Hello.
My name is Dave Broos.I was born in Bandung, West Java on September 24th, 1969.My name may sound foreign in the ear of Indonesians.You may wonder if I am actually a “white” person.It is not entirely true, but I am of a mixed descendant.My mother is of Dutch-Ambonese descendant.When I was in my mother’s womb, the man who is my mother’s lover, who is supposed to be a father to me, ran away with another woman.Therefore I was born out of wedlock.Some people call children such as I am as “bastard children”.Like it or not, it is a part of my life that I cannot avoid nor deny.That is why for my family name, I took on my mother’s maiden name.At home, my family calls me Dave.
Although I was raised only by my mother, my life is not all bad.At home, we live with grandpa, grandma, and my mom’s younger brother’s a really cool uncle to me.But all of that changed when grandpa passed away.My grandma then moved back to the Netherlands and my mom got married.I was ten years old when she got married, and I was quite shocked at the way my stepfather tried to raise me.The values in which he views life are very different with the patterns that I had seen in my grandma.I had been a lot closer to my grandma because my mom had had to work.She worked in a pharmaceutical company Tempo corporation.
As an example, my grandma never used negative words or negative ways when she wanted to discipline me.My stepfather did all those things.He called me a “bastard child” or “a rascal” or other mean names.I was so confused and mad that I became a rebellious young man.I was also disappointed and angry at my mother, but I did not know how to express my feelings.
Before my grandma left us, I had been a good kid, I did not even like violence and I was always obedient to the rules both at home and at school.The time right after my mother’s marriage was the turning point in my life.Since then, I came to the dark world all because of my disappointment toward my parents.
At that time, I started to accept my friend’s persuasions to smoke, see pornographic pictures, picking fights with kids from neighboring schools, even drinking alcohol.I did all of when I was only in 5th grade (PardomuanElementary School).
Into my teenage years, I made friends with the wrong crowd they were also kids who have been hurt by their parents.Religious things were the most boring things in my life at the time.I went to school in Bahureksa Middle School and Dago High School, these were Christian schools.During middle school, there was daily morning devotional time and in high school, there was also weekly devotional time in school.But Godly things never crossed my mind at all.Why?Because I thought: why would I care about God when He only cares about nice families, I was an accident.
Teenage delinquency soon turned into serious crimes when I joined the gang Moonraker.All my life, I never thought I was able to do such violent acts or commit crime, but that’s what happened when I fell deeper into this dark world.Over and over again, I had brushes with the law, I was locked into suffocating jail cells, I got admitted into the hospital for overdoses of illegal drugs, also because of injuries sustained while in school and gang-related fights.There are many other vicious acts that I did at the time, all making me and my parents drift farther and farther apart.
My stepfather even repeatedly threw me out of the house.He once gave me an ultimatum: he did not want to hear any police reports about me or of any incident that caused me to be admitted into the hospital.Every time I did one of those things, he became extremely furious and threw me out of the house.My mother would usually go and look for me in the streets, but there was a time when even she became very angry that she threw me out as well.So I was taken in by my grandmother’s sister, and I stayed there until I graduated from high school in 1988.College did not make me change.I was even going at it with more intensity with my gang who was having heated rivalry with another gang in our city, the XTC gang.
In 1990, someone I do not remember who enrolled me in a Bible study course about the gospel according to John.At the time, I started to understand what God wants.Even though my comprehension was still hazy, I was too proud to ask anyone about matters related to spirituality.But God has His own ways.There were friends who gave me tracts, there were strange dreams that I dreamt, or even a touching sensation when I listened to a secular rock song.All leading to one day in the beginning of March 1991, I started to think and consider regarding the ways of my life.I wondered why I had fallen so deep into the pit of darkness.One thing that I realized was the big question: why am I like this?I needed someone to LOVE me, willing to ACCEPT me the way I am, TRUST in me, and ENCOURAGE me by walking WITH ME and give me an EXAMPLE.
