I read Lina’s email to church just now, somehow I didn’t get the email because I haven’t updated my email details. It is true what Robert said of her, she is brave, not only for being able to cope with such significant material (and emotional attachments to the things stolen) lost but to relate the thing happened with the sadness that she’ll experience when people she cared most don’t repent and believe in Jesus. I admire her willingness to share the experience with the people from church, if I were her, I wouldn’t share with “the whole” church, maybe to just few people, i would get irritated and maybe also saddened (being reminded of something that I want to forget) if people start asking what happened etc2.. (despite their good intentions). But yeah, I guess she sees this as an opportunity for encouraging other people.

In the light of that, I can testify the sadness and frustation in figuring out how to bring the gospel to my mom. I have tried the “direct” approach when I was in high school, even the “rebellion” approach (getting baptised without her & dad’s permission), I somehow feel that these kinds of approach would only further her away from the kingdom. I took mom to IUC couple of times, but somehow there’s always something that prevent her to understand the message, Lina suggested that there might be evil power preventing her from hearing.. I don’t know.. Last sunday for instance, her stomach was grumbling all the way through the sermon, surely she wasn’t able to concentrate, plus the passage itself was from Daniel, I found the passage is hard to be preached in an evangelistic content.. Oh yes, of course English language was probably the biggest barrier of all.

This leaves me to my final rant. I now see the desperate need for an Indonesian Church here in UNSW. A church that speaks Indo and at the same time preaches a gospel that is not tamed. Really looking forward to bring mom to Charles’ evangelistic talk in Indo lingo.. of course I do know that God will work in His own way, and I shouldn’t be depending so much on “the right sermon with the right message by the right preacher on a right time”.. Next time, I am considering of taking mom to indo speaking church like IPC, the problem is, it’ll be the same with her going to GKI with dad every week, nothing wrong with those churches, I just feel, that they don’t challenge people enough with the Word, they only seem to give a good guidance on living.. don’t flame me for this, this is just a blatant generalisation of typical Indo church.. :> Here in IUC, it feels like evangelistic all the time, thanks Josh for boldly proclaiming the Word.

Maybe mom will ask me about Jesus out of the blue someday.. I somehow think if she becomes Christian, then grandma and auntie (and dad) would easily follow.. But God at the moment I am frustated.. Please let me live a life that speaks of your name.