Natania's story (5)

The Last Part

With my teacher in YMCA

I am now back on track pursuing my original goal to better my future and this time without a hint of grudge towards my family because God has given me a new forgiving heart. Like many of us I work 6 days a week and so I decided to use my day-off wisely, but of course making sure not to miss church, and I enrolled in spa/massage classes in the YMCA.

When the Campaign of Israel began in December 2008 I participated for my studies to be a success. I first decided to let go off material possessions and gave God one-month salary as my offering but I did not stop there. I fasted and prayed every night and spent more time reading the Bible as a spiritual sacrifice. To add to that I decided to walk and take the ferry to and from school, Church and home as a physical sacrifice instead of taking the MTR. God worked astoundingly, I passed my assessments and received my diploma earlier than scheduled!

I am step closer to my dreams.

I decided to further ‘upgrade’ myself by going back to school. When I complete my studies July next year, I will graduate from Capstone College HK and Bintang Nusantara International and receive my Secondary 6 degree certificates.

Last but definitely not least I now trust God with my love life and will wait for the right person. I am no longer anxious and gone are the lonely days. I am free no longer enslaved by my weak emotions, I will not settle for just anybody. In the end He is the true love that I have been looking for all my life, He gives me the kind of love that nobody else could give me. Thanks to the teachings in the Therapy of Love Seminars, I learned that getting into a relationship is not a joke and having a partner is definitely not a solution for loneliness.

I am now walking hand in hand with God. I have no regrets from any of the problems that I have gone through. God exists and He is always there to hear those who call on Him.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

***As published on FIA Bulletin

..ending??? of this post, yes..
But the journey towards my dreams continues everyday of my life.

Natania's story (4)

I said to God, “Lord if You permit me, I want to go to Hong Kong not just for the higher pay but most of all to get me out of sin, to let me know You and to follow You with all my heart. But I don’t have enough money and I also need to take medical exams for my application and the clinics are closed on Sunday - my one and only day-off." 


Indeed God answered my prayers as two months later my agent called to inform me that there was a job opportunity in Hong Kong! My certainty in Him having answered my prayers was reinforced when I was given a Friday off because my employer went out of town and so I had the opportunity to go for my medical. To cut a long story short, my application to work in Hong Kong was granted.


Finally in Hong Kong, on my first Sunday off I looked for a church and with the help of my employer I found a nearby church but I felt something was still missing. In search for God I found myself wandering from church to church.


I remember that at one of the churches I had a serious talk with a religious leader and told him, “Look, I am a great sinner, I want to repent and get baptized. Can you help me?” The priest looked me in the eyes and said: “We will discuss this issue next time. Okay? Take it slowly…” Although I persisted and repeated my request to my disappointment the water baptism never happened. Upset and worried I remembered thinking, “What if an accident happens and I die tonight? Would that mean I would go to hell?!”

I then came across an advert in an Indonesian newspaper from UCKG HelpCentre advertising a gift bottle with Holy Water from Israel. They offered prayer & help to people in need. The following Sunday I went with a friend in search for the Church, but after attending the first meeting I developed bizarre nightmares for a whole week! So I didn’t go back the next Sunday but I kept the bulletin I had received with me.


I was going through the bulletin one day when I saw the text-hotline. The next moment, I found myself sending messages and opening up about my problems to the pastor. He invited me to come and attend the faith meetings again and I accepted the invitation. I decided to get myself baptized in water straight away without delay.


After my baptism everything became clear to me; God opened my eyes about the purpose in life. I finally found a reason to live for and started my new life with Jesus. Although problems still come and go, the hard times I faced have made my love for God greater than ever.

To be continued.....

***As published on FIA Bulletin

Natania's story (1)

                              The childhood

I was raised in a Muslim family, where a day never seemed complete without a fight between my parents. My two siblings and I would be deafened by the cursing and swearing that would come out of their mouth, yet this was just an ordinary occurrence in our household. There were times when my father would beat or whip my mother, a very unpleasant sight for anyone to see let alone our neighbours who saw our parents fights as another juicy snippet to gossip about. Although they weren’t aware of it, little did they know that their actions were to have a tremendous impact on my life…

When we grew up my sister ended up going to Jakarta to work whilst my brother and I stayed home to help our parents. We worked hard doing all the work around the house but no matter how much I did my mother was never happy with my efforts and would often bad-mouth me to her friends saying that I was useless and lazy. Resentful towards my mother I decided to follow my sister to Jakarta. 

- To be continued....




