Indonesia: Convicts praise God before execution

Strung to a cross and staring down at the weapons pointed at their hearts, eight convicted drug traffickers defiantly sang ‘Amazing Grace’ in the moments before they were executed on Indonesia’s Nusa Kambangan prison island on 29 April. The convicts, citizens of Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia, had converted to Christ while in prison. International pleas for their release were ignored by Indonesia, a country that maintains a strong anti-drug policy. Australia called the executions “cruel and unnecessary.”

Pastor Karina de Vega described to the Sydney Morning Herald the extraordinary scenes of the prisoners praising their God. “It was breathtaking. This was the first time I witnessed someone so excited to meet their God. They refused to wear blindfolds and as they sang in unison the bond between them was visceral. They sang one song after another. Praising God, like in a choir.”

One of them, Andrew Chan, was ordained in prison earlier this year and has helped many prisoners rehabilitate. Together with the other Christian inmates, he organized painting, cooking and computer classes, and gave practical help to make sure the poorest prisoners had food, clothing, healthcare and essentials.

Source: Karina de Vega

Copyright © 2015 Stichting Joel Ministries

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