Something I need that had been lost in my life, I found in Holy Trinity Community (HTC).
My name is Diana Gurry. Living in foreign country without relatives and associates is not easy, I experienced it when I first moved to Melbourne in 2001. True, I met a few Indonesian friends through some churches. However, that was not enough. Something was lost. There was something not right.
I was born and raised in a Catholic way from a Catholic family. Since childhood, I had been active in church activities in Macassar, South Sulawesi. In middle school, I served as an altar girl. Then I went to Jakarta for my high school, where I was active in the Mudika (Catholic Youth Ministry – TN) and the Legion of Mary. Doing those activities made me feel peaceful. I found what I was looking for.
About the end of 2004 to early 2005, after travelling to a few places to look around, I met Doctor Richard Oey, who was also an Indonesian. I told him my concern and Doctor Richard told me that we have HTC in Melbourne.
He told me to contact Nanik, who then took me to join a HTC cell group, the St. Augustine’s 2 cell group. So, almost all those four years in Melbourne I hadn’t actively served in the Catholic Church because I hadn’t known any place where I could have served.
The Faith Growth
Before joining HTC, I was not a true Catholic practitioner. Going to mass and praying in the church every Sunday was enough for me. When I had been actively involved in the Legion of Mary, I often prayed the rosary and visited the sick. However, after graduated from school, my friends started to look for a job or got one already, so they became inactive in the church. So the one thing I need that had been lost in my life, I found in HTC.
At first, I knew nothing about HTC and the cell group. Although I came to the cell group meeting almost weekly, I didn’t immediately get it. Gradually I knew that I had to go to a cell group meeting every week and there’s sharing session there. It took years before I figured out and comprehended what the cell group is about.
For me, the cell group is not merely a place to gather. It is a place to share and meet my companions in faith. Especially for people who just move in here, sometimes they need some friends to support them and to not feel alone.
Furthermore, the cell group is a place to grow my faith. As for now, when I come to mass, I listen to the words of God, listen to the testimonies and always try to apply them in my daily life. Ultimately, I always involve God in everything that I do.
God’s Embrace
After joining the cell group for about two years, I received the gift of speaking in tongue. I was touched by God and received the praying in tongue, not in a retreat or in a cell group meeting, but in my own home. At that time, I was alone in my own room. I was praying and offered my troubles to the altar of God with a broken heart. Suddenly, my body shook uncontrollably. Suddenly, I was also speaking in tongue that I didn’t understand. Meanwhile, Cobber, my little dog who had never barked before, did so as if it was seeing something that I could not see. Cobber barked continuously, while I was crying ceaselessly while I kept speaking in tongue. I felt my body trembling. The tremor felt so powerful. It kept going for about ten minutes before I could turn still.
After that, I gained the gift of speaking in tongue. I did not know why. Maybe because I joined the cell group and often listened to the testimonies of others who had the gift in the group. I had never known what speaking in tongue was and how to do so, and suddenly I got it in my life. I think maybe it is God’s way to embrace me. After that, I feel peaceful and my faith started to grow by much.
As a Family
I could not deny that I faced many obstacles in joining the cell group. There were times I felt that I had enough, especially when unhappy things happened. Sometimes we tried to quit, however God did not agree to it. I was always kept getting pulled back. I am grateful to be amongst my very kind and supportive cell group members. I feel like they are truly my own family. They supported us truthfully, not only through prayers, but also through care. I feel that this really is a blessing that we are being cared for.
Finally, after almost 15 years being a member of HTC cell group, I can affirm that I think this is me. This is my home.