"Semmy"

Jihad terrorists arrived in waves upon the small village where Semmy and his family lived. Fear filled the air as panicked Christians fled in all directions. They knew a jihad had been called against all the Christians in the Maluccas. The jihad militia had previously attacked hundreds of villages and killed thousands of Christians who would not surrender their faith in Christ. The men of the village tried to protect the lives of their woman and children, but simple farming tools and machetes proved no match against the invader's bombs and military-issue automatic weapons. It became clear that their only hope was to flee into the jungle for refuge.

Ten year old Semmy fearfully clung to his mother. He did not know where his father was as he watched the village houses fully engulfed in flames. Holding his mother's hand tightly, trying to reassure her, he grew eager to flee to the jungle and find safety in its dense foliage. In a moment's decision, they ran for their lives down the trails that only days earlier were walked with friends in safety. They ran for their lives but they caught the attention of a group of jihad terrorists. The terrorists ordered them to stop but they kept running as fast as they could.

Semmy ran ahead of his mother as they darted down the trails into the jungle. His mother kept yelling to him, "Semmy run, run Semmy run!" He ran as fast as he could. He had played along those trails with his friends and knew every turn and every stone. Then he heard and saw something that will never leave his memory. His mother screamed as she was caught by the terrorists. He turned and saw her struggling and pleading for her life. Then he watched in horror as they swung their machetes and brutally slaughtered his mother before his very eyes.

He ran and ran as fast as he could, deeper and deeper into the jungle. He couldn't sleep and cried day and night. What could he do? Where would he go? He began to pray just like his mother taught him to do when he needed help. So he prayed with all of his heart. Semmy walked for 10 days, sleeping only when he was too tired to go any farther. He drank from jungle streams, but ate nothing. He was in shock and all alone on the 11th day when he wandered out of the jungle. While walking down a beach, someone approached him. They could hardly believe it was Semmy. Could it be true he had survived? Ten full days alone, without food and in shock from what he had seen.

He was taken to the safety of a refugee camp of nearly 2000 people in Manado. There were a total of 42,000 refugees in the vicinity of Manado. As he walked around his new home, imagine his surprise when he saw his father! The last time they saw each other was at the onset of the village attack. He didn't know if his father was dead or alive. He put his arms around his dad and held him tight. In the next days he told his father the story of what he endured in the jungle and about seeing the murder of his mother. The tragic loss of a mother and a beloved wife is a hole that can never be filled. Please pray for Semmy and his father as they seek to heal their wounded hearts.