oversight on my part and an issue where I didn’t think through what the “recital” should be. Anyways, suffice to say that I’ve taken care of that for next year, so the schedule shouldn’t be so full on my end come the end of the school year. The problem is that, as I’m enjoying the thought of these changes for next year, I still have to finish this one!  Beyond just the calendar, there are so many curriculum changes and new ideas that are drawing me focus away from teaching well right now. I’ve prayed through this and really tried to make myself put off giving mental energy to some of next year’s things, and I would appreciate your prayers for finishing well.

Speaking of finishing well, it has been a real struggle to keep the praise teams from unraveling at the seams for their last two chapels of the year. Between sickness, lack of interest, students quitting, students not showing up, etc., I’ve had to really surrender to God my frustrations – many of which center around the revelation that I clearly haven’t shepherded quite as well as I had hoped this year. It is painfully apparent to everyone involved that I never should have taken on leading two teams, but I am so thankful that the Lord’s grace is wide enough to cover this mistake, and I can ultimately just trust him that he HAS been at work in some of the students this year. I am very excited to only be in charge of one praise team next year (and actually, I may even just be splitting leadership with someone else). That should really give me time to think through the philosophy of what we’re doing (which if I don’t have time to do I become really cranky and feeling uprooted) and also to be a better disciple-maker of the students. Please pray for wisdom as the final decisions in all of this is still being made for next year.

Now, speaking of disciple-making… I must rejoice in sharing with you that I experienced one of the greatest moments of my two year teaching career this month.  A 7th grader who is in my boys’ Bible study and also part of the praise teams turned 13 years old. For his birthday, his dad (who meets weekly with me as part of a mentoring relationship) wanted to hold a “rite of passage” ceremony for him. The ceremony took place on Saturday, April 14th. For the ceremony, myself plus 3 other teachers were asked to affirm qualities that we see in him and also speak on the role a certain topic would play in his life as he continues on the journey to manhood. My topic was integrity.

What a humbling experience… to be sitting there with veteran teachers in their 30s and 40s – you know, the prime candidates for making a big impact in this boy’s life… and then there’s me – fresh out of college, a ripe 24 years old, newly married, and feeling mostly clueless these days about the big world that God put is in! Yet, his dad told me they wanted me there specifically for the ways this student looks up to me and for the impact I’ve had in his life in just these short two years. Woah. Humbling. May I never forget the awesome responsibility and great privilege of my calling.

Easter Celebration

I’m slightly out of chronological order now, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the exciting first Easter that Courtney and I celebrated together. A couple of weeks before Easter, Courtney shared with me that she was missing the thought of a good Southern-style family dinner. As we talked through it, she came up with an idea that I encouraged her in – why not us host some people over for dinner this year (especially since we’re living in such a big house right now). Well… the next task was to make the guest list. That, of course, is a challenge – especially in such a small community where you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. We went through that game that we all play of trying to figure out what groups made most logical sense to invite together without offending other parties… and the solution we finally came up with was – why not just invite everyone (expecting, of course, that lots of people would already have plans)!
Result? 28 people at our house for Easter potluck! Courtney did such a beautiful job organizing it all – getting an extra table and chairs, coordinating with people to bring food and drinks, and setting the house up to be nice and inviting. When everyone had arrived, we opened up the homemade “Resurrection Eggs” that Courtney and I had drawn up… for which my inner theologian got a little carried away and decided that, rather than telling just the passion story, why not go through ALL of redemptive history starting in Genesis!?  =) Needless to say, it got a little long and some of the last eggs had to be paraphrased a little.
What a blessed time with so many of our Indonesian family members. I was so proud of my wife for hauling out some major party organizing skills that I didn’t even know she had.

Moving

The last thing for this update is a joyful report that Courtney and I now have keys to our new house, and it is about 99.5% furnished already! Before we came there was the big question mark of whether or not we would effectively use our year in the Paese’s house to buy the things we’d need ahead of time. Well, through various situations and people leaving, God has so provided in the details, and Courtney and I are excited that our new home will be made up furniture that has history and people associated with it. When we look at it, we’ll be able to tell people about the ones who had a place in our lives for this year but are no longer at BAIS.

Details still remain of having to move all the furniture (which people still have in their homes and are using) and getting some things setup both outside and inside the house. Again, Courtney has taken the reigns and done such a good job coordinating with Indonesian workers and getting plans into action. We are so blessed with the house we’ve had this year but it’s definitely getting time to move. How exciting, then, that the move will happen while Courtney’s family is here, so they can leave with memories of where we will be staying.

Financial Needs

How richly God has blessed mine and Courtney’s finances in our first year of marriage, primarily through the generous wedding gifts that came out before we returned to Indonesia. If I were to take the time to make a list, I think you would be utterly amazed at how far God extended that money and all the things we were able to take care of through it. The reality now, though, is that the wedding funds are almost gone, and so now we’re just about at the point of living month-to-month on one paycheck. Not for a second do I have concerns about that; God will provide, but I do, as always, want to encourage you, our support team, that there are many ways your financial gift could bless us. I’ve written before that even small gifts ($5-10) go a long ways here. For $5 you can buy a month’s worth of gas; $20 will pay mine and Courtney’s phone bills for a month; $30 will buy a week’s worth of groceries; $60 will pay our Indonesian helper’s salary for a month; $80 will basically pay all our bills for a month.

Courtney also did this write-up about some bigger needs, which I will close with. Please remember, also, that Courtney and I would both appreciate hearing from you. Especially in these last months of school after you’ve been back in country almost a year without plans to return to the States for another 7 months can make the days and weeks seem long when you don’t hear from people. We’re both easily reached by e-mail: courtneyrice@baisedu.org or brynr@baisedu.org. Also, you can call us here in Indonesia via our MagicJack number: (615) 530-7876 (which is just like calling any other 615 number in the United States – no extra international charges or anything).