***As published on FIA Bulletin.

Martha Munizzi - Glorious

When you come into His presence
Lifting up the name of Jesus
And you hear the music playin'
And you see the people praisin'
Just forget about your worries
Let your troubles fall behind you
Don't you wait another minute
Just get up and on your feet and

Chorus:
Get to dancing
Singing jumping leaping
Get to shouting
Make it loud and make it glorious
Start rejoicing praising lifting raising
Get to shouting
Make it loud and make His praise
Glorious glorious

(VAMP)
I was created
To make Your praise glorious
I was created
To make Your praise glorious glorious
Yes I was yes I was

'The Backup Plan' Trailer HD

Decision

Decision...The power to choose 

What I have learned lately made me open my eyes and understood the reason why somehow I suffered a lot and still suffering. I underestimated my power to decide on my own, I waited for God to make a miracle to change my life, just when an awakening thought struck me: God is not a magician. He makes miracle in partnership with the person. First, "decide what you want to happen in your life, use your faith, and then after you have done your all believe that I (God) will do the things that you cannot do."
God so loved us that He gave us the free-will, the power to choose. It has to be our choice first. As it is written, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now CHOOSE life, so that you and your children may live." (Deut 30:19-20)

Before I decide, I have to have faith that it will work. Now, faith is being sure of the things that we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Heb 11:1). After making a decision, after choosing, I act on the decision that I have made. Action, "for faith without works is dead."(James 2:17) If the desire to change remains inside of me, and I don't express it in some sort of decision and action, it will only remain to be powerless and cant help me at all.

As it is written, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.(Matt 18-18). Now, I  pray with my brothers and sisters in Christ, with the man of God, to bind here on earth so that it will also be bound in heaven. The angels of the darkness, will do anything, yes anything to ruin it. That's something needs to be watched over for they are clever. They love to play with my fragile heart, my emotions and  that I need to constantly ask for help from God to send His angels to do the battle for me. I wonder how do they do the war? Kick-boxing? Wrestling? or Kung-fu? Whatever! I do not need to think and much more worry about it. =))

If you don't decide for yourself, somebody will come along and decide for you. That is the time when you say, "I don't have a choice". What a pity...the truth is, you did have a choice, you were not just bold and courageous enough to take the step.. To sacrifice..For everything has a price to pay. No sacrifice, No success. God Bless You.

Unfair!!!

Life is just so unfair!!! 
Well...sometimes or most of the time???


I always think that way before.
I do you a favor, you never thank me. Unfair!
I help you carry your luggage to the bus stop because you were going home. You said thank you, and promised to call me back here because you know that I will miss you but you were so drowned by the "coming-home-fever" that you have no time to call me. How mean you were to be so happy without even remembering me here. Unfair!!
You promised me to lend me your computer because I am going to talk to my friend, but it just so happened that you have an unexpected work to do that you cannot lend it to me. But hey, you promised me and I already booked an appointment to my friend. Unfair!!!


Yes indeed, sounds so unfair. On the other side....
I forgot to look on the other side.
On the other angle. 
I was so unfair for I was so sunk in my own emo that I forgot to consider other peoples concerns.


In life, there are lots of things to be disappointed about. But there are even more and more reasons to be thankful. Instead of whining unfair, look at the other side first and be considerate to understand other peoples interest too.


I know a certain person that sounds like that. I would do her favours even though  sometimes I do it out of my way just to help. She would ask for help now and then, of course I gladly embrace and cheer while helping her out.  On one occasion due to an inevitable circumstance, I wasn't able to make her a favour. Then she acted so differently from then on. I tried to talk to her and even asked if she was mad at me. She just bluntly said, "Oh no! Not at all" coupled with a fake smile. Of course it made me uneasy and disappointed at first. But as days pass by, I realize in fact I was doing myself the favour.


People may use you as long as you let them to. Why should I be sorry if she do not wanna make friends with me. It only means that;
I do not need to make phone calls on her behalf to the English speaking customer service because she always say the she is not so good on it and that I should help to make things easy for her.
I do not need to keep her things here in my place because she doesn't have space for her own stuffs.
I do not need to pack her things to send back home on her behalf because she doesn't have time.
I do not need to be interrupted using my laptop because she will borrow it.


After all the favours I did, she didn't even consider which simply meant that she was just after her own good. Friendship as far as I know is about giving and taking. Do I sound bitter? Oh no! not at all. I am sure one of these days, we will come across our ways again.


It is just fair enough for me..=)

Let Me be the first to know

Whatever is on your mind? Let Me be the first to know. Then you will have a heart of  joy.


If only we have ears to listen to what God says, maybe that is what HE would always wanna  tell us to remind us that actually, we do not need to vent out to our "trusted friend'' of whatever is bothering us every now and then just to find out that our "trusted secret" was already the talk of the town. Then we return to our friend, and a lot of talking, explaining, blaming happens.


Of course, we would be assured,  "I won't tell" and the next one..."sure! sure! you can count on me".
 And to the other we say, "You are the only one I'm telling you this"....and the chain goes on. In between those chains, without realizing it the father of lies was there. Listening, pretending to really care but at the back he is already plotting a good plan to make the worst! To bring the disaster! 


Well..thanks to you my "trusted friend for taking care of my trusted secret". And the very thing the father of lies wants to happen is happening. To break the trust between friends. To destroy friendship. 
Come on....Hey! It wasn't your friend, it was the liar, the devil in between who found a good way of using the weak of us. Ephesians 6:12


Very well then...now we blame so and so. In the very first place, if and only if we let HIM be the first to know.  Then we would have a heart of joy for our trusted secret is on the hands of the most trusted One!