Meet Arif Fauzi and his wife Endah Hidayat (names have been changed). The couple have pastored one of the Pentecostal churches in northern Sumatra, Indonesia since 2000. Endah also pastors a house church and they have been blessed with two children. Their son Hamzah is currently working on his Master of Theology and serves with his father as assistant pastor. Their daughter, Farah, is the church’s music coordinator and her husband Joko is the worship leader. Arif says it is a great blessing to have the entire family involved in ministry together.

Now Pastors Arif and Endah are preparing to welcome their first grandchild on March 5th or 7th. Farrah and her baby are both healthy but the doctor's have told them that the baby is too big for a natrual delivery and must be born via caesarean section. The surgery must be performed in a private hospital and therefore the procedure is not covered by government insurance.

The family urgently needs support to cover the $3,500 CAD fee.  



It was after graduating high school in 1985 that Pastor Arif says he sensed God calling him into the ministry. He says he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and offered his life as a living sacrifice to do God’s work (Romans 12:1).  Arif ministered as an evangelist in his home church and studied in both Malaysia and Singapore at Teen Challenge and Asian Ministry Team. He attended Central Pentecostal College in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and his son was born in there St. Paul’s hospital. He graduated in 1996 and the family returned home to serve in Indonesia.  

Known in ancient times as the “Island of Gold” because of gold deposits in the highland regions, Indonesia is the world’s largest island country comprising upward of 17,000 plus islands. Situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans in southeast Asia, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Sumatra in western Indonesia is part of the Sunda islands, a group of islands that are part of four countries (Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, and Malaysia). A highly seismic island, major earthquakes and tsunamis are common and have been recorded throughout Sumatra’s history, including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Sumatra is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory and the fifth most populous island in the world, with over 58 million people according to the 2020 census.

Arab and Indian traders introduced Islam to Sumatra in the 6th and 7th centuries. Islam is the major religion in Indonesia with 87.1% of the population identifying as Muslim. Only 10.7% of Indonesians are Christian, with less than 2% identifying as Buddhist and Hindus. Nonetheless, Indonesia still has one of the largest concentrations of Christians in the Muslim world. According to Open Doors USA, Indonesia is number 28 out of 50 on the World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to follow Jesus. Churches throughout Indonesia have been burned, bombed, and vandalized. Thankfully, Arif reports that the region where his family is has not been greatly disturbed by this type of persecution and by the grace of God he has good friendships with all his neighbors, including the chief of the community.
 
Still, in any Muslim majority nation, there are risks for those sharing the Gospel as well as risks for those who convert to Christianity. According to Pastor Arif, many times Muslims who convert to Christianity will be abandoned by their family and community. Indonesian Christians must be careful when approaching Muslims, but he says they can share the Gospel as “friendship evangelism” being careful not to speak against their prophet.  Pastor Arif also uses FaceBook and What’s App as evangelistic tools.
 
In North America and Europe, Christian liberty has been declining. When asked how he would encourage western believers to keep evangelizing and living for Christ in a culture that is increasingly intolerant to the Gospel, Pastor Arif said we must still live as salt and light to those around us, to show our love and care to people by our daily life. He reminds us that we do this because Jesus says that we are the living testimony of Christ; we are little "Christs".       
 
When asked what the biggest challenge is facing their ministry right now, Pastor Arif reported that he has been appointed as the head of the Mission Department and he needs a van to travel to rural areas, to minister to village churches and evangelize. Even more pressing however is his daughter’s immediate need for a caesarian section, the cost of which is $3,500 CAD. Farah and Joko are expecting their first baby, due on March 5th however the doctor has told them that the baby is too large for a natural delivery. The surgery must be performed in a private hospital and therefore the procedure is not covered by government insurance. Moreover, while Farah and the baby are both healthy, Pastor Arif is also requesting prayer for safety from COVID as not only could that affect the health of his daughter and grandchild, but it would also increase hospital fees to about $5,500 CAD.
 
Please keep Pastors Arif and Endah and their family in your prayers. Please pray specifically for the safe delivery of Pastor Arif’s first grandchild and that God will provide him with the van he needs for travel.
 
If you can donate to help cover the cost of Farah’s surgery, please click.