Miter, you are fantastic! Sharing your mites with those in need around the world is incredible. What a blessing to be involved in an organization that helps others! Every trip puts us in touch with outstanding individuals who have devoted their lives to impacting their communities. Indonesia is no exception to this rule.
In a poorer area of Jakarta, Indonesia, we met a man named Mona. Mona is an effervescent soul that exudes excitement, love, and joy in all he does. He does a lot! Mona is a pastor. His church of just over 50 people meets in a small space attached to his home. He loves his church and takes care of his congregation with devotion. Right next to Mona’s home and church is a steel industrial building. Mona rents this building, and various daily activities are conducted in it.
You see, in addition to being a Pastor, Mona is an entrepreneur. He has developed, launched, and successfully run multiple businesses out of that steel building. The most recent company to grow out of it was his printing business which prints promotional products. That business has moved into a new location in Jakarta, while another has taken its place. The new one is a processing plant for making cassava (yuca) root cakes and puddings. Mona has developed a process for receiving raw cassava root and processing it through boiling, baking, freezing, and packaging processes until a wonderfully edible product emerges. Although the operation is less than 2 years old, over 1,500 units of his cassava products are sold daily!
But Mona does not stop there. He has also started a kindergarten for poor children in the area. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Mona teaches these children computer skills. Yes, he is also a kindergarten teacher. If this seems dizzying, you can imagine being with Mona on a Food and Shoes distribution to over 150 kids at his facility. It was awesomeness!
How did all this develop? Why does Mona do what he does? Mona loves people. His love is respected by those around him, which has put him in a place of authority. He uses that authority to help others. He talks about his church with the same excitement that he discusses his business and is just as excited as he is about the school. Mona does all this because he wants to help people. It is sincere, and it is powerful.