Living With and Serving the Community
Some missionaries live in compounds that separate them from the people they “serve.” Josh and Githa believe in living with the people they serve as Jesus did. Currently, they have six students living with them from various religious backgrounds getting an academic education as well as a religious and practical education. There are also two missionaries in training living with them. Yes, their house is a bit crowded. Although Josh and Githa belong/are associated with a religious organization/denomination, they focus on the Gospel and the Word of God. Josh and Githa share their faith when taking Ubers (actually GoCar or Grab Car), when on public transportation, and when talking to merchants or any other place one can have a personal conversation. They have even made friends and religious contacts purely online. Importantly, Josh and Githa are not shy from cooperating with like-minded ministries. Although they are against compromising truth, they look for common interests and try to apply Christ’s prayer in John 17 asking His followers to unite in their efforts, working on projects they can agree on.
Providing Emergency Medical Services in a Remote Village
Presently, as the demand for the educational services exceed their home’s capacity, they are trying to purchase land to build a larger home/homeschool, as well as an attached clinic for emergency cases as well as natural therapies. Prior to arriving in Indonesia, Josh was a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NR-EMT) and volunteer firefighter. The village of Liang Merdeka, a remote village with 70 families, has no emergency medical services within four hours of rough travel, and no trauma services within seven to eight hours. This same village is the site of their future home, as two of their current students are from this remote village and several others are from a nearby village. Josh hopes to teach first aid as well as provide emergency medical services when the need arises. He also plans to expand his training to accommodate the needs of the village.
Loving the Little Children
Githa plans to develop educational and religious programs for the younger children of the village, as they have very few character-building/educational programs available to them. Most of the time, these children run riot as their parents are working in the fields. Githa and Josh are strong believers in outdoor living and education. They believe that children should spend more time outside than in the classroom, although the classroom can be necessary at times. They believe that God’s outdoors are the perfect classroom for all aspects of mental, spiritual, and physical development, and tailor their educational programs to fit this context.
Most of the little children in the village of Liang Merdeka lack proper clothing for the cool mountain climate. Josh reports that if you touch most of the children in the morning, they are very cold and shivering. Josh and Githa have already begun distributing clothing donations to this village. They are also encouraging the village residents to give up smoking for financial and health reasons, although there are spiritual reasons they can employ for those with strong spiritual beliefs. The children of Liang Merdeka, as well as most Indonesian homes, are constantly exposed to second-hand smoke, as most adult or even adolescent males smoke. They aim to prevent the next generation from taking up this debilitating habit, as well as alcohol and betel leaf and nut.
Their Store Ministry
God has a knack of modifying people’s plans, and Josh and Githa are well experienced in this blessing. Josh wanted to help a widow improve her roadside vegetable stand in Pematangsiantar where they currently live. At first, he was just going to decorate it a little, to make it stand out. Then it evolved from a 4 foot by 6 foot bamboo stand to a 15’ x 18’ brick building about fifty feet from the original stand. Furthermore, this building is not just for the widow, but Josh and Githa will be providing vegetarian and vegan food, as well as natural supplements for sale. In the back of their store they plan to give massages and other natural hands-on therapies. Their building has already been built, but they are just finishing up some last finishing touches and preparations before opening. A week or two after this gets published, I expect they will be open and serving their community. They plan to teach their students, living with them, customer service and sales. The students have already been learning how to cook, so all of their skills will be improved as the kids help out part of each day at the store. They plan to hire a worker or two to help with continuing their work in Pematangsiantar when they move to Liang Merdeka. However, they still plan to manage the store, and provide fruits and vegetables from Liang Merdeka, providing assistance to the local farmers in their community.
More About Their Future Building in Liang Merdeka
They have designed a multipurpose home. They have designed it to house up to fifty students, two missionary families, have a meeting room that triples as a large classroom, meeting room, and dining room. If you look at the picture below, you will see two wings, those are for boys’ and girls’ dorms with attached housing for the missionary families. In the yellow section, the tail of the “airplane,” also known as the first stage, is the clinic consisting from left to right, an emergency bay/surgery, a waiting room, and beds for those needing longer term care. Josh hopes to recruit a professional or two to manage the clinic in the near future, although he anticipates very few people being admitted at once, as the village is quite small…unless neighboring villages send their residents. They will invite the village to attend worship services there, but are not going to call it a church, as they do not want to get into the politics of it, and they want to maintain a home atmosphere as much as possible.
