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| Cintia Joy |
Dear friends,
Greetings again in the name of Jesus!
We have included with this letter the story of Cintia Joy, a young woman on R & R's team whom we met in Indonesia last October.
After we heard her story, we realized we had encountered the direct fruit of the ministry of Jackie's parents, Einar and Alice Mickelson, who had spent their lives as missionaries in Indonesia and the Philippines. We have felt over the years that we somehow were brought into their anointing. Of course, it would be logical that Jackie would carry their spiritual heritage, but somehow I (John) got pulled in as well.
Many years ago we listened to the testimony of a couple who were responsible for a large mission work in Asia. It was the same region in which the wife's parents gave their lives as missionaries. Now, after many years of service, they were assigned to leadership in that area for reasons unrelated to her heritage. Later, they both realized they had stepped into the spiritual heritage and anointing of her parents.
We do not claim to have the same anointing of Jackie's parents, nor are we called to specifically the same places they worked. We would never think of comparing ourselves to them; yet, their lives have rubbed off on us.
Jackie's parents had a stubborn heart for reaching unreached and neglected peoples of the world, spending their lives in the interior of New Guinea (now Irian Jaya) and on the southern tip of the Philippines. Her father Einar would tell the younger missionaries, "Don't get too comfortable where you are. See those mountains? Just over them are people who have never yet heard of Jesus."
Cintia Joy is the direct fruit of Einar and Alice's ministry. Her parents, saved under Einar's preaching, imparted Einar's vision to Cintia Joy.
We would like to see that same vision imparted to this new generation: Einar's grandchildren, his great grandchildren, and Einar's great spiritual family - the Church.
We are not able to tramp through rocky mountains as he did all his life, wearing out strong boots in a few weeks, returning home with bleeding feet. ("How lovely are the feet of him who brings good news..." Is 52)
We can, however, get to many places in the world, thanks to modern transport and the help of friends.
We want to see our children and our grandchildren - and your children and grandchildren - touched by the same restless anointing that was on Einar and Alice Mickelson to take the gospel to those who have never experienced the love of Jesus.
Some of those who are far from the gospel are in your own community. But millions live in nations closed off by ancient walls of religion and culture from any knowledge of Jesus. The 21st century calls for a whole new generation of mission pioneers. Large numbers of them, like Cintia Joy and her brother, are the fruit of former pioneers like Einar and Alice. Every year, many unsung heroes, unkown to most of the world, are even martyrs for Christ's sake and the gospel.
We continue to be drawn to help those on the front lines of spreading the Gospel. It has brought us to various countries in the last 30 years, pulled us into Ukrainian church planting, and is pulling us to go to other places as well (not leaving our Ukrainians, however!)
Please pray with us concerning present opportunities in India, Indonesia, China, and Congo, as well as new expansion in Ukraine.
Our purpose is to do what we do: teach the foundations in Christ to young churches, church planters and leaders; to encourage them, and help them stand on the Rock that will never fail them no matter what life brings!
I (John) will be in Ukraine Feb. 10-24, teaching Blood Covenant, producing videos with Russian translation that can be duplicated in various forms. Funds are still needed for this trip.
Thank you for your friendship, your prayer, and your giving. You are our senders. You share in the eternal rewards. It is only with friends like you that we are able to move ahead in God's call!
With love,
John and Jackie
Here is the added story....
A Divine encounter... John and Jackie Matthews
During October, 2010, we spent some days on the island of Sumatra, where we have gone numerous times over the years to encourage those who serve there and bring teams of prayer warriors.
John and I (Jackie Mickelson Matthews) went alone this time, our first visit since the great tsunami that took the lives of many thousands of these people. Our time was spent viewing the continued aftermath of the tsunami, reconstruction efforts, mass graves of the victims, and visiting Indonesian friends in several types of businesses that have been established to improve the lives of the people.
