East Timor is often called by its Portuguese name Timor-Leste. The country received independence from Portugal in 1975 and from Indonesia in 2002, making it one of the world’s newest countries. East Timor occupies the mountainous eastern half of Timor Island in southern Indonesia, and is surrounded by beaches and coral reefs.

Traditionally, most Timorese believe in good and evil spirits and nature gods. During the Portuguese occupation, many people added Catholicism, creating a mixture of the two religions. Today, over 97% of the population identify as Catholics, the largest percentage of any country.
The foreign occupation of East Timor was sometimes violent and did little to develop the people, resulting in low literacy and slow development. The widely spoken language is Tetun, followed by Portuguese and Indonesian. The Tetun Bible contains just the New Testament and Genesis.

TCM WORK IN EAST TIMOR

TCM is focused on East Timor due to its shared border with Indonesia, where TCM has worked since 1973. A former director of the Indonesian churches set a personal goal of taking the gospel to East Timor, something he could not accomplish due to failing health. TCM has taken up the challenge by including this rugged little country as one of the 11 countries of Southeast Asia.

TCM entered East Timor in 2018 with Aaron & Noemi Arsino and Asuncion “Ciony” Buca, serving as Team Timor missionaries. The Team is based in the capital city, Dili. They have engaged in learning the Tetun language and established a church and Bible training classes for members.  The TCM Association has been registered as a non-profit organization offering livelihood training and projects.  Gomer & Nene Indino transferred from Brazil to join the ministry in East Timor in 2023.