Because of Christ,
Bryn Rice

From Courtney:

1. End of the Year stuff: Bryn has to attend all of the end of the year events and some of them are around 200,000 rp per person which comes to about $25

2. Housing: Bryn and I set aside money for when we moved into a house.  God has provided everything.  Part of living in this country means a lot of fixing things when moving in with cracks on the walls, etc.  This last week, I had the opportunity to get to know a local handyman who needs financial help, and he has been painting and doing an amazing job. Also, we need workers to help setup our new backyard. We set money a part for this, however, our budget did not go as far as we thought it would.  This is not just hiring people to fix things for us, but a time where we can talk to and get to know the Indonesian people and give them money so that they can have food and provide food for their families.  As they are working, pray for moments that I have the language and can share with the workers about Hope.  We want our house to be a place where Indonesians can come and see Christ.  Pray with us that God will be revealing to me His plan for that.

3. Ministry: As we look for the next school year, Bryn is looking to buy things for the new year, and his budget does not really cover all of the needed materials.  Also, there are some other possibilities on the horizon, but the ministry opportunities would require some monetary needs for me as well. Bryn and I also are interested in doing work on some other islands and assist the workers there as they work.  We have friends living on various islands in Indonesia but will need financial support to go see them and learn about the kingdom work that is going on there.

4. Weekend Getaways: This is not always a need, but I thought I would throw it in, because the demands of living in a poverty, high stress country means we need to get out of the country or at least away. We can fly to Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and various other islands with just a 2-4 hour plane flight and they are really cheap.  It is a much needed time for reflection and to just really see where we should go from there.  It is hard to think when we are in the middle of it at times.

Suffering. Rejoicing. Squalor. Beauty. Love. Pain.

“Suffering. Rejoicing. Squalor. Beauty. Love. Pain.

These are the things that surround me,

and all of them are from Him.

This life is beautiful and terrible and simple and difficult,

and He is using it for His Glory.” 

(Katie J Davis, Kisses from Katie)

The woman that wrote the words above is a girl who gave up everything to move to Uganda and be a light to the people.  I understand how she feels, because I can use those same words to describe this last year.  She is a true inspiration to me deciding to move from her comfortable life in Brentwood, TN to move to dirty Uganda to be God’s hands and feet, to give food to the hungry, and to take care for orphans. She truly shows what it means in 2 Corinthians 6:10-13, “Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively.”

That is my prayer, that every day I give my life away to Christ and exemplify Him in every way. I want to give myself freely and love these people that God has placed around me. To give them hope among poverty, whatever that may mean, and to help show them where they are most impoverished…that they lack SOMEONE, which leads to lack of hope. We think of poverty as lack of material things, but it is so much more. The greatest poverty you can have is the lack of Jesus Christ. That is the greatest poverty of the people that I walk by and talk to every day. They have emptiness as you look into their eyes and see into their hearts and my heart breaks as they kneel down daily 5 times in prayer to worship a God that they always feel indebted to. Sometimes, I want to sometimes shake some sense into them and realize that the debt has already been paid and no amount of works or prayer is going to get them into heaven. My heart breaks at the realization and I am lost at how to speak truth to these people and my lack of language is a barrier at times to these precious, beautiful people. But, every day for me is a learning process and continual denial of self and reliance on God to be my words and help my life and actions to show Him.  For I am not my own, but I am His and His alone.

So many days, I try to do it by myself to try to do it by myself and I realize I cannot do it by myself, my sins are too heavy and I am not strong enough. Then, I remember Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Last week I was listening to a sermon by David Platt and he was talking about this verse and I came to understand this verse at a new level of understanding, isn’t it cool the way that God can continually teach us through the Bible even though we have read verses so many different times.  A yoke is used for plowing fields, the oxes are placed on each side of the yoke, one ox is a weak and the other is a strong.  The stronger ox pulls the weaker ox along and makes the weaker ox stronger. I see myself so much as the weaker ox and I am not able to do anything on my own, but when I stay in the yoke I learn from one who is stronger than me and humble in heart and I find rest…Jesus Christ. When I get in the yoke with Jesus, as David Platt reminded me, Jesus also takes the “full weight of my sins, but also the complete and utter inability to obey God. We cannot and do not do and follow the Master’s Voice.”  He is calling to us, “Come to Me—Give all you have to me and I will give all I have to you.  I will pull you through. I will give you pardon for your sin and carry the burden you could not carry.  I will give you pardon and you can have rest.  I will give you my complete ability to obey God.  I will lead you to walk with the Father.  I will work in and through you what you cannot do for yourself.  When we are in the yoke with Jesus and allow Him to lead us we will be able to live the life God as called us to live in His strength and not on our own.”  What a beautiful picture of the grace God the picture of a yoke gives us.  The Message translates these verse as, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Living in Indonesia, I am learning more than ever to get away with the Lord and to let him show me rest as I am still recovering from last semester and learning the new rhythm of grace and plans that God has for me. As I walk with him, little pieces are beginning to be revealed and I have not yet been told what His plan is for the next step, but I am learning to live freely and lightly in his will allowing Him to be the strong one and me to follow along. For now, that plan is learning the language, spending some amazing and precious time with my helper and her family, studying and reading books to gain knowledge about Islam, listening to sermons, or whatever else God may have in store for each day. Each day is a gift of grace and opportunity like I do not deserve.  It is full of laughter as I stumble over my words in communicating with my helper as I ask, “Matahari Kemana?” or “Where did the sun go?” while we were trying to make pretzels and rolls and my helper’s daughter giggles that brings a smile to my face or the smile as I let her help me cook or play UNO. This is a time of great relationships being built and hopefully opportunities of revealing truth in the future, when I have the language and God opens the doors. My days include precious time with my language tutor as she challenges me and goes shopping with me to barter with me in the some of the local language of Javanese and Sundanese for chairs for our kitchen table.  I don’t know what the future holds and sometimes that is frustrating as I try to figure out where I belong and what my role is. But, God will reveal it in His timing.  For now I take life day-by-day with the suffering, rejoicing, squalor, beauty, love, and pain that comes to me, but I always have Jesus in the yoke beside me pulling me through.

