Today was the day.
As she followed the preschool director back to the bathroom, Kirana* was already anticipating all the ways her life was about to change.
Kirana had been bringing her daughter to the neighborhood preschool for several months. She noticed something different about the way the school operated, so she started asking questions. She learned the preschool was run by Christians, and she had many conversations with the staff about what that meant.
Like everyone she knew, Kirana was Muslim. But what she learned from the preschool staff sounded so compelling that she resolved to give her life to Jesus. Kirana wanted to be baptized, so she asked the preschool director to do it. Knowing that conversion from Islam in Indonesia could be dangerous, they decided to baptize Kirana quietly in the office bathroom.
Her life did change that day—but not in the way she thought.
Her husband came to the school unexpectedly, looking for her. When a staff member mentioned that Kirana was being baptized, everything fell apart. Her husband divorced her and took their child.
An ICR partner helped Kirana find a new place to live and supported her. “That was a couple of weeks ago,” the ICR field worker said. “She is really firm in her faith and following Jesus and not trying to hide it or compromise it.”
Kirana and the ICR partner are still working to regain custody of her daughter.
This kind of persecution is common for new believers in Indonesia. Converts often face heavy pressure from family and neighbors. However, considering the size of the country, persecution is relatively rare—mainly because most of Indonesia’s 30 million Christians do not share the gospel.
“It is tragic that many Christians are quiet in Indonesia,” ICR’s field worker said. “They would never explain the gospel to a Muslim or invite a Muslim to a church service because they are very afraid of provoking Muslims.”
But the partners who work with ICR are not held back by fear. One man, Zakaria*, operates a social services organization in an impoverished neighborhood. Everyone knows he is a Christian, but he does not openly evangelize. Muslims in the neighborhood have warned him, “If just one Muslim person turns away from Islam in your village, we’ll see that you go to prison!”
“If just one Muslim person turns away from Islam in your village, we’ll see that you go to prison!”
Zakaria shares wisely. At a recent meeting, Zakaria was introduced to someone who said he was a Christian. With everyone listening, Zakaria asked the other Christian about his faith. He then explained that Jesus died for our sins, that we need to confess our sins, invite God into our lives, and he will come and fill us with his Spirit. The ten Muslims in the room heard the truth without being put on the spot.
Another ICR partner trains young Christians to be missionaries who can effectively share their faith in the Muslim context where they live. These four-year ministry schools focus on three areas: theological education, missions and evangelism, and job skills. The job training equips students to support themselves as missionaries.
After preparation, students go on mission trips around the country. One student found her mission trip to be a faith stretching exercise.
“Our accountant knew on the first day that we didn’t have enough money for the whole trip and was very stressed about it,” the student said. “But God provided for us during the trip. For example, one church paid for our cab and someone else gave us a bag of rice.”
After graduating, a young man spent a year sharing the gospel with Muslims. He was thrilled to tell ICR workers that he led 15 people to the Lord that year, and they were baptized. He told ICR, “When I share the gospel,” he said, “I might be rejected 25 times every day. It’s a tough job, and you have to persevere.”
“When I share the gospel, I might be rejected 25 times every day. It’s a tough job, and you have to persevere.”
*Names changed