The construction of this building is divided into three stages, or as funds allow. Surprisingly enough, the cost of brick and mortar construction is quite cheap. To build the entire building without furnishings will cost around $6,000-$8,000. The other expenses will be the doors and windows, toilets, and general furnishings and equipment. Josh is trying to raise at least the first stage, or $4,000, which will use the future clinic as a residence until the rest of the money can be raised.
What are Their Current Needs?
1. Land $1500
2. Building Construction costs 1st stage $4000, 2nd stage $4000, 3rd stage $5000
3. Bus repairs (It runs, but needs some work) $2000
4. Tools for Vocational training and Projects $1000
5. Ovens for their store $1200
6. Commercial Mixer $600
7. Medical equipment and supplies $3500
Who Are Josh And Githa?
I first met Josh years ago when we were both students at Southern Adventist University. With his kind heart and creativity and passion for missions we quickly became good friends. It didn't surprise me 8 years later, to find Josh in Indonesia.
In 2018, Josh married Githa, a mission-minded Indonesian girl equally as passionate as himself about loving people who are less fortunate and pointing them to Jesus. She is a graduate of Amazing Facts College of Evangelism-Indonesia. Their ministry is an independent ministry that is supported entirely by donations from people that share their same passion. You can read more about their friendship evangelism here: Global Humanitarian Outreach-Indonesia Project. I have personally been donating through Josh and Githa to help put two girls from their local community through school. It has been such a blessing to be able to partner with Joshua and Githa as they love the people in Indonesia!
Since serving in Indonesia, Josh has completed a master’s in education with a concentration in educational leadership in order to better serve in developing their educational ministry.
Agents of Faith
Josh and Githa have made it their life to walk with God in faith. They do not depend on a church or other organizations to guide them, but rather take the authority given in Matthew 28:18-20 to be missionaries and let God’s Spirit lead them as God led Abraham, not knowing where they are going, but knowing Who they are going with, and for whom they are to serve.
YouTube Channel “Vicarious Indonesia”
Josh and Githa have started a small YouTube Channel named Vicarious Indonesia. Josh has tried to share a little of their busy lives and activities, although their work can be sensitive to filmography, limiting much of what they could share. Unlike most YouTubers, they are not filming all the time and everywhere. However, they have some unique and interesting videos if you would like to see them.
Some missionaries live in compounds that separate them from the people they “serve.” Josh and Githa believe in living with the people they serve as Jesus did. Currently, they have six students living with them from various religious backgrounds getting an academic education as well as a religious and practical education. There are also two missionaries in training living with them. Yes, their house is a bit crowded. Although Josh and Githa belong/are associated with a religious organization/denomination, they focus on the Gospel and the Word of God. Josh and Githa share their faith when taking Ubers (actually GoCar or Grab Car), when on public transportation, and when talking to merchants or any other place one can have a personal conversation. They have even made friends and religious contacts purely online. Importantly, Josh and Githa are not shy from cooperating with like-minded ministries. Although they are against compromising truth, they look for common interests and try to apply Christ’s prayer in John 17 asking His followers to unite in their efforts, working on projects they can agree on.Providing Emergency Medical Services in a Remote Village
Presently, as the demand for the educational services exceed their home’s capacity, they are trying to purchase land to build a larger home/homeschool, as well as an attached clinic for emergency cases as well as natural therapies. Prior to arriving in Indonesia, Josh was a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NR-EMT) and volunteer firefighter. The village of Liang Merdeka, a remote village with 70 families, has no emergency medical services within four hours of rough travel, and no trauma services within seven to eight hours. This same village is the site of their future home, as two of their current students are from this remote village and several others are from a nearby village. Josh hopes to teach first aid as well as provide emergency medical services when the need arises. He also plans to expand his training to accommodate the needs of the village.Loving the Little Children
Githa plans to develop educational and religious programs for the younger children of the village, as they have very few character-building/educational programs available to them. Most of the time, these children run riot as their parents are working in the fields. Githa and Josh are strong believers in outdoor living and education. They believe that children should spend more time outside than in the classroom, although the classroom can be necessary at times. They believe that God’s outdoors are the perfect classroom for all aspects of mental, spiritual, and physical development, and tailor their educational programs to fit this context.