Life in Indonesia and doing God’s Will is not easy and Bryn and I cannot make it without your support:
Ways you can support us, God is continually opening up opportunities for us to serve Him in this community, but it doesn’t come without a cost. These might include hiring someone to do jobs around the house, donating or lending money to those that are hospitalized or are going through difficult situations, but lack the monetary resources and without money will suffer, giving items to the materially poor so that we can teach them about their impoverished soul and share with them the good news, buying books to learn and read about Islam or different materials that will help that we can be better equipped both for Bryn in the classroom and for me out of the classroom, or the many other ways. You can donate money through the Network of International Christian Schools at, 3790 Goodman Rd E, Southaven, MS 38672.  Checks should be made out to “NICS/OASIS.” For the memo, you should write my account number: 003385. If you want your money to specifically go to one of the areas I mentioned, please follow-up with an e-mail to let me know (courtneyrice@baisedu.org). We praise God in advance as He provides you resources to bless our ministry here and store up for yourself treasures in Heaven.

The most important way you can support us is through prayer, I send out a detailed prayer list at least every other week.  If you would like to be added to the prayer list for more specific and current prayer updates please e-mail me at courtneyrice@baisedu.org.  Here are some basic prayer requests and praises:

Praises:

- Bryn and I have a house for next year and have completely been able to get all of the furniture and things needed from teachers that were leaving.

- The stomach sickness that I had for almost 3 months is finally gone and I have been able to resume working out and my immune system is continuing to grow.

- My helper and her family were able to dig a well and they have clean water (or as clean as it can be).

- My family is coming in a month and a half and Bryn’s family is coming in 3 months.

- BAIS (Bandung Alliance International School) has all positions filled for next year.

Prayer Requests:

Indonesia:

- Pray for the material and spiritual poverty.  Pray that they will come to know the One that can relieve their spiritual poverty

- Pray for the corruption in this nation.

BAIS:

- Pray for all of the new teacher that are coming in August: Mark and Joelene Boccaccio and his and family (Business manager), Peggy Alex (5^th grade), Hermione Zhang (Mandarin), Brian Lovejoy (Secondary Math), Matt and Erin Squiers and their boys Kadin and Jace, Beth LaMertha (Secondary English), Lisa Witham (PE), Paula Christensen (Secondary Science), Rachel Carpenter (ESL-Immersion), and Caroline Miller (ESL-Immersion).  Pray for transition for all of these singles and families, especially the Squiers family with little kids.

- Pray for the end of the year events and pray for hearts to be continued to be transformed.

Us:

- Pray for the housing details and pray for relationships to be built and His name to be glorified as we begin making our house a home.  Pray that our home will be used for Him and that many will come to know Him in our new home.

- Pray for continual protection against spiritual forces.

- Pray for continual health for both Bryn and I.

- Pray for God to continue to reveal His Will.

- Pray for financial support and that God will guide us in exactly how we use every cent that God has provided through you all.

Thank you.  God is truly blessing us and I cannot wait to see what He has in the future for us through suffering and pain, but also through the beauty, rejoicing, and love that lies before us.

The Power of the Cross

Hidup, Hudup, Juru Selamatku,

He lives, He lives, Savior,

Sungguhlah hidup, Tuhanku, hidup di hatiku.

Certainly He lives, my Lord, lives in my heart.

Those beautiful words translated into Indonesian and then translated into English again are from the Hymn, He Lives. He lives! He lives! I know because He lives in my heart. What beautiful words these are that many do not understand in this country.  They know of Jesus only as a prophet, they know of his crucifixion, but they do not belief he really died. They believe that His body was replaced and someone else actually died and that it was not our Lord. They don’t believe that God would be that cruel to His son and they see it as a preposterous idea. They don’t know that He lives and He does not live in their hearts.

The crucifixion was a demonstration of the character of God and it was God’s answer to a divine problem…sin. David Platt said, “no matter how big or small sin is, what matters is who is sinned against. If you sin against a rock, you are not very guilty. If you sin against a man, you are guilty.  If you sin against God, You are infinitely guilty. One sin is an infinite offense. One in Genesis 3 brought the world to how it is today. One sin brought condemnation. We have committed thousands.” We have denounced God’s sovereignty, we have dishonored His holiness and exchanged His glory for stuff, we have despised His righteousness, we have disregarded his wrath, and we have denied his love. The cross is a picture of how valuable God is and how small we are. So many times, we look at the cross and see us and our sin being taken away, but as I have studied the last week and listened to many sermons, I have began to see the cross as the amazing exaltation of God in the cross not about me. He is our divine substitution, but God satisfies Himself in the place of sinner. “The debt was so great, that while man alone owed it, only God could pay it,” Anselm once said. We are to embrace the curse of sin and run to the cross. For it is not about us in our man-centered world, but all about God and His glory.  For more information on this you can listen to David Platt’s secret churchs on the Cross of Christ or Crucifixion, Salvation, and the Glory of God.

We have as man-centered world shrink-wrapped the Gospel to a repeated prayer and card signing. I love what David Platt said, “If He is not LORD of all, He cannot be your Savior.” We must make Him LORD of our life and live for Him, for He gave all for us.  He deserves us to submit to him daily. It was our sin that nailed Him to the tree. He is not just a way out of the sin that entangles us, He is not just a substitution for our sins on the cross, but He should be our Savior and LORD and He should guide our footsteps each day. He deserves so much more.

