Pure Joy

Pure Joy

This week we had the pleasure of getting to fellowship with Iranian refugees in Indonesia. All week we got to hear their stories and hear of how God revealed himself to them in marvelous ways. 

The one specific woman I want to share with you about has a story that many of us can barley comprehend; but I will try and share it just the same. I cannot share her name or a picture of her face because of the dangers of her situation. 

This young lady desired to leave Iran about 3 years ago. She was convinced the government was trying to brainwash everyone, especially the women. Her and her siblings wanted nothing to do with the government of their nation. After getting arrested a couple of times because of wearing pants in public instead of a dress, she decided it was time to leave. 

She found a company that said they would take her to Australia. She just had to pay a one time fee and they would take care of the rest. So she did. 

Their journey took them from Iran to Indonesia where they boarded a boat together and set out on a journey that none of them could have imagined.

They ended up crossing the ocean for 9 days. Given no food and only one small cup of dirty water. Their boat had many problems and began to sink overtime. Around the clock they had to scoop water out of the boat with buckets. People were dying around them and it seemed as if there was no hope. She said, "We knew we would probably die but I was still full of joy." 

Keep in mind her and her siblings were all Muslims at this time. 

On the ninth day a boat from the Philippines spotted them and helped everyone that was left on the boat. She said about 20 minutes after they all got on the Philippine boat, their boat sunk under the water. 

The boat from the Philippines took them to Indonesia and right when they arrived, they were put in jail. They had no papers, no proof of any kind of identity, and could not speak any other languages other than their mother tongue, Farsi. She said, "It was scary being in jail but I still felt joy in my heart." To pass the time she found a book that taught how to learn English! She started reading that book and read it two other times while in jail. The English that she spoke to us while telling her story was the English language that she learned from her book. Nothing else. It was amazing to hear how beautifully she spoke!

After getting released from prison, she found herself in an impossible situation and was raped by someone unknown to her. After this incident she was torn apart. She fell into a deep depression, had thoughts of suicide, and had a severe eating disorder. Her life seemed hopeless.

In the midst of all the darkness in her life, she found a Christian friend that encouraged her. One day her Christian friend invited her to come to a fellowship that our dad was having in Indonesia. She agreed to go even though she wasn't interested. When she arrived at the fellowship she sat and listened, afterwards her friend asked our dad, Nehemia, if he could speak with her about Jesus. Dad responded, “Don’t worry about her, Jesus loves her.” When she heard dad say those words, she felt something spark in her heart. For days afterward, she was curious about this person that supposedly loved her. 

After this, she continued coming back to see dad three more times before accepting Jesus into her heart. She shared with us with her bright smile, that once she accepted Jesus everything from her past VANISHED! All of her struggles, hurt, fears, and regrets were left behind and she found NEW life.

This past week we were honored to get to spend many days talking and sharing with this young lady and it touched our hearts in more ways than one. To think that after everything she has been through, the touch of Jesus Christ still washes away every pain and suffering known to man. To think that we still find things to complain about and get upset over. It is ridiculous for us to get upset over anything, really; because this lady is a living example of when EVERYTHING in the world does NOT go your way, you can still have pure joy in your heart. And that is what we want to declare all the way from Indonesia today, is TO HAVE PURE JOY despite any situation! Jesus is ALIVE and HE is JOY.

Love from Indonesia!

Updating!

With our new website, we are able to include our ministry blog for The Light Project! We are so happy to everything in one place. To prevent losing past posts, we have combined them below in sequence! God bless you!

The Light Project and The Mercy House

10/16/2014

We would like to introduce to you THE MERCY HOUSE. THE LIGHT PROJECT (our ministry in INDONESIA) is partnering with THE MERCY HOUSE to help restore the lives of women and children that have been affected by human trafficking.

How Freedom Grows

2/24/14

Freedom is a gift -- a gift that comes somewhat unexpectedly but faithfully. This is how we could describe our recent trip to Indonesia-we left with such freedom. We’re not sure if it’s the nonchalant personalities of the people, the attitude of sitting Indian style together for hour’s fellowshipping, or simply the warm breeze blowing from the high mountains; but it seems in every ounce of the physical, spiritual, and mental aspect of Indonesia proclaims freedom.

