My name is Ruth, and I am 26 years old. I was born into a Muslim family, and we belonged to a tribal community with the largest Muslim population in Indonesia.  

In 2009, when I was only a young child, I dreamed of walking up a hill. When I woke up, I felt tired. Night after night for one week, I would dream of walking up the hill, and in the morning, I would feel tired, like I had actually climbed a hill the previous night. I vividly remember that dream. 

Later, in junior high school, the dream came again, except this time, I was not alone — I walked with a man. But when I woke up, I did not feel tired. The dream lasted about two weeks. 

Around that time, I met a new friend at my school who was a Christian. One day, I told her about my dream. She said, “I think I know that man.” And she showed me a picture, and I immediately recognized him. I said, “Yes! Who’s he?” She told me that He is Jesus. I was surprised and filled with curiosity. I went to a bookstore and bought a Bible. Though I still considered myself a Muslim, I started reading the Bible secretly.  

At the time, I was still wearing a hijab at school because the school required it. After graduating high school, I worked in a beauty clinic in Jakarta. I took off my hijab because I felt uncomfortable. 

In October 2019, while I was scrolling on TikTok, I saw a quote from a church: “You did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15:16).” Interested in these words, I went to that church. I started attending church without anyone knowing that I was a Muslim. 

I remembered a Christian friend and asked her to guide me. She took me to her church leaders, and they taught me about Jesus and the Bible. In December 2019, I was baptized.  

In September 2022, one morning, my mother suddenly said to me, “I know you are a Christian now; what do you want to do if you become a Christian?” I realized that she had found out because she found the Bible in my room. I told her I would never pray again at home. She was still furious and told me to leave Christianity or leave the house.  

Heartbroken, I left my home and started living in my neighbor’s garage, which was far from my house. My neighbor is actually my family’s driver. I began to live in my family car because my parents cannot drive, and the road in front of my house was inaccessible by car. Whenever my parents need to use the car to go somewhere, they will call the driver to take it to our house. I told the driver not to tell my parents I lived there.  

I do not regret my decision; I’ve found the Truth. 

I believe that religion is not an inheritance but the spiritual journey that a person experiences with her creator. And I truly believe what the Bible says below: 

Matthew 19:29 “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

Psalm 27:10 “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”

Source: International Christian Concern

Photo: pexels