City News chats with him to find out more about his tech entrepreneur journey and his walk with God through the years.
Jourdan Kamal, 40, is the founder of Eduqat, an online platform powered by AI that curates and offers skills courses.
Based in Bali, Indonesia, Eduqat is one of the biggest names in this industry. Its most notable accomplishment was being appointed to assist the Indonesian government in a country-wide upskilling programme in 2020. Eduqat bridges the gap between educators and learners, bringing education to the masses regardless of age or location.
Jourdan (left) giving his testimony at the Young Adults meeting in March this year. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CHAN
City Harvest Church members may remember Jourdan’s testimony as shared by the church’s senior pastor Kong Hee. Jourdan had the honour of Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo calling him with an invitation to collaborate. That was a mountain-high moment that only happened after a journey with God through a series of valleys.
That journey Jourdan went through was the real testament to God’s partnership in his life. He shared his story at the Young Adults Service on 1 March 2024.
Speaking to City News in an interview, Jourdan shared that he came to Christ in Singapore at the age of 14, back when the church was located at Hollywood Theatre near Lion City Hotel. The sermons Pastor Kong preached on faith and the cultural mandate inspired him.
One time, after hearing a guest speaker, the late Dr Paul Kim speak at a meeting, Jourdan desired to be an impactful businessman like him. Dr Kim was the founding and managing partner of Parakletos Ventures, which focuses on Asia-centric investments. At the same time, Dr Kim served as an elder at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul Korea and also as head elder of Jubilee Christian Center, a 14,000-member church community in the heart of Silicon Valley in San Jose, California.
As a youth, Jourdan was actively serving in the cell group ministry and in the Indonesian Drama Team. Once, he was tasked with welcoming a guest speaker to Singapore. That guest speaker prophesied that Jourdan would one day work with the government. However, he had to first go through a period of wilderness.
Just a university student then, he nodded in agreement—like any sensible Christian would—but in his heart, he rejected the part about the wilderness.
The prophecy came to pass, wilderness and all. Jourdan tried his hand at being a web design entrepreneur, but after a year, it did not work out. He then joined the real estate industry hoping that he would make a comfortable income but could not close any deals for three whole years.
GOING THROUGH THE REFINER’S FIRE
Things took a turn for the worse in 2010 when his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Jourdan prayed for his father to receive Christ and God answered. His father received Christ and was baptised. However, his condition worsened in 2011 and he eventually passed away in January 2012.
That same year, Jourdan was dealt with another blow when his uncle died in a car crash in February, and yet another when his grandfather died in March that year. In that period, Jourdan counted a total of five deaths in the family.
The tragedies took a toll on him as he felt his world closing up. He even entertained thoughts of being the next one to go. He cooped himself up in his room and stopped using shampoo as he believed that it would cause cancer. He lost his will to work, as he saw that there was no purpose in work since death had come knocking.
Things became so bad that exactly 56 days after he lost his father, Jourdan saw his late dad’s standing by the doorway at 5.30am. That was when he knew he needed help, and he went back to church.
PREPARING FOR ETERNITY
On Easter Sunday in 2012, the late Dr David Yonggi Cho, founder and senior pastor-emeritus of the largest church in the world, Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, was invited to speak at CHC. Jourdan was in the hall that day.
“There is a work that lasts for eternity—that is when you prepare yourself and others for eternity,” said Dr Cho.
These words cut right through the haze of Jourdan’s depression. Through Dr Cho, God answered his deep search for purpose. His depression started to lift.
Jourdan also felt God impress upon him to write down his vision of a business plan, as Habakkuk 2:2 said. Refreshed by the rhema word, he sat and wrote down his plan, which centred on empowering others and fulfilling his father’s dream of setting up a school.
However, even though he had received the Word of God, Jourdan still found himself in depression, grieving for all the family members he had lost. Later that year, he asked God for one more sign—he wanted to be able to release his grief.
The following day, his sister told him that she dreamt of their father. She told him about their conversation where their dad told her that he is working with God “upstairs”.
Jourdan took that as a sign to let go of the grief.
FINDING A DIFFERENT KIND OF COURAGE
Since receiving that rhema word, Jourdan began a new lifestyle. He started his day at 6am: he would spend the wee hours of the morning working out while listening to the Word of God to renew his mind. By 8am, he would be sitting at his dining table to work.
