Posted: 09/16/2015 at 6:16pm
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Attack unites Muslims and Christians in rural Indonesia
Pastor Yuda’s primary congregation, which meets in the northern region of Kalimantan (the island popularly called Borneo). (Photo, caption courtesy FMI)
Indonesia (MNN) — Muslims and Christians aren’t known for working
together. But in rural Indonesia, Muslims and Christians in a small
village are going “against the grain.”
Four radical Muslims brutally attacked Pastor Yuda, an indigenous church planter in Borneo supported by Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI).
“Pastor Yuda, even as we speak, was being transported to another
hospital where there’s imaging equipment so that they could take some
brain scans and see if there’s any bleeding in the brain, bone chips of
skull–anything that would need to be removed,” reports FMI’s Bruce
Allen.
“The local people [Muslims] are coming together with the
church members to try and find out who the person [was] who hit and
attacked Pastor Yuda, and bring that person to the police.”
Muslims and Christians: the clash
It’s been said time and time again: not all Muslims are terrorists.
While this is most certainly true, there is a small percentage of
Muslims in Muslim-majority Indonesia bent toward acts of terror and
violence.
In the middle of the night, four radically-aligned Muslims from the
Melayu tribe began their attack by hurling large rocks at the church
building, trying to destroy it.
When Pastor Yuda awoke and took in the scene, “they started to run,” Allen shares.
“He ran after them, simply to ask what they were doing and
why they were doing it…. One turned on him, produced a metal hammer, and
began to pound Pastor Yuda’s head with it, causing severe injury.”
(Photo courtesy FMI)
A neighbor, who was also awakened by the noise, came to Pastor Yuda’s
aid and was able to “rush” him to a hospital. But, in rural Borneo, any
type of transportation isn’t fast, and it isn’t smooth.
“It’s tough going when you’re trying to ride a motorcycle, ride a
van, do anything in that area because it’s all ‘off-road’ type of
transportation,” says Allen.
When Pastor Yuda and his neighbor finally arrived at the nearest
medical clinic, all the doctors could do was stitch up his wounds and
give him pain-killers. In the following days, Pastor Yuda was
transported to another island where he could receive brain scans and
further treatment.
Though vicious, the attack is having some positive unintended side effects.
Side effects
(Photo credit: IndonesiaTravelingGuide.com)
Pastor Yuda’s village is 98% Muslim, and “the leader of that village,
although he’s Muslim, does not want any conflict between Muslims and
Christians or the church members in that area,” Allen shares.
Attacks like these also have the potential to pit tribal members
against Christians. Fortunately, “many of the people in his congregation
are from the very tribe of these attackers,” says Allen.
Typically, Pastor Yuda’s village hums with the quiet activity of
farmers belonging to either the Melayu or Dayak tribe. The unusual facts
surrounding this attack leads FMI’s leadership team to suspect
outsiders.
“The church has been under small attacks in the past–usually from outsiders, usually from a radical Muslim group,” shares Allen.
Journey of healing
This unfortunate incident in rural Borneo has united Muslims and
Christians. But, as any survivor of head trauma knows, the journey ahead
for Pastor Yuda and his family could be a long one.
(Photo credit: GeneticLiteracyProject.com)
Depending on the exact extent of Pastor Yuda’s trauma, he could be
facing at least several weeks of bed rest and pain medication, with the
potential of surgery and recovery-based therapy.
“We’d just really appreciate prayers from the Mission Network News
audience for his recovery, and for his family and his church,” says
Allen.
“Obviously, any financial support we can give will help; there are immediate medical expenses.”
FMI plans to give an initial gift of at least $1,000 to Pastor Yuda and his family. If you’d like to contribute to his recovery, please click here and select “Support for Overseas Partners” in the drop-down menu.
“They don’t have Obamacare; they don’t have a lot of the things that
we would have in place, in terms of traditional insurance and healthcare
coverage,” Allen notes.
Prayer Points
- Please pray for Pastor Yuda’s speedy and full recovery.
- Pray that all the necessary funds to cover medical expenses will be provided.
- Pray for the continued cooperation between Muslims and
Christians, and pray that this attack will create opportunities for
Christians to share the Gospel.
Source: Mission Network
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