Saved from the Bottom of the Bottle

Arief and Jenny of Indonesia fight almost everyday. There’s just never enough money to pay all the bills. Sometimes they don’t even have enough to buy milk for their son. But Arief always seems to have enough cash to buy alcohol. Jenny says, “He spent too much money on drinks. I asked him to stop it, but he got mad at me. He said that I have no right to stop him.” “I thought, how dare she say that to me. I’m the husband,” Arief says. “She can’t control me. I'm the only one who works and provides for the family. She has no right to tell me how to spend my money!” The fighting continued. Arief threw Jenny out of the house. "It hurt me deeply,” she recalls. “I have no more strength to bear all this trouble. That's why I left.” As soon as Jenny walked out the door, Arief realized he’d made a mistake. He wanted to call his wife back, but his pride got in the way. Then he heard a voice. Arief says, “I heard a voice repeating in my heart, saying: ‘Go after her! Ask her back home! Just go after your wife!’ “I believe that it was God who melted my pride. Who else in the world could do it? I ran along the lane to find my wife. All I wanted was to beg her to forgive me." The family was back together, but they still didn’t know how to solve their problems. One night, Arief turned on the TV and found Solusi, a CBN Indonesian version of The 700 Club. "I watched a story about a man. He had troubles just like I had, and the man said that he found his way out through someone called Jesus,” Arief says. “I thought, maybe I should find this Jesus too." So Arief made a phone call to the CBN counseling center. He told the counselor that he wanted to know Jesus. The counselor told Arief about Jesus and asked him if he wanted to pray and receive Jesus into his heart. “That night I received Jesus as my Lord and my Savior. I believe that He is the only answer that I need.” CBN also connected Arief and his family to a local church. Jenny accepted Jesus as her Savior. Today the couple says that they are happier than ever. “God has changed my husband,” Jenny says. “Now he never drinks anymore. He is so kind to me, and I am so happy that we could have a better life today as we learn to give thanks to the Lord. Thank you, Solusi, for all the testimonies that really strengthen us. You're such a blessing!”