Three teenage girls in Central Sulawesi suffered a grisly death on Saturday, October 29. The girls were all students of a Christian high school. Theresia Morangkir, Alfita Poliwo, Yarni Sambue and Noviana Malewa were walking to school through a cocoa plantation in Poso Kota when they were attacked by men dressed in black and wielding machetes. Therisia, Alfita and Yarni were beheaded. Noviana managed to fend off her attackers and run away, but suffered severe gashes to her face.
The severed heads of the dead girls were found several miles away from the bodies. One was placed in front of a church and the other two near a police station. Upon his hearing of the murders, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cancelled all his prior appointments in order to meet with security officials. While police have increased patrols in the area, no further violence has been reported and no suspects have been apprehended.
Please pray for the families who are grieving the terrible loss of these young girls. Pray that the Lord will surround them with comfort and emotional healing. Pray that the pain the people are experiencing will not turn into increased violence again in Central Sulawesi. Pray also for physical and emotional healing for Noviana who is recovering from serious facial wounds. Finally, remember to pray that the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice and that they will know and respond to the love of Christ.
For more information on these and other incidents of persecution against Christians in Indonesia, click here. VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com, features a 21-minute video on the persecution of Christians in Indonesia entitled, "Island Jihad."
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