From a Mountain of Trash to the Rock of Eternity

Chandra’s parents were wealthy, but just a few years after their wedding, all their money had been squandered. This tore the family apart. The parents were separated by thousands of miles, and the children were sent to live with various people. And when the father, mother, and siblings were reunited a few years later, it wasn’t in a beautiful house like before. The family now lived on the edge of a garbage dump, scavenging for trash to survive.

And right there, amid the stench, shame, and hunger, something unexpected happened: Chandra, now 15 years old, heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time. This message pierced through all the misery and went straight to his heart. And like a flame passing from one candle to another, his entire family little by little came to faith.

But the poverty remained. A mission school offered free education. That wasn’t Chandra’s dream, but his only chance to escape the landfill. Afterward, the school sent him to Bali to plant a church there—without money, without security, often without enough to eat. He and his team survived thanks to the hospitality of others. Sometimes they even ate snakes, monitor lizards, or cats.

Chandra got married, but just a week later, he and his wife had to sell their wedding rings to buy food. For years, their main meals consisted of rice and instant noodles. The rent was always late. His wife sometimes cried out of shame. And then came another blow: the church he had founded kicked him out. He was too uneducated for the people.

But Chandra got back on his feet and started over. He founded another church; at first, there were seven believers. And some left again. He had no money, no motorcycle, no college degree—nothing with which to impress them. One day, as he was once again desperately praying and pouring out his distress, he heard God’s voice: “Chandra, if I answer your prayer, it shows that I am great. But if I remain silent, then I am saying: You are great. Now get up. Do something!”

Chandra didn’t understand, but he obeyed. Step by step, he and his wife built up small businesses: selling cakes and coconuts, translating books, doing contract work, giving lectures, and offering makeup services. Slowly and painstakingly, but in a miraculous way, their finances began to grow. Twenty-two years after graduating from mission school, God blessed the family with a home of their own and a car. The eldest son, who was born malnourished in a hospital and spent his early years in a school for the poor, is now studying in the United States.

And the small congregation that began with seven discouraged people has grown to over 1,000 members. The pastor knows what he’s talking about when he says: “If you find yourself in your own ‘dumpster’ right now—in shame, poverty, or brokenness—God sees you. The pit is not your end. It is God’s preparation.”