Do not be afraid

The 17th of August 2011 is an unforgettable date for me. It is Indonesia’s independence day, one day after my 49th birthday – and the day the Chinese government tightened the regulation of bird’s nest imports from Indonesia.

Many entrepreneurs collapsed due to Chinese government’s decision. We were one of the entrepreneurs who were affected by the decision.

Our business stopped. Almost every day the price depreciated to the point that exporters refrained from buying raw materials. Unexpectedly, loss after loss must be experienced by me.

I hoped that the working conditions would recover soon so I could pay my obligations on time. However, for almost eight months the conditions did not recover, instead it worsened! Our business had to be auctioned.

During the hard times, my wife gathered our children and conveyed the impact of the condition to them. We were preparing them mentally if we had to move to our shop because the house had to be handed over to the bank. My wife asked the children to pray for the peace and gratitude to keep our family close.

We imagined they would be terrified, crying and asking questions. However, our children were calm. “It’s okay, Mum; living in the shop is the same as living in an apartment,” said our youngest daughter.

“I’m sure this house will still be our home, I’m not afraid. God will surely help,” said our eldest daughter.

“But mum, dad is still able to work with the drinking water business, isn’t he?” said our son. My wife said yes.

We were very blessed with their answers and it gave us the strength to remain enthusiastic to fulfill our responsibilities toward them. I could feel that in the condition we were in, the experience of faith with God was increasingly evident in our lives.

We held hands together and prayed, asking God to give us strength and comfort.

We prayed to be spared unnecessary costs. We prayed for our health, for our daily needs, school fees; to avoid breakdown to the vehicles, electronic devices, household appliances; even for the lightbulbs in our house to last.

We prayed for God to watch the words that came out of our lips and keep us away from quarrels and conflicts, so that we would always be together in the face of struggles.

In my morning prayer on 12, 14 and 16 January 2012, I recorded in my journal that I read about God’s fire, purifying gold, and not relying on your own strength.

It really gave me the confidence. We were sure that we were not alone. God would hold our hands and lead to victory after victory.

—Agus Setianto is national co-coordinator of Assembly. He is a member of GKMI (Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia) Gloria Patri, Semarang, Indonesia.