His life ended tragically. His dead body was found cold at the foot of Mount Seulawah, Aceh Besar, several weeks after his wife passed away. I will always remember him as an Acehnese hajj who boldly risked his reputation against those who did not want us to start a Christian-owned school in Aceh. I did not know why, but somehow he trusted us after I told him the reason we came to Aceh was purely to help Acehnese children in education and character building. No hidden agenda at all. I told him we wanted to follow the footsteps of Jesus who gave, healed, and loved unconditionally. One evening, after a long discussion about Moslem-Christian distrustful relationships over strong black coffee in Ulee Kareng, he said, "Frankly Pak, as a Moslem I have a desire for you to follow Islam, and I know deep in your heart, you want me to be a Christian. Am I right?" I was not ready for this sudden question, but I totally agree. So I just nodded and whispered, "Yes, you're right." Since then, we had a deeper trust in each other and we could talk freely about our beliefs without reservation or fear of offending each other’s faith. My friends, that is what I call tolerance. I don’t know where he is right now, but I have a hope that shortly before he went to eternity, he had a divine encounter with the Way, the Truth and the Life.
I may not know him personally, but knowing his story alone has gained my respect for him. May he rest in peace. :]
ReplyDeleteAnd may his children's children reap the kindness he had sown.
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