The story of how Dwi Maria Handayani became a Christian, and from there, the Director for Langham Preaching in Asia and the South Pacific, goes back to her father in the 1960s.
“Communism was banned in Indonesia around that time, so everyone had to have a religion. My father was a nominal Muslim,” she explains. “He had to pray five times a day. But on the second day he decided it was too much work. So he looked into Hinduism, but decided it was too expensive, because he would have to buy sacrifices. But then he looked at Christianity. He said, oh it looks so easy, just once a week you sit in church for two hours and sing. So, he decided to become a Christian.”
From this unlikely starting point, Dwi Maria’s father started to encounter Jesus at a personal level through his church attendance. By the time Dwi Maria was born, her family was an active Christian.
A rebel brought back to faith
But being the only Christian at her public school wasn’t easy. “I was bullied there, and so I actually tried to become a Muslim. At 11, I would secretly go to the Mosque and study the Quran. But then I got really sick. I had a high fever, and one day I was sitting with my father, and I saw Jesus. He didn’t say anything; he just looked at him with his eyes. I heard a voice asking, “Why don’t you believe in me?” From then on, I started to study Christianity more and started to grow in belief as a Christian,” Dwi Maria shares.
A region in need of training
Now, Dwi Maria serves as the Director for Langham Preaching in Asia and the South Pacific. She has seen the need in her region for Langham Preaching, as so many countries in the area do not have the resources needed for faithful gospel ministry. Many pastors have not received theological education or training in preaching. “That’s why Langham Preaching is so important. Sometimes that’s the only training the pastor will get,” she explains.
One place in the region that Dwi Maria oversees that has seen significant growth recently is Langham Preaching Indonesia. The team has worked on translating 17 books for preachers so far. These books focus on being biblically sound but not too theoretical, so preachers can use them to learn and train others in a simple and accessible way.
Currently, it remains challenging and expensive for Langham trainers to travel to all parts of Indonesia as frequently as they like. So being able to take books with them is a great way of leaving tangible resources behind when they leave.
Young people hungry to learn
The region she works in has a mix of Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist populations, and Dwi Maria feels the pressing need to pray so more can be equipped to bring the word of God to the hearts of people. “I can see that the younger people are hungry for the Word of God. But if the church is failing to provide good sermons, good meat, they are looking for something outside.”
One example of this is a bible study run for young people that Dwi Maria has been involved in. “We have a bible study for young people who are hungry to learn more and aren’t learning it in church. It grew from 5 people to 15 within three months, and now it’s more than 20 people. So it shows the church needs to rethink what they are doing, because God is moving the hearts of young people. They want to seriously study the Word of God, but they aren’t getting that opportunity at church.”
A society in need of transformation
Dwi Maria is saddened by what she sees in the society around her, with corruption, injustice and exploitation being rife. There’s also war and famine impacting many of the areas she oversees. And in the midst of all of these things, it feels like the church is silent.
“Where is the church?” Dwi Maria asks. “The church is called to transform society, but we currently have very little influence in our society. We need to strengthen the pulpit. Please pray for the preachers and the pastors, that they would have the chance to seriously study the word of God and deliver it faithfully to their congregations. Pray it empowers the people of the church to go into society and transform it. Pray for the young people who are hungry for the Word of God that they would learn to preach it as well as receive it, so they can be used by God to transform lives.”
You can pray for Dwi Maria as she directs Langham Preaching in Asia and the South Pacific, that she would have wisdom and strength as she leads a team of diverse backgrounds, cultures and skills. Pray for upcoming preaching training events, that many would come and learn, and that their transformed preaching would transform lives and the society around them.