In February, Chialis Thuan Santoso attended MC USA’s Hope for the Future 2024 conference. In this blog, she reflects on what she learned and how it applies to her life as a sojourner in Christ.
Chialis Thuan Santoso is originally from Indonesia. She is married to Andi Santoso, and she is the mother of two daughters: Phoebe Liem and Chloe Liem. Chialis is a reflective practitioner in Christ, who is currently working on earning a Master of Arts in Christian Formation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. She enjoys listening to Christian songs and loves teaching and working with women, youth and children. She and her family attend Pleasant View Church, in Goshen, Indiana.
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During the Hope for the Future 2024 conference, I could feel the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit in each session. The worship service, led by Hendy Matahelemual and Marina Setyati, was in various languages and provided a heavenly atmosphere among fellow believers in Christ. The life experiences sister Abby Endashaw shared about when she first came to America, as a student, also reminded me that I am not alone in the life struggle, as a sojourner in Christ. Even though it is not easy, God’s grace is always present.
On the second day, I was deeply moved and surprised by the learning lab, “God’s People on the Move,” led by Ana Hinojosa. The lesson beautifully and interactively integrates the life stories of sojourners in the Bible with the life stories of immigrant sojourners in America. I realized that none of the sojourners’ journeys were easy. Sojourner migrants who succeeded in achieving freedom did not necessarily receive a celebration, but they arrived with heavy memories, instead. In this session, I also imagined how hard my own ancestors struggled as immigrant sojourners, to the point in which the next generation and I could finally enjoy the results of their work.
I was inspired by the importance of archiving in an organization and also in the family. Dr. Felipe Hinojosa taught that archiving has an important role in the work of restoring relationships, especially in recording the historical moments in the formation of multinational collaboration. The truth-telling, in the form of archives, carried out by Mennonite Church USA has brought restoration, transformation and collaboration with Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) groups.
This session also left me with a question that I will continue to wrestle with: What legacy will I want to leave, as a mother and Christian sojourner, to the next generation?
May God find my life to be pleasing to God and life-giving to others.
Attending Hope for the Future 2024 was truly an extraordinary experience. For this reason, I would like to express my gratitude to the president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), David Boshart, and Mennonite Church USA, as well as the Hope for the Future organizers, for providing me with a scholarship to attend this event for four days and three nights in Dallas, Texas. It was my first time attending Hope for the Future. I really appreciate the friendships I gained and the inspiring experiences I felt.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not intended to represent the views of the MC USA Executive Board or staff.
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