This routine made all the difference.
“Process is essential, and it is important to resolve internal challenges,” he said. Even before his company came into existence, he saw and disciplined himself as an owner of a company.
“Pastor Kong always said to visualise your blessing and prepare yourself for it before the blessing comes,” he said. “So that was what I did when I didn’t know what else to do. When the real business came in, it was natural for me to wake up at six in the morning.”
He was still involved in real estate at that time. After that three-year drought, he closed seven deals at the same development all of a sudden. Subsequently, he started earning a five-figure income monthly.
In the midst of the blessings, God reminded Jourdan of the business plan he had written. His focus then began to shift.
The digital education business was something he could visualise himself doing and he planned for it from a place of abundance. From the kinds of courses he would launch, to the teachers he would approach, Jourdan was able to see how he could reach a million dollars worth of resources.
He looked forward to the lasting and large-scale impact it would bring—one he hopes will last for eternity.
“It is about what you leave in the lives of people. If one person is able to learn something and gain a skill, then perhaps their salary will increase, and with more income, their lives can change, and their mental health will improve. That is the kind of impact education can bring to make people’s lives better,” he said.
Looking back, Jourdan realised that journeying through the valley was tough, but because of it, he grew deeper in the Lord. He now knows for sure that God exist. Before the valley, the courage he possessed was an aggressive courage that caused him to want to achieve success for himself. Yet now, as he lives in abundance, he knows that material gains are temporary and his desire for them is no longer the same.
“Going through this changed me 180 degrees,” he said. “Now, when we talk about having courage, boldness and strength, it is not for the pursuit of material things. It is because I know God has a purpose for me—not just to be successful but also to have more impact in His Kingdom.
“Now, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. When a person lives for the purpose of Christ, it gives them strength. At work, if something goes bad, I remind myself that this is His business. I know that God is looking out for me.”
Jourdan currently leads a staff of 50 and that requires him to make prompt and wise decisions. While his routine is now streamlined and disciplined, he admitted that it was not always this way.
“People who knew me from the past are shocked. They said that they didn’t think I was this directive and decisive, I was more of an accommodating person. But I heard God’s promptings and saw the visions—hire this person, do that—and I just did them,” he said.
PARTNERING WITH GOD IN THE MARKETPLACE
Now, whenever Jourdan encounters problems in the business, he first seeks the Lord to understand God’s heart on the matter and then does what God wants him to do.
Nevertheless, even at the peak of his career, Jourdan would still get depressed whenever he compared himself to others. It was God’s word that corrected those depressing thoughts.
“It was then I realised the importance of listening to God’s Word every day, and I do it when I work out. It is like eating spiritual bread to me,” said Jourdan. “Don’t compare yourself with others. Instead, you can create an impact when you make others more successful than you.”
He also shared some tips on keeping pride in check: “Allowing my community of co-founders, friends and family to speak into my life helps me with that. When problems come, you will realise that you are not that good after all. Pride causes you to blame yourself when things go wrong because you think that it is all about you.”
Jourdan regularly shares his reflections on such topics like pride and discipline on his Instagram account, @jourdanz.
What one gleans from the relationship Jourdan has with the Lord is that he communicates with God about his dreams and plans, and God answers.
A few years ago, Jourdan decided to move to Bali. Before making that decision, he asked God for two things: a community of His people that he can grow with and to eventually create a safe space for Christian meditation retreats—not the secular kind that Bali is currently known for—and a house in Bali with certain requirements.
God answered his prayers. He bought the house the very next day and he has met a community of Christian business people that he trusts and shares his life and journey with. They have a common goal to serve God.
“Because of them, I was introduced to Pastor Jeffrey, and in Bali, I met Pastor Kong again,” Jourdan said. Pastor Jeffrey Rachmat is the senior pastor of Jakarta Praise Community Church.
Jourdan noted that his encounters with these people were intertwined over the years. “It must be divine,” he said.
“What gives me strength today is to know His great love for me,” Jourdan said. “Even if I did not do anything, if I did not succeed in business, or do ministry, He would still love me. And that really sets me free.”
