OUR
Young People
I am the third child of three. My parents are still alive and I have an older sister, but my brother died at the end of 2009, when I had almost finished Junior High School. In 2001 I was very young (6) and we lived in a small hut in the fields, my parents work on the land and I have just started Primary school. Many families lived next to our land so at the time I had one goal each day along with the neighbours kids— to go the village to school. It is approximately 4 km distance between the village and my parents fields, we are pleased to go to school every day and have to go back to the field again after school. This went on until my 4th grade and after my parents had slightly improved economy in 2005 we moved to the village until I graduated SD (Primary School).
My family background is not rich but sufficient for everyday, most people followed the Hindu religion, or were Muslims. Before I started school I was officially a Hindu in terms of learning and the environment, but after my Junior High School, I used to hang out a lot with people of Islam, and also I live in districts with Muslims and didn’t understand about religion so for about 2 years I began to follow Islam and in the end I got a knock from God. There's someone who was a servant of the Lord God who tried to help me make sense of God, by chance she was the principal of the school where I was. And from that moment I learned about Christianity but did not really want to know what a Christian is. Then I went on with my vocational school in Nanga Pinoh in 2010, but I had an accident, so I could not complete my first year at school and I was taken to the village to be treated. Because of lack of money and both my parents were still traumatized by my brother's murder that until now there is no culprit, I did not go to school anymore. From that moment on I went into the free world and for 5 years many things I did were not good in God's eyes. My parents could not afford to send me back to school. I do what is evil in the eyes of God and man. I thank God my father finally sent me to LWV, in order to reduce my misbehaviour, and learn a lot about God and other things. It was a good environment there and I met an English couple who supported and motivated me. Now I go with them and live in Bali to learn more about God and a better future. Now I'm still in the struggle, I want to go to college and my goal is to take a Business Management course in Yokjakarta if God wants it for my life, I keep praying and trying for my future to be a source of blessing for people in need. Amen.
I am the third of my sister and my brother, my family is broken home, shattered and untidy. It began from my father who always migrated looking for a job place to place.
He leave us and rarely back home and that made my mother sad, and suffering, and she must work alone for us every day and also there is other family they don’t like my family. My mother was really sad and disappointed to my father, finally my mother took a decision to leave my father and we moved to my grandma village unknown my father.
Four years later, after that my father came to my mother village and they make a decision to separate. That is the destruction of my family and the beginning destroyed of my heart. After the separated of my parent, I and my brother take by my father and we stay with him to his village and I continue my school there. But it was back again my fathers do the same thing to us, he leaves us, he migrated looking for money and rarely back home and that was make me sad and of course make my brother sad as well. Because of my father like that to us, I and my brother must separate; I stay with my uncle and my brother stay with my auntie. From that time I learn how to stand by myself, I learn how cook, I learn how washing up my clothes, feeding livestock, work every day, even on Sunday I work and I don’t go the church, my uncle said to me God cannot give us food. My uncle is hard man he gave me hard education I don’t know why, but I think because he hates my father. When I am sick no body care to me. On 7 July 2008 I went to Living Waters Village in Borneo and it belong to Mr. Ronny Heyboer. The first time I saw that place that was amazing place and that was the first time the nice place I have seen in my life. Big buildings, many people stay there and the people are really kind to each other. So I stay there, I met many friends from different tribe, different culture, and different countries. I met western people there. When the first time I saw them I am afraid them, why? Because they have big body, big muscle, white skin, different language, and that was strange for me. But after few weeks I know them, exactly they are nice people. At LWV I understand many things about God is. But I tell you my heart still not change yet from the sickness, painful, jealous and longing to my mother, until today I don’t meet her yet. Every night I pray to God I ask Him please meet me to my mother although only in my dream.
In 2009 my father was death and you know it’s put me in a big trouble and disorder in my life I don’t know what happen in my life, why my family must like this, why I was born to world with suffer and disappointed in my life. You know the sadness, anger, rejected, sensitive are growing up in my heart. Until one day I met somebody he’s from England I work with him to do electric, he teach me many thing about electric staff and not only that he teach about God love, a faith, how to forgive, how to give, he touch my heart, he heal my heart from the sickness he is like a father for me, a father who always stand beside his son. And now I continue my study in Yogyakarta, I take business course in UKDW university, he help me with that, he said to me God will provide for us and I believe that God will help his children and not close his eyes. Thank you for reading my story life. God bless you.
