CRY INDONESIA MEDIA, PALU, Indonesia July 22, 2003 FROM TEARS TO SPRINGS On December 1, 2002, Reverend Rinaldy Damanik, woke in his prison cell in Jakarta to see the notebook he had scribed in the night before. An unusual visitation during the night had prompted him to write the words, Never run from trouble and never be afraid to face the difficulty. The difficulty is normal. In this work of faith there is no way that is easy and simple to reach the noble purpose. In the same way there is no cheap price to get something which is really priceless. The writing in the notebook during the night had not been a dream, it had actually happened. The stain of the tears shed as he wrote were still clearly visible. The Indonesian for tears is 'eye water' and since the conflict in Poso first started in December 1998 there has been many tears shed. As a leading church pastor in Central Sulawesi, Rev Damanik has had many enemies. Even within the church his reputation as man of simple lifestyle and commitment to working alongside the poor and marginalised put him at odds with the predominant class-conscious church culture. But his outspoken nature was of particular worry to Laskar Jihad and their sympathizers, who had made it their aim to wipe Christianity out of Central Sulawesi. Damanik's home town of Tentena was a well advertised operational target for the Laskar Jihad. Rev Damanik also had few friends in the military or regional government because of his accusations of corruption and allegations of their collusion with the Laskar Jihad to further their own ends. There had been a price on Damanik's head for a number of months and so it was no real surprise to him that he was finally arrested and taken out of Central Sulawesi for imprisonment in Jakarta. Later transferred to prison in Palu, Damanik's food was poisoned and he nearly died. On June 16 the Palu court found him guilty of carrying weapons in his car in August 2002 and sentenced him to three years jail. There was no other evidence tendered to the court that implicated Rev Damanik in any other incidents around Poso during the conflict, and, as to 'carrying weapons', the witnesses conflicted each other and fabricated their stories. For example, he injured his hand a few days before the alleged incident and had it bandaged in a sling and yet they said that they saw him driving the alleged car. The case has even attracted the keen attention of Muslim leaders who believe that Damanik is innocent and that what has happened is a miscarriage of justice. Even most of Damanik's defense team are Muslim and have offered their services at a much reduced rate because of their personal convictions concerning his innocence. Mona Saroninsong, who heads up the Church Crisis Centre, leads me through into the prison wearing her 'truth and justice will prevail' T-Shirt. She smiles and shakes hands with the guards who have got to know her well, and besides, a friend of Damanik is a friend of theirs! Since Damanik's imprisonment he has gained a reputation as a man of peace and reconciliation. The mostly muslim guards have seen how the whole culture of the prison has changed since this new arrival. Even with leading members of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) in the same prison on charges of terrorism the prison environment is peaceful and without strife. [Even Iman Samudra, Bali bomber mastermind, who Damanik got to know quite well in the Jakarta prison had declared, 'Damanik, you are innocent. I know. You have been framed']. Damanik holds a small church service each week attended by the small christian population in the jail. At first, the other prisoners (muslims) would just go on playing volleyball, shouting out, and sometimes even walking straight into the chapel and carry on a conversation with each other. Then when the Muslim call for prayer sounded out over the local mosque loudspeakers, the prisoners would cry out loud, "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar", trying to drown out the praises to Jesus Christ. Damanik's strategy was simple and effective. He made sure that during the muslim prayer hour that the Christians, instead of just carrying on normal duties like they used to, were still and silent during the 5 times a day Muslim prayers. After a while the Muslims saw that Damanik respected their religion and started to adopt the same standard when the Christians gathered. Now, even if the Muslim prayer hour happens during the time that the Christians are gathering, the Muslim prisoners will set aside their normal prayer cries prescribed by muslim law. One of the celebrated days in Indonesian prisons is the 'Anniversary of the Justice System'. This is a big day for Indonesian prisons and is celebrated across the country. The Head of the Prison (muslim) asked Rev Damanik to co-ordinate this event. Never in the past has a prisoner been asked to do this. Rev Damanik selected his own committee in planning for the day. There were quizzes, singing competitions, and sporting events. The Church Crisis Centre helped Damanik by providing small prizes to the prisoners for the special day. This is just another example of how God is using Rev Damanik to improve the life of the prison. As each day of the trial went by, more and more of the truth of the conflict came out and attitudes among rank and file muslims started to change towards Damanik. Now the military are being investigated for some crimes the Christians were rumoured to have instigated. These revelations have also impacted attitudes in the prison. The prison guards have recognised the blessing of God on Rev Damanik's life and have placed him in charge of much of the prison administration. Because of his genuine pastoral interest in each of the prisoner's needs he has also been given the role of compiling case studies on each of the prisoners. Simple information like, have they been in jail before, what special needs do they have etc. Rev Damanik has become their counsellor and advocate and has made many friends. They have even said, 'if anything happens to you on the outside we will protest on your behalf in here. Just tell us when you want a protest!' Rev Damanik is extremely thankful for the prayers, support and letters he has received from all over the world - all of which has helped to make him strong in his spirit. He would rather not be in prison, but is thankful to God for the opportunities it has provided to tell the truth in court and to have that truth reported in the press. He also praises God that he can work for reconciliation in practical ways in what would normally be an explosive situation i.e a prison dominated by those of another religion, many of whom are fanatical. Laskar Jihad members have come up to him and said, 'I used to want you dead and Christianity destroyed, but now I want to change'. There has been many tears shed in Central Sulawesi and throughout the whole of East Indonesia, but Rev Damanik's prayer is a useful guide for us all: 'Lord, that you would change the tears (air mata) into a spring (mata air) - a spring of healing, joy and peace in Jesus Christ'.