mgpcpastor's blog

The car is stopped. Robert Benn is listening to stories and Rob Duncanson will be taking photos and listening as well. I have decided to sit and type, since the motor still runs and the air-conditioning operates. A government funded road improvement scheme has halted our journey to Aileu Province. Flexibility.
I began the day watching the Australian ABC morning news program on the local Australian Channel and am faintly disappointed that with 22 million of you still back there that you couldn’t be doing something a little more interesting.
Breakfast was at eight. Breadrolls, coffee, juice. There is papaya if wanted as well. We are joined by Pendeta Daniel Marcel, who has been driving us in his Mistubishi Pajero. He also serves as the Clerk or Official Secretary of the EPC-TL. We talk, trying to clarify the situation of the new church with regards to the existence of its Constitution, By-laws and Standards. Apparently a revised version of by-laws, based on those of their former church is being considered. We explore their needs, not wanting to duplicate or replace anything already adopted but sharing their desire to have these foundational matters settled.
While such attention may seem odd to some, having these matters settled will help the EPC-TL to establish its integrity as church in the historic protestant expression. The legitimacy of their theological positions as a church are being undermined because of rumours started by others. Adopting their standards will assist their acceptance amongst people here, as well as establish a foundation that churches like ourselves will find useful as we seek to partner with them. Most of all, having these matters settled will help the leaders and congregations have unity amongst themselves as they look forward.
We are given the opportunity to visit the office out of which Daniel works. None of the Pastors of the EPC-TL work full-time in their positions. Daniel works for an organization called the CWS that seeks to educate local people in order that the spread of HIV/Aids may be limited.
From there we drive south up into the mountains. Dili rests at the foot of these hills, its outskirts already climbing upward. We are told to expect a two hour drive. The road is good. We pass a truck laden with a cargo of humans, some sitting, some clinging outside on the cargo frame. 20? 30? It’s hard to tell. This is cross country travel Timor Leste style. Apparently the fare is US$3.00 a head. The lack of competition makes it a sellers market.
The road works have reached a point where we can move. It is now hours later, we are driving down the mountain to Dili. It is raining, probably better that I am not watching the road.
The country we have driven through reminds me of Australian bush. It is noticibly different from that through which we drove on Friday, and different again from what we saw on Saturday. There are gum trees lining the road. Having driven up the mountain highway about forty kilometers, we take a sharp turn onto a road of much lesser quality. Continuing alone for another twenty kilometers, our progress is slow. Twenty to thirty kilometers an hour is more than enough speed. The road is poor, and given that the wet season has just ended most of the local roads are at their worst. The huts seem African, in some way, again different to regions not more than a couple of
It should not come as a surprise then when we turn off our very ordinary road onto one that is even more ordinary again. Just dirt. This is where we encounter the work crew mentioned above. There are fifty or so locals hand digging and moving earth along the road, basically digging, leveling and moving. Alone hand guided power roller, equivalent to the light or medium roller at the cricket compacts the newly repaired road. The machine is called a wacker, but seems to lack wack if you ask me. We are told the labourers earn $2 a day.
The delay means that we are arriving late at our first destination, the Paulos Congregation of the EPC-TL. It has taken at least two hours to travel the distance. We don’t know what to expect, and that proves to be a good thing. We couldn’t have been prepared for the welcome.
At least three hundred people await us, lined on either side of the roadway up the hill to the church. Two lines of children dance in ceremonial fashion toward us, boys on our left, girls on our right. A welcoming song is being sung, with musical accompaniment provided by two guitars and a hand held keyboard with loudspeaker attached. The lyric goes something like: ‘Thankyou for coming, please help us.’ Two young women walk between them to welcome us. They utter formal words of appreciation for our visit and then RB, RD, GW, Arlindo and Daniel all receive stoles. This time all three of us share the welcoming baptism of flower petals. Hands are shaken. We walk up the hill. Everyone applauds.
We enter the church and take our seats at the front. Two hundred people follow us in. Children stand at the side door. The leader of the church is an evangelist whose name is Manuel. RB has told many in Australia a special part of his story. When the troubles were raging Manuel told the people to place all their belongings in the church. As the militia came through he offered that the belongings of the people be spared, if his life was taken. The militia left him alive and all the goods intact. Manuel has a sizeable team of elders working alongside.
This brave servant of the Gospel made a formal report to us, outlining the state of the Congregation. The present building was dedicated and put into use in 1995 and needs repair. Due to the scarcity of building materials, inferior dirt is mixed with gravel to make concrete, so buildings deteriorate far faster that would be expected. As yet, the church owns no separate house for a pastor to live in. Manuel, his wife and seven children live in his own home, in which we will later have lunch.
A second congregation has been commenced, but distance and difficulty in travel mean that the area can only be visited through the week and not on Sunday. The area is poor, it seems that primary production is of staple commodities, not commercially profitable ones. The people would appreciate musical instruments, education opportunities. They lack electricity, equipment to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Bibles among many others. There is not sense in which these issues are mentioned in a coercive fashion. Anyone who walked the door would notice. For these proud people to mention them is a work in humility itself.
Arlindo, RB and RD all offer comments, similar to those previously mentioned, but these people are so appreciative of our presence and the spoken assurance that they are not alone. Much misinformation is spread about the EPC-TL and there is no substitute for the tangible presence of the EPC leadership and we who are their counterparts standing in unity. The encouragement of the people is visible.
After a final prayer we go to lunch. Manuel brings us to his home, dirt floor, bamboo walls, steel roof all divided into five areas. As mentioned above, he lives there with his family. We eat a lunch of bean stew, cassava, rice with local mandarins as dessert. While we eat, singing from the church wafts through the walls. When time comes to leave, we have to wait for the people to assemble. As walk down the hill a final song is sung, the tune is that of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ the essence of the lyrics is: ‘Do not forget us’. Not likely.
Go to Day Four, part two.