Meet Dwight and Margaret Hartzler
Missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators
By: Nancy
Indonesia is the country with the largest Moslem population in the world. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ first came to Irian Jaya, Indonesia in the late 19th century and was introduced to the Sentani people around 1926. During the Dutch rule (early 1900’s to approximately 1960) a GKI church (the Indonesian version of the Dutch state church) was build in each village and is still the predominate church in that area. There are over 250 language groups in Irian Jaya (recently renamed Papua) who are isolated, primitive, but not dumb. Their homes reveal amazing architectural design using natural materials and simple tools and they can even make fire without matches. They are skilled in making dugout canoes, boats, and use the pithy material inside the trees to make a type of pudding. The Sentani people are surrounded by other language groups that are isolated and believe in primitive ancestral and territorial spirits.
Dwight and Margaret Hartzler went to Indonesia in 1975 with Wycliffe Bible Translators and began working with the Sentani people in 1976. Their children, Tony and Jacquelyn, were raised in Indonesia. Tony is working in the computer field and he and his wife, Jennie, live in Charlotte, NC. Jacquelyn is in the medical field and lives in Atlanta, GA. Dwight and Margaret have lived with the Sentani people, gotten to know them, given them God’s Word in their language, and have been instrumental in furthering literacy efforts to teach them to read. Through these efforts many lives have been claimed for the Kingdom of God. After many years of effort by many people, on February 5, 1999 the completed New Testament Bible in the Sentani language was dedicated. This is a tool to help 30,000+ people establish and maintain a meaningful relationship with their Creator.
Dwight continues to work on translation efforts and a book of Sentani songs was recently published. Most Sentanis love to sing and using these books is not only spiritually enriching, but also good literacy training. Over ten years ago, Dwight also began helping with cattle projects in order to help some Sentanis provide for their family through establishing and sustaining a herd of cattle. Several years ago, Margaret became the director of the Hillcrest International School which serves grades K-12. There are over 150 students, mostly missionary children.
It has been our privilege to meet and share a meal with Dwight and Margaret Hartzler on several occasions when they are in this area. They are both delightful people and eager to share their lives with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They are also eager to get to know us and how they can be part of our ministry at Maryville Evangelical Church. Even though Dwight and Margaret may consider their ministry in Papua as “planting little seeds”, they have seen the hearts of the Sentani people changed through God’s word and lives lived in praise and obedience to God. Maryville Evangelical Church is blessed to be part of the ministry of Dwight and Margaret Hartzler through our prayers, financial gifts, letters of encouragement, and fellowship.
“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.”
Matthew 11:5
(Jan, 2006)