Robyn & I made a trip to Bali in July 2019 to visit Adrian & Jo Murley. It was an opportunity for us to catch up with them and experience what their ministry is like. From their outreach in Nusa Dua (provincial capital of Bali) to the Hope School for the Compassion Kids Program & Water Tanks Projects up the mountains in Munduk, we had a look at all the things that they’re doing.
The first leg of our journey took about 2 hours, up a narrow and windy mountain road with scenic views of villages, rice fields and stunning views.
Our first stop was round a bend, down a very steep dirt road to the Hope School where we were greeted by John & Made Stevens. This couple were originally assisting Ken (now home with the Lord) & Rayma Tracy in their mission field in Kupang.
This piece of land is in a remote location but it is surrounded by great views of greenery and has the freshest air. John & Made relocated from Bali city to this place with a vision to build a school to help the local community. Hope School is a project built and managed by them and another couple named Michael & Aniq, who are locals. This school meets a great need for the local village, it is a place for the children to learn reading & writing, play games and provides a healthy environment for them to interact. The playground was built by John out of material that he salvaged or purchased cheaply.
All materials and machinery need to be bought and hired from downtown and John works with very limited tools to save costs. He single-handedly built two double storey buildings which serve as classrooms for the children, a kitchen, toilet block, a conference room and several guests’ rooms upstairs for visiting missions’ teams; he occasionally has some help from visiting missions teams.
Made, together with a staff member, conduct a teaching program for the children while their parents toil in the farms. The children eat one meal here each day that is cooked by Made and her staff; chickens reared on the compound provide the eggs!
There are approximately 150 children at Hope School. These children are part of a Compassion Kids project, it is thanks to generous sponsors that these children are able to have this program at Hope School.
John also builds water tanks. Even though there is plenty of rainfall, very few families have the means to capture and store large amounts for daily use. Building the tanks gives families a storage capacity of 10,000 litres in comparison to a 40-gallon drum in most cases. Adrian Murley is very much part of this water tank projects and is working very closely with John to advocate for water tanks for the surrounding communities. CityLife’s missions’ teams to Munduk have helped to raise funds and build several water tanks for local families. In helping with the build, teams mix cement, concrete the tanks and connect the pipes to the tanks. We had the privilege of visiting two families whose tanks were built by our missions’ teams.
Sponsoring a child from the Hope School has a lasting effect on their life. Donating funds to build a water tank (AUD $650) has an immediate and ongoing blessing to a whole family. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact world.impact@citylife.church
‘Think Missions. Think Global. Think Short Term Team’
– Eva Yong