 When we first arrived we were invited to a weekend of fellowship with about one hundred Indonesian followers of Jesus Christ. Seeing their hunger for fellowship with other believers was intoxicating. We were able to hear of their struggles, life experiences, and triumphs in the name of Jesus. 

Many of these individuals have been involved with The Light Project in one way or another during the past four years. It was a privilege to get to thank them for their prayers and support. We have a team of people behind us in this ministry that many of you won’t ever see or hear of their name but they are there faithfully. During this fellowship, a verse was read that left an impression on all of us equally and the verse says, “I’m after love that lasts, not more religion…” Hosea 6:6- this verse stung our hearts. “Jesus is after us” Ben said, “Jesus wants our hearts. That’s it. He wants our love, our attention. I don't want to be caught up in the distractions of this world. My souls desire is to continue falling more in love with Jesus.”

Once the weekend was over, we took an eight-hour train ride to Solo, Indonesia! While getting off the train, we were greeted with many smiling familiar faces from our previous (Indonesia 2009) trip. Our Solo team had prepared one full week of visiting multiple village churches. We went with the intention of wanting to listen, and also to offer prayers of healing to the sick. People in villages don’t have the terms hospital or medical attention in their vocabulary. They basically have two options when they are sick, witch doctors or Jesus.  This makes those who believe in Jesus have faith that we have never seen. They believe in the power in healing through Jesus.

 We gathered together as a group, as a family, as a band, and we placed our hands over them and prayed. “I was able to experience the power of Jesus through watching the healing power of God” Tim continued, “I was able to see, feel, hear, and touch the love of Jesus Christ myself…not just hearing about it but experiencing. That results in freedom and I will never be the same.”

            After the week in Solo, we went back to Bandung for a few days and stayed with family. We enjoyed sharing about our experiences with them and also hearing about what the Lord was doing in their lives. The following week we were on our way to Medan, Indonesia.

Medan is on a completely different island! It’s on the island of Sumatra (your coffee probably comes from there). The people and towns of Sumatra have their own unique personality that makes them different from the island of Jawa where we spend most of our time. They not only spell some Indonesian words completely different, but the religious populations are different, too. In Medan, the people are 50% Christian and 50% Muslim, so the harmony of life between the two religions is very peaceful, unlike other parts of the country. We went to Medan for a new opportunity given to us for The Light Project.

 Bill and Ben were asked by multiple churches to come and teach them about production and also musical performance. “This was unexpected, but the opportunity the Lord gave us to share and hear these pastors’ stories were unforgettable. We never imagined what we have learned through BNY Production would make its way into The Light Project, but the Lord always surprises us when we return to Indonesia.”  Bill continued, “The freedom of breaking free from our concept of the way “we think” situations are supposed to be is what happened when we agreed to go and help these pastors, and church members learn more about sound. There humble approach to learning was refreshing.”

 After many new beginnings during our trip we finally made our way to something familiar —The Mercy House.  Many of you probably have read our blog post in the past about this safe home for women and children. We went back during the sunset of our trip and got to see the progress the house had made during the past two years. The children have grown. Some have graduated and gone onto college or working a stable job. Many of the women we met in the past have left and gone on to use the talents they developed while at The Mercy House, like sewing, making jewelry, and cooking. While we were here, Brittney got to show Shannon around the house and show her where the ladies of the house make and sell their jewelry. “Returning to The Mercy House and remembering how it was here were the Lord first planted the seed in my heart to make jewelry and sell it to support the ladies and children of this home was refreshing to my heart.” Brittney said, “It’s always a blessing to be able to go back to the basics of why you do what you do; their smiles, their eyes, their hearts reminded me of the freedom in Jesus and the freedom of following His call.”

