Alin Dagung radiates Christ’s light and joy. She is a pastor serving the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia (BCCM) Mesilou church, which has responsibility for the Ebenezer Home Kindergarten. This kindergarten is available for migrant families who have come from Indonesia to work in nearby farms. Alin has a passion for teaching God’s word to […]

Alin Dagung radiates Christ’s light and joy. She is a pastor serving the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia (BCCM) Mesilou church, which has responsibility for the Ebenezer Home Kindergarten.

This kindergarten is available for migrant families who have come from Indonesia to work in nearby farms. Alin has a passion for teaching God’s word to children. She works with teachers at Ebenezer Home and parents of the Mesilou church to explain the Bible to children in ways they understand.

Growing up, Alin and her family believed harmful spirits ruled their lives. Her parents turned to shamans for help in appeasing the spirits. When Alin had an asthma attack, for example, she was taken to a shaman who healed her until the next attack.

The family worked in rubber tree plantations and Alin was a rubber tapper when she wasn’t at school. At school, she noticed that some students wore beautiful cross necklaces and she longed to do the same.

When Alin was a child, Christianity was regarded as a religion for ‘civilised Westerners’. But when Chinese evangelists from the BCCM visited her village, Alin’s family became followers of Jesus. At the age of 12, she enjoyed becoming a Christian for several reasons. She noticed she no longer had asthma attacks, she was allowed to wear a cross around her neck and she no longer tapped rubber on Sundays, instead enjoying a day of rest.

It took three years after her baptism, however, for Alin to grasp who Jesus really is and what he has done for her. The Campus Crusade Ministry for Christ came to her school and provided valuable guidance. She discovered that being a disciple of Jesus is a victorious life. When faced with suffering, she now reflects on the suffering Jesus willingly went through for her. This is where her hope is founded.

After finishing school in 1983, Alin joined Campus Crusade for Christ (a worldwide interdenominational organisation) and remained serving there for 13 years, evangelising and discipling among the villages, schools, and to nurses. She then responded to the call to become a pastor. Knowing the important role parents have in teaching God’s word and modelling godly behaviour to children, Alin now uses Luther’s Small Catechism, together with a Bible reading schedule, to resource parents of the churches in which she ministers.

For those with children in their lives, may Alin’s story be an encouragement to teach them biblical truths. The Holy Spirit will surely work through this foundation so that, as they grow, these children trust God and are able to withstand life’s storms, bearing fruit into eternity.

This story was also published in the December 2023 edition of Border Crossings, the magazine of LCA International Mission.

Many of our partner churches are working in new territory for the kingdom of God; therefore, spiritual attack is their everyday reality. As a member of a congregation, school, or family, or a couple or individual, you are invited to commit to praying for our partners in mission. For regular prayer point updates, go to www.lca.org.au/international-mission/act-now/pray

Read more stories about our partner churches in Malaysia (Sabah) at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/stories/international-partners/malaysia-sabah/