On March 28, 1991, I went to a revival meeting.The late Pastor Yeremia Riem was ministering at the time, and it was at that moment that I truly felt God’s touch.I realized my need for a Savior and Lord, and more than that, I saw all the criteria fulfilled in Jesus.On that day, I became a new creation in Christ.
When I came to repentance, no one believed it, including my own parents.There had been too many lies in my life that no one was sure if my repentance would last.In October 1991, because of all the doubts surrounding me, I decided to move to another city and start a new life.In the city of Surabaya, I surrendered my life to serve Lord Jesus full time.In the beginning, the congregation had their reservations, so I started my ministry as the church keeper.Later on, they began to trust me and made me the youth pastor up until 1994.In 1995, I joined the DiscipleshipTraining School from Youth with A Mission in Jakarta.In 1996, I went to the Gamaliel Institute of Theology, Tasikmalaya, West Java.In that same year, I also went to BasicLeadershipSchool from Youth with A mission in the city of Lawang, East Java.And so I became a staff member of the Discipleship Training School in Lawang’s Youth with A Mission.
In 1998, I started a congregation and a social foundation in Surabaya.I was a pastor to the congregation and I headed the foundation up until February 2005.Presently, I am part of the Oikos Church congregation in Surabaya, one of the leadership team in the church.I also started and minister to the subculture community (the punk, gothic, and underworld community).I was appointed as an Overseer Shadow of the Cross in Indonesia and also one of the coordinators of church pioneering in this country within the foundation of Outreach Fellowship International.
I was married to Novie Durant in 1999 and we are blessed with two children: Pilip Broos and the late Regina Broos.
The incredible thing that happened after my repentance was how my family my parents experienced being born again.Our relationship was also restored in 1995.My stepfather still goes to a Catholic church with my little sister (my mother’s child from her second marriage with my stepfather).And my mother went to GISI Eben Haezer in Bandung up until the time of her death in 1997.
This is my story: God can change this “garbage” that was my life.He made me to be His instrument, and even more than that, He adopted me to be His child.And He is able and willing to love all, including you.
God bless you all
My name is Dave Broos.I was born in Bandung, West Java on September 24th, 1969.My name may sound foreign in the ear of Indonesians.You may wonder if I am actually a “white” person.It is not entirely true, but I am of a mixed descendant.My mother is of Dutch-Ambonese descendant.When I was in my mother’s womb, the man who is my mother’s lover, who is supposed to be a father to me, ran away with another woman.Therefore I was born out of wedlock.Some people call children such as I am as “bastard children”.Like it or not, it is a part of my life that I cannot avoid nor deny.That is why for my family name, I took on my mother’s maiden name.At home, my family calls me Dave.
Although I was raised only by my mother, my life is not all bad.At home, we live with grandpa, grandma, and my mom’s younger brother’s a really cool uncle to me.But all of that changed when grandpa passed away.My grandma then moved back to the Netherlands and my mom got married.I was ten years old when she got married, and I was quite shocked at the way my stepfather tried to raise me.The values in which he views life are very different with the patterns that I had seen in my grandma.I had been a lot closer to my grandma because my mom had had to work.She worked in a pharmaceutical company Tempo corporation.
As an example, my grandma never used negative words or negative ways when she wanted to discipline me.My stepfather did all those things.He called me a “bastard child” or “a rascal” or other mean names.I was so confused and mad that I became a rebellious young man.I was also disappointed and angry at my mother, but I did not know how to express my feelings.
Before my grandma left us, I had been a good kid, I did not even like violence and I was always obedient to the rules both at home and at school.The time right after my mother’s marriage was the turning point in my life.Since then, I came to the dark world all because of my disappointment toward my parents.
At that time, I started to accept my friend’s persuasions to smoke, see pornographic pictures, picking fights with kids from neighboring schools, even drinking alcohol.I did all of when I was only in 5th grade (PardomuanElementary School).