Our trip was extraordinary—in such a way that its hard to translate into words. So much of the incredible instances happened in each of us individually; through the quiet, loving, and patient Spirit of God. We saw Jesus in all of the smiles, through the prayers, watching the hardship, seeing the faith, and witnessing pure miracles. Freedom is given in all different shapes and sizes, but choosing to receive it is where the abundant blessing lies. The bible says in Galatians 5:13, “…Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.”             

Be the Change

1/2/14

Our trip to Indonesia was renewing.  Renewing the freedom in all of our hearts.  We learned about each other more. We learned how little things tend to build up inside if you never talk about it. While in Indonesia we were involved in many different fellowships, but we also sat down together as a group and opened up. 

The freedom in truth is exhilarating and we all grew closer together as our hearts opened more to each other.  The conclusions to all of our talks and devotions was that we want to BE CHANGED by the Lord to become more like Him!  We don't want to be who we were yesterday or the day before!  We want to be renewed and set free by His grace every morning!  

So, this is our challenge to you, as well.  BE THE CHANGE!  See what God does and NEVER look back!

 What’s Jet Lag?

12/17/13

Well, we are officially back in the states and back in action.  After some much needed rest, everyone is back to work at the BOS Headquarters.  We can't wait to share our pictures, videos, and testimonies from our month in Indonesia for The Light Project! Thank you for your patience while we organize our thoughts and our media!

Thank you for all of your love and support while we were over seas that continues while we are here in the states!

God bless you!
Bread of Stone

Here's a sneak peak ;)

Let the Movement Begin.

11/1/13

Brittney and Shannon Kristijanto (wives of Bill and Ben Kristijanto, brothers and band mates of Bread of Stone) are pleased to announce their way of supporting Bread of Stone’s ministry in Indonesia-THE LIGHT PROJECT!

After visiting Indonesia for the first time in November of 2010, the Lord put a desire on Brittney’s heart to help abused women and deserted children in Indonesia.  “I desperately wanted to do something to help. Not knowing exactly what it would be, Bill encouraged me to be patient and see what the Lord would do. So I did.”

While Bread of Stone was in Indonesia the following year in December of 2011, they were introduced to two women, Miryam and Suzan, who owned and operated a women’s safe home in Lembang, Indonesia. The ladies invited Bread of Stone to visit, The Mercy House.  Brittney shared, “I was astonished at how the Lord was fulfilling His plan by bringing these women to me.” When everyone arrived at The Mercy House, the women explained how they make and sell jewelry to help support funding for the needs of The Mercy House. “We bought one of everything they had!” Brittney exclaimed, “Each one was uniquely made and the fact my purchase was going to help them continue there livelihood made it even more meaningful!”

This idea of making jewelry made an impression on Brittney. “After months had passed, Bill and I were sitting at home and he was changing his guitar strings.  I picked them up mindlessly and began twisting.  Soon, the guitar string became a bracelet, and then my heart fluttered!” Brittney continued, “I felt confirmation from the Lord so I immediately ran to Hobby Lobby, bought wire and beads, and before I knew it…I had made my first used guitar string bracelet!”

After the first few months of experimenting with making different kinds of bracelets, Shannon joined Brittney! “Ben and I were married in January of 2013” Shannon shared, “My whole life I’ve enjoyed any kind of craft I could get my hands on. To have a craft that supported our ministry was like a dream come true!” Brittney and Shannon began sharing the meaning behind the bracelets with each person they met at the merchandise table and the response was astonishing.

Shannon says, “We had been trying to think of a name for the jewelry for months! We went through every creative word in the English language to come up with an intricate phrase, but nothing fit.” The theme “Broken to Beautiful” was constant on their hearts. Brittney continued, “The name was given to me during Bread of Stone’s show in Charles City, Iowa.  They were singing, “I Surrender All”, and while I was singing along the word, INDAH, was laid on my heart.” Brittney said, “The word INDAH means “beautiful” in Indonesian.”

The strings start out broken, used, dirty, and worn out; like all of us. With a little love, attention, and polishing up- they can become something beautiful.  The Lord wants to tell us something through the bracelets.  The strings represent who we are- broken, but through the love of Jesus Christ, we each can be redeemed, made new, and given a new life! Broken to beautiful.