We had time to gather in each place of business, sharing their burdens, and talking to our Father about their vision and needs. On our last night, our host R. asked nearly all of them to gather, and we shared words meant to encourage and strengthen.
Often in similar settings, I (Jackie) share first and then John teaches from the Word. In preparation for this meeting I felt strongly to talk about my parents, Einar and Alice Mickelson, who spent their lives in Indonesia. I had never before talked about them in such detail as I did that night.
In their later years, my parents worked on the southern tip of the Philippines on the island of Mindinao. They had a boat ministry, going to small Indonesian islands within reach of their base on Mindinao. They named their boat the “Cynthia Joyce” after my younger sister.
Here is a testimony and a remarkable encounter that night in Sumatra with a young lady who is the fruit of my parents’ ministry of so many years ago. Our encounter with her was thousands of miles away from eastern Indonesia where she was raised, and where my parents touched her family and her life.
“My name is Cintia Joy Morahing...”
“On August 11th, 2009, I traveled from my hometown in the Indonesian Islands of Sangihe (north of Sulawesi) to Salatiga (Central Java). My sole purpose for this trip was to attend a one year Discipleship Training School (DTS). My younger brother had completed this course the year before and was very excited to see me go, as he was very blessed and challenged to grow in God the year before. I saw many changes in him and desired this for myself.
“It is a very long trip, which requires much money. First, I took a boat from my island to Manado (18 hours), and then from there I traveled by plane to Jakarta (another 4 hours). I wondered if the tremendous sacrifice of time and money would be worthwhile. But now, looking back, I am very thankful to God that He answered my prayers and I could study at the DTS.
“On August 14th 2009, I arrived in Salatiga, Central Java, by bus from Jakarta (12 hours bus ride) and I met Mr. R and Mrs. R. Upon arriving in Salatiga, they greeted me at the bus station and they brought me to the DTS location. During the ensuing three months, God spoke to me and I learned so much! The DTS changed and challenged me in many ways. I had struggled with some issues that always made me feel like I could not grow in the Lord. Now I am free and am daily growing in God!
“When the lecture phase of the DTS was almost finished, Mrs. R who was leading the DTS, challenged us to find out and to write about the meaning of our name. Our parents named us the name they chose for a reason (good or bad), and we were assigned to find out why. In the class Mrs. R pointed to me and said, “You have a very special name – there must be a significant meaning to your name as “Cinthia Joy” is not an Indonesian name.” This assignment involved seeking God as well as asking our parents why we were given our name. So I prayed and asked God about the meaning of my name. I received Proverbs 29:17, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul” (NKJV).
“When I asked my mother the meaning of my name, my mom explained the meaning of my name. In 1948 my parents went from Sangihe, Indonesia to the Balagu district of Glan in South Mindanao, Philippines. There the people did not believe in Jesus, but instead worshiped idols. In 1962 two missionaries, Mr. Mickelson and his wife Alice, came to Mindanao and preached the Gospel. They had previously been in Borneo and Irian Jaya in Indonesia.
“Among the first group to which Mr. Mickelson preached were my parents. They held a series of public meetings, and near the end of that time gave an altar call to repent and pray to receive Jesus. As they prayed for deliverance over the group, there was an earthquake, which occurred only at the place of the meeting. After the earthquake some of the leaders from the village stood up and opposed the missionary, saying he was from the devil and deceiving us. The proof was the earthquake.
“However, my father stood up and for many hours publicly defended the missionaries, saying the earthquake was a sign from God that God was speaking to us through this missionary, and that the village needed to respond. In the end my father managed to convince the group, and as a village they repented and gave their hearts to Jesus. It was then and there that my parents received Jesus in a personal way as their Lord and Savior. There were many others present (most of the village) who also received Jesus and were restored.
“My parents and a few others then went with Mr. Mickelson and his wife to preach the Gospel to the nearby islands. They traveled using a boat owned by Mr. Mickelson for the purpose of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. The name of this boat was “Cinthia Joy”.
