Hitting rock bottom and facing disillusionment after starting work away from her hometown of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Adele Lu could only cry out to God on her knees for His presence. Then one day, her father sent her a link about serving on board Doulos Hope. This led to a short-term programme on board the ship, which was then in Penang. “It felt so close to my heart and felt like home.” Her experiences moved her to commit to join Doulos Hope for another two years, beginning in February 2024.
After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying in Kuala Lumpur, Adele Lu decided to continue working there in a construction company. However, for this Sabahan, being away from home saw her hitting rock bottom in her life. “I went to church, cell group meetings and served on the worship team, but I just felt emptiness. I was not seen, I was lost, I was hopeless. I struggled with my self-worth, my identity in Christ as well as in my relationships with friends and family.” Adele realized that despite being brought up in a Christian home and checking all the boxes of Christian life, she was just a Christian in name. She did not dare to declare her faith boldly or share the gospel. She didn’t know her purpose in life and thought of quitting her job and returning home to Kota Kinbalu.
Falling to her knees and crying out to the Lord, she felt His presence and prayed for God to open the doors He wanted for her life and to shut the rest. One day, her father, who had served on board an OM ship in his younger days, sent her a link for serving on Doulos Hope, the newest addition to the ministry. Contacting OM Malaysia, she was invited to help with the technical side during online prayer meetings as a way of getting to know the ministry better first. This convinced her to join a Short-Term Exposure Programme (STEP) on Doulos Hope for two months. It was there that she found a safe and comfortable community she could do life with. She was motivated to a deeper relationship with God and decided to say “Yes!” to joining the ship for two years more, beginning in February 2024. She is excited to see what God has in store for her.