Jessie's House of Needles

by John Algate

  With the rise of radical Islam in Indonesia in the post September 11 world, Jessie was soon alerting her readers to a new fear among many Christians in a more autonomous West Papua.

  The government has granted autonomy to the Irian Jaya people, plus some compensation from the mines to help their new government get established. We are not sure how this will work or how much money they will eventually receive. They are also allowed to call the country Papua. We have also been very concerned about information that terrorist training camps have been established in some out of the way places in Irian Jaya. Pray the government will clamp down on them. Pray too for the safety of the pastors and church leaders. They will be the first ones targeted by these groups, just as they were in Ambon. (March 2002)

  In spite of all the political unrest and rumours the church quietly continues its teaching and work, but there is an underlying unease knowing that the Laskar Jihad (al Qaeda type) training camps are still in operation in Irian Jaya. The Irianese people have requested the Indonesian Government have them removed but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears and there has been no response. A church in Fak Fak (in the far west or ‘bird’s head’ region) was burnt down and three prominent Papuan leaders have died in suspicious circumstances in the past six months. Pray that the leaders will be able to keep the young people from any unwise retaliation moves that could start a riot when they are provoked by outsiders. (July 2002)

  News from Irian Jaya/Papua continues to give us many reasons for concern and prayer regarding the terrorist training camps which have now grown to seven. Apparently when the J.I. (Jemaah Islamiyah, the Indonesian terrorist group behind the Bali bombing and other atrocities) was disbanded in Ambon they moved to Irian. Do pray for the pastors and elders as they know they will be targeted. The Bali bombing has brought this closer to home and shows what they are capable of doing. The Indonesian Government can no longer say they do not exist. (December 2002)

  The ongoing problem with the terrorist training camps continues and I have heard that they now have 12 of these camps in Irian. Three of these are close to the PNG border. This is an extract from a concerned PNG newsletter: ‘Currently 200 plus men are undergoing terrorism training in a jungle hideout outside Jayapura city. We should not downplay the idea that these terrorists will make plans to infiltrate PNG.’ (April 2003)

  There have been some sad and difficult situations in the central town of Wamena over the past months when some guns were stolen from the military base there. Certain individuals were immediately targeted and several punished without trial. One man died from the punishment, others beaten and kicked, women raped and houses burnt down for no real reason. It was later established that it was people within the military along with others who had stolen the guns. It would appear that this was a show of strength to intimidate and discourage the people from pushing ahead for their independence. (August 2003)

  There is continuing pressure on the missionaries because of the unstable political scene. We have heard that five missionaries with another mission have recently lost their visas. The threat of attacks from the terrorist camps against the local Christian population is a real concern and much prayer is needed for their safety. Although the people in Irian have constantly requested the Indonesian Government remove these camps, they have not done so. On the contrary, thousands more military personnel have moved into the country on one pretext or another. (November 2003)

  News from Wesley Dale who has just recently returned from Irian Jaya stated that although things are reasonably calm on the surface, there is still an element of unrest bubbling under the surface. The government elections have not yet been properly completed which is frustrating to the people, plus the fact that new tax laws on homes and land have been implemented for the first time. This has caused much heated discussion among the people and caused instability in some areas. (July 2004)

  30. Payback for the postman

  They eventually discovered his body and our mail bags hidden beside a log.

  Some years ago Elinor and I were in Korupun and the MAF decided that our airstrip needed a major upgrade so we had to close it. One of our male missionaries offered to come in and work on it with the people and manage the work for three weeks. While Chris, the manager, was at Korupun we had no way of getting our mail in and out except by sending a man across the trail to the nearest airstrip which was Sela Valley. When we heard that a plane was scheduled to land in the Sela Valley we would send a man from Korupun to Sela with our mail to go out and he would wait for the plane and bring incoming mail back to us. It was a nine-hour trek across the mountains to Sela.

  The airstrip was closed for three months which meant that this same man travelled back and forth as our postman or the ‘pony express’ to take our mail across the trail to Sela Valley. The trail was very steep and slippery in the wet season. It went over a 10,000 foot mountain which was often cold and wet. Many people died of hypothermia.

  One particular day the postman left Korupun in plenty of time to meet the plane the next morning and should have been back by the next afternoon. We waited and waited for him to return but he did not come back that night. We checked with his family in case he was sick and had fallen. They assured us that he had probably stopped at one of the villages or had gone the long way round to visit some relatives and told us not to worry for a couple more days.

  The next day when he did not return we again enquired among the local people if they had heard any word of him from the other direction. His relatives decided to send some of his friends along the trail to see if he had had an accident. When they didn’t find any sign of him or his net bag on the trail, they decided that some foul play had happened. Normally, when someone is ill or caught on the high mountain and become chilled, they will creep off the main path into a crevice or a log or somewhere to keep warm. They would leave something to alert people on the main path that they are nearby.