I was born in 1994 into a poor family, in a village far from the city so I did not know much about anything, even about God. I have 4 brothers, in 2000 my father fell ill and was unable to work so we became poorer, my life more difficult. in 2004 my father died when I was a 4th grade, and I left school to help my mom out to the fields for food every day. I have to work hard. I wanted to go to school but we have no money. In 2006 my cousin asked me - do you still want to go to school? I said yes but do you have the money to my school? he said no but he would take me school to another village where someone can help me pay for my school, I said ok because he was also at school there - it was a ministry school and so I went there, it was a place where orphans or poor children could go to school. The place was named Rivers Of Life Foundation Borneo. I feel very happy to be there, because a lot of friends and many people help me develop physically as well as spiritually. I read the Bible to learn to worship the true God. My life changed because Jesus is in my life. in 2008 I took the exam to finish primary school. I also got to know a lot of western people and learnt a lot of English. After the exams I went to junior high and I met Mr. Chris. After school I work helping Mr. Chris with electrics each day and I learn the English language and tell him a lot about my life. In 3 years I got to know him a lot and he got to know me a lot and helped me grow in the Lord. When I finished School I got permission to return home for two weeks. But when I arrived in my village I was greeted with sadness - mama is old and my brothers circumstances are as before. I feel sorry for mama. I decided to leave the ministry and stop school because I have to help mom and also pay for her medical expenses because she had pneumonia and suffered very strong pain, I started looking for work to find money for mama, and I work in search of gold down the mines every day. By 2014, my mother had more severe pain Because old age, and she died in the same year. After this I decided to go back to the foundation. I did this because I believe behind all that I face God had a wonderful plan for my life. Later that year, I returned to the foundation, but I can’t go to school because I am too old for high school. I always ask God what He wants to do for my life, and I'm sure He has a plan for everyone who truly believe in Him. In 2016 I took the exam equal to Senior High School. it all because of God. Now I have left the foundation and I am part of a strong church in Bali. I hope to study for a diploma in Mechanics. God bless you.
I am the youngest of 8 born in a Christian family that is not harmonious, my parents often quarrel, and so I get less affection from my father. One my sisters was handicapped since birth and 1 sister died of a brain tumour aged 1 month. Our family was so poor that my sister was not taken to the hospital, I was very sad to see that my parents could not bring her to a hospital. At that time our family was very poor, my father and mother worked on the land, in 2004 our family was so poor that it caused my brother and sister to drop out of elementary school (SD) and they started working to help my father and mother. At that time I was still very small, one day our family did not have enough money to buy rice, so we only ate noodles for 1 pack divided by 2 people in our family, it happened about 1 week, we only eat noodles every day.
Because we were so poor my mum and dad started to incise other people's rubber, starting in 2007. My sister and I are very happy to play together then my mother sell rubber to market with my sister and I stay at home, when they come I see my mum put a bottle of water on the kitchen table, and because I was thirsty I drank the water, it turns out that water is the rubber acid that my mother used to freeze the rubber. So I fell sick and had to drop out of school, my illness also did not heal, my family no longer afford to take me to the doctor so I just treated in the village for several months, when my condition is very critical, I cannot see anymore, my body is like a skeleton because I cannot eat for several months, I just continue to be fed by a stomach tube.
At that time the LORD JESUS ​​began to give a miracle in my family. My uncle who lived in Living Waters Village (LVW) told Mr. Ronny about me, and LWV’s big family started to pray for me. Very soon Mr Ronny took me to Kuching for an operation, but my condition does not allow for the big surgery. I was given a small operation first so that I can eat and provide nutrition to my body, when my nutrition started to improve, I had a major operation because my throat was destroyed by the rubber acid and had to be replaced with my gut, the surgery went well in the power of GOD JESUS, my family also happy to hear the news. After the operation I returned to Kalimantan and became part of LWV's big family. While I was living in LWV I was taught about Jesus, I started to know JESUS, and I finished my SD school and continued through to Year 1 of Senior High School. Unfortunately I then had to leave LWV. But God still had plans for my life, and I was able to continue my schooling in the town of Sintang. I graduated in May 2017, and then after some time in my village I worked for 6 months for a Christian business man in Sintang. I have a desire to help my people and hope to study Agriculture at university so I can help improve the farming land in Borneo.
I am the last child of 6, my mother died in 2016, and my father is 75 years old. I miss my mum and I am a little disappointed with God for taking her before I finish college and make her happy, but it was all planned by Him. I come from West Kalimantan (Borneo) from a very small village and very far from the city, the hospital and the school. It takes 5 hours by motorcycle to get to a hospital, because cars cannot enter our village, as the road is still bad and it is a 1 hour walk to school.
My five siblings are all married. When I was a kid I longed to go to school but my family could not afford to pay for my school anymore. At that time I did not know about the truth of the Lord Jesus, but there were people who told me about God, they say that God will show His Love to everyone who really loves Him. They told me that there is a place that accepts children like me who cannot continue school, or who are orphans. There they will teach about God, that place is LIVING WATERS VILLAGE (LWV) and is run by western people who have a heart for children like me from the depths of Borneo. I did not understand many things they tell about that place but my heart was touched and I also wanted to continue my school, because I just finished with elementary school so I decided to go there with the permission of my family because they cannot afford to finance me, so they say this is a good opportunity for me even though I am still small at the time, but I really want to go there even though far from my family. At that time I was 11 years old.