Each day, I step out into a world that does not have hope and they do not have a LORD or a Savior. They worship what they have known for generations, but they are entangled in the sin that surround them, because they do not realize the substitution they have in Christ. They do not realize that “Christ’s blood is heaven’s key,” as Thomas Brooks said. They worship “God,” but they miss out on the hope through Christ. They have been told stories from the Bible, but the stories they have been told leaves holes within the stories and it leaves the biggest hole of all and part of the story that matters most…Christ.  The key to the story of Christ taking their condemnation and the Savior that has died for them. As you go throughout the day today, pray for these people who do not have hope.  Pray that the lies they have been told will be revealed. Pray for people to come their way to reveal the lies and to bring light. And as you walk through today, don’t take for granted the cross.

Through the cross, we have life. Don’t miss out on opportunities God is leading you to that will be light in the darkness of someone’s life.  We live and have life only if we have Him as SAVIOR and LORD of our life and because He lives and only if He lives within our hearts.

If you would like to get prayer updates, please send me an e-mail at courtneyrice@baisedu.org.

Bryn’s March Update – Little Late, but here it is.

Dear Friends, Family, and NICS Support Team,

“Please, Father. Grant us a season of rest from the enemies that surround us. Yet if your will is for us to remain in this season, I know that you will give us the strength to make it through.”

This has been my prayer for several weeks now, and I have to tell you that in many ways this is such a strange update to write. In my mind, God has absolutely granted this request. The month of February was probably, by far, the most consistent month in mine and Courtney’s lives since we got married last June. School things have only continued to improve for me, and every day I get to ride my bicycle to school with complete excitement for what is head that day, that week, and the months to come. Likewise, Courtney is blazing through her language study and daily figuring out ways to make use of her time at home (and, much to my delight, one of her creative outlets has become cooking… yum!)

So… in light of that paragraph, the next may come as a surprise. Our season of “normalcy” and “rest” has also included: 1) praying through and working through the stomach sickness that Courtney battled for a solid two months, 2) a head-on launch into house hunting and housing contract negotiations for next year, and 3) many inquiries and research into graduate school possibilities for both of us! As I was praying and thanking God a week or two ago for His recent blessings, I found myself struck with this sense of audacity at what “normal” has become in mine and Courtney’s lives. I mean, don’t all couples spend their first year(s) of marriage dealing with one string of major decisions after another? If they do, I somehow missed it in the storybooks, because mine and Courtney’s situation just seems so insane.

But through it all, God has day in and day out proved Himself faithful. In fact, I don’t know if it’s possible to come to this place and do the work we’re doing without having your mind blown away at the strands of purpose and design inherent in God’s sovereignty. I do want to say a special word of thanks to those of you who have been laboring for us in prayer. Though this gets said often, I sincerely believe we can’t even begin fathom the impacts of your intercession to God through Jesus Christ for us. What excitement to know that soon enough we will see each other in New Jerusalem and rejoice in the workings of God’s hand!

To update you on the aforementioned items: 1) After several bloodtests and a couple of different medications, Courtney is finally feeling a lot better. She was prescribed an extremely strong anti-bacterial medicine that left her feeling even worse than before for a whole week, but it seems like it’s done the trick. 2) Once I finish this update, I’m on my way to the bank to transfer the downpayment for our new house to the landlord. We will be leasing in the neighborhood I was in last year, which is exactly what we wanted. Many, many more teachers and school families live in this neighborhood, and we love the community feel that it has. There should also be many opportunities for Courtney to visit with people during the day and begin to scout out venues in which she can be involved in the Lord’s work here in Indonesia. 3) Although it took many weeks for God’s answer to become clear, I have decided not to pursue graduate school, and Courtney hasn’t heard back from the programs she sent inquiries to. What I may end up doing is paying to audit online classes over the next few years and kind of build my own master’s degree. I have so many interests anyways that it was hard to pin down a program that would give instruction in the areas I most wanted. On top of that, I just invested in “Rosetta Stone” software to learn Korean. As I’ve prayed and prayed on whether or not I should invest the time in this, it became quite clear that if I don’t do this, I’m going to spend every year that we are here talking about how nice it would be if I could speak Korean! I look forward to the day when I can connect with our three major language groups in their heart language.

I think that fairly well crams the main points of the last month or so into an update. I unfortunately will have to cut this update a little short as I’m at school finishing up some things this weekend before Courtney and I head to Thailand for Spring Break! Few days go by where I’m not in awe of the blessings God has showered on us, even amidst various trials. The amount of travel opportunities that Courtney and I have had are simply stunning, although we’re thinking that next school year will probably be much more low-key in terms of travel.

My hope and prayer is that once we get back from Thailand we can start yet another season leading up to our one year anniversary in which both of us are feeling well and daily life becomes a little easier. And then, we also really get on the exciting track to having family come and visit over the summer!

Let me close with some praises and prayer requests:

1) Towards the end of February I coordinated a “progressive dinner” for the boys’ Bible study group. We ate at three different homes over the course of two hours, and the boys had an absolute blast. It was great to spend this time with them outside of school and introduce this American concept to them.

2) As I write to you, we just finished up our Spiritual Emphasis Week/Week Without Walls. There were no regular classes this week; instead, students had time for praise, guest speakers, small groups, and service opportunities.  The theme for the week was “Restore. Renew. React.” From watching the students at the closing assembly today, it is clear that many of them heard from God in real ways. In fact, my heart just melted to see a 7th grade student – one that I’ve been pretty concerned about for a while – raising his hands in worship. The community feeling that unites us from events such as this are unreal, and I am so humbled to be a part of this work. May the small work planting and sowing that we have in this corner of the world bear ripples as our students go out so that the Father’s harvest will be that much greater.

3) You can be praying for the praise team ministry that I have lead this year. Several things surfaced during the middle of Spiritual Emphasis Week that were messy. Some of those issues were faults of the students, while some of the issues were admittedly faults of mine. With one of the week’s themes appropriately being “Renew,” it was amazing to see God’s renewal in my heart and the student’s. After three days of almost no power in our worship leading, the fruits of God’s renewal were plain as we led this morning. Still, the renewal is not finished, and there are many ways in which I need to grow as a leader. Thankfully, God has immediately started pouring insights and ideas into my head for next year. At the same time, I want all of us to finish this year well too.