Bread of Stone along with Brittney and Shannon are pleased to announce that INDAH Guitar String Jewelry is now available online!  You may purchase them through breadofstone.com by clicking MERCH on the menu. Every purchase helps provide food, clothing, and shelter, for the women and children at THE MERCY HOUSE! 

Let the movement begin.

Embracing and Returning

9/12/13

 Selamat pagi, teman-teman!  (Good morning, friends!) Everyone here with Bread of Stone is very pleased to make a very special announcement. We will be returning to Indonesia on November 16, 2013 for our ministry, THE LIGHT PROJECT!  We will be coming back to the States on December 15th and without a doubt we shall return with many new testimonies and pictures to share!

Our trip this year is planned a bit differently than the past few trips.  This year will be the fourth year for us returning to Indonesia and we feel that this trip we must leave ALL INSTRUMENTS BEHIND!  Our month will be strictly focused on the ministry deep in the villages and mountains with people of Indonesia---that means no concerts!

 As a band, we are fearfully seeking the Lord to prepare our hearts for what He wants to do in us and through us while we are in Indonesia.  Every year, the Lord speaks to us individually and as a band in a new way; and we truly are anticipating and expecting His Spirit to work in us!

 Finally, we want to acknowledge that we know how many of you are truly apart of this ministry along with us!  All of your generous donations, never ending prayers for us, and support through buying our merchandise continues to impact this ministry! We are embracing what the Lord is doing in and through THE LIGHT PROJECT!  We are excited to see what He will do next! 

 Tuhan memberkati (GOD BLESS YOU),

Bread of Stone

Girl Scouting The Light Project

10/18/12

When you think of girl scouts, what first comes to mind?  Cookies!!!  The Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, and Carmel Delights are a few reasons why we gladly hand over our dollar bills to such a wonderful cause!  Right?!  Well according to Emily and Olivia Dirks, they say that the Girl Scout cookies are only the beginning of how the Lord opens doors for them to learn about other cultures in the world!


Emily and Olivia Dirks are sisters that have grown up in Sioux City, Iowa where they have been the faithful Girl Scouts in charge of stocking Bread of Stone’s bus with Thin Mints!  As the sisters learned more about Bread of Stone, they became intrigued with the idea of THE LIGHT PROJECT, and began asking their mom questions about what Bread of Stone does when they visit Indonesia!  Through their excitement and enthusiasm, the Dirk sisters told their fellow Girl Scouts about how they could help girls their own age who work as Scavengers in Indonesia leading the members to choose THE LIGHT PROJECT to share about at International Girl Scout Day!

The girl’s asked Brittney Kristijanto (wife of Bill Kristijanto) to come and share with them about the ministry of The Light Project!  They listened intently while Brittney spoke of the people she met who pick up trash for a living. She was able to share with the girls about the young girls that live at The Mercy House, and also teach the scouts how to make Indonesian fried rice, which they gobbled up!

After months of preparation it was time for the Scouts to present The Light Project as their personal project at International Girl Scout Day! The girls set up a booth with pictures of people from THE LIGHT PROJECT and gave out prayer cards that shared further information about Bread of Stone’s ministry in Indonesia. As a special treat they learned and sang the song “This is the Day” in the Indonesian language, and capped off the day by making Indonesian fried rice for everyone who attended the International Girl Scout Day!  These girls found a way to share The Light Project while creating a Girl Scout Project of their own! The day was full of laughs and giggles, but most of all abundant in obedience as the Lord gave them yet another example of how radically He can use young willing hearts to not only touch a life in Indonesia; but to touch lives in their own hometown, as well.

The Light Project Testimonies

7/4/12

Brittney, Bill, and Ben share their testimonies from the 2011 Indonesia trip.

The Mercy House

3/22/12

Mercy is healing.  Mercy is forgiving.  Above all, mercy is love.  The Light Project reminded us of this, through our trip this past November to the country of Indonesia.  The Lord continues to grow The Light Project more and more each year, and one of the growing experiences was The Mercy House.  This safe house was introduced to us by a family friend, Miryam, who has a heart for woman and children.  Miryam moved to Indonesia from South Korea to follow the Lord’s call on her heart, and has been living in Lembang, Indonesia for the past 10 years.