I was at LWV for almost 10 years, I learned a lot there. I was an unbeliever, I did not understand many things, but through that place I have a good relationship with God, I can testify to my family who do not know God, praise God. There I never worry about food and my life - I know God has provided it. Sometimes I forget to be grateful, but God always reminds me and I have a good relationship with him. In 2015 I finished High School, and I had to think about where I should go and what course should I take... but God has a different plan ..... In June 2017 I decided to leave the comfort of LWV, I decided that because I know wherever I am God is with me, although I may not be able to go to college, I believe God wants to show me some new things.
I have a longing to be a nurse or a teacher, because I see in my village many children cannot go to school and are sick because there is no good teacher or nurse. Many children aged 12-18 are married—I am very sad to see it. I miss being able to help children, I really hope that God will send someone who can help me to go to college, I believe that God will listen to my prayers. I pray I can achieve my dream to help underprivileged children and help them to get to know God.
In my village most people make a living with rubber trees and we get about Rp4500 /£0.20p a kg. We have to go to Primary school in the next village, a 1½ hour trip by canoe. When the river flooded we could not go to school. When we had our final exams the weather was bad and the river flooded but I had to take them otherwise I cannot go up to the next year. I decided to go by boat, I know it's dangerous for me. A lot of water came into the boat. I was a little panic while trying to get it out, but more water came. Finally I decided to jump into the river, I tried to swim and bring the boat to the bank, I try to remove all the water in the boat, and because I do not want to fail I continued my journey, I finally arrived at the school. My teacher told me, you can’t take the test today - but you can take it tomorrow. I was jumping with excitement in my heart thanking God. I went back and told my Mum. My mother just smiled and cried. She embraced me and whispered in my ear 'yes son God will open the way for you’. My father told me that he had no money for me to go to school again, I was very sad. Later my uncle told me about Living Waters Village, which accepts children for school free of charge. We decided I would go. At LWV I finished High School, then I served for two years. It was time to go to medical school, but they were not able to send me due to the enormous costs, this is a difficult situation for me, but God may have other plans for me. I fasted for 3 days. At that time Mr. Chris phoned me and ask me how I was and I told him everything and I asked him to pray. I had lived at LWV for 9 years and learnt a lot about God so it was very difficult to leave but God inside of me said 'now it’s your time to go'. I left LWV on 20 March 2017. I know it will be hard for me, I was a little worried if I could finish my training and become a doctor. But I want to surrender and always trust God, if He calls, then He will show me the way. In March 2017, I joined Mr Chris in Bali, he also did not have the money for me but challenged me to pray and have faith for the money I need for Uni . I worked for 9 months as an Electrical Installer in Java, and I believe that God has prepared me for my training in August 2018. Please pray for me, God bless you.
I come from a poor family. From young we hardly had enough to eat, my village Rangah is a small village and about 30 families live there. After school I would help my parents and take care of my sister and also sometimes help mama in the field, I am grateful for both my incredible parents love. I went to Primary School (SD) around the age of 7 years, it is about 15 to 20 minutes walk to the next village because in my village there is no school. I was born in a Christian family, but I did not understand who God is in my life, I only know if the day of the week should be worship, sing and listen to sermons but I do not understand the meaning of it all. In grade 3 SD I had dengue fever for about a month. My parents took me to the hospital and I am grateful I can recover from sickness but also I have frequent headache. For 6 years of education Praise God everything went well. After I finished SD my parents decided to send me to a foundation in Melawi, of course it was very hard for me and my parents, but because my family was very poor I went to Living Waters Village, and here I learn to live with people and to live away from home, this is the first time I was away from my parents. There were many new things starting from the morning prayer, washing, cooking, and also I have to follow all the rules. After a year I continued my school to Junior High School (SMP), I am very happy even though I am away from my parents, at least I can continue my education and my parents provide a good future for me, this is a happy time to meet new friends and experience amazing things and opportunity given to me, I am grateful that I can get good results, and after SMP I went to Senior High School (SMA), majoring in Science. This is also a new challenge for me, we leave at 6.30 in the morning to go by truck for 30 minutes to the town of Nanga Pinoh; sometimes it is very tiring.
After I finished school, I worked in the foundation for a year and then a group of us went to Jogjakarta for 6 months to develop our character and deepen our relationship with God. I met many wonderful people there. I learned from them how to build a closer relationship with God and I taught in the Sunday school, at GBI CORNERSTONE. Then we returned to the foundation. Later I had to preach on the evening worship! I was so scared because it was the first time I stood in front of about 400 people, but praise the Lord all my worries did not happen and I believe that what I delivered at that time was God's plan and everything was good for me.
