Before I even arrived in Sorong on the far western point of Papua on my way home from Pontianak, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo) where I’d been studying the boat ministry – I knew that my reason to come to Sorong had canceled on me. I kept thinking, “If only I’d re-confirmed everything before I bought the tickets. Now I’m stuck.” What was I going to do for 2 days in this place while I waited? I called a variety of friends in that place hoping someone would come but not even one of them would answer my phone call. Where were they all? I landed and the Adventist airport porter who always greets me was shocked that I was here. That let me know that even those who had canceled had forgotten to pass the word along. “Perhaps my newness has worn off,” I thought to myself. I thought back to my previous arrivals to this city when 20 or more came to greet me and some had even danced in traditional welcome. But today I was just another person, “Taxi, Sir?” What was I suppose to answer, If I said ”Yes” or “I don’t know” they’d harass me until I took a taxi just to get rid of them! So quickly I asked, “Where’s the toilet?” I didn’t need the toilet but I was hoping that the toilet would be clean enough to provide some privacy while I made phone calls.
So off to the toilet I went. Praise God! It was relatively clean and spacious and western which allowed me to lug my luggage in and lock the door. Then I made a “Divine Appointment list”. What’s that suppose to mean? Well, since I no longer had a “reason” to be here since the persons I had come to see had stood me up and they were in another city 300 miles to the east. . . I now was looking for Divine Appointments. Maybe that’s what I should have been looking for in the first place. Didn’t someone say something about a Boat Manufacturer in Rajah Empat? I’d heard that our pastor had moved to the city there to help build up the church. Besides it would be a fabulous place to go rest for 2 days while I waited on my next flight to take me on to Fak Fak. So I dialed up the pastor – first ring he answered. “Hallelujah! Someone’s alive.” He was happy to invite me there but the boat had already left for this day and the return boat on Tuesday would be too late. Ok, that plan won’t work. Plan B: Call all the people I’ve called before to see if anyone is near their phone now. 9 numbers latter and still no answer. Plan C: Get our of this bathroom and find a motel. After negotiating between two drivers I found one that was reasonable.
I dumped my stuff in the back of the taxi and off we went. Soon his wife called him on his phone and immediately they began to shout bad names at each other over the phone. He was Papuan so I assumed he was Christian but a few follow questions I learned he was Muslim from one of the few Papuan Muslim tribes. He slammed the phone down and began to rattle all about his marriage woes. I listened and he cried. Soon he asked if we could back track a bit to go pick up his wife because she needed a Spiritual guide such as me to straighten her out. Ok, now I know I’m here on Divine business. I meet her soon and listen to her side of the story. She was probably 15 years younger than him and his very “disobedient” wife. “All she wants to do is spend my money.” She countered his accusation, “All he wants to do is shout at me and command me around.” We were at my motel but we continued to talk for another 10 minutes in the taxi. I finally gave them my opinion. “You need Allah’s help (God’s Help). Can I pray for your marriage?” I don’t know what effect this had on them but I did notice that she slipped into the front seat after I got out of the taxi. Can you join me in praying for this young marriage in trouble.
I checked into the motel and soon all those 9 numbers of people begin to call me back. One of the leading Adventist business men in Sorong was at my motel in less than 10 minutes. I told him all about the boat ministry I’d just gone to see in Pontianak. He was cautious at first. But slowly he warmed up. Soon he was enthusiastic. His wife was also happy. Come to find out they personally knew a boat manufacturer who “builds the best boats in Sorong”. It was just around the corner. “Let’s go see it.” So off we went. I was expecting wooden boats that would soon fall apart but to my surprise they had about 10 boats in varying stages of build. Each were ocean going vessels of 25-60 feet in length made of fiberglass and metal. The owner wasn’t around but some of this workers were. They enthusiastically let me tour the most completed boat a 14 meter long boat for the VIPs of the Indonesian Fishing Ministry. “Nice boat!” priced at about $125,000. I thought to myself, “Ok, I’m out of my league. There is no way we could ever raise that kind of money and we really need something bigger.”
After touring this boat the Adventist business man and his family took me to the nicest restaurant in town. Soon the Boat manufacturer whom I wanted to go see in Rajah Empat called. “Sorry I couldn’t answer your call earlier. I was out at sea and just received your message. I’m coming into Sorong right now. I’m just 10 minutes away from the dock.” I discovered that we were right next to the dock. He soon joined us for supper with his wife and one of his employees. When he heard about my study of an active Boat ministry in Bornea he said, “I’ll be happy to build the boat for just the cost of materials.” Praise God. I couldn’t have arranged my schedule so well as to meet the boat manufacturer without having to even go to his boat building shop in Rajah Empat. But the story gets better.
inside one of the new ships pilots room.
A luxury boat with very comfortable passenger chairs.
The next morning the owner of the boat factory I’d toured the day before called my business friend in Sorong and said, “I heard there was a white pastor who toured our place yesterday. Can I meet with him?” At 11:00 a.m. I was ushered into his cooperate office. He began to tell me that he’d personally prayed for a boat ministry. For several years he’d paid for a doctor to come to Sorong and do cataract surgeries for needy islanders around. He’d paid for 500+ surgeries and given more than 2,300 people Guideon Bibles from whose organization he was the local chapter leader. He envisioned a ship being built with two living cabins for 2-4 passengers each and an operation room and a clinic plus a large hold for all the goods that we’d need to haul.
I described my meeting in Bintuni a few months ago with the Muslim leaders there who said the top need was that their farmers could find a way to sell their vegetables in Sorong but they had no ship to do so. Tears flowed from this mans eyes and he said, “That’s the way we can win the hearts of our Muslim friends.”
Let me ask my boat designer to draw up a ministry boat design for you. “I can do it for just the cost of materials and I may be able to get my partners to agree to donate most of the materials.” About this time his pastor came by for a visit and he introduced us. The pastor said, “Why doesn’t our church help the Adventists with this project?”
Could it be that God is opening Divine appointments and doors for a Boat Ministry to start based in Sorong? My dream is that this ministry will pay for itself in time by transporting produce to the market and by transporting passengers to their remote island villages but that we could have a doctor or nurse and a pastor and captain on board to minister. I’m praying for 1 leader who can be the full time business manager of this project. God just may have that person in place but that may have to be told latter because the story is still unfolding.
From Left to Right: Business Man’s pastor, Boat Manufacturer and multiple business owner Mr John, Me, Mr and Mrs Fonatoba Adventist business owners in Sorong who have connected me we both boat builder potentials.
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