To all our Sumba Mission friends,

Once again it is time for an update on the progress here in Sumba. We can understand that it is difficult for most of you to get a picture of the work we are doing here, except for those who have been here.

Good Friday and Easter are behind us, but the question remains for us all, what profit did we take from it? Today we spoke a little on Luke 24:4. Jesus demands that repentance and forgiveness of sins must be preached in His name to all people. This demand becomes stronger when he speaks as he is about to ascend into heaven, but what do we do with this Word?

First personally, it is not that we may simply repent, but that we must repent and receive forgiveness of sin. Christ paid all and do we dare neglect this demand? Secondly, what do we do to help those who are in far away places to obey this command of Christ, also to the people here in Sumba?

In the last months the Lord again has taken care of us; the children are doing well and no serious illnesses came among them. We still may have food and drink, which is so much more than in many other places in this world.

This week we hope to have a meeting again with the governor to discuss the start of our own school here in the home. Please pray that the Lord will bless these efforts, as it is a vital link in the daily instruction and discipline of the children, especially in the Bible studies. At this time we hope to use some of the new rooms as classrooms and later build a proper school. This is all the Lord willing and we live. This has been a longtime desire and goal and we look for the approval of the Lord.

The building of the extension to the children's home is slowly moving forward; the underground water storage tank is almost completed. This week the top will be poured. It is reinforced with steel and we hope that it is able to withstand the mild earthquakes we experience here. This large tank will greatly help out in the dry season when there is a continual shortage of water.

We have to work mostly with unskilled labor, which can be a trial at times, but it too is for the benefit of the people. The men learn a trade and receive wages wherewith they can provide for their families. Outwardly we have seen many changes for the better here in Tana Mbanas. Pray that it also will be to the welfare of their souls.

We are experiencing a continual shortage of funds for the daily care of the children and the running of the home. On an average we run $2000.00 short of our monthly budget. This is also due to the stronger Rupiah against the American dollar, thus we receive less Rupiah for our dollars. We do acknowledge the Lord for His kind care and keeping and providing and we will trust for the future also.

We had a funny thing happen. Six of the staff live in a separate building. Somehow they lost the key to the outside door, which they lock when they retire for the night. When at 5.30 am they wanted to go to the children's home to take care of the children they could not get out. I am sure I would have heard them if they would have called out of the window, but they did not want to waken me that early in the morning, so they waited till I started the generator at 7 am. I guess they had to run much faster that morning. They still did not find the key!

Today is a very busy day; we started to pour the cement floor on top of the water tank. The men work in three groups of 30 people each and have to work right through the night. There are no nice cement trucks with ready cement here. All the cement is mixed in 3 little cement mills, so it is imperative that the men keep working as not to get a seam in the cement.

We have had quite a few visitors in the last few months. In January, two teachers, Joyce and Mieke, came from Holland and helped for three months. They were a great help in the school and the little children just loved them. Our son Gary and his wife Ria came too for a couple weeks and at the same time Elien came for her yearly visit. They all left at the same time and even had to leave earlier because their planes were canceled. In order to catch their planes to their different destinations they had to wait 6 days in Bali. We had a nice time together and could catch up on all the news. In the month of June our cousin Arlene and her husband Cor hope to come for a few weeks. Cor and Arlene help to find support in the Netherlands.

Last week when we came back from our shopping trip at 5 pm, some one came to call us to see a very sick 7-year-old girl. She fell ill with malaria and had a very stiff neck. We went right back to town to bring her to the hospital. The doctors were afraid that she had meningitis, but that was not the case. She is still very ill and has trouble opening her eyes; she will have to remain in the hospital. There also is a 1-month-old baby who is quite ill and the parents wanted to give her to the home, but the family has to approve.

The father of the twins Sarah and Johannah beat up his own mother. He heard his wife and his mother arguing and he became so angry that he stormed in the house; the twin's mother knows his temper and ran away. Then he proceeded to beat up his mother with a rock and then with a stick and finally he stabbed her in the face with a knife. He is now locked up in the house of the mayor, but for how long? It is so common for the men to beat up their wives.

Please remember us in your prayers; we thank you for your continued support. That we too may call upon the name of the Lord for our daily needs. Genesis 4:26b.

Receive our heartfelt greetings,

Bill Sommer and the mission team