Indonesia
By Darlene Winans
As a frequent IWM mission trip goer and leader, one would think that after awhile, it becomes ordinary or mundane. Same message, different country. However, this is never the case. The Lord always blesses us as we go, blesses the host missionary, and blesses the women we minister to, wiping their tears. He is so faithful! But in addition, each mission trip we take has its own flavor, its own takeaway, its own reason-behind-the reason we went.
For example, last year, when the team went to Mexico, we did the women’s conferences, we preached the gospel, we prayed for our sisters. And then, after all the conferences were over, a need arose, and we were able to meet that need: the Lord used us mightily to clear out a house full of demons that were plaguing a family. This was the reason-behind-the reason we went to Mexico. We were there specifically to meet that family’s need.
It was no different for Indonesia. While traveling around from conference to conference, I became keenly aware of the spiritual warfare, the opposing forces, in play in different regions of the country. In Bali, the 86% of the population is Hindu, while overall as a nation, over 90% is Muslim. In Bali, we see house after house, business after business with a Hindu shrine in front corner of their property. The shrine, and the gifts placed there daily, are to ward off evil demons from coming to their house. The rest of the home or business has an elevated shrine somewhere on the property, a shrine to the main Hindu gods; a shrine at mid-level to honor the minor gods, and a shrine in the home to honor their ancestors.
My heart broke for the spiritual darkness in Bali, for the millions who live under a religion that is driven by fear. We were told that 70% of the income in a Hindu family goes to the gifts and tributes for their many gods – seventy percent! Not only are they serving gods out of fear, but they are burdened by the financial cost to their family income and are kept in a poverty state.
My heart broke for the homes after countless homes with the Hindu shrine in front of the property, a blatant testament to the millions living under the burden that religion keeps them bound in.
On the island of Java, the Muslim faith is more prevalent. I saw thousands of women dressed in the hijab, the head covering, the outward, blatant indicator that these women practice Islam. I saw girls as young as three years old wearing the hijab, already enslaved to a religion that gives no voice to women, garments that cover women in shame and oppression, and for some, garments that cover bruises. My heart broke for them.
At one point during the mission trip, I broke down and just sobbed before the Lord. The darkness and the blatant reminders of these false gods and false religions were everywhere – you couldn’t not see it. The darkness was so thick. The spiritual warfare was so great. I ached for the people of Bali, Java, and Indonesia.
But then the Lord spoke to me: “You mourn because you see the blatant reminders of idolatry everywhere in Indonesia. But in America, idolatry is everywhere, too – it’s just not as obvious.” Maybe it’s the expensive car in the driveway, the mansion in a wealthy neighborhood, or the pursuit of status and wealth. Maybe it’s name-dropping and where you went to school, or where your kids are going to school – maybe education is your god. Maybe it’s the distraction of our phone and our social media status and how many “followers” we have. Maybe it’s the sports heroes or the celebrities we follow.
Look, none of these things are bad – wealth, education, status, social media – when used for the kingdom of God. But there are many lost souls in America today who have all of these things, but yet something is missing. That something is the Lord.
We live in a world that is lost, and as believers it is up to us to share our faith wherever and whenever we can, whenever we see the opportunity. Luke 19:10 says (and this is Jesus speaking), “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” As Jesus dwells in us by His Holy Spirit, let us turn our hearts and our focus on seeking the lost and sharing the love of Jesus with them whether we are in America, or half-way across the world. Amen!
