Ria Limbong received a scholarship from Living Faith Lutheran Congregation to study in Australia at Grace College. Read her personal story and see what great progress she has made in her English. Australia…WOW! That was the first thing that stuck in my head when I knew I would come to Australia. I never thought that […]

Ria Limbong received a scholarship from Living Faith Lutheran Congregation to study in Australia at Grace College. Read her personal story and see what great progress she has made in her English.

Australia…WOW! That was the first thing that stuck in my head when I knew I would come to Australia. I never thought that I would come over here. That was just a dream for me to go overseas. A little poor person was impossible to go to Australia. God can do everything and make impossible things become possible.

I was really interested when my mum gave me chance to join an English course out of my school. I was more interested when I heard that Australia Lutheran Church (Living Faith Congregation) and Indonesia HKBP church have a program about sending students to Australia without paying anything. I thought that was the first, the last and the biggest thing that I ever had. I tried my best to reach that chance. Once I heard that I would come to Australia, I was really excited. I prayed to God and said thanks to him for giving me a chance to me to go to Australia and making my dream come true.

The scariest thing about coming to Australia was the school and the people. I thought I would have different culture, different friends, different teachers and even different ways of studying. I thought I would not be fine. I thought I would not be able to follow the lessons as well as my friends and as well as when I was in Indonesia. But, in the bottom of my heart I knew that God will be with me and I knew that everyone in Australia will look after me.

Now I can follow my friends and I feel comfortable with everyone. I have family and friends who look after me and take care of me. I am glad I came because I can make my dreams come true. I can improve my English, know more people around me, adding friends and family and the important thing is I can have better English now.

Now I can make all my family and friends in Indonesia proud of me and make students in Indonesia realise that everything is possible.

Thanks to Living Faith and Grace Lutheran college for giving me chance to come to Australia and improve my English. Thanks for every single person in Australia who takes care of me and looks after me. Praise God for giving me and us lives and every single chance that he gives us.

This story was also published in the October 2008 edition of Border Crossings, the magazine of LCA International Mission.

If your school would like to know more about how they can connect to the mission of God through a LCA International Mission service-learning and ministry partnership, you are invited to phone Erin on (08) 8267 7300 or email erin.kerber@lca.org.au. For more information, go to www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/service-learning/

Read more stories about school partnerships and school service-learning at www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/local-partners/schools/