Surabaya

Hello Everyone!

We made it to Surabaya in Java safely last week. We have done some work with street kids in the slums which has been pretty cool.

My birthday was on the 19th and it was an awesome day, followed by an awesome party a few days later.

Please keep praying for our team. Thanks and I will see you all soon!

Curtis West

Hey Everyone!

Just thought I would let you know that we are heading to Surabaya in Java tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for safe travels on our fourteen hour journey. We will be there a total of two weeks. It is a Muslim island and we will be staying with the YWAM base in Surabaya. Thank you all for your continued support!

Curt

Lovina Living

Today we found out that we will be staying in Lovina for the next ten days. This is cool because we have made some really good friendships here. Chris and Casey our leaders felt like we are meant to stay here until the eleventh. The local people are happy to here the news and it's nice that we've been here so long because they don't try to sell us stuff anymore. A couple of days ago we had a kid's day where we set up games for all the kids on the beach. Yesterday we were able to do a performance in one of the popular bars here in Lovina. Bronson played his guitar and sang mainstream and worship songs. The girls also performed a hula set to a worship song. It was fun because some of us invited the friends we have made and I feel that it was a good fellowship time. Tonight our entire team is going to a friend's house where he is cooking duck for us and will also perform a Balinese dance for us with his troop.

Please pray for big things to happen while we are here in Lovina because I know it is very possible.

So yesterday we officaly started our friendship ministry, talking to all of the vendors and their kids. It's kind of cool because the days we are here are the days that the children have off from school. Their parents make them try and sell in this time, but we have been talking with them, playing with them, and making sure they have a good break. I think this idea of really getting to know the people is a new idea for some of the other tourists.

In getting to know the people a bit, they tell oyu that they are Hindu, but I have yet to meet any devout Hindus. Some of us have had amazing oppertunities to share the gospel with these people: one girl talked with a local for about an hour about Jesus, Bronson's tatoos are always a good conversation starter scince the locals are always the first to ask what they mean, yesterday some girls got to pray for a woman who said her husband was in hospital, etc. Myelf, I have been going along with Bronson and Markus talking with the watch salesmen, with Gidi at the store we get our water from and our laundry done at, and eating dog with a tattoo artist around the corner from the hotel. I feel like we have been a positive influence in the city of Lovina and I hope that we can make a real impact tht lasts on it in the short time we are here.

Curtis

Selamat Natal! (Merry Christmas!)

Hello everybody and merry Christmas! It has bee a really great Christmas here in Indonesia. Sometimes the vendors trying to sell you stuff will accidentally say "Happy Birthday to you!" when they really mean "Merry Christmas!". We are currently taking it a bit easy until tomorrow here in the city of Lovina. We were previously in the city of Singaraja also called the "dead city" do to the lack of things to do. But it was still a lot of fun going to different villages, some in the mountains, others in the city, preaching, singing, sharing testimonies, skits, and the occasional Hula dance for the people. Often there were Hindus at these church gatherings because of there interest in Christmas. We tried our best in our skits to show that Christmas has been very westernized and that is not what it really is.

Please pray for opportunities to arise soon, as after January 5th, our trip is still a bit unknown. Please also pray for health and safety in what we do. Thank you to everyone supporting me and the group out here and please continue to pray. Thanks you and Merry Christmas!

Curtis West

A Lesson in Patience

So today I and three others learned that we won't be leaving for Bali this week, but will have to wait until next Wednesday. The Indonesian government is very last minute when it comes to information needed for getting visas. The administraters here said that they have never had a more tuff time getting visas than this time. It's kind of a pain, but at least there are others waiting with me.

On a more happy note, my parents came and visited me this past week on their 30th Anniversary holiday. It was a good time. We even visited the Set of LOST!

That's all for now<

Curtis

Hello There

So today I was surprised to find I had a package waiting for me from SWERV my youth group! Inside was a CD (thanks Jodran!), some notes, a sticker book, a cool shirt which I am wearing right now, a calender, a Calvin and Hobbs book!, Gum, Candaian candy, a skipping rope, some photos of around my church, tea (whichI am drinking),and tanless taning lotion. THANK YOU to all who contributed! It was really great.

I can't believe that there is less then two weeks until outreach begins! I leave December 5th and after about 20 hours of being in the air, will arrive in Bali, Indonesia. So far all we know for sure is that our first stop will be to an orphanage that is associated with other things. We have been learning skits to do when we are over there.

A couple ofweeks ago we had an outreach prep week where everything was unknowen. We actually had to perform one of the skits a couple times right on the U of H campus, which was a very hard thing to do, especially since it was a last minute surprise. During that week I learned to expect the unexpected which was a good thing for outreach.

This past week we had Dr. Ron Carlson speak to us about apologetics which was really great. I learned alot during his lectures and feel like I can also apply what I learned from him on my outreach.

That's all for now!