Couple Continues Their Ministry With Your Help God had placed a love and compassion in the hearts of Agus (68) and Tina (42) for their Muslim neighbors. In 2009, the couple met a Christian who had the same passion for ministry which sparked them into action. Afterwards they began to actively share the good news with their Muslim neighbors and families, and opened their home for believers from a Muslim background to meet every Thursday night. But God still had another plan for the couple. As they reached out to Muslims in their neighborhood they began to notice those suffering with HIV were shunned from society. Agus and Tina’s realized that in Indonesia, HIV patients are often excluded from their families and communities, and their hearts began to break for them. The couple began visiting a public hospital in Malang, East Java every day to distribute food and some medicines. Originating as simple acts of compassion to meet a desperate need, their visits became the starting point for their ministry among these marginalized Muslims. The two quickly realized, however, that in order to support their ministry, they needed to expand the meager salt egg business they operated out of a small stall. “As the ministry started to grow,” explained Tina, “we needed more money to support and reach out to more Muslim patients. We realized that our small business was not even enough to support our daily needs.” After approaching traditional and mainline churches for assistance, the couple quickly realized that those organizations were often hesitant to support such ministries out of fear. In 2012, Agus and Tina were invited to attend a gathering of Christian workers like them in East Java that Open Doors (OD) organized. There, they learned about OD’s livelihood project that supports fieldworkers who reach out to Muslims. They decided to submit a proposal for a one year loan that would increase their business. It was approved. Throughout that year, the pair proved their commitment to paying off their loan. Meanwhile, their ministry grew right along with their business. They continued providing food and medicines to Muslim HIV patients, and asked for a local Bible school to send some of its students to help them meet the growing demand in their ministry. Tina shares her excitement in the fact that many of the patients to whom they minister have accepted Isa (Jesus). The gospel even has spread beyond the patients to their families in some cases. One family decided to accept Isa and be baptized in His name after witnessing how the couple’s ministry cared for their HIV positive son. “Thank you Open Doors,” said Agus. “We can help more patients and share the good news with more Muslim HIV patients. The loan increased our profits, and we are able to buy more food and medicines. We can reach out to more Muslims in our neighborhood. Once again, we thank the Lord for His help through Open Doors’ ministry. Since 2009, Open Doors ministry has helped as many as 17 believers from Muslim background and Christian workers through the livelihood loan project in Indonesia. Through the loans, independent Christian workers like Agus and Tina can continue their ministry to Muslims without having to worry about limited resources. More importantly, they are encouraged to reach more people for Jesus Christ. Father, thank You for the compassion you have placed on the hearts of Agus and Tina to reach out to their Muslim neighbors. And thank You for bringing such beautiful fruit to their ministry. Thank You for those who have turned in faith to Christ through this ministry. We pray that You would bring workers to disciple them in their faith. Please continue to sustain them financially as you work in the hearts of these patients, and that the ministry might continue. Bring healing to Agus as recently he has developed muscle pain as a result of the many miles he spends on a motorcycle to distribute eggs to his customers. And we pray Your safety and blessing to rest on Agus, Tina and other Christian workers in East Java. In the name Jesus, whose power and presence shines through the lives of Agus and Tina, Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 03:45:28 +0000
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