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So in December, Mohammed opened the village meeting by saying with a commanding voice, "The other ngo says it will take three years to rebuild Lampuyang. We need more food to come to this village, not to Lhoh." Mohammed set forth a risky idea: Christians should rebuild Lampuyang. He had seen 240 houses go up in Lhoh and other villages under Bambang's management, while Mohammed's much larger and more prestigious village remained mostly empty.

On the other hand, Bambang knew better than to let Mohammed rush him into a commitment against the wishes of the government. He faced a dilemma of success. He had kept his word about rebuilding Lhoh, formed a deep friendship with Mohammed, and now his friend wanted him to help rebuild Lampuyang and also build a kindergarten with Christian teachers. That request would have been unthinkable before the tsunami. In fact, a highly placed political source told CT that a fundamentalist faction within Indonesia's government will still attempt to force local Muslim leaders to sever all ties with Christian charities sometime this year.

Bambang could neither refuse to help, nor take over. So he offered to secure more food, help with fishing boats, and build roofs. And he said, "We will try to build you 20 houses. But our workplace is at Lhoh, not here."

Mohammed sighed over the constraints of the situation. "I desperately want your help to come to my village." At the meeting, someone suggested the government could help. Mohammed laughed. "The government help? Many people say they want to help out, but few actually help. They all make promises, but we are stuck here."

Talking further, the Lampuyang council, comprised entirely of Muslims, committed the village to working with Christians.

Afterward, Bambang reflected on Mohammed: "He is a man of dignity. Previously, people came to him for help. Now he depends on people."

For local Indonesian Christians, their worst nightmare of Islamic aggression has temporarily faded away in light of the village's commitment. Bambang said at first local Christians thought they would become martyrs in Banda Aceh. "We have discovered that Banda Aceh people are not so bad," he said. "We now live in each other's minds. Grace can walk through open doors."

Tony Carnes is a senior writer for CT.

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Yesterday we posted an update on ministry after Hurricane Katrina.

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March 2006, Vol. 50, No. 3