I first met Petrus in February 1992. He and his wife Sri were on a short visit to Australia and came to my house with George and Ruth Ashworth for dinner.
Some friends and I had a most informative evening, looking at some of the work of Hope for the Children in Malang, Indonesia and hearing from Petrus himself.
My family and I had corresponded with him for many years through our sponsorship of a student under the Hope for the Children sponsorship plan.
Visitors to the East Java city of Malang are captivated by the scenic beauty, the happy smiling people and quaint customs, but are horrified by the appalling poverty in the surrounding over-crowded villages.
When Petrus Widjaja, a 33 year old Indonesian Christian, visited some of these homes in 1974, he felt a strong yearning to present the Gospel and to upgrade living conditions. To know what he wanted to do was one thing but to know how to do it, was another.
With his problem still unsolved, he met several other Indonesian Christians who felt a similar burden. Convinced that their concern was God- given, they formed themselves into a committee which they named "Hope For The Children".
The Committee set themselves the following objectives:
1. |
To seek the evangelisation and economic betterment of the villagers. |
2. |
For deprived children to graduate from Senior High School, obtain employment, earn a reasonable salary and so provide for themselves and their families. |
3. |
To inaugurate a Sponsorship Plan, thus making it possible for deprived children to attend school - preferably a Christian school. |
4. |
To minimise administrative costs, each Committee member would sponsor at least one child and, for as long as possible, undertake all administrative work in an honorary capacity. |
So, ‘Hope For The Children’ was launched, sponsors enlisted and a fund for a Christian School established. Petrus saw Christian schools as the means whereby their threefold objective - evangelisation, education and economic improvement - could be achieved.
Sponsorship is for children, but donations can be towards:
» Petrus' sponsorship
» Administration costs
» Our small orphanage
» The ricebowl
» HFTC support of outlying pastors' living conditions
