Last year, OM MTI’s worker in Bali, Indonesia re-located to the western part of the island with her family, a remote area where a marginalised community with a different religious and cultural background from the majority group in Bali dwells.
In this interview, June* shares how God put a burden in their hearts for this community and what ministry looks like there.
Q: What made you decide to make the move?
A: The parents of my husband, Paul*, live nearby. Over the years, as we got to know some people in the community, we saw that there were vast needs here, and we felt that God was calling us to fulfil those needs. At first, we simply prayed for them, then gradually, our prayers changed and we started talking about the possibility of being here ourselves and ministering to the people. It was the Holy Spirit at work.
Q: Can you tell us something about the community?
A: This community came to Bali from Java in the 16th century. As time passed, the local Balinese culture integrated with their heritage and now they speak a mixture of Indonesian, Balinese, and Melayu. Though staunch and strict believers of their faith, the Balinese belief in and fear of spirits have influenced them. In our conversations with them, we can sense that there is a lot of fear in them.
Most in the community are poor and lead hard lives. The families are often complicated and messy too. It is common for men to have multiple families, which results in conflict and rivalry between the families.
A large segment relies on fishing for a living. Others farm or work in factories. Many of them hold two jobs just to earn enough for the family.
Q: You mentioned that you saw great needs in the community. What are these needs?
A: Aside from complex and dysfunctional family relationships, domestic violence is widespread too.
Majority of the community are poor and struggle to make a proper living. We have heard stories of power abuse by the factory owners. For the fishermen, the men go out to sea for several weeks at a time and only return home for a few days to rest in between trips. This means that their children are raised without their father’s involvement, and we can see the impact of this in the children we’ve interacted with.
We also see many turning to drugs as a temporary escape from their struggles.
Q: How have you been meeting these needs?
A: A large focus we have now is the children. Paul coaches a group of teenage girls and another group of children in futsal every week. Very often, even though some of the girls in this community are interested in sports, like their male peers, they find that there is little support for them. Besides training them in futsal skills, we also spend time talking to them and praying with them. We’ve realised that character building is needed for these youth and children. The girls habitually speak rudely to one another and so we felt the need to teach them biblical principles like respect and dignity.
We’ve also joined a friend in his drug rehabilitation programme. We counsel those in the programme or go to the prison to meet with potential candidates for the programme and assess their suitability to enter it. The return rate to drugs is very high and it’s very difficult for them to break completely free. But we believe that for Jesus, nothing is impossible.
In the future, I’d like to focus on helping the women – conducting workshops in the prison, journeying with them when they are released, and helping them to readjust to society and their families.
There aren’t many groups or individuals who are helping women specifically, so that is something I hope to give my attention to, including those facing domestic abuse.
Q: What are some challenges you’re facing?
A: We are still getting to know the community on a deeper level. The people tend to be guarded towards outsiders, especially those of a different faith. It takes a long time to build relationships and trust with them.
We want to be bold in our ministry, yet we must also be careful to not offend the people.
Q: How can we pray for you?
A: Please pray for discernment as we engage the people and wisdom to know how to deepen our relationships with them. Pray that strongholds will fall and many more hearts and doors will be open to us.
We are aware that simply being a healthy and happy family can be a testimony to the community, so please pray for our family of four too.
Editor: A few weeks after this interview was conducted, June and Paul’s home was partially destroyed by the massive floods in Bali. Please pray for them as they re-settle at home and restore their lives together with the community.
*Name changed for safety purposes
OM MTI works through local partners on the ground, like this school in Indonesia, providing community care and development for least reached and marginalised people groups, and building deep long-term relationships towards vibrant communities of Jesus followers.