  Again they did not find anything to alert them to his whereabouts. They came back and called a church meeting and asked all the churches in the valley to pray all night so that God would show them where he was or what was happening to him. Time was against them as he could die or clues could be lost regarding what had happened to him. After praying all night they went home and slept. Three different men from three different villages had the same dream of a certain part of the trail that he would have taken. They sent out search parties two by two along this particular stretch of the trail and into the dense bushes on either side. They eventually discovered his body and our mail bags hidden beside a log. This was in a part of the trail which the men had seen in their dream. They brought him home for a cremation and then decided to track down those who had been the perpetrators of the crime.

  They are very clever at finding clues and within a day they knew exactly who had done it and why. They went across to Sela Valley to talk to the relatives of these people whom they were quite sure had killed him. They discovered that there had been some money put in the bag for someone in Korupun. These men had heard that there was money. They also had a grievance against the postman’s family because one of their women had been taken as a wife by someone in Korupun and they had not completed the marriage dowry payments of pigs and other items. They felt justified in killing him as payment for non-payment of the marriage dowry by the postman’s relatives. The ‘detectives’ from Korupun then talked to many people in the Sela Valley and discovered that the men they were looking for had absconded to the south and had hidden in the lowlands.

  A group of people from Korupun decided to track the two men down and within three to four days found the two men and brought them back to be tried by the village chief. They brought them across the trail from Sela with much shouting and jubilation. They sat the men in the middle of the airstrip and danced around them shouting and singing their cannibal songs. After pretending to shoot them with arrows and spitting on them and shouting curses the people decided to tie them up and take them to Wamena to put them in jail. As many o
f the people were Christians they did not want to kill them. The relatives of these men very hurriedly gathered up some pigs in payment for the death of the postman. This was the usual manner of payback if someone is killed. They brought the pigs to Korupun travelling through the night and were there by the following morning. The relatives of the postman killed and ate the pigs that had been brought over as payment for the death of the postman.

  After much deliberation the government official in Korupun decided to take them out to Wamena, starting the following day – this took 10 days walk. The next night several of the prisoners’ relatives crept into the house where the men were kept and let them go free. As the relatives had eaten the peace-meal of pigs they decided to let the two men go and not pursue them. We did hear rumours afterwards that they had planned to push the two men over the cliff on the way to Wamena. This would have added fuel to the fire for further payback. Both sides were appeased with the decision they had made.

  31. Goodbye to the highlands

  I have been able to go to all the main areas to say goodbye.

  It was a busy time for Jessie as she embarked on a last tour of the highlands, dropping in on the familiar towns and villages to farewell her many friends and colleagues.

  It is hard to believe that my time here has almost come to an end after 34 years living and working here amongst the Dani and Kimyal people. It has been a privilege to see God at work and witness His miracles amongst these stone-age warriors. God has changed these people from the inside out whereas civilisation just changes them on the outside and leaves the unchanged savage inside. It was rather an emotional time….

  Last week I went to Sela Valley for a new clinic opening. I stayed several days and they had a farewell feast for me as well. It was fun to be back again in my little house over there, but not so funny when a little lizard fell off the ceiling in fright and dropped down my neck. It was good to have time to say goodbye to everyone. I will be leaving here at the end of December and this will be a closure of a chapter of my life but a new beginning of something else. I will attend the Field Conference in January and say goodbye to all my colleagues and then head homewards. (December 2000)

  My last month in Irian was filled to capacity with many special occasions. The graduation of the last group of clinic workers changed from a small family feast to a large farewell occasion for me as well as the graduation feast for the trainees. Because there were so many wanting to attend it was by invitation only. Even so they killed 31 pigs with lots of rabbits and chickens. The place was buzzing with excitement. They had the ceremony outside as the church was too small to hold the crowd. The graduates received their diplomas and then there were speeches and farewell speeches. Pastor Siud said: ‘God sent Jessie here when she was young and her hair was brown and now her hair is white and she is all shrivelled up.’ It’s nice to have truthful friends isn’t it? He also asked me to thank the Christian people in Australia who had prayed for them in the past to continue to do the same in future, especially in this politically tense and uncertain time.

  I had quite a number of visitors in early December which was great. I stayed in Korupun for Christmas and had the elders and clinic workers in for a special Christmas meal. I then began packing and sorting of many things I had had for 30 years, distributing the contents to those who wanted or needed them. I had hoped to get it all done quickly the week after Christmas but when the people realised that I would be leaving in a week they all came to visit me and say farewell. Some came to cry, others to say goodbye, some to give me a hug and a prayer and others just sat and sat and didn’t want to go home. Yet others came from distant villages and said: ‘I have walked three days to see your face once more.’ It was a very emotional time, time consuming, and not at all easy.

  I sent my little dog out to Wamena to a family who were happy to care for her properly. In the process of trying to get her in the ‘pod’ of the plane she was very frightened and bit me through the sack we had put her in to travel out to Wamena. That didn’t help me to get on with my packing with a bandaged hand, plus the hydro going off for two nights and therefore no electricity.

