God spoke to Irwan and his wife through dreams. Your support helped them survive.
Although Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, Irwan was born into a Christian community. He is from Nias, an island off the coast of Sumatra, where Christianity is the predominant faith.
He eventually left for the island of Sumatra in order to find a livelihood in mining. There, he converted to Islam in order to marry a Muslim woman.
But God wasn’t finished with Irwan.
He still enjoyed Nias gatherings when possible. These gatherings contain fellowship and scripture readings, which typically would be shameful for a Muslim. But these were Irwan’s people, and despite his conversion to Islam, he still enjoyed being around his people. Slowly, Jesus was coming back into Irwan’s life.
And one night, He made a dramatic entrance.
Irwan and his family connected with their local church and decided to get baptized.
Dreams that changed everything
Irwan described the dream he had as so vivid, so real. “In the dream, an angel was holding me, and the angel said, ‘Look at the lions on your left and right. It will pounce on you wherever you go.’ When I awoke, I realized that only God could keep me safe from the dangers that surrounded me. And it was then that I resolved to return to God.”
His wife, Lis, also dreamed that night: “My wife dreamed that the Lord Jesus came to her and held communion with her.”
Because they desired to know the Lord Jesus more deeply, they connected with a local church leader named Halawa and asked him to disciple them. Halawa was delighted to help and began inviting them to his church for worship.
Initially, they attended in secret. Irwan and Lis were living with Lis’ parents, who were devout Muslims and would object to their conversion.
But after attending every Sunday, and even deciding to be baptized, the secret could only last so long. Eventually Lis’ relatives called both Lis and Irwan in for an explanation.
“When they asked whether we had become Christians, we confidently answered ‘yes,'” Irwan said. “We were kicked out of my in-laws’ house.” With little money, Irwan, Lis, and their three children had to search for a new place to reside.
The challenges they face do not end there. Their neighbours have shunned them and Lis was fired from her job.
But thanks to supporters like you, their needs were met. “We met with an OD local partner, and we received the help we needed,” said Irwan with a smile.
“God knows our needs.”
Irwan is grateful for the assistance provided to his family in the form of a year’s rent on a house and education funding for their children. They also were given a machine that makes and produces crackers, which they sell as a family as a source of income.
Practical aid like this is beneficial for multiple reasons. For starters, the persecution victims experience benefits instantly. Following that, Open Doors partners work to ensure that over time, the recipient will become financially independent as a result of the initial assistance provided.
Irwan and other persecution victims like him are thankful for the impact made on their lives. “God knows our needs. This tool is extremely beneficial to our ability to support our family. The kids also enjoy helping my wife and I make crackers.” The family typically works on producing crackers together in the evening after homework time. “I thank believers all over the world who have assisted our family.”