AP1S23-01
October 2023
Dear Friend,
t up in the I can never forget nearly getting caughs heading
May 1998. I wa civil unrest that hit Indonesia in e called me and warned me: home from the office when someon g nearby.” If I had missed “Don’t come home, there’s riotin ven right into the phone call, I would have dri the violence.
Seeing how God’s providence and protection had saved me, I decided to follow and serve Him anew. I had then been praying about whether to give up a well-paying job and join Our Daily Bread Ministries full-time; the crisis of 1998 helped me make up my mind. Having felt a deep sense of hopelessness in its wake, I realised how much it meant for me to know God and to have the eternal hope that He gives all who follow Him. I also felt called to do much more to share this lifegiving hope with others. It reminded me of Jesus’ compassion when He saw the crowds living in hopelessness (Matthew 14:13–21). In feeding the five thousand, Jesus gave them more than bread: He gave them hope. Today, we face just as much uncertainty around the world, as a result of the pandemic, economic recession, inflation, and political tensions. People need hope more than ever before, and we can discover this hope in the Word of God (Romans 15:4). Hence, here in the Asia Pacific region, Our Daily Bread Ministries has an urgent mission to help people receive, reflect on, and respond to the life-giving Word of God so that lives and communities are transformed.