Health Reatreat Center for Indonesia - An Impossible Dream?
While Ramon and Shandy Tengkano have been busy running their satellite TV ministry, which reaches across Indonesia with Bible-based programming, they have also asked God how He wanted them to witness to those around them. God started them out helping local villagers, but more recently He has led them to work in the nearby city of Jakarta.
A few years after becoming missionaries, The Tengkanos began to have a burden for the people from the old life they had left behind. Shandy prayed for an opportunity to reach out to them, and God led them to get involved in athletic activities in the city.
Ramon and Shandy have dedicated themselves to building deep, true friendships within their athletic community and to glorifying Christ in the way they live their lives. They want these friends to see Jesus reflected in the way they teach their kids, the way they eat, the way they relate to each other, the way they relate to the turmoil in the world, and beyond. Only then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will their friends be open to learning about Jesus for themselves.
In 2019, the Tengkanos visited Butterfly Paradise in Cambodia–an impossible dream that God made a reality. They began to think about moving forward with their own impossible dream: a type of center of Influence–a health retreat center on their country property for people to come to exercise, learn, and rest, away from the noise and pollution of the city.
God blessed the Tengkanos with the resources to get started, and as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they began to see the need for the center even more. Ramon and Shandy’s friends from the city expressed how much they wanted to be around them because with them they felt more safe and at peace. They have been asking when the center will be done, but there’s still a long way to go.
During their stay at the center, guests will be able to enjoy:
Access to hiking trails
Guest bungalows
A 300m running track
A half-olympic sized swimming pool
A gym
A futsal (mini soccer) court
Health lectures and spiritual studies
One of the hiking trails near the Tengkanos' home
The local villagers will also be welcome to come and exercise and receive health ministry training. The Tengkanos hope to encourage local youth to participate in athletics instead of harmful activities like smoking or taking drugs.
The Tengkanos have completed the offices and some guest bungalows, but still need to finish the running track, pool, and gym, which will cost approximately $132,000. They are also praying about purchasing 15 acres nearby for water rights, additional bungalows, and a landing strip to begin an aviation ministry, which will cost $740,000.
The price of the satellite for the Tengkanos' TV ministry has gone down over the last couple of years, praise God, and the satellite bill and production expenses cost only $10 per hour of broadcast.
This may seem like an impossible dream, but we serve an all-powerful God. He did it with Butterfly Paradise; How many more impossible dreams can be accomplished if we place our trust in Him?
We invite you to join us in praying for this project: for God’s provision, for wisdom moving forward, and for the construction workers and future guests to see and experience Jesus during their time with the Tengkanos.
If you would like to learn more about this project, you can watch this presentation from FaithCamp East.
If God is leading you to contribute financially to this project, please click the button below.