INDONESIA!

Hey guys!

Sorry it’s been a minute since I’ve written an update—thanks so much for sticking with me, praying for me, and just being awesome. I seriously appreciate every single one of you.

Hello from Indonesia!

I can’t believe how fast time is flying. It’s wild to think that I’ll be back home in less than a month. As this part of my journey starts to wrap up, I wanted to share some of the cool stuff God’s been doing out here.

So we got to Indonesia in early March, and things didn’t exactly kick off the way we thought they would. The first couple weeks were spent painting and helping set up this new community center, which honestly felt kind of slow at first. But looking back, it really helped me see what our purpose was here—to serve however we could, even if it didn’t feel super exciting right away. It definitely stretched me to be more disciplined and find joy in the small stuff.

One of my favorite parts of being here has been hanging out with the kids in the community. At the start, there were zero kids, but now we’ve got like 40 coming every day! We’ve been teaching English, doing crafts, playing sports, and even running Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes. I only get to go to the center twice a week, but man, I love those kids. It’s crazy how much you can show someone love without even speaking the same language. Jesus really doesn’t need a translator.

Another unexpected win has been meeting this group of local guys who love basketball. Marshall and I met them randomly at the mall (classic God move), and now we hang out with them every Friday night. We play ball, eat together, and just talk about life. It’s been such a natural way to build friendships, and some really cool spiritual convos have come out of it.

A couple weeks ago, one of the guys asked if I could pray for his younger brother who was sick. I didn’t know how serious it was, but later he told me his brother has cancer. He’s only seven. We kept praying, and a couple weeks later, we heard his health was improving! We even got to go visit him in the hospital, pray over him, and share the whole gospel with the family. The older brother said he had never heard it before but loved it and wants to learn more. I’m seeing him again tomorrow, so I’m praying he’s open to hearing more about Jesus. Seriously—God is on the move, and this was a reminder to never miss a chance to pray for someone. Jesus still heals.

We’ve also been part of a house church here, which has been super dope. Every Thursday, people from all over the world—Brazilians, Europeans, Indonesians—gather to worship, read the Word, and encourage each other. It’s powerful to be surrounded by such different people but be united in Jesus. I’ve loved it.

One verse that’s really stuck with me lately is 1 Corinthians 13:13:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

I’ve seen this lived out in so many ways here. Whether it’s teaching English, playing basketball, or just listening to someone talk about their life, it’s love that really breaks through the barriers. Even in the hard stuff—language struggles, missing home, cultural differences—God has been so present.

Please keep praying for our team—for open hearts in the people we meet and wisdom as we try to love like Jesus every day. Your prayers seriously mean the world to us.

These past 9 months have been the best of my life. I’ve learned so much, grown so much, and met some amazing people. God has been so faithful, and I wouldn’t trade this season for anything.

Looking ahead:

This summer I’ll be working with Palmcroft’s High School Ministry and helping with events and the SMI mission trip! I can’t wait to pour into students and share what God’s been teaching me.

Then in the fall, I’m starting at Grand Canyon University and joining the Barnabas Program while I work toward a Master of Divinity. I’m pumped to keep learning and digging into God’s Word more and more over the next few years.

I’ll be home May 22 and can’t wait to see everyone again back in Phoenix!

Thanks again for all the love and support. You guys mean so much to me.

MARANATHA. COME LORD JESUS.

—Jackson Schlesinger

DISCLAIMER: Names and photos of ministry hosts and the kids have been limited for safety reasons.

PHOTO TIME!!

Pics from the Community Center