Story number 3 for 15 May 2000

Indonesia and separatist Aceh rebels have signed cease-fire aimed at ending over two decades of violence. But while both sides welcomed the deal as a key step toward peace, each maintained they would not compromise. Under the shadow of the war, ministry to children has continued quietly. Book of Hope’s John Young. “This April, we actually began our first distributions of the Book of Hope with about 30-thousand children in one of the cities. It was an opportunity that God opened up, and, we’re just really praying that the Lord continues to open up the opportunities for us there in that nation.” Young adds that while the political peace is unsettled, their work provides a long-lasting peace…but he says there are other needs, too. “Pray for the people that we’re working with there, and [for] all the different Christian organizations that are trying to reach the communities in Indonesia. We just need to pray that God will give them safety. It’s in times like these, that seem the darkest, when God can do the most.”