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Indonesia—John
The McGhees arrived in the city of Pontianak, Indonesia, in early
January, 1978. Pontianak is located right on the equator, along the
west coast of Kalimantan (formerly called Borneo). John and Lynn
immediately began studying the Indonesian language and culture.
Language acquisition was not easy for them but they continued to "plod
on" each day. They had to study by themselves, with only the help of an
Indonesian teacher who came to their house for just an hour or two each
week. Sarah had her second birthday that February.
Several months into language study, the McGhees visited the Embaloh
tribal people, who live in the dense jungles of Kalimantan. This was
John and Lynn's first visit to an actual tribe. The Embaloh people were
former headhunters and lived in enormous communal longhouses. Several
Embaloh people had put their trust in Jesus as their Savior. It was
thrilling for John and Lynn to attend a church service, sitting on the
bamboo floor on the front porch of the longhouse. They sang familiar
sounding hymns that had been translated into the Embaloh language. The
words were written phonetically so they could follow along while
singing.
A
day after returning to Pontianak, Sarah became deathly ill and was
diagnosed as having amoebic dysentery. An emergency flight was called
and an MAF pilot flew the family to the Baptist Hospital in a town north
of Pontianak. She was very close to death when she was admitted to the
hospital. John and Lynn watched helplessly as a little Indonesian boy
died of dysentery in the bed right next to Sarah's. She remained
critically sick for almost a week. It was only by God's grace and the
doctor and nurses' loving care that she was brought back from the brink
of death.
Back in Pontianak, language study continued for an entire year before
the McGhee family moved to the Island of Sulawesi. There they were to
continue their language study and begin to make plans to work in a
tribal location. They were greatly encouraged as they looked forward to
finally moving into a tribe.
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