A few weeks later I decided to leave, not because I could not live there but it was my desire for my life to be independent and also able to do new things and have new experiences. I came out of the foundation in June 2017 and now I live in Yogyakarta with some friends also grateful because there are people who want to help us all for the future to continue our study. My choice is difficult but I believe God will always help me, in August me and my friend started to work because the funding for our entrance to the university is not enough. I end up looking for work before going to college thankful because all the processes I experienced make me understand how it feels when we have to work hard.
I was born into a very chaotic and poor Catholic family. Mum & Dad were always fighting. My Dad was a leader in our village Catholic church but every evening he was drunk & rarely home. When Dad came home drunk my Mum was angry, sometimes he was violent to my mum & even to me. When I was a child, they often left me with others. My Dad left and Mum also went to another village. I stayed behind and even I breastfeed from others. My Mum almost asked my Dad to divorce her. As a kid I almost died from jaundice.
A few years later my Dad was changing, and he started looking for a job that could provide for our family. Then in 2002 I went to Primary School. I am very happy when I wore a school uniform, although I do not have shoes until the fifth grade, then I got shoes that had been my uncles. I still loved going to school. Every day me and my friends spent an hour paddling by boat to school. If it rained on the way we had to go home. I cry every day because my bigger friends often hit my head with a paddle because I was too tired. I used to think I’d quit school because of this and poor family conditions, but I was determined to finish primary school.
Praise God in 2006 my family and I accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. God began changing the lives of our families. My Dad, no longer drank and my parents never fight again. In 2008 after I finished Primary School, my Dad heard about Living Waters Village (LWV), but I do not want to go. I just want to go to school in Nanga Pinoh although I knew my parents could not afford it, but the next day I and my dad went to LWV. Somehow once there, I felt comfortable and peaceful. When leaders there asked me "Do you want to live here?" I replied “Yes”. I never thought I would live in a place where I get a lot of affection from others. I am sad to leave my parents & sister but I know this is my only opportunity to go to school. I know the Lord was calling and preparing me for what He wants me to do in life and He wanted to change me. I thank God I finished my school. My parents are very proud of me because I did very well at Living Waters and became proficient in English. After school every day I worked as an electrician at Living Waters, and Mr Chris was my work leader. I started to build a relationship with him, our communication is good because I can speak English and I learned a lot from him. I still feel it was a great blessing from God for me at LWV.
I have now gone to Bali with Mr Chris to build a better relationship with God , and prepare for university. This is a tremendous opportunity from God. In Bali I joined Destiny church with Pastor Ongky and I have really grown up and got blessed. I believe God is still calling me and has a big plan for my life.
My family is very poor, my parents just work on the land. I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers. I am the 7th and we lived in a remote village that is very difficult to reach: no school, hospital and others, our life is very difficult, only my elder brother and sister finished Junior School (SD). My dad could not afford to send me to school, but when I was 7 I told my dad and my brother that I wanted to go to school, my dad agreed because my eldest brother helped him to pay. I woke up at 4 am and at 5 I go to school because I travel 2 hours away from my village, it is very difficult for me because I was little. Sometimes when it was raining I did not go to school because we just went through a small jungle track. For 6 years I faced a lot of things but I did not want to stop school because I saw my family was struggling - no-one had finished school. After SD I want to continue to Junior High School (SMP), but my dad is old and he cannot afford anymore, I accept it. But the Lord had a plan for me and brought me to a friend. We talked about the future, I told him I can continue school because my dad had no money for it. He told me about a place that helps the poor—did I want to go? I want to so I told my parents and brother and they agreed. In 2008 I went there and for 8 years I lived there to complete SMP and SMA (Senior High School). I learnt many things from that place of the love of God and I learnt to live independently and know the Lord in my life. In 2015 I left to work in the city of Pontianak. For 1 year I worked, and I wanted to continue to university. I think how can I? I am often with my friends looking for a solution, I ask my dad for help, but he is old, my other brothers cannot help because they already have their own family, I am so confused about it, but I do not give up. Eventually I find a government nursing school. It is not my first choice, but in my heart I ask the Lord: GOD is this from you or not? I took the entrance test but I did not pass. I'm so sad. A few months later, I asked the Lord again, if it is your will to help me find a solution, within a month I'm looking for a job, (in Pontianak there is a university that has night school). After a month I still look for a job. Then I call my friend and she asked me if I am studying? I said No, - there was no money. I asked her, joking, can you help me. she said - I have a friend who knows a westerner, I will ask him. On 22/02/2017 he came to Pontianak. I found out I already knew him and we met. GOD was using papi Chris for my help. On 2nd March I joined him - this is all because God helped me. Before I joined him there are many things that I face. I did not pass the university test, I could not find work, but everything is because God has other plans in my life, I thank God for His goodness. God bless you all.