Most of the little children in the village of Liang Merdeka lack proper clothing for the cool mountain climate. Josh reports that if you touch most of the children in the morning, they are very cold and shivering. Josh and Githa have already begun distributing clothing donations to this village. They are also encouraging the village residents to give up smoking for financial and health reasons, although there are spiritual reasons they can employ for those with strong spiritual beliefs. The children of Liang Merdeka, as well as most Indonesian homes, are constantly exposed to second-hand smoke, as most adult or even adolescent males smoke. They aim to prevent the next generation from taking up this debilitating habit, as well as alcohol and betel leaf and nut.
Their Store Ministry
God has a knack of modifying people’s plans, and Josh and Githa are well experienced in this blessing. Josh wanted to help a widow improve her roadside vegetable stand in Pematangsiantar where they currently live. At first, he was just going to decorate it a little, to make it stand out. Then it evolved from a 4 foot by 6 foot bamboo stand to a 15’ x 18’ brick building about fifty feet from the original stand. Furthermore, this building is not just for the widow, but Josh and Githa will be providing vegetarian and vegan food, as well as natural supplements for sale. In the back of their store they plan to give massages and other natural hands-on therapies. Their building has already been built, but they are just finishing up some last finishing touches and preparations before opening. A week or two after this gets published, I expect they will be open and serving their community. They plan to teach their students, living with them, customer service and sales. The students have already been learning how to cook, so all of their skills will be improved as the kids help out part of each day at the store. They plan to hire a worker or two to help with continuing their work in Pematangsiantar when they move to Liang Merdeka. However, they still plan to manage the store, and provide fruits and vegetables from Liang Merdeka, providing assistance to the local farmers in their community.
More About Their Future Building in Liang Merdeka
They have designed a multipurpose home. They have designed it to house up to fifty students, two missionary families, have a meeting room that triples as a large classroom, meeting room, and dining room. If you look at the picture below, you will see two wings, those are for boys’ and girls’ dorms with attached housing for the missionary families. In the yellow section, the tail of the “airplane,” also known as the first stage, is the clinic consisting from left to right, an emergency bay/surgery, a waiting room, and beds for those needing longer term care. Josh hopes to recruit a professional or two to manage the clinic in the near future, although he anticipates very few people being admitted at once, as the village is quite small…unless neighboring villages send their residents. They will invite the village to attend worship services there, but are not going to call it a church, as they do not want to get into the politics of it, and they want to maintain a home atmosphere as much as possible.
The construction of this building is divided into three stages, or as funds allow. Surprisingly enough, the cost of brick and mortar construction is quite cheap. To build the entire building without furnishings will cost around $6,000-$8,000. The other expenses will be the doors and windows, toilets, and general furnishings and equipment. Josh is trying to raise at least the first stage, or $4,000, which will use the future clinic as a residence until the rest of the money can be raised.
What are Their Current Needs?
1. Land $1500
2. Building Construction costs 1st stage $4000, 2nd stage $4000, 3rd stage $5000
3. Bus repairs (It runs, but needs some work) $2000
4. Tools for Vocational training and Projects $1000
5. Ovens for their store $1200
6. Commercial Mixer $600
7. Medical equipment and supplies $3500
Who Are Josh And Githa?
I first met Josh years ago when we were both students at Southern Adventist University. With his kind heart and creativity and passion for missions we quickly became good friends. It didn't surprise me 8 years later, to find Josh in Indonesia.
In 2018, Josh married Githa, a mission-minded Indonesian girl equally as passionate as himself about loving people who are less fortunate and pointing them to Jesus. She is a graduate of Amazing Facts College of Evangelism-Indonesia. Their ministry is an independent ministry that is supported entirely by donations from people that share their same passion. You can read more about their friendship evangelism here: Global Humanitarian Outreach-Indonesia Project. I have personally been donating through Josh and Githa to help put two girls from their local community through school. It has been such a blessing to be able to partner with Joshua and Githa as they love the people in Indonesia!
Since serving in Indonesia, Josh has completed a master’s in education with a concentration in educational leadership in order to better serve in developing their educational ministry.
Agents of Faith
Josh and Githa have made it their life to walk with God in faith. They do not depend on a church or other organizations to guide them, but rather take the authority given in Matthew 28:18-20 to be missionaries and let God’s Spirit lead them as God led Abraham, not knowing where they are going, but knowing Who they are going with, and for whom they are to serve.
YouTube Channel “Vicarious Indonesia”
Josh and Githa have started a small YouTube Channel named Vicarious Indonesia. Josh has tried to share a little of their busy lives and activities, although their work can be sensitive to filmography, limiting much of what they could share. Unlike most YouTubers, they are not filming all the time and everywhere. However, they have some unique and interesting videos if you would like to see them.