The Story of "Siti"

Could this be the start of a community of believers among the Riau Malay?

We recently started mentoring a young Riau Malay woman named “Siti” who has been a believer for a couple of years. Her oldest child recently died (she was five yrs old) and it seems like God has opened up this woman’s heart in an amazing way since this tragedy. After the loss of her child, we went to visit her and asked about mentoring her; she said yes immediately. After we met once or twice we asked about meeting with her a couple of times a week and she said yes. She admitted to us that after her child died she had thought about reverting back to Islam so that she could be with her family. She wanted to be near them, but because she had become a believer they would have nothing to do with her. She wrestled with this for several weeks, but then realized that if she went back to Islam that she would never see her little girl again… and that was something that she simply couldn’t accept.

Since then “Siti” has steadily grown in her faith and in her desire for her family to know about Jesus. We pray together for her family every week and have been storying from the Bible to her so that she can story to others that she meets. Growing up in Islam, she knows little about the Bible stories that we so often take for granted… so we are starting at the very beginning and working from there.

“Siti” still likes to go and visit her family even though in the past they have ignored her while she was there. After her daughter’s death she explained to her parents that without Jesus she would have gone crazy… He was the one who gave her peace! For the first time since “Siti” became a believer, her Father sat there and didn’t try to argue with her. He could see that she had a “peace that surpasses all understanding.” Just recently she went home to visit her family again. This time she started sharing the story of creation with them and how Jesus was present from the very beginning. Her Father was actually interested in what she had to say! She told her family that there was so much more that they could study from God’s Word and her father agreed to read the Bible. The Bible remained at their house for around two months and her parents just recently came to town and brought the Bible with them to give back to Siti. Her father told her that he read the Bible, but Siti is not sure that he did. However, she hopes and prays that he did. Please pray with Siti that if her Father did indeed read God’s Word that it would penetrate to the depths of his being.

Recently when Siti’s family wanted to come to town and visit they asked if they could stay with her. In the past they have simply stayed at an Uncle’s house and not with her. Siti was encouraged that they wanted to spend several days with her. She saw it as another opportunity for her family to see her living out her Christian life and to further share God’s love with them.

“Siti” also has a ministry among her neighbors. She is at home all day long with her two year old son and has time to visit with neighbors and share with them. Most of her neighbors are followers of Islam, but God has given “Siti” a boldness in her faith that is truly amazing. She shares the love of Jesus with them and the peace that she now has, but at the same time is able to confront beliefs that they have that are not truth.