ntil last year the majority ethnic Sundanese population near Bandung, Java, had no contact with the Adventist Church. The Sundanese were considered by many to be a "closed population"--a tight-knit community fiercely suspicious of outside influence.

But Global Mission pioneer Herman Syachroni felt a call to minister to this ethnic group. "The first thing I did was pray to God to ask the Holy Spirit to guide every single word I told the people," he says. After this he began to visit the Sundanese community, selling items such as clothing on an installment plan, and with each visit, he told his clients just a little more about the God he served. "The method I use I adopted from the Bible--the way Jesus lived and expressed His life to help others, and the methods of the apostle Paul," he says.

Other pioneers are now working with Herman, and 50 people have been baptized, with 300 studying the Bible. "I feel very happy to see these people baptized, because these people are happy to receive Jesus for salvation," says Herman.