home
radioOpen Doors on three remarkable women
Rebekka, Eti and Ratna are in prison for telling children of the love of Jesus. Recently an Open Doors team went to visit them in their Indonesian prison to see how they were coping.
"Do you see these gates?" Rebekka asked. It is hard to miss the prison gates. "These are the gates of my university of trust." To most this place is simply a prison, but to Rebekka it is a place of learning what it means to trust God.
These three ladies are serving 3 year sentences for teaching Sunday School to Muslim children. The children from the local community were all free to go along to the Happy Sunday classes. Parents however took exception to the Christian content and the ladies were eventually imprisoned.
Inside the prison compound a blue tarpaulin is stretched between prison bars to form a make shift church building. Underneath is a gathering of people - the congregation of Camp David Church, formed by Rebekka. Despite her imprisonment they have chosen to continue under her pasturing. Every Sunday they travel for one and half hours in a hired minibus to reach the prison.
It is a suprising irony. They are imprisoned for their faith, yet in prison they find greater freedom to express their faith.
Rebekka is a trained doctor and in a prison of 440 inmates her skills are in great demand.
During the visit Rebekka was asked if she was scared during the court trials. "I was told that a mob of 200 radical Muslims would be at our first trial. I asked Jesus that morning, 'Lord, are you here with us?' 'Yes, I am', He replied."
The presence of Jesus in the darkest moments of our life - what a
difference it makes. 'God with us' is a reality that no one can take
away. This is the testimony of the Persecuted Church. 
Open Doors supports the Persecuted Church in 45 countries around the world by: training church leaders and Christian workers; supplying Bibles and other Christian resources to Christians who either can't get a Bible or have difficulty; providing practical livelihood training and opportunities; visiting, comforting and encouraging those who are suffering; and raising awareness of the difficulties facing persecuted Christians and mobilising prayer support throughout the western world.
Comment
Bookmark
Tell a friend
Print version
These ladies are being prayed for each week by the children of our Sunday School. They have been taken very much to their hearts, and these ladies serve to remind us the cost but also the opportunities involved in our walk with Christ.
What was meant for harm, God has turned to good. May they continue to know the everlasting arms of the Lord about them each day.