We were so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet with Miryam, and to hear her testimony of the ministry opportunity that she is continuing to follow faithfully.  She told us of the increasing abandonment of children in Indonesia.  Miryam shared of her walking the streets of various villages to find babies lying in garbage dumps and ditches – infants who undoubtably were never wanted.  She began to see that the Lord had brought her to this foreign country, so that she may love on the ones who had been forgotten.

Through her obedience, Miryam was able to reach out to women who had been disgraced, prostituted, and used.  Most of these young women find it hard to feel love, as most of their hearts have been hardened by years of abuse.  Even under these circumstances, she tells us of the miraculous love of Jesus Christ, and how she has experienced that love truly covers all and can melt the heart of anyone.

When we visited The Mercy House a few days after our meeting with Miryam,  we were invited to come and sing and fellowship with the women and children of The Mercy House.  Ben, the lead singer of Bread of Stone, brought his guitar and led worship with around 30 other children singing at the top of their lungs, as they sang “Jesus Loves Me.”  After singing, a young girl named Laura asked if she could share with us her testimony.  She told us of how she had never met her parents, was sold by her uncle, and escaped numerous times from life-threatening situations. With a child on the way, Laura is thankful that the Lord led her to The Mercy House, to start a new life in a place filled with people who truly cares and loves her.

Since the day of our first visit, The Light Project has made contributions to The Mercy House, towards their daily expenses.  If you would like to learn more information about our new project, please email us at contact@breadofstone.com.  We would like to thank each one of you who have kept us in your prayers during our trips to Indonesia and for purchasing Bread of Stone’s merchandise, sending 10% of your purchase toward The Light Project.  Also, we encourage you to become more involved not only in our project, but starting a project of your own in your community.

 Dressing Up The Light Project

8/19/11

 A mother-daughter project can stir the heart of anyone, whether it’s their honesty towards one another, their identical smile, or the way their eyes meet as they work steadfastly on their project.  Well, Michelle Beine and her daughter Megan have done just that.  The mother and daughter heard of a ladies’ group in their church that gathers all of their old pillow cases, grabs needle and thread, with a little dash of lace and ribbon, and makes little girl dresses!

Michelle and Megan immediately set to work, and are continuing to sew and stitch towards the end of the year when Bread of Stone will leave for Indonesia, and have suitcases full of little dresses made with love from a mother and daughter from Watertown, WI.  They like to call it, “Dressing up THE LIGHT PROJECT”.

Thank you Michelle and Megan for your willingness to take something broken, like an old pillow case, and turning it in to something beautiful.  For more information about “Dressing up THE LIGHT PROJECT” or special instructions on how to make these dresses, you may contact Michelle at mmbeine@charter.net.

Megan wearing a Light Project Dress 

Megan and her friend, Kaitlyn, sewing a dress for Dressing Up THE LIGHT PROJECT!

The faithful ladies who sew beside Michelle and Megan each week! 

Ms. Laurie Haberkorn, she is leading and teaching Michelle, Megan, and the group of faithful ladies at River Valley Alliance Church!

 

Second Trip to Indonesia for The Light Project

2/20/11

Update - Our second trip to Indonesia for The Light Project.

 

Bread of Stone with the Pemulung

12/22/10

 

Ten Year Old Boy Collects Cans to Help 

11/19/10

After reading “Take Your Best Shot” by Austin Gutwein, Zac Beine wanted to do something himself to help make a difference in the world. After thinking of various things he could do, Zac decided to collect aluminum cans and cash in the money to support “The Light Project.”

This is just a short exert from a write up in the bulletin at Zac’s church. We would also like to mention that Zac is only 10 years old! It’s things like this that really humble us and show us that God can use anyone, or anything for that matter, to do his work, just as he did countless times in the Bible.

Thanks for all the love, support, and prayers. It really does make the difference. And hopefully we can all learn a little something from Zac Beine, a 10 year old from Wisconsin who God is using in a divine way.