The Lord is my shepherd

You can help prepare Bible college graduates like Desint Filsanti Bunga to bring healing and hope to the broken hearted.

I was born into a poor family in which the traditional roles were reversed. Every day, my mother worked to support us while my father stayed at home. My father was always drinking. He strongly desired a son. As a daughter I disappointed him. I felt unwanted, unloved and rejected.

When I was five years old, my mother died and I went to live with people who where not my family. I was abused and threatened. When I was eight, I was sexually harassed. I began to fear and distrust all men. I felt broken, worthless, and filled with shame. I felt invisible.

He restores my soul

In 2014, an older Christian woman, who had also been abused, told me how God had healed her. Through her testimony, I understood the love of Jesus in a deep and personal way. She told me that I am neither forgotten nor forsaken. She told me that Jesus loved me enough to die on the cross for me. This truth broke the chains of rejection and fear. Everything changed. Without hesitation, I gave my life fully to Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus, I found the love I had been searching for all my life. Jesus gave me an identity, wholeness and hope.

While working at a Christian school in Bandung, I was required to teach from a biblical perspective and integrate Scripture into every subject. This experience stirred in me a deeper calling. I realised that I wanted to study theology seriously, to grow not only for myself but to serve others.

The Bandung Theological Seminary has been more than just a place to deepen my understanding of Scripture. It has provided a space for healing, growth and spiritual formation. As a member of this community, I learned to trust and build healthy relationships, to see myself as God sees me and to allow the Holy Spirit to redeem my pain and suffering.

He guides me along the right paths

While working on my thesis about trauma, books were not just academic resources. They also became instruments of healing. Books helped me discover the heart of God for the broken and how Jesus is present in our pain. Through reading, I found a language for my wounds and formed a theology of suffering. Authors who had also walked through dark valleys became my companions and guides.

I dream of serving Jesus by accompanying and discipling young women who have experienced rejection or abuse like I have. I want to listen to their stories and show them that Jesus can restore even the most broken heart. I know there will be challenges—disappointments, emotional burdens, spiritual warfare and cultural resistance—but I trust that the God who called me will sustain me.

Please pray that I will remain faithful, grow in grace and wisdom and serve the broken hearted with compassion and truth. Please pray that my life might reflect the healing love of Jesus.

Desint Filsanti Bunga graduated from Bandung Theological Seminary with a bachelor degree in theology.