Into my teenage years, I made friends with the wrong crowd they were also kids who have been hurt by their parents.Religious things were the most boring things in my life at the time.I went to school in Bahureksa Middle School and Dago High School, these were Christian schools.During middle school, there was daily morning devotional time and in high school, there was also weekly devotional time in school.But Godly things never crossed my mind at all.Why?Because I thought: why would I care about God when He only cares about nice families, I was an accident.
Teenage delinquency soon turned into serious crimes when I joined the gang Moonraker.All my life, I never thought I was able to do such violent acts or commit crime, but that’s what happened when I fell deeper into this dark world.Over and over again, I had brushes with the law, I was locked into suffocating jail cells, I got admitted into the hospital for overdoses of illegal drugs, also because of injuries sustained while in school and gang-related fights.There are many other vicious acts that I did at the time, all making me and my parents drift farther and farther apart.
My stepfather even repeatedly threw me out of the house.He once gave me an ultimatum: he did not want to hear any police reports about me or of any incident that caused me to be admitted into the hospital.Every time I did one of those things, he became extremely furious and threw me out of the house.My mother would usually go and look for me in the streets, but there was a time when even she became very angry that she threw me out as well.So I was taken in by my grandmother’s sister, and I stayed there until I graduated from high school in 1988.College did not make me change.I was even going at it with more intensity with my gang who was having heated rivalry with another gang in our city, the XTC gang.
In 1990, someone I do not remember who enrolled me in a Bible study course about the gospel according to John.At the time, I started to understand what God wants.Even though my comprehension was still hazy, I was too proud to ask anyone about matters related to spirituality.But God has His own ways.There were friends who gave me tracts, there were strange dreams that I dreamt, or even a touching sensation when I listened to a secular rock song.All leading to one day in the beginning of March 1991, I started to think and consider regarding the ways of my life.I wondered why I had fallen so deep into the pit of darkness.One thing that I realized was the big question: why am I like this?I needed someone to LOVE me, willing to ACCEPT me the way I am, TRUST in me, and ENCOURAGE me by walking WITH ME and give me an EXAMPLE.
On March 28, 1991, I went to a revival meeting.The late Pastor Yeremia Riem was ministering at the time, and it was at that moment that I truly felt God’s touch.I realized my need for a Savior and Lord, and more than that, I saw all the criteria fulfilled in Jesus.On that day, I became a new creation in Christ.
When I came to repentance, no one believed it, including my own parents.There had been too many lies in my life that no one was sure if my repentance would last.In October 1991, because of all the doubts surrounding me, I decided to move to another city and start a new life.In the city of Surabaya, I surrendered my life to serve Lord Jesus full time.In the beginning, the congregation had their reservations, so I started my ministry as the church keeper.Later on, they began to trust me and made me the youth pastor up until 1994.In 1995, I joined the DiscipleshipTraining School from Youth with A Mission in Jakarta.In 1996, I went to the Gamaliel Institute of Theology, Tasikmalaya, West Java.In that same year, I also went to BasicLeadershipSchool from Youth with A mission in the city of Lawang, East Java.And so I became a staff member of the Discipleship Training School in Lawang’s Youth with A Mission.
In 1998, I started a congregation and a social foundation in Surabaya.I was a pastor to the congregation and I headed the foundation up until February 2005.Presently, I am part of the Oikos Church congregation in Surabaya, one of the leadership team in the church.I also started and minister to the subculture community (the punk, gothic, and underworld community).I was appointed as an Overseer Shadow of the Cross in Indonesia and also one of the coordinators of church pioneering in this country within the foundation of Outreach Fellowship International.
I was married to Novie Durant in 1999 and we are blessed with two children: Pilip Broos and the late Regina Broos.
The incredible thing that happened after my repentance was how my family my parents experienced being born again.Our relationship was also restored in 1995.My stepfather still goes to a Catholic church with my little sister (my mother’s child from her second marriage with my stepfather).And my mother went to GISI Eben Haezer in Bandung up until the time of her death in 1997.
This is my story: God can change this “garbage” that was my life.He made me to be His instrument, and even more than that, He adopted me to be His child.And He is able and willing to love all, including you.
God bless you all
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