4) Please remember two of our BAIS teams who have gone out from the school – one team to Alaska and one team to various small islands to be lights for Jesus. They will not return till the end of Spring Break, and I know they would appreciate your prayers for safety and effective ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit.

5) The week we get back from Spring Break is the week a team of accreditation people arrive at our school. The timing is inconvenient to say the least, especially as our annual spring concert is the following week! Please pray for all of us teachers and administrators to show our best but also not to put on any kind of false front. Though we want the accreditation team to see tons of positive things, everyone is also looking forward to the constructive feedback that they will give.

6) Please pray for Courtney in her language learning efforts. She’s reaching the place where you start learning so much that it becomes frustrating to talk to people… because you finally know enough to know how little you know! That, of course, is a positive thing, because it means you’re learning. At the same time, it’s no less frustrating. Pray that she can have perseverance and the end goal of being able to speak Truth to a people who need to hear it.

Brothers and sisters, as I often reflect on the impact that I hope I’m having on the students here, I’m often reminded of those who God used to impact me to get to this point. You are all treasured deeply in my heart.

Because of Christ,

Bryn Rice

Our God–There is None like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You

None like You.

(From Chris Tomlin’s Our God)

 

“Our God is greater, our God is stronger” than any force that is in this world. Satan will be defeated by this God in the end.  Our God plan for our lives is so much greater than we can ever imagine.  I am so thankful to serve a God that gave us the greatest sacrifice that could ever be made…His son.  His Love is beyond our comprehension.

“God, You are higher than any other.”  No god that we as human can make or that people can create in their minds is anything like Our God.  It breaks my heart as I hear and see all around the world those that don’t see the High, One True God, the only one who gives us Hope and can forgive our Sins.

“Our God is Healer, awesome and power,” this statement has been a huge part of the last month.  Keep reading to find out more.

We serve a good who shines through the darkness and gives us strength to carry on.  Our ways Our not His ways and He is in control of all things.  Puji Tuhan (Praise the Lord)!

I started out the month with severe sickness and literally 2 weeks of not even leaving the house after being sick since January or almost since arriving in country, I started a new medicine to try to rid my body of the bacteria that was in my body and it literally knocked me out for the week.  All I did was eat, sleep, and spend some great quality time with my Father.  After taking the medicine and resting, I finally felt more normal that I have felt since January.  Puji Tuhan!!  “Our God is Healer” and He is in control.  For those that are suffering through sickness, remember this truth.  Hold on, Help is on the Way…as a Michael W. Smith’s song “Help is on the way” has encouraged me these last few months.

Along with my sickness, Bryn and I were searching for housing for next year.  It was a very challenging process and we found houses that we liked and then it seemed as door after door was being closed.  We did not hear back from one person and was determined it was a closed door, but God ways are not ours.  His ways are so much bigger.  We prayed and God opened up the house that we had originally wanted…we signed the contract a week ago.  Puji Tuhan!!  “God you are Higher than any other” and Your ways and timing are absolutely amazing.

The second week of the month, was Week Without Walls and Spiritual Emphasis Week.  I had the awesome opportunity be a small part of this during the time when I did not have language tutoring.  I was able to spend some time with some of the upper elementary students in the morning as the learned what it meant to be transformed with the Love of Christ.  Then, in the afternoon, I was able to work with the team that Bryn was on who was helping fill rocks in the road of a local kampung and paint the TK of the village run by one the BAIS student’s parents.  Bryn and I had the opportunity to share with one of the other teachers to sit down with one of the guys over a lot of different parts of the kampung and talk to him, which was really cool and paint the inside and outside of the TK (Teh Kah) or Preschool.  Then, the BAIS students drew pictures and painted a beautiful mural (you can look at pictures of this on my facebook).  I also had this opportunity to spend with around 75sh 2-7 year olds from one of the local schools this week playing various games and doing different activities.  It was a really cool week and God moved.  God is working here and I am so glad I get to be a part of it.  We have a God who is “awesome and power.”  Pray that God will continue to change the lives of the BAIS students and people that surrounds.

Following this week, Bryn and I had the opportunity to get a way and be able to enjoy a time of rest and rejuvenation on the Island of Phuket for my birthday.  For my birthday, my husband and I did a Thai cooking class and were able to learn how to make some delicious Thai food and then I was surprised with a birthday cake from my husband.  The rest of the time we snorkeled, went to a butterfly garden, cashew nut factory, ate delicious Thai and Indian food, got to go out on a longtail or local boat to one of the local islands, and just enjoy some time away from the normal schedule.  So, thankful that God gave us this opportunity and time to able to experience the Thai culture.  I love being so close to so many different cultures and adventures.

Thailand is 94% Buddhist.  Buddhists believe that life does not begin with birth and end with death, but that they live multiple lives (karuma).  They also believe that selfishness and craving result in suffering and compassion and love bring happiness and well-being.  They try to bring good to the world and live a life of peace so that all desire and they can experience “Nirvana” or an indescribable state free of desire, suffering, or further rebirth, in which a person simply is, and is completely at one with his surroundings.  Thai Buddhism developed side by side with an ancient spirit religion, so today many old animistic beliefs are intertwined with Buddhism.  Most Thai people have spirit houses outside of their homes, which are miniature wooden houses in which they believe the spirits life.  The Thai people believe that if the spirits are not happy, they will inhabit the larger household and create chaos.  The people give offerings of flower garlands, betel leaves, bananas, rice, chicken, duck, and a wide range of other objects.  They worship and strive to reach Nirvana and give offering to spirits daily, yet they fail to see that the hope and peace they are looking for is only found Abba Father…God.  I pray that in this darkness that God will “shine” and out of the “ashes [He will] Rise” for there is “No One like” Our God, “None like [Him].

