October 2023
Dear Friend,
I can never forget nearly getting caught up in the civil unrest that hit Indonesia in May 1998. I was heading home from the office when someone called me and warned me: “Don’t come home, there’s rioting nearby.” If I had missed the phone call, I would have driven right into the violence.
Seeing how God’s providence and protection had saved me, I decided to follow and serve Him anew. I had then been praying about whether to give up a well-paying job and join Our Daily Bread Ministries full-time; the crisis of 1998 helped me make up my mind.
Having felt a deep sense of hopelessness in its wake, I realised how much it meant for me to know God and to have the eternal hope that He gives all who follow Him. I also felt called to do much more to share this lifegiving hope with others. It reminded me of Jesus’ compassion when He saw the crowds living in hopelessness (Matthew 14:13–21). In feeding the five thousand, Jesus gave them more than bread: He gave them hope.
Today, we face just as much uncertainty around the world, as a result of the pandemic, economic recession, inflation, and political tensions. People need hope more than ever before, and we can discover this hope in the Word of God (Romans 15:4). Hence, here in the Asia Pacific region, Our Daily Bread Ministries has an urgent mission to help people receive, reflect on, and respond to the life-giving Word of God so that lives and communities are transformed.
Whether it is in the remote regions of Sri Lanka and Vietnam, urban cities like Hong Kong, or large countries like Australia and Indonesia, Our Daily Bread Ministries is working hard to provide accessible resources, contextually and locally, to people of all ages. We share a diverse range of offerings rooted in Scripture through digital and print, video and audio, to as many people as possible through our region’s 13 offices.
In the midst of much uncertainty in our lives, we pray that people will find the certain hope that Christ gives us through His coming as a man to die on the cross for us. I pray that you’ll find our latest resource in the enclosed leaflet helpful in encouraging you to receive, reflect on, and respond to God’s Word regularly, so that you, too, will be strengthened by His life-giving hope.
Yours in Christ,
Netty Susanto Senior Vice President Ministry Operations, Asia Pacific
Note: In April 2023, Ms. Netty Susanto who is based in our Indonesia office assumed the role of Senior Vice President of the Asia Pacific region, taking over the baton from Rev. Tan Meng Poo. She oversees 13 offices in the region.
