Transforming lives
Testimony by George (identity protected). I'm the fourth of five boys in a family of farmers. I was born in 1989 in a small Indonesian island.
Even though I grew up in church hearing about Jesus, I didn't have a personal relationship with Him. When I was 10 years old, influenced by my surroundings, I started smoking, drinking and gambling. It lasted through my high school years when I started using and selling illegal drugs, even in the area where I lived.
During my high school years, I introduced four of my friends to the world of drugs. They were very good people and even today they remain in darkness.
I'm burdened for their lives because while I found the Light of the World, they still have no hope.
I know at that time I was still a nominal Christian and I didn't know the power of God. But it was only after I had a real experience with Jesus as my Lord and Savior, that my life changed completely.
It all started with the death of a family member, in a motorcycle accident. I saw how short life can be and I felt like I should rethink about where my life was leading me, since I was living for the things of this world. Then a Bible verse came to my mind: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
I surrendered my life to Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 2008 and felt a great peace inside, His grace and mercy found me. In 2009 I got baptized and followed the desire to know more about my God, so I studied theology. Some time after that I felt a desire to become a missionary for my own people group in Indonesia, since they are immersed in darkness, occultism, paganism, and gambling.
In 2015, I met an Indonesian pastor who God had sent to our island in 2013. He and Mr. Mattos invited me to join the Real Love Indonesia Foundation where I would have the opportunity to teach other students and prepare them to take the Gospel to Unreached People Groups in different islands of Indonesia.
But it was only in 2017, because God's calling was still burning in our hearts, that we (my wife and I) joined the program at Real Love Indonesia where the Seminary School is. Together, with other brave believers, we are seeing 50+ full time students being instructed and trained to be missionaries among Indonesian people. This year 23 of them will be sent to UPGs as church planters. Praise God!