Self-Denial 2025: Dedi's story

In the second of five weekly videos, we meet Dedi Agustino Harilni.

This year’s Self-Denial Appeal runs from 2 February to 2 March with a focus on the life-changing work in the Indonesia Territory.

‘My name is Dedi Agustino Harilni, ’ Dedi introduces. ‘I work as a lecturer at the Salvation Army theological college in Palu.’

Some of the students here hope to train as Salvation Army officers in Jakarta. Most of them attend corps here in Palu, a busy city on the west coast of Sulawesi, one of the largest of the thousands of islands that make up Indonesia in South East Asia.

The Salvation Army’s work in Indonesia is diverse. We run hospitals and schools spread across the many islands, from the countryside to the cities. Indonesia is the fourth most populated country on the planet: 280 million people live here – 87 per cent are Muslim and 10 per cent are Christian.

The city of Palu and the province of Central Sulawesi is where most of The Salvation Army’s activities are based. Towua Salvation Army Corps is on the same compound as the school and the theological college where Dedi works.

Dedi leads a youth worker team who organise a programme of activities.

‘So, in Towua Corps, we run music lessons,’ Dedi explains. ‘There is time for sports together. There are Bible study activities and there is youth worship. And throughout the week, we meet with the young people.’

The corps in Towua has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. As well as meeting on a Sunday morning, there are two evening meetings. The main building has a capacity of about 400 and, when it’s full, they put chairs up outside with a screen to show the meeting. When that area is full, they use the side passage!

‘The second evening service has 700 to 800 people coming along,’ Dedi enthuses. ‘And the majority are young people.’

As well as working with the young people who come to The Salvation Army, Dedi’s team also work in other parts of the city.

The team makes regular visits to student boarding houses. Students from remote areas of the country come on a government programme to continue their studies. They’re given accommodation, but not much else.

‘We feel it is our duty to come to the boarding houses to see if they have eaten or not,’ says one team member. ‘If we find people in the boarding houses who haven’t eaten that day, we can share what we have.’

The team is getting to know many of the city’s neighbourhoods, which include some of the more troubled communities.

‘We have gone around most of Palu City,’ Dedi remarks. ‘We’ve visited everywhere. Even though some places are extreme, we still go. We go to visit, we go to see. Even the places where they sell drugs in the city, we go there too.’

Today, they’re visiting a bar in the red-light district before it’s open for clients. They’ve started a regular Sunday meeting here and invited the sex workers to come along.

After a short meeting, there is a time for prayer.

‘This kind of work is the last thing they want to do,’ Dedi comments. ‘They didn’t finish school, they don’t have any skills. They have the needs of the family and the needs of their village. Most of them are villagers who come to Palu City. They are not from the city. Their families are sick, need treatment. Their families need money. So there is no choice. The only choice is to work in that place.’

The Salvation Army is working hard to help these sex workers to leave and start a new life. It’s not easy, but young people from the corps are committed to supporting them.

Dedi continues: ‘Our principle is we are never better than the people we serve. If they are sex workers, we are not better than sex workers. For example, if they are drug users, we are also not better than drug users. We become friends, and together we need God.

‘We don’t come to judge, but to become friends. And so that’s what makes them interested in us. And, eventually, they join and worship together with us on Sundays.’

Pray for...

• Lecturers and students
• Worship and practical support for sex workers
• Corps in Indonesia
• Boarding houses for students