  Because of the uncertainty of the political situation it was decided to change the venue of our annual conference from the cooler highlands to the hot coastal area of Sentani. I was able to be part of the conference for several days before departure. Most of my colleagues were there at the airport to see me off which was very special. I was very thankful to the Lord that my trip home was uneventful although we had several hiccoughs at Sentani when we realised that my passport had not been put into the immigration for an ‘exit only’, meaning that I would not be returning and couldn’t get out of the country. Dave made a special trip to Jayapura that night especially to get it cleared. (March 2001)

  32. Like the prodigal son

  When I left Irian the people said they hoped to have the dedication of the New Testament in two years’ time and that they wanted me to come back for the occasion. Then they qualified the statement by saying if it wasn’t done in two years I’d be dead!!! To them I am already as old as Methuselah and my time is running out. (September 2001)

  Jessie maintained a lifelong interest in West Papua, staying in contact with old friends and colleagues and keeping abreast of developments there. When the chance came to return for a visit she jumped at it with the same enthusiasm that first brought her to the highlands.

  Brian Billing, our World Team director for Australia asked if I would be willing to return to Papua for a month to accompany Nicole, a uni student who feels called to work there, and would like to do a mission awareness trip to the area. As you can imagine I was happy to fall in with the plans to leave in late January. We would value your prayer for safety as we travel through Indonesia. (November 2004)

  The past month could be termed a nostalgic walk down memory lane. After the night flight we arrived very weary to a very hot, humid Sentani, where we were met by a missionary colleague, Rosanna, who kindly transported us to where we were to stay the next couple of days. Sentani and Jayapura have expanded. Lots of new stores. Others had been burnt down in the riots of several years ago and the new stores built. A new KFC had recently opened and we patronised it by having KFC chicken with rice Irian style.

  Flying out of Sentani with Regions Wings we landed in Taiyeve in the steamy Lakes Plains where I had worked for a year and trained some clinic workers before I moved to Korupun. It was good to catch up with one of them. We enjoyed a canoe trip on the river to cool off and have a swim. We were glad the crocs were sleeping while we were in the water. We then flew to Wamena in the mountains to stay with Sue Trenier. She is the medical coordinator for the Eastern Highlands area and oversees Korupun from a distance. The cool air was very refreshing. There are now quite a few street children in Wamena. Some have come hoping for work and bored with village life, others have dropped out of school for one reason or another and have not gone home and have nowhere to live. In spite of there being a government hospital in the town the little clinic run by the church is always busy because the patients say the clinic workers care about them and will pray with them. With Papua now being divided into three provinces a lot of changes are forecast. Some changes are good and others not so good.

  After two busy days we climbed into the Heli Mission helicopter and flew to Tokuni for four days. The Martin family live there in the middle of the steamy jungle. Allyson and Kevin are learning the language and hoping to reduce it into writing so they can translate the scriptures. It was back to being under a mosquito net at nights and washing and bathing in the river each afternoon. I worked with the two clinic workers teaching them how to suture on a lemon and also how to reduce and splint a fractured limb. Allyson and Kevin also wanted to know how to take a blood pressure reading and put in an intravenous if the need arose. Up and away again as the helicopter took us to Obukain, which is half-an-hour away to the east, to stay with the Johnson family for six days at their jungle outpost. Nicole taught school to the three J
ohnson children each morning while I worked with the clinic worker I had trained some years ago and taught him and the pastor about some of the new medications and also how to reduce and splint a fracture.

  We arrived back in Wamena late in the afternoon before heading to Korupun at the crack of dawn. The weather was good and we were off. We were greeted like the prodigal son. Hugs all round. Chucked under the chin and clasped to more manly chests than I can remember in one day and cried over as if I had returned from the dead. Everyone was so pleased to see us. The house was constantly full of people coming and greeting us. Sabil, the head clinic worker, came as often as he could because he said ‘you are only here for one week and I want to see your face to remember it well.’

  The next morning we flew to Deibula. It is a four-day trek, but 15 minutes by heli, to be part of the dedication of a new clinic. Great excitement with a pig feast, speeches and welcome. Again I was hugged and cried over by all the clinic workers who had come for the special occasion. I was given a live pig. After a couple of hours of eating their special delicacies the heli manoeuvred through the fog to return to Korupun. At church (that Sunday) they asked me the question: ‘Now you are here why can’t you stay?’ The fact that I was getting old was not a viable excuse to them, as they said I looked very healthy. It is always a good feeling to be wanted but they need to be independent and trust the Lord for their needs and for wisdom. It was the plan to work my way out of a job. (March 2005)

  Jessie wasn’t yet finished with West Papua. She would make one more visit to her beloved Korupun.

  After months of delay, uncertainty and change of plans and dates, it seems likely that the dedication of the Kimyal New Testament will at last come to fruition in February 2010. Rosa went to Java in October to finalise all the finer details of the formatting and layout for the printing. The Kimyals of course are very excited and have grandiose ideas for that special day. They have invited all the former missionaries who have worked in the area over the years. It will include Phyliss Masters, Rosa and Orin Kidd, Elinor Young, Judy and Bruce McLeay and me. I am planning to go with a longtime friend – Jessie Legge. I believe life in Irian Jaya/Papua has changed dramatically since I was there a couple of years ago. (December 2009)