Light in the Darkness
September 2026 Ministry UPDATE
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Black
It’s not just a color. It’s the absence of light.
A few months ago, the whole city of Jogja went dark. An email had been sent earlier in the week from the local electric company saying to expect regular blackouts. At the same time, there was a lot of political frustration and uncertainty going on in Indonesia. The darkness felt like more than just a physical blackout. It felt like people everywhere were discouraged and losing hope.
One Thursday night, the power went out in the middle of our evening prayer meeting, but nobody stopped praying. The people continued to pray and worship even louder in the dark. The following night, it happened again in the middle of Chi Alpha. With no lights and no air conditioning, we lit some candles, turned on flashlights, and continued our conversations in a hot, dark room.
I was reminded that darkness does not have to stop what God is doing. The lights went out, but worship continued. Community continued. The true light continued to shine and the darkness could not overcome it (John 1:5).
A New Season for Chi Alpha Jogja
Over the past couple of years, we have experienced incredible growth, with close to 100 students now coming regularly. Nearly 80% of these students still hold to their traditional Muslim beliefs. As our numbers continue to grow, this semester we have been forced to ask a couple of new questions: How do we not only grow numerically, but also build a real sense of community? And do we have the leadership capacity to invest well in this many students?
This semester, instead of focusing on inviting a lot of new people, we are intentionally investing more deeply in the students God has already brought to us. We want Chi Alpha to be more than a place students attend once a week. We want it to become a home where students are known, cared for, challenged, and given opportunities to grow into future leaders themselves.
Last month, we gathered our Chi Alpha Leadership Team (XALT, pronounced “exalt”) for a two-day retreat to pray, grow together, and prepare for the semester ahead. Every semester, I am amazed and encouraged as I watch young people step into the call of God on their lives. I’m praying that God will use their “yes” this semester to disciple and develop many more future leaders. Will you join me in that prayer?
We are already seeing the first fruits of this new semester. A couple of weeks ago, one of our Muslim-background students told our leadership team that she had decided to follow Jesus and wanted to be baptized! A few of us gathered at a local neighborhood pool to cheer her on as she publicly declared her faith in Jesus.
We are praying that her story will be only the beginning, and that many more students will come to know Jesus, find a home in Christian community, and eventually become leaders who help others do the same.
Recent Travels
These past few months have included a lot of travel for me. Back in July, I had the exciting opportunity to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to represent Chi Alpha Indonesia at the national Campus Missions Conference. It was so encouraging to connect with other campus missionaries, share stories about what God is doing in Indonesia, and to be reminded that I am a small part of something far bigger that God is doing in university students around the world.
Being in Arizona also gave me the opportunity to spend time with my sister and brother-in-law and to meet my new niece, Kaia, for the very first time! I look forward to the day when she can come visit Uncle Nathan in Indonesia.
As I was returning from this trip, I had a twelve hour stopover in South Korea. I used the opportunity to get out of the airport and visit Yoido Full Gospel Church, commonly known as the largest church in the world. I also visited Yeouido Park nearby, where Billy Graham once preached to the largest crowd of his entire ministry. This short visit to Korea caused me to reflect on what happens when God moves powerfully among a group of people, and what it would look like for that to happen here in Indonesia.
More recently, I spent several days in Jakarta, connecting with friends and ministry leaders there. The United Nations now officially recognizes Jakarta as the world’s most populous city, with nearly 42 million people spread out across its vast metro area. Every time I visit this city, I find myself asking God how we can possibly reach so many millions of people with the hope of Jesus. Please join me in praying for a great awakening across Indonesia.
A Little Personal Update
Perhaps the most significant thing that has happened in my personal life recently is that I entered into my first-ever dating relationship! Before you congratulate me, though, our relationship only lasted 25 days, which means I also recently experienced my first-ever breakup.
Needless to say, the past few weeks have been emotional and, at times, confusing. This was something I had hoped and prayed for for a long time, so losing it so quickly has been difficult. I am still processing a lot and learning what it looks like to trust God in the middle of disappointment and unanswered questions.
At the same time, this experience has unexpectedly given me a new ability to relate to students who are walking through heartbreak and difficult relationships of their own. Several students have opened up to me about what they are going through, and I have been reminded that God can use even painful seasons to help us better understand and care for the people around us.
I would appreciate your prayers for me personally during this season—that God would continue to give me his peace, wisdom, and joy.
Prayer Requests:
Pray for Indonesia: Please join us in praying for a great spiritual awakening across this vast nation where millions of people are still waiting to hear about Jesus.
Pray for Chi Alpha Jogja: Pray that we would continue building deeper community, developing strong student leaders, and seeing many more students come to know Jesus.
Pray for urgent media needs: Much of our media equipment is either outdated or damaged after recent natural events. We are currently seeking to raise about $15,000 to replace some of this equipment. Please pray for God’s provision, and if you sense God leading you to give towards this need, you can do so here.
Pray for me personally as I walk through this season of confusion and disappointment.
As always, thank you for your prayers and support!
Tuhan memberkati / May God bless you!