Three ladies in prison (an appeal)

I implore anyone who can read this to give it wider coverage by reproducing it on their blog.

This is the tale of three ladies you will never hear of in the west. They are not powerful, not rich, not influential and certainly not famous. They sit in jail today. Their crime? Caring about their communities.

Rebeka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun were sentenced to three years of prison each.

In 2003, the local school allowed those of minority religions to instruct their children in the way of their respective religions. These three women, without funding, without much in the way of resources started a Christian program named Happy Sunday. Several Muslim children started to attend.

Islamic leaders became alarmed that their own children were attending Happy Sunday. One particular Muslim leader became alarmed when he realised that his own children were singing songs they had learnt at Happy Sunday. Somehow the Muslim songs had little traction with the kids. Clearly their children would not listen to them, so they went to the courts.

The local Jihad groups literally went to town and filled the court house with head banded supporters carrying banners spewing all kinds of threats. They laid six coffins outside the court, three for the women and the other three for the judges, should they return unfavourable verdicts.

The three women now are in prison. Please remember them in your prayers. Please also remember their own children who miss their mothers greatly, mothers who have done nothing more than to care about the upbringing of their children and who opened their hearts to the children of their neighbours.

God has his own plans but meanwhile we can continue to encourage these three women via the letter writing campaign.

Letters can be sent to the Singapore Open Doors office:


C/O Open Doors Singapore
8 Sin Ming Road
#02-06 Sin Ming Centre
Singapore 575628

A per the standard rule of writing to prisoners of conscience:

• Do not mention any organisations you are affiliated to.


• Do not say anything negative about the government of Indonesia or Islam, they already know that they are evil so you don't need to tell them.


• Be encouraging, if you have a verse from the bible write it in. Often prisoners are not allowed bibles or reading materials. Your verse may be the only reading material they get. This is not Guantanamo, it's real prison in a real Muslim country.


• Postcards and greeting cards are best. Good idea: Buy a stack of postcards and get the children in your pre-school, sunday school etc to fill them out. Artwork would be great too. You can ask them to pray along too.


• Tell them what country you are writing from but do not include your address
  * Please do not send money or gifts. What they need most is your encouragement. Besides, the country is corrupt.

If you need the address of a nearer open doors office you can find it at
http://sb.od.org/index.php?supp_page=contact&supp_lang=en.

This only costs you a few cents for a stamp and five minutes with a pen.

It says in the book of Matthew (much amplified):

Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, receive as your own the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.

Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?

And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least of these My brethren, you did it for Me.