“In 1965, many people had already come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior in these Islands of The Philippines. This was the year that Mr. Mickelson built a Bible school named “Mickelson Alliance Bible Institute” in Malagupos, Mindanao, in the Philippines. My father, Yunus, was one of the first students to be trained and then graduate from this school. In 1966 Mr. Mickelson died in the Philippines, and is buried in Malagupos.
“In 1977, my parents returned to Sangihe, Indonesia and ministered in the Sangihe Islands. I was born on the18th of February, 1979, and given the name “Cintia Joy”. My name was taken from Mr. Mickelson’s youngest daughter, which was also the name of the boat he used to preach the Gospel. The reason my parents gave me this name was to remind them that Mr. Mickelson had introduced them to Jesus Christ. It was a sign of honoring Mr. Mickelson and something to always remind us of God’s goodness to us in bringing Mr. Mickelson to us.
“In the year 1986, my father died in Sangihe, Indonesia. He is survived by my mother and other family members who still live in Sangihe. From before I was born until today, there is a large 2 foot by 3 foot old, faded, discolored photo hanging in the center of our living room wall of Mr. Mickelson and his wife, the ones that led us and this village to Jesus. I would have to say that while growing up, I was taught to respect and honor Mr. Mickelson and his wife more than anyone else. They were always highly revered in our family and village.
“At the end of 2009, I traveled to Sumatra, Indonesia for a one-year outreach with the DTS. On October 3rd, 2010, Mr. R hosted two guests in his home. They were Mr. R’s pastors while he was a teenager in Minnesota, USA and served Mr. R with many visits to Sumatra over the years. They visited all the departments in our organization and prayed for each department. Mr. R invited us to dinner where he had invited the guests to share the Word of God with us. Mr. R introduced us to the guests: Mr. John Matthews and his wife, Mrs. Jackie.
“After a short introduction, Mrs. Jackie felt led of God to tell us about her parents that were missionaries to Indonesia; that she had grown up in this part of the world and always had a special place in her heart for the people of Indonesia. She shared how they did evangelism in Sangihe, Indonesia and in Mindanao, Philippines. She also said that when her father prayed and shared the Gospel, there were sometimes earthquakes. So I remembered my mother’s story.
“The story that Mrs. Jackie was telling was very similar to the one my mother had told me about the meaning of my name. After Mrs. Jackie shared this, my heart was pounding and I could not wait for the meeting to end to ask Mr. R to help me to talk to Mrs. Jackie. I wanted desperately to ask her more abut her father and family. I hardly noticed that Mr. John then went on to speak to us for the next half hour on “joy” and walking in God’s joy daily in our lives – I found it interesting that he spoke on joy and my name is Joy.
“After the meeting had finished, I asked Mr. R to help me to talk with Mrs. Jackie, and I explained what my mother had told me regarding the meaning of my name. To my amazement, surprise and shock I found out that Mrs. Jackie is the daughter of Mr. Mickelson who introduced Jesus Christ to my parents so many years ago. I was so glad, so excited, and completely overcome with gratefulness and thanks that I could meet Mrs. Jackie and Mr. John.
“I found out it is Mrs. Jackie’s younger sister that I was named after! Mrs. Jackie has a younger sister named “Cinthia Joy”! (Cynthia Joyce) Mrs. Jackie showed me a photo of her sister – the daughter of Mr. Mickelson - after whom her father named his boat, the boat that I was named after!
“I thank Mr. R and Mrs. R for making it possible for me to meet the daughter of Mr. Mickelson. This is indeed a miracle and I am most grateful to God for giving me this experience.
“Reflecting back a few days later, I remembered my father always telling us and I guess dreaming that we (as a family, village and island) needed to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to other areas and Islands, just as Mr. Mickelson had done for us.
“Now many decades later it is happening. My brother and myself (and hopefully many more) are committed to going to unreached Islamic areas of Sumatra!”
Cintia Joy Morahing, December 2010
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