John "Tolibaga" Theodorus Johannes Dekker (28 December 1929 – 9 April 2024) was a Dutch-born Christian missionary.[1]
Biography
editDekker was born and raised in The Netherlands before moving to Canada in 1952.[2] He studied at Prairie Bible College, and later at the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Grace Theological Seminary, and Reformed Theological Seminary.[3]
He married Helen in 1958 and the two of them served as missionaries with Regions Beyond Missionary Union.[4] They engaged in medical, linguistic, and church work among the Lani people of the Toli Valley in Western New Guinea from 1960 to 1981. As a result of their ministry, the Christian population among the Lani grew to 13,000.[3]
In 1985, Dekker wrote Torches of Joy which tells the story of his life and ministry to the Dani (Lani). After his retirement, Dekker lived in Montrose, Colorado.[5]
John Dekker died on 9 April 2024, at the age of 94.[6] He was the father of the Christian novelist Ted Dekker.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Misionaris Asal Belanda Dr John Tolibaga Dekker Meninggal Dunia, Warga Tanah Papua Berduka". Odiyaiwuu.com (in Indonesian). 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Dekker, John; Neely, Lois (1999). Torches of Joy: A Stone Age Tribe's Encounter with the Gospel. YWAM Publishing. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Support John Dekker". Partners International. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Tucker, David A.; Knickerbocker, Arlene (2001). Circles of Blessing. William Carey Library. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-87808-605-4. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Felming, Ann-Marie (1 February 2000). "Indonesia is calling for Montrose missionary". Montrose Press. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "John Theodorus Johannes Dekker". Skyvue Funeral Home. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ Marrapodi, Eric. "Best-selling author shaped by cannibals, Christianity". CNN. Retrieved 17 September 2024.