Jun 26, 2024 Discovering Sabbath in Remote Islands

“We came to live with our relatives in the Aha village to try and have a better education and future, but more than that; we found a deeper Revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Three young people, David, Eka and Farah,* are from the remote village of Hangke in the Northern islands of Indonesia. They currently live in Aha village, where they attend a larger school with more resources and opportunities.

Living with their relatives who are Seventh-day Adventist Christian, they didn’t think much about the denominational differences with their Christian background from home. One change is that church was on Sabbath, Saturday, instead of Sunday, which seemed to be an easy enough adjustment. They joined their relatives each Sabbath for worship services, got to know the other youth, and they started participating in the Bible studies.

But the big turning point for the three of them, was when the Adventist church held a week-long series of revival meetings. Their hearts were deeply moved by the messages. They understood the beauty of the Sabbath, and the Bible prophecies in the book of Revelation. By the end of the revival meetings, all three decided to accept Jesus Christ and their personal Savior.

As David, Eka and Farah stepped forward to join the others who wanted to be baptized, the elders of the church were happy but a little cautious. They didn’t want their parents to be uninformed about this decision. Their parents were from another Christian denomination, and understandably the church leaders wanted to get the blessing of their parents in this big decision.

And that’s when the church leaders realized it would be a challenge to make a quick trip to the remote Hangke village. But, thanks to the QHM donor-supported mission boat and motorcycles they had received earlier, they made the long trip together.

Early before sunrise, Pastor Donny Turangan and the elders of the church started the long journey to go and ask permission from their parents. The Hangke village is itself on the edge of an island cliff. The trip included a motorcycle ride to the ocean, about 2.5 miles by boat, and a steep ascent of 500-step tiered trail on foot. And all along the way, they prayed for these precious young people and their parents’ understanding.

When they arrived at the village, the parents received the group with joy! They had a wonderful visit involving their parents’ church leaders as well. Then, the parents were happy to give their blessing on the baptisms of the three youth. Praise God! The group even had an interesting time talking about baptism by immersion, and wanting to worship on Saturday like Jesus’ custom from Luke 4:16.

At the end of their visit, they all offered prayers for David, Eka and Farah. Asking God to bless their decisions to dedicate their lives to Him in baptism, and that He would bless and guide each of their futures.

“Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him…

‘The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because he has anointed Me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”
Luke 4:16-19

*Names changed for protection