September 2000

Dear Friends,

Since January of 1998 we have been living in Manado, in North Sulawesi. I have been working at the Christian University in Tomohon, a small city nearby, and my husband Johnnes’s office is here in Manado. I was asked by the university here to set up a language center. In Asia, it is now vital to have knowledge of English for many reasons— for business, tourism, academics, and church relations. Most people don’t know English, and there are few people qualified to teach English. We opened the language center almost two years ago, and now we are swamped with requests for help. We have been helping pastors, Sunday schools, theology students, doctors, teachers, government workers, and many others. I am trying to work with my staff and promote programs that will enable students to teach others. Recently the local church hosted the Christian Conference of Asia, and many church leaders from all over Asia joined us here for the assembly.

Johnnes does environmental work. He is now working with a USAID project to protect the coastal areas in North Sulawesi and throughout Indonesia. He and his staff have been successful in establishing the first community-based and community-run marine sanctuary in all of Indonesia! His work has caught the attention of many, and there is even a Discovery Channel film about the village where the marine sanctuary was established. Now he is being asked to replicate this kind of marine sanctuary in other places in the province. Such marine sanctuaries are successful because the villagers themselves manage them, and if there were many of them throughout the province and the country, they could help save coastal resources and improve the welfare of the people.

We apologize for not keeping in touch with many of our friends and churches in the United States. We have faced many more challenges after moving here than we ever did when we lived on Java. Because this area is more remote, the quality of human resources and services is poor. In addition, we have had health problems, such as my operation last year and our son Paul’s struggle with dengue fever. We have also experienced the influx of thousands of refugees from East Timor and Ambon and the Mollucas into the area. God has been with us here in Minahasa and North Sulawesi, and he has spared us thus far from the violence raging in other parts of the country, but we do face the resulting inflation and frequent lack of basic needs. So, with all of this and trying to take care of two little boys, I have found it difficult to keep in touch the way I had planned.

We will be coming back to the United States in December for about six months for our regular "interpretation assignment," which occurs every three years. We plan to fly straight to the Syracuse/Auburn area at the beginning of December, even though Mom and Dad will be in North Carolina. We will spend several weeks in Central New York before going to visit Mom and Dad, and then we will be settling temporarily in Rhode Island where Johnnes will be doing some work with the Coastal Resources Center and we will get to know some churches there.

May God bless all of you and always help you to strengthen your faith.

In Christ,

Cathy, Johnnes, Ian, and Paul Tulungen

The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 154