Good News from the Surabaya Congregation - Stephanie

Stephanie Handoyo is a business graduate of Northeastern University, Boston. After graduating, this woman, who was born in 1990, spent three years building her career in the United States. At that time, she saw Christians as seeming good and spiritual on the outside, but their lives were far from the image they presented. Because of that, Stephanie had no interest in becoming a Christian.

In 2016, Stephanie returned to her homeland. She saw promising career potential in Indonesia, along with her desire to contribute to human capital and the local economy. After a year of working as a manager at a financial technology company in Jakarta, Stephanie returned to Surabaya to help with her family business.

Through a friend, Stephanie was introduced to the GEM Community. Because she was interested in the topics being discussed as well as the dynamics within the community, Stephanie was then introduced to GKDI Surabaya.

When attending a worship service, Stephanie met Mrs. Alin, the wife of Pastor Jonson Sibuea. Beginning with her discussions with Mrs. Alin about healthy and right friendships according to the Bible, Stephanie went on to study the Bible. Because she often received complaints from friends, parents, younger siblings, and her employees about her character, Stephanie decided to go deeper into the word so that she could become a better person.

During eight months of study, Stephanie fell more and more in love with God. Many things that she once did not understand now became clear. Stephanie's greatest challenge was learning to control herself, be patient, respect other people's opinions, argue less, and submit to God's commands. Seeing how far she was from the standard of the word, Stephanie at one point doubted whether she could repent.

However, Stephanie was guided through each step of the process to overcome the bad traits that had long been part of her. For four months she fought to overcome her weaknesses and failed several times. Without giving up, Stephanie kept seeking advice, praying, and even reading the word several times a day so that she could win her struggle.

On October 20, 2018, Stephanie made up her mind to be baptized. She was grateful to be able to know Christ, understand the word more deeply, and have a more personal relationship with the Lord. Stephanie feels blessed to have a community whose members look after one another, correct one another, and help her grow. Not only spiritually, but also in the world.

Now Stephanie has a dream that her life can be used by the Lord. She wants to be useful to others and be a good influence in her friendships, her family, her work, and wherever she may be. Stephanie also wants to help professionals from the millennial generation come to know the truth of God's word.

From being a hard-tempered person, Stephanie has changed into someone patient. She once felt that she could learn only from people who were smart and successful, but she has become a humble person. She is willing to learn from people who, even if they are not smarter or more successful in worldly terms than she is, live lives that love the Lord. Stephanie is also able to accept others without looking at ethnicity, education, or appearance. She finally understands how to use her strong will properly, in accordance with the word, as part of her commitmentto follow the Lord.