I never though I would someday, but it is all about to come out finally....

Ever since i got involvewd with the boys orphanage of the Salvation Army in Bandung, I have been thinking about what I could give these boys. Something they really need....

I mean, you can buy them some cloths, shoes, give some attention when they want to talk, but you can also give yourself, complete, with unconditional love.

So when I was thinking about that, and realised that from all the 74 boys there were about 11 that had no knowledge about their parents at all, being really orphans, what else than to be a father for them?

11 boys at once is a lot, but it is something I want and they want too, so here we go.... a huge step in the dark, but so far what I got is love, more than I am giving myself, at least that's how I feel.

So let me start introducing my sons!

Diego and Sinyo (or Aldo as he likes to be called) are real brothers. Diego the oldest and the funniest, Sinyo the younger one, also the one who is looking for more hugs than Diego, and worries about having some problems with wetting his bed sometimes. But in general they are the cleverest of all the boys, what ever they read, they keep in their mind. High IQ, and the really love to read a lot. Sometimes they know even more than I do heheh.

Diego can act very brave at times, but needs a lot of attention. Asthma is bothering him sometimes, especially at the end of the day, when he is tired, but he is ok.

On the photo, Diego is the one with the green shirt, and Sinyo the one with the red shirt.

And I can tell you, it is a pleasure to be their dad, even though sometimes they can cause greay hairs when they like to have little fights. But hey, they are boys...

Though it happened AFTER the birth of Jesus, one of the stories around Christmas that always kept with me, are those of Anna and Simeon.

Both already at a high age, but not showing any slowing down in their anticipation for the Messiah to be born. God had promised it, and Simeon knows, he won't die BEFORE his eyes will have seen the Lord. Young people always seem to be in a hurry, with their eyes focussed on money, the latest handphone, the newest computergame (including monsters and demons..), but at times the old behave that way to. Thinking that -because they are old and physically not able to do much work anymore-, the can't do anything to bring the Kingdom of God nearer.

My grandmother told me that every night, she mentioned all her grandchildren, children and children in-law by their names before God in prayer. She was not that strong anymore to walk miles like she used to do, but she went miles with God in prayer.

I do believe that because of her, I am saved (I know, by God's grace, but I do believe He answered her prayers for me). And it is because of people like such "Anna's and Simeon's" in our days, many return to God. A Billy Graham is such a "Simeon" of our time.

(Photo: old gravure of Anna and Simeon, meeting Joseph, Maria and Jesus in the temple)

Being a Christian in Indonesia is not as easy as it may seem, even though the present President of Indonesia used freedom of religion in his campaign to become the new president of the republic of Indonesia.

Truth is, ever since this president came to power, the Indonesian government together with fanatic moslimgroups like the FPI have already closed almost 400 churches (!!!) in the area of Bandung/West Java alone.

They condemed Indonesian school teachers to prison for 3 years, for teaching Christian songs to moslim-children who, with support from their parents did register at a Christian school (!).

Last week, a Baptist church in Bandung was threatened by the FPI, together with local moslims and local officials.

They always do it like this: Christian churches (unlike moslim places of worship) have to get a license to build. In that case if someone within 100m from the place would complain, they will not get a license. In other cases they got a license but now suddenly someone complains and the results is that those fanatic groups pay the police to close you down.

Even the international church (!!!) has been waiting for 8 years now to get the official status of church. As long as they don't, they are not allowed for example to collect money on the name of the church. They have to use a bankaccount with the names of Indonesians.

Persecution of Christians is getting worse, and while it used to be outside the island of Java, the persecution of Christians becomes more widespread ever since the government and the islamic organisations noticed the thousands of young people who are converting from Islam to Christianity. Unofficial numbers even speak about 30% Christians now (the government still says that the number of moslims in Indonesia is 87%....).

Persecution will be something that will become worldwide. They hate Jesus : they also hate those who follow Jesus. We see that in America were you suddenly are  not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus, in France where even 'christians' feel ashamed of using the name of Jesus (it is ok to talk about God...but not about His gift of love to the world, namely Jesus), Eritrea, where even sundayschool children are send to prison, and so on.

Are you ready? Are you able to say right now what you will choose:  prison, loosing your job, even death maybe or are you going to pretend you don't know Jesus?

(Picture : Rome threw the Christians for the lions. What will happen to you and me?)

Indonesian newspapers noticed it.... the rest of the world is obviously occupied with other things than 'local' signs....

It was a couple of years ago during a meeting in Jakarta (In the Sukarno Hatta Stadion) that thousands of Christians, with among them famous moslims like President Wahid (Gus Dur) saw a huge white cross in the sky. People took photo's of the miracle, and many moslims became Christian.

It was a complete clear sky, there where no airplanes, and besides, the white stripes forming the cross in the sky where as if someone had used a ruler, so clear was the line of the cross.

The last two weeks, following each other exactly 7 days later, Indonesians from Jakarta, Bandung, Bogor, Bekasi (all in West Java Island) and miles away from each other, saw something in the sky that made them call to police, army and newspapers.

In both cases the sky was completely blue, it happened both times at 9 am, and there were no airplanes in view, and according to the airtraffic authorities there were no flights sceduled at that time.

On both occasions, two long white stripes where seen in the sky, forming the = sign. The lines where as straight as a ruler's line, according to some the lower line a little bit shorter. Though newspapers just mentioned it as something weird, something that could not be explained, people in Indonesia have an idea what it means, namely that God has judged Indonesia.

So far, no one has had any explanation. But the number of moslims becoming Christian in Indonesia is going up in huge numbers, with hundreds of people baptized each month all over Indonesia.

No one knows the time, the day or the hour. It canbe hundred years later, it can be tomorrow. But there is a huge difference betweeng roups and sects who have expected 'the end of the times' around the millenium or at certain dates like the jehova withnesses had predicted several times.

This time, people are actually looking up at the sky, and pray "Maranatha". This time it is a heart's prayer, "Jesus Come". And we believe that He will come, and that before He will come, many will turn to Christ in a world revival, short, but with an impact onthe whole world, not leaving one nation out.

(Photo, cross in the sky above the USA)