Thank you God that you give us Hope in the darkest places of this earth and that you are Rising out of the ashes and that You rule the earth.  Pray that God light will change hearts of those in the darkness in Thailand and here in Indonesia.  Pray that people will see Him as the God who is greater, who is stronger, who is higher than any other, who heals, and is awesome and power.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for the field around us to be ready for harvest.  Pray for relationships that may come and pray for us to not get in the way or be offensive and allow His word to cut and for His Will to be done.
2. Pray for my helper and her family and their water situation.  They will drill the hole soon and we are praying for water both spiritually and physically.
3. Pray for wisdom in how to help the poor around us, but not hurt them.
4. Pray for spiritual protection for us as we fight the darkness that surrounds us.
5. Pray for God to reveal and show me His Will of How to be a light to this dark world around me.  Help me to wait when I should wait and act when He says to act.

If you would like to be on a prayer team to receive more detailed prayer requests, please e-mail me at courtneyrice@baisedu.org.  Your prayer and contact through short notes is more valuable than you realize.

God is working and cannot put into words all that is happening, but I hope this gives you a snapshot of the amazing God we serve and how He is working here in Indonesia.

What would you like to hear about my life or what would you like to know about?  I would love to be able to answer some of what you want to know about in my next update.  Make a comment, e-mail, or send me a facebook message.

Piece by Piece — God’s plan Revealed

“Kau yang termanis, Di Dalam hidup ini

Kucinta Kau lebih dari segalanya, Besar Kaish setia-mu kepadaku…

Kusembah Kau ya Allah ku kutinngikan nama-mu selalu,

Meyembah Yesus Tuhan Rajaku.”

We serve a God who is the sweetest in our life and I love Him more than anything, because of His love and faithfulness.  There is no one like Him and His name should be exalted always, and only He deserves to be worshipped.  These are the words and the meanings of one of the songs we sang at church last week.  It is amazing to worship with brothers and sisters here in Indonesia and to sing of the amazing power, love, glory, faithfulness of the One who gives us everything and who is our strength in all times.

Throughout these last two months of not teaching, it is amazing of how God is revealing to me piece by piece the next part of the puzzle.  At the beginning of January, I began taking language lessons with a private tutor, which has been absolutely a blessing.  I was not able to take language at the school, because I do not have a student visa but my tutor is an absolute blessing. I get to spend time with Ibu Els every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and learn language and culture.  Every day, I have the blessing of being able to be a part of the life of my helper, which is the biggest blessing of being home.  My helper is not a follower, but it is a blessing to be able to invest in her life, cook with her, and pray for God to be preparing her heart. Please continue to pray for my helper and her family and for the provision of enough money to allow them to build a well (if it is God’s Will), so that they have water during dry season.  Please continue to pray for Him to Shine through me and that He will be made known in this situation.

At the end of February, I had the opportunity to be a part of a team that was able to do a Dental clinic at the local TK (preschool – pronounced Teh Kah) in one of the local kampungs (native villages).  It was a huge blessing to be a part of a team of wonderful ladies.  To be able to teach the preschoolers the importance of brushing their teeth through song, drama, and the giving of toothbrushes and toothpaste was a huge blessing.  We were able to love on them and talk with the preschoolers as the parents gathered to watch in a house near the TK to watch us. I can still hear the kids singing, “Sikat gigi, Sikat, setiap hari, setiap hari, pagi dan malam, pagi dan malam, setiap hari, setiap hari.”  It is amazing to be a small part of their lives and hopefully God will lead to deeper conversations and life changes as He leads to reach this nation for His Glory.  Please pray that He will reveal to me opportunities such as this to create relationships that will lead to more.

So, what is the plan for the future…this is the question that many people keep asking here.  To tell you the truth I don’t know for sure.  Bryn and I are currently hoping to sign a contract with a house in a nearby neighborhood, near the neighborhood park.  I would love to be able to start and English club for children and praying that it would create relationships with parents and kids and that it would be used for Kingdom purposes.  However, for now, God is teaching me and guiding me in his steps as I study and seek his word and learning about what the people believe here.  Please join me in praying that God will show me the right timing as I grow in language and as I am seeking His face.  I know He will provide doors and opportunities to be a part of, pray that I would be sensitive to His voice every day.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for the field around us to be ready for harvest.  Pray for relationships that may come and pray for us to not get in the way or be offensive and allow His word to cut and for His Will to be done.
2. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Indonesia that are currently being persecuted and killed for their faith, especially on the island of Sulawesi.  Please pray for churches that are not being allowed to worship in their buildings.  Pray that the church would stand up amidst the persecution.
3. Pray for BAIS, as they look for and hire new teachers for the next year.  Pray for the new hires as they prepare to transition to Indonesia.  Pray for spiritual protection for them.
4. Pray for my helper and her family and their water situation.  They are still in need of around $400.  Pray that they would be filled with the living water.
5. Pray for wisdom in how to help the poor around us, but not hurt them.
6. Please pray for me.  I have been fighting a sickness.  I praise God for giving me strength through this.  Please pray for healing of my physical body, all of the blood tests so far have been normal, which is good and frustrating at the same time.
7. Pray that God would reveal to Bryn and I the future and His Plans.
8. Pray for spiritual protection for us as we fight the darkness that surrounds us.

If you would be interested in joining Bryn and my prayer team, please send me an e-mail at courtneyrice@baisedu.org.  We are desperately in need of your prayer from the states as we fight the spiritual forces that surround us.  You can pick a day to be devoted to praying for us and weekly or bi-weekly, I will send you e-mails with how you can specifically pray for us for what is going on that week in Bryn and my life.

We love hearing from you and what is going on back home, please feel free to e-mail us.

May His Name be Made Known.

