Home CBN Updates September 2023
Giving Hope for the Future of Children in Karisin Village
This year, CBN Indonesia continues to focus on building 80 holistic discipleship making ecosystems spread across various regions in Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke. This discipleship ecosystem exists to equip CBN's church network in discipling children aged 3-14 years and their parents through Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Super5, Children's Learning Center School of Life (SOL) and The Parenting Project. To realize a comprehensive impact, CBN also supports selected underprivileged families in this discipleship ecosystem through MSME programs, farmer groups, clean water supply, and nutrition and health improvements. The goal is to help children and their families experience a whole transformation physically, spiritually and prosperously.
This September, we introduced the child discipleship ecosystem in Karisin Village, Kupang Regency, one of five other villages in East Nusa Tenggara that we are establishing so that from this village a great generation will be born and will make Indonesia proud in the future. Together with Christian Evangelical Church in Timor (GMIT) network of Efrata Karisin, CBN takes on the role of supporting every child and parent in this ecosystem. With the fact that after Hurricane Seroja that hit the Kupang region in 2021, it further complicated the economy of families, the majority of whom were farmers and traders. Some land was lost and the elderly had to make ends meet by earning wages from working on other people's fields from morning to evening.
Minimal economic conditions apparently have an impact on the physical, character and academic development of children. Christian Evangelical Church in Timor (GMIT) network of Efrata Karisin, Pastor Fera said the fact that many children were forced to be entrusted to the closest family. And without parental supervision, children grow up with difficult character and malnourished health conditions.
However, thanks to the collaboration with Christian Evangelical Church in Timor Efrata Karisin, CBN Indonesia has provided comprehensive discipleship for children in the church through Super5 early childhood education, Superbook discipleship and SOL tutoring. In the meantime, the church has served 100 SOL children and 16 ECCE Super5 children. While children who are physically malnourished are given an additional nutritional menu.
The following is the impact of CBN Indonesia's services on GMIT Efrata Karisin's discipleship ecosystem.
The holistic discipleship ecosystem that has been started since 2022 at Christian Evangelical Church in Timor Efrata Karisin has resulted in various changes in children. Pastor Fera acknowledged that this change occurred both in terms of education, character and spirituality of children. He witnessed that children who used to be lazy in Sunday school and SOL were always eager to attend.
Every week, pastors and teachers also regularly visit the congregation's home to meet parents and children who are sick and rarely attend mentoring at church. Usually, sick children will be prayed for, and their families given support. The church's care and support has built a good relationship between parents and the church.
This is what happened to John (14), one of the children who actively participated in CBN child discipleship through SOL. He is an orphan and now lives with his grandmother and uncle. John never misses a SOL tutoring class at Christian Evangelical Church in Timor Efrata Karisin Efrata Karisin. The presence of this discipleship ecosystem in the church has given him many changes. Through SOL, John, who used to be an introvert, has now become a friendly child.
The attention of both friends and SOL teachers contributed greatly to changing John's character. The church's concern for the needs of every child was also felt directly by John when in early 2023, he fell ill. The right half of his body was paralyzed, and for two months he had to take a leave of absence from school as well as SOL tutoring. But the teacher and the church always provided support to John, such as coming to visit the house, praying and aiding during treatment.
There is hope in John's heart to recover soon so that he can return to SOL tutoring. It was this desire that gave him the spirit to undergo treatment and to recover soon. Until finally God's miracle happened! Thanks to every spiritual lesson he also received from church, John spoke God's word on his sick body every day. Praise God, the healing he had been waiting for finally happened. Slowly the part of his body that is paralyzed can be moved again. And now he has returned to actively participating in SOL tutoring.
CBN partners, thank you for joining hands with us to raise the hopes of children in Karisin Village. But there are still hundreds of children that we continue to serve with Christian Evangelical Church in Timor Efrata Karisin Efrata Karisin church network. Let's be the answer to their needs through your support.
