I was born and raised in a Muslim family. When I was eight years old, I began studying and reading the Quran. This experience made me a religious fanatic. I became very active in the mosque, and greatly urged my friends to keep their religion. I told them at every chance they should not leave Islam.
Journey Without Destination
After I graduated from high school in Bojonegoro, I began to think about the meaning of life. I felt that I had no purpose or direction of where I should go. I felt empty, even though people around me thought I was a good person. In my heavy struggle, I decided to leave home without my parents knowing. When I left I had no specific place in mind to go.
I left Bojonegoro and headed toward Semarang by rickshaw to the harbor. It just so happened that there was a ship leaving that day for Pontianak. I signed up for this trip that would take three days and nights. In the middle of the trip I got confused, and I wondered where I should go after arriving in Pontianak. One of the passenger ships from Banyuwangi offered to take me with them. I thought about and decided to accept the offer. I went with the ship to Sintang, Kalimantan Barat.
I became more confused. In my confusion I went to the mosque every day and read Yasin letters and did the nightly prayers, seeking God’s guidance.
Finding the Savior
One Sunday morning I was walking and saw a group of children with a man leading them. The man greeted me and I approached him. He asked me if I had ever gone to church. I immediately replied that I was a Muslim. At the time, we didn’t talk much because he was going to teach the children of the church. But before he left he said, “Come here this afternoon, ok?” Finally I visited and he explained about Isa Al-Masih to me. This was hard to believe because I knew other Christians when I was a child and I didn’t like them. One teaching had been an important part of my life, and it was this: God is one. He has no children and cannot have children. It was difficult for me to believe in Isa Al-Masih.
A good friend who was a Christian had just visited me and he invited me to come visit him. I decided to go and stayed at his home for a week.
One day I woke up at 4:00 a.m. I asked my friend to explain John 1:1; 9:14; 14:6 and Acts 16:31. These verses emphasize that Isa Al-Masih is our Savior. I cried that morning and made the decision to accept Isa Al-Masih as my personal Savior.
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