Imelda’s Story
Meet Imelda! Imelda moved to Canada after being raised in Indonesia, but despite the promise of a better life, she felt hollow inside. She cried out to God and asked for help with the emptiness. Things finally began to change when she connected with a local church one Saturday evening. But God redirected her back to Indonesia in 2013.
When Imelda returned home, she tried re-establishing her faith, but felt discontented. However, after being invited to a church by her sister, she began reconnecting to God. Through a series of events and multiple opportunities, she realized how God’s hand was always with her. Despite facing those harrowing experiences, Imelda’s faith soared as she felt God’s hand on her life, and his protection was always near. That gave her a sense of peace, and her discernment abilities skyrocketed. Looking back, Imelda realized that God called her back to Indonesia so that she can learn, grow and become more aware of how real God is. She learned to divorce her anxieties, let go of a lot of things she was holding on to by praying, trusting and giving it all to God.
After returning to Canada Imelda found many ways to serve at church. However, it was her time with the Alpha team as a host that altered the course of her life. Alpha connects us with philosophically diverse people and encourages open dialogue. From that experience she learned to be gentle, compassionate and loving to all people irrespective of what they believe. And she became more mature in her faith walk, by prioritizing walking in love at work, with friends and in all areas of her life. Her time spent at Alpha and the food bank equipped her with tools to share her faith openly and grew her compassion to help folks in need. Imelda thinks that a hallmark of a believer is one who actively serves. We become more Christ like when we make an effort to serve. Imelda encourages us with this, “When God pours His love out to you, you should pour it back out to others” (Imelda, 2024).
While every one of us will experience moments of being alone, we are designed for connection. Join us for our Alone Series, to find out more.
Written by Ranella B.