SUNDERMEIER HOME - A light in the district

Joseph Mannar, MMS Missionary in Timor-Leste and House Parent of Sundermeier Home, Gleno.

Sundermeier Home (SH) is a student hostel in Gleno, which is a mountainous region in the district of Ermera in Timor-Leste, about an hour’s drive away from the nation’s capital of Dili. The idea of having a hostel was conceived in 2012 when MMS leaders observed that many students had to walk two to three hours each way to attend school as the only High School in the Ermera district is in Gleno. To meet this need, SH was established in 2016 to provide a Christian environment for poor and needy children from remote villages to continue their High School education in Gleno. The hostel has the capacity to house 20 boys and 20 girls.

Alumni & current SH hostelites.

SH is a place where these hostelites have the opportunity to grow in their faith and develop Christian values. Daily worship and devotion sessions enable them to learn about God, and living together in community provides students with opportunities to practice Biblical living and loving their neighbours. The hostel aims to be a blessing to all the hostelites and their respective families by providing a safe and nurturing environment for their holistic development during their three-year stay. Daily routines of different chores around the hostel expose the hostelites to practical life skills and teach them to grow in values such as responsibility and diligence.

First batch of graduates from Sundermeier Home.

A light to the villagers

Together with my wife, Grace, we are MMS missionaries who have been serving as house parents since the hostel’s first intake of students in 2016. Treating all the hostelites fairly and maintaining my own spiritual life in the day-to-day running of the hostel is my Christian witness to the students and their families. Grace and I firmly believe that the Biblical model for the hostel can be found in Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Hence, as house parents, we work constantly with our hostelites to develop good rapport with their neighbours and community leaders to draw man to Christ.

In a recent appreciation service organised by the first batch of hostelites who had graduated in 2019, the hostelites’ family members were invited to the service and to renew their faith in Jesus. The warmth and openness in the hostel, as well as the hostelites’ deep appreciation for us, whom they affectionately address as “Papa” and “Mama”, demonstrated the tangible love of Christ found in SH, which extended to the community.

Hostelites appreciating Joseph.

We pray that our hostelites will grow to become mature and responsible citizens and leaders, serving their community and nation.

Making a long-lasting impact

SH aims to inculcate Christian values and help hostelites to develop learning skills, so they will be able to contribute to the community and to the nation. We pray that our hostelites will grow to become mature and responsible citizens and leaders, serving their community and nation.

Although three years is a short time of discipleship, we pray that God will water and grow the seeds planted in our hostelites’ hearts. As house parents, a big challenge we face is the lack of time for deep discipleship on top of running the daily administrative and logistics duties in the hostel.

Pray with us that our hostelites will be able to find opportunities for future studies and jobs after they graduate from High School and SH. Pray that we will be able to raise young leaders who will serve and lead in the hostel and give back to their community.

Pray with us for more Christian workers to disciple the hostelites. We invite you to visit us to conduct training workshops or Bible Study programmes that increase our students’ exposure to and deepen their understanding of God’s word. A short-term stay of one to three months can give our hostelites another role model to learn from and help our hostelites to practice their conversational English skills. Even if you feel you have no specific skills to offer, God can use your willing heart in a special way! Your prayer and presence matters!

Celebrating Christmas 2021.