Vanessa Gonzalez - Indonesia

Have you ever gone somewhere new and just wished that you knew someone? Wished there was a place where you could connect with people on more than just a surface level? When I was in college I longed for such a place, and I found it in a campus ministry. And for the past 8 years I've gotten the privilege of working on the team that pioneered campus ministry in Indonesia, giving students from the world's largest Muslim country the same opportunity to belong and grow that I received.

We are located in the city of Jogja, and we serve a million students from the 70+ universities here. We have an international church and an English community strategically placed to give young people access to the gospel in a way that relates to them. It's through the deep relationships we build in our community that we get to share the life and freedom only found in Jesus Christ. Our goal is to reach college students and young professionals, equipping them to change the campus, the marketplace, and the world with the gospel. God is doing unbelievable things here in Indo, and it's great to be here! The best part is that it's not just me but you too, as we work together to share the life-saving power of Jesus with those that have yet to hear. Oh what amazing things are in store for us as we work together!

Ministry Update:

• We recently had our biggest ever Christmas service! We had over 400 people join us, many of them of Muslim background. These are students that come to our English community around the year as well as new friends that have never yet stepped into our church (or any church). It was such a beautiful night, getting to share the Christmas story with hundreds who have literally never heard it before.
• We have officially planted over 130 local church-based campus ministries in Indonesia. This year was fruitful for us in making new connections and training new leaders. 
• The young adult ministry at our local church has grown to over 30 people that meet every week in small groups. Recently we’ve had a huge growth in our international students, so our ministry is more diverse than ever! 
• One notable testimony came from a baptism we did this year. One of our doctoral students was born into a muslim family and practiced Islam most of her life. About 15 years ago she had a vision of Jesus in a dream, and he continued to appear to her multiple times. She ran from him at first, but then grew serious in her pursuit. Over the next 15 years she learned about catholicism and even went through the catechism classes, but she never fully understood or grew in her faith. Just doing her duties. This year she moved to Jogja and found our church. When I met with her she had so many questions, and as we continued to meet and share, she learned the truth of the gospel in a new way. She decided to commit her life to Jesus and was baptized. She has since then grown exponentially, and has started to serve in a ministry team. Her family still does not know of her new faith, but we’re praying that she will be the first in her family to know Jesus, but not the last!

Upcoming Projects:
For next year, we have a goal to steward the growth that we’ve experienced this year. We’ll go to more islands to continue planting more campus ministries in Indonesia. And we’re looking to grow our young adult ministry leaders so that we can create more small groups. There’s millions of young professionals in Jogja that need a place, and we want to be that place for them!