|
Three Sunday School Teachers Released After Serving Two Years in Prison  SANTA ANA, CA (June 8, 2007) At 6 a.m., local time today, Christian Sunday school teachers Dr. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun were released from Indramayu prison, West Java, and were immediately reunited with their families.
Rebekka, Eti and Ratna were arrested in May 2005, falsely accused of converting Muslim children to Christianity through their Sunday school program called Happy Sunday. They were sentenced to three years in prison on September 1, 2005, convicted of breaching the country’s 2002 Child Protection Law. Throughout the trial, Islamic extremists made murderous threats to the three mothers from both inside and outside the courtroom. Although the Supreme Court in Jakarta turned down the second and last appeal for the three schoolteachers on February 7, 2006, the jail term was shortened with a request for parole made after two-thirds of the jail term was served. The women of the Christian Church of David's Camp set up a Happy Sunday program with Christian songs, games and Bible studies for the children, under the direction of Dr. Rebekka. After 18 months, 40 children were attending the popular program, but only 10 were from Christian homes. The Muslim children attending the Sunday program did so with the full consent of their parents. However, opposition to the Happy Sunday program resulted in the forced closure of the church building in December 2004. The three women continued to teach children from Eti’s home. Powerful Witnesses Throughout their imprisonment, the ladies have remained powerful witnesses for their Christian faith. They transformed the prison by cleaning washrooms and toilets, scrubbing cells, working on the garden and even painting the walls of the room they used for church meetings in bright yellow and blue. Within the women’s section, quarrelling was reduced, and because of Rebekka, Ratna and Eti’s calming influence, the guards overruled prison protocol and allowed each woman to have her own knife and spoon in their cell. The case of these ladies sparked international concern among the Christian community, resulting in worldwide prayer vigils and letter writing campaigns. Lessons Learned in Prison In November 2006, Dr. Rebekka said, “I hope that by the time I walk free, my life has been changed and other people’s lives have been changed too. I consider good and bad times as a gift from Jesus. I am also grateful that there are a lot of people who pray for us, who support us. Praise the Lord! “People who are jailed are usually forgotten. But this is not the case with us. Christians all over the world have been given by God with a heart to strengthen us in many ways. And I am very, very thankful to God for that,” Dr. Rebekka said. Ratna Bangun added, “The prison is a school of faith. This is where I fight for my faith, so that I can be a part of God’s plan. It is no coincidence that I am here, in this prison.” In a September 2006 visit with supporters, Rebekka remembered her reaction when she first entered prison. “I cried. I thought of what would happen to my family because I was the breadwinner.” Ratna said that being in the prison was shocking at the very beginning. “God reminds me that His plan is a plan of hope. I believe in His Word, even if I have to spend three years in prison and be far from my family. I still trust in God and He is good. I praise Him for His Word. It heals me and sets me free from all fears and anxieties.” Reaction to Appeal Being Denied In February 2006, after hearing the verdict from the Supreme Court, Eti expressed her disappointment. “What we were doing with the children was not a crime. We didn’t do things wrong with these children, but still they accused us under the law of Children’s Protection.” Since then, Eti learned to praise God for her time in prison. “It is all because of His plan that we are here, not because we are criminals. This is an experience of a lifetime I will share it with my grandchildren. I pray that my time here and my experiences in prison will be a blessing for others. … It is normal to suffer for Christ. Prison is a school for Christians who love Christ.” Thinking of Freedom, Thinking of Families  When asked about the first thing they would do after being freed, Rebekka says, “I want to meet my family. I also would love to go traveling. I even feel that after this I can fulfill my dream of becoming a missionary doctor.” Rebekka (49) is a family doctor. She and her husband, Lucas, have a girl and a boy attending university. Linda is their foster daughter. She is married and has a young child.
Ratna (40) is married to Sembiring. They have two sons. The youngest is now four years old. “The first thing for me is to fly to Pekanbaru [Sumatra] to meet my children, my family and my dad. Afterwards, I am also looking forward to traveling,” Ratna said. “I picture myself doing many things for my family when I walk free from the prison. As a mother and a housewife, I left my family for a long time. I want to make up for what has been missing, [and do] things that I was supposed to do for my family during the time I was in prison. I want to serve my family with a thankful heart and attitude.” Eti said. Eti (45) is married to Sutrisno. They have three children: a son and two daughters, of whom the youngest is eight years old. Thanks for the Letters A writing campaign to send encouraging letters to the three women was sent out to Open Doors supporters worldwide on July 15, 2005. “Thank you for letters from brothers and sisters around the world. Praise God that these letters brought us not only encouragement but they also are a living testimony to prison guards. The guards told me that Christians are so solid they stand together and the guards admire Christianity,” Eti said. “I also praise God for prayers, and for brothers and sisters who come from all parts of the world to visit us here in the prison. I know that they are obedient to God’s Word [which says to] visit brothers and sisters who are in prison. Thank you for the funds as well. God bless you all abundantly.” |
