Page 98 - uji coba EBook INJE 1

One interesting and unique crusade done in the Third Period (2014-2019) was
the one which had been performed in the archipelago of Riau with the so-called
‘Suku Laut’ (Sea Tribe) i.e. groups of people who lived on their ‘boats’,
‘wooden-and-bamboo offshore platforms’ and ‘above-river platforms’. This location
could be reached from Bintan islands via sailing more than 2 hours by means of a long
boat. Everybody from this community stayed, traded, rested, played, schooled and
performed other living activities on these platforms, and boats, including meeting in a
church. This looked like a village above the water i.e. offshore platform village. NJE
served and lived with them only for 3 days but its wonderful memory has lasted very
long. The team consisted of Ps. Ever Mokosuli (Batam), Ps. Adri Lamajido (North
Sumatra), Ev. A. Hartanto and Ev. Ratna Dewi. A normal curiosity might have arrived
at the question such as: how these Suku Laut people met Lord Jesus and repented i.e.
becoming Christian? One story, as reportedly-told by one of their leaders, this was
due to the coincidental meeting of their former generation’s leaders with a pastor
who happened to come to the nearest onshore village. Then a healing of one of their
family members took place upon the praying of the man of God. And so repentances
of people of the whole village happened. Praise the Lord!