Physical and Living Water

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38

Water is the most important physical substance on this earth and we take it so for granted. 1.5 billion people do not have safe drinking water around the world and I live in one of those countries and 4 million people die each year from water related diseases. Many times these people in Indonesia, Africa, and other countries are forced to drink water that is not safe, because they have no other choice. Drink now and be filled for the moment and risk diseases or to be thirsty. Not only this, but did you realize how precious water to your body and to this earth that God created. Seventy-five percent of our planet is covered with water, but we can only use 2% of that water due to it being too salty. Because of water’s high specific heat, it can keep the earth’s fluctuations in temperature on land or at sea within limits that is favorable for life. Seventy-five percent of the human body is made up of water and 90 percent of human blood is water as well. Water transports food and oxygen to different cells in our body. It flushes out the bad things from our bodies, it is a lubricant for our joints so we can move comfortably, etc. In daily life, we need water to grow food, fishing, washing clothes, bathing, washing dishes, and so much more.

Water…it is truly one of the most important things in our lives. “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.” Isaiah 41:17 I praise God for His provision over the last month for my helper and her husband with physical water. Starting at the beginning of February, my helper came to me with tears in her eyes telling me that they almost had no water left in their well. They literally had 2 meters of water, which would last around 2-3 days here, in America it would not be enough water for probably even a ¼ of a day in the US. And in order to fix and dig the well deeper it going to cost at least 8 juta (around $900) and could be even more. I have never understood in my life how important water is and have prayed for my helper to have water for the day to be able to daily take care of her needs and He keeps answering my prayer. However, this is only temporary and here we are coming upon in a few months dry season and then water is rare and if you do not have water from the country you must preserve water for the summer. In order for my helper and her family to have water for the dry season they must do this now. Please pray for provision for her family, because 8 juta is a lot. Please pray that God would provide the money and pray for him to show us how to help them without hurting them. God has blessed greatly and we are so grateful, but how we give to the poor is so important. Please pray for us as we are seeking to what and how God would have us to help the poor. If you want more information on this you can read a book Bryn and are reading right now called, “When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself.”

Throughout this time of praying due to lack of physical water with my helper God has been teaching me how important living water from Him is. Jesus said in John 4:14, “…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Our living water flows out of us and our living water is the most important things in our life that is not physical. For without him, we have no life, we are dry and thirsty and searching and dying. So many people around this world are not only lacking physical water to satisfy, but they are missing the living water. During this time, please pray for God to be made known to my helper’s family and many in this country who may be seeking for physical water, help them as they search to find the living water and the one who provides the physical water and our everyday needs. Without the Living Water I would be nothing. Please pray that I flow even with lack of language with the living water and that those around us who lack living water would see that this living water is what they are searching for, not what they have been told all of their lives, but the water that will flow from their lives if they will only let Him come in and capture their hearts and let him be the water they are looking for.

Bryn’s February Update (2.07 as Bryn would number it–7th update of year 2)

Dear Friends, Family, and NICS Support Team,

Seasons.

I have long had convictions about seasons as a Follower of Christ. Too many times I’ve found myself battling frustration over various physical, emotional, or spiritual issues instead of focusing on the canvas that God was painting in my life.

This has been one of those seasons.

I’m deeply sorry that I disappeared for a month and a half. So much has happened in that time. My initial plan was to take time to give detailed chronicles of all that God has done since I wrote at the beginning of December (for surely He has not ceased to prove Himself faithful!), but then the beginning of school hit…

And now, unfortunately, much of what could have been shared will have to be reserved for the time when I hope we will meet up in Eternity. In that day, I will glorify in telling you about my God and His mighty sovereignty. Likewise, I will rejoice with you over the ways He’s been working in your life.

But that day is not yet. You see, for reasons too numerous to explain, this semester has been one that’s buried me under weights of marriage adjustments, school workload, travel, godly burdens, and more. Yet through it all, Father has been conforming me (sometimes more painfully than others) to the image of Christ.

As you may be aware, January started the adjustment of Courtney being at home while I’m at work. This has been a huge blessing and clearly the right choice; yet, it’s brought its challenges as well. Truth be told, I am selfish and overworking, and I’ve found myself facing a common trap. Many days it is hard to come home and “switch off” work (an especially difficult problem when you’re a teacher, much less a new one). Even though I have been setting healthy limits about not working from home, mentally and physically I’m often either exhausted or not entirely “there” for Courtney. Sprinkle on top of that a portion of one or both us being sick nonstop since January, a last-minute planned visa run to Singapore (for which I missed a day of school), and also a weekend long educators’ conference (which of course entailed much travel, little sleep, and missing another day of school), and you easily have a juicy recipe for stress, fatigue, burnout, etc.

In fact, towards the end of January I hit an almost severe bottom in my attitude towards teaching. Thankfully, however, God had the timing worked out perfectly for me and Courtney to meet with an incredibly wise woman of God who has been on the field a long time. Through her ministry of prayer, God spoke to me in one of the most real encounters I’ve had with Him for some time. He very tenderly ripped open some footholds where, by error of thought and attitude, I had opened myself up for spiritual warfare. We discovered that, though there were and still are some practical issues related to my ministry here that need to be dealt with, much of my attitude stemmed from much deeper root causes.

I rejoice to tell you that, as a result of releasing those burdens to Dad and receiving His perspective on many of those issues, I haven’t felt better spiritually since, and one week after our prayer meeting I signed my contract to stay at BAIS another year.

In the midst of such frenzy as I’ve described (many of those things being good yet still draining), I have to tell you that God has been so burdening my heart and shaping my concept of ministry here. Through some books that I read, along with a family conference that Courtney and I attended, my heart for disciple-making has multiplied tenfold. Above all that I do here, I want to make lifelong disciples of Jesus.

Though neither Courtney nor I know what the future holds, we are thankful and humbled that God would allow us to serve in this place, and that He has opened up the doors for us to stare here. May it never be that we leave a minute too soon before He calls us to leave or stay a minute longer than He would have!

