Rindi has felt God’s hand in her life as she has been involved in the faith formation program at her church. She has spent many years working with kids, helping them to grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus.
“I love Jesus and my faith and I want to convey His love. I have been involved in a variety of different ministries but teaching children and seeing them grow in their love for Jesus has been the most fulfilling.”
Rindi explained how she uses her Montessori background, which focuses on self-guided and self-paced learning to incorporate a lot of hands-on activities. For example, instead of reading the book or Bible, she asks the students to draw a Bible story and then they discuss.
“Surprisingly my 4th and 5th graders love it. After a long day at school, they are tired of reading and writing. Getting them more involved has taught them more than just reading the book. We’ve always had lively discussions. That really encourages me,” said Rindi.
Rindi’s favorite memory of seeing the Holy Spirit move within the children happened last year when she took her class to the adoration chapel. She explained how the adoration chapel is a quiet place to pray and be in the presence of Jesus. On the walls of the chapel are pictures that depict the stations of the cross. Rindi shared the meaning behind each of the pictures and what happened leading up to the crucifixion.
The children were so touched. They started to cry and asked Rindi how people could be so cruel to put Jesus to death in such a horrific way. When Rindi explained it was the result of sin, they commented that they will never see Jesus and His act of dying on the cross the same again.
“It really touched their hearts and they vowed to try and be better people. And, I could see them really trying in the classroom and they reached out to the younger students. They shared with me how I had opened their eyes and helped them grow.”
Rindi said how her desire to share the faith was because of what she saw growing up in her home in Indonesia.
“Both of my parents had such a deep love for Jesus and their faith. Dad would always say you have to give until it hurts and if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not giving enough. Dad was a doctor but he never charged his poor patients. He taught us how to be a witness through our actions rather than through words. This is especially true in Indonesia because it is mostly a Muslim country and you can’t freely talk about Jesus.”
Rindi says she sees her role as not only teaching the children but also being a witness to their parents and families.
“I try to teach the families through the kids. Often times, I send home materials to share with their parents or I tell the kids to ask their parents for help in learning a new prayer.”
“The more we learn, the more we love our faith. The more we love our faith, the more we appreciate what Jesus has done for us. The more appreciative we are, the more we want to share our faith, hope and love of Jesus.”