Hundreds of theology students in Jakarta fled their campus two years ago when tensions in the predominantly Muslim neighborhood around their school spilled over into violence. A mob of Islamic hard-liners carried out a midnight attack with bamboo spears and acid, injuring at least 18 students in July, 2008. The event led to closing up the 20-year-old seminary campus on the east side of Indonesia’s capital city.
Some of the school’s 1400 students returned to their families; many others went to a guesthouse, but hundreds of them lived in tents set up in a park for a full year—through summer heat and monsoon rains. Church groups and charities supplied necessities. The seminary itself moved to an office building on the other side of Jakarta.
The student body at this seminary is now divided between several campuses. Even so, around 700 rejoicing students and their faculty were in attendance at chapel earlier this year when Jason Martens arrived for a visit. The young Canadian missionary working with Torchbearers International brought boxes of books donated by Desiring God.
Linking Arms
Desiring God did not pay for Jason’s trip, but granted the study resources. The ministry provided the college library with 10 sets of the Piper books available in the Indonesian language. Desiring God also worked with a Jakarta publisher to purchase 1200 copies of 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die—also in Indonesian—for free distribution at the seminary.
Jason Martens initially contacted Desiring God in 2008 while serving at a Bible school in India. He’d read some of John Piper’s books and caught a new vision: he hoped to use Piper’s sermon broadcasts for a radio ministry in Bangalore. Later Jason spoke with DG International Outreach Manager, Seth Magnuson, who told him about their desire to get books and other resources into the hands of missionaries—like Jason. Wow, thought Martens, they want to link arms with little guys. He was ready to get plugged in, and did so. He’s been involved in book distributions in several countries already.
Desiring God began growing its international outreach in 2006. “God is building his church globally through people like Jason,” says Magnuson. Instead of planting offices, they utilize a partnership model to get books in the hands of missionaries who take them to the growing body of Christ in Africa, Asia and Latin America—regions lacking in both physical and spiritual resources. Desiring God International Outreach (DGIO) recognizes the spiritual famine of biblical teaching in those areas, which can leave new believers vulnerable to false teaching.
Carried to Remote Places
The book distribution in Jakarta allowed 27-year-old Jason and his wife Stephanie, 25, to be channels of blessing to the theology school. “The Lord was glorified,” he says. “These students have very meager resources but they continue to study their tattered Bibles. They’re hungry for rich content. They’re learning English, but need their own translation. Their faces filled with smiles when receiving these books. I sensed this donation left an impression of the faithfulness and love of God through the larger international body of Christ.”
A wide mix of students at the school represent different people groups throughout the archipelago—the islands that comprise Indonesia. Jason thinks about the villages these students will return to, saying: “Most of the students have a desire and calling to evangelize their country. Many men will go on to plant churches and reach out to tribal groups scattered around the thousands of islands.” The books they’ve received will eventually be carried back with them to these remote places.
The Martens recently returned to school in Alberta, Canada, to become better equipped for future missions work, Jason in seminary and Stephanie in nursing school. The couple hopes to work in Asia for many years to come. Meanwhile, Jason plans to squeeze in another mission trip this fall—back to India this time. He’ll take another DGIO book delivery when he goes, and says, “I’m willing to take any I can—every time I can.”