Brothers and Sisters, your prayers for us are needed more than I can express. Courtney and I both fully trust our Father, and we know that, through the sickness stemming from sin in this world, He is drawing us closer to Him and each other. Please pray for us to glorify Him in the midst of sickness and that His power would be perfected in weakness.

Please pray for me as I continue to process and humbly seek God’s strength to not allow sin to reign in my flesh. The spiritual battle here is more intense than I can describe, and yet I would not trade the privilege of being able to serve on my King’s front lines. Please continue to lift up Courtney’s adjustment to being home. She’s doing an awesome job with language lessons and also discovering lots of ways she can serve here. Still, many have spoken into our lives about the experiences of last semester and provided perspective to say that we should not underestimate the amount of time she needs to rest and recover. Please also pray for my transition as a husband in general. In   my quiet time this morning I read again the words of Adam, “Finally! Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Finally! That is how I feel, and yet, so often I take my wife forgranted. What an amazing friend, companion, servant, teacher, counselor, and more that she is! We so desire to build our marriage on foundations of shining for Christ and pouring our lives out to others. Your prayers for us as we work through the nitty-gritty of that during our first year and the years to come are appreciated.

I’m sorry that I do not have time to write down specific stories of blessings and students as I usually do. My hope is that I can pick up from this point with my monthly updates and be able to share more accurately the works that He is doing here.

You are dear to both me and Courtney. May Yahweh bring you to new heights in your awareness of Him, love of Him, and service to Him.

Because of Christ,

Bryn Rice

Living on Fine Dust

“Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;  they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust…The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.”  (Isaiah 40)  This verse has such a different meaning, when you live on the fine dust surrounded by vast waters that God created with the fish that shine in the sea and proclaim the awesome creator that we have.

Bryn and I were able to experience a little more of God’s beautiful creation during the Christmas and New Year holiday on a beautiful island called Bunaken.  Bunaken is unlike the majority of the 17,508 islands, because Bunaken is primarily Christian and it is such a different atmosphere than Bali (which we visited in October) or Java (where we live).  While visiting Bali, there were idols surrounding us and incense being burnt to take prayers to the gods.  It showed us the lostness and hopelessness of the Hindu people.  On the island of Java where we live, it is predominantly Muslim and operates more like what I would imagine it would have been like in the Old Testament without Christ.   The prayer calls here remind us daily of the lostness and hopelessness of the Islamic people.  While visiting Bunaken, it was a completely different feel and experience that of most Indonesian islands.  We were able to sing and worship with believers while we were on the island and got to hear very native bamboo instruments played that were like modern flute, clarinet, trumpet, tuba, and other not as common instruments as a form of worship.  It was a joy to worship with the nations in the island’s local language and in Indonesian.

While in Bunaken, we had unique opportunities also to be able to sit in restaurant at the place we were staying amongst very diverse group of people.  Bunaken is an island that is secluded and most food has to be brought in from nearby islands, therefore all of our meals were provided at Sea Garden Resort that we stayed at in a family setting and we ate with the other visitors that were staying there.  We were able to talk with German, Swiss, Australian, Torajan (Indonesian people group from South Sulawesi—also predominately Christian), and Bunaken people.  It was a very interesting experience to meet them and communicate in their broken English or by the German guy, who spoke very good English, translating to the Swiss and Swiss guy talking to the German who translated into English.  We were able to talk about God and who He was to us and see a different view from different people while being on a remote island in Indonesia.

Bunaken was a wonderful time to get away and prepare for this new season for Bryn and I, as I would not be teaching when we went back to Java.  It was a time of renewal, relaxation, and enjoyment in seeing God’s creation while snorkeling, taking long walks, and reading in the hammocks on the front porch.

Then, we arrived back to reality and Bryn began school and I began to learn how to begin this new season of my life.  I also began learning Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian.  It has been a joy to be able to be there for my husband and help him when needed, to learn the language so that I can make this home, to be able to have conversations with my wonderful helper, who is not a follower, and to have a season of relaxing in Christ.

Two weeks after being back home, I was told that my Visa was finished and that I would have to leave the country to do final processing of paperwork in Singapore and then come back.  My exit permit was issued and I had to leave the country, however there was a little problem which turned out to be a blessing.  It was Chinese New Year and due to that the offices were closed for two days to celebrate the new lunar year.  Thankfully, since it was Chinese New Year also in Indonesia, Bryn got one day off and then took a day off and was able to see this amazing city with me.  We have friends from our Pre-field orientation that lived in Singapore, so we immediately contacted them and they set us up with housing.  Thank you God for your provision of housing and providing us new friends.

Sunday, January 22, we headed to Singapore and met our friends.  We were able to spend time with our friends and meet some of the students that went to school at the NICS school in Singapore in a bible study that our friends did on Sunday afternoon.  The following days, we went to a flower festival in which flowers were made into dragons, for the year of the dragon, and other animals.  We also went to the Botanic Gardens and got to fellowship with the body of Christ in Singapore, which was amazing.

Singapore was a picture of what the New Testament Church should be like and it was amazing the outreached arms and giving hearts of the people that we met while he was there.  Bryn had to return after this, but I had the privilege of staying until my Visa got processed, so I stayed an extra day and a half.  The next day, I was able to go with Adrielle, my host, to another local garden called the Chinese Garden and see it fully decked out for Chinese New Year.  We also went to a Turtle museum that was located in the Garden of a variety of turtles from around the world.  It was a unique experience to see and then we got to feed some of the turtles, which was a lot of fun as they swarmed around us in the pond.  I also got to try a Singaporean native dish with Chicken and Rice which was rice with Soy Sauce and some other sauce and Chicken Cutlet.  I also got to try the famous Bubble Tea, that originally is from Taiwan but Singapore is known for.

So, we come to the end of January and I am in awe of the provision and ways of God and the beautiful islands and people that surround me in this place I call home.  I look forward to seeing what God has for the future and for 2012 as February arrives.