Story number 3 for 25 May 2000

Elsewhere, international aid agencies are fleeing from Ambon, Indonesia, where Muslims are fighting Christians. However, not all agencies are pulling out of the country. As Medical Ambassadors International’s Terry Dalrimple puts it, they’re watching the situation. “It puts everybody on alert when there is violence that way, because there would be concern that in the long-term, any unrest in Indonesia will have impact on ministries there. Our ministry happens to be quite a distance from Ambon and where the current unrest is boiling. So, it’s not going to affect us as it might other ministries in the area.” Dalrimple says it is unlikely refugees from Ambon would travel to South Sumatra, where their work is although: “If we were to see refugees come into a community, I think they would be served as part of the community. We teach people how to be healthy spiritually and physically. We teach public health and we integrate evangelism and discipleship with our public health teaching.”