Standing shoulder to shoulder in a human chain, the group of men passed in coordinated movements one brick after another to form a neat stack at the end of the line. Using their bare hands, they slowly retrieved the remains of the wall of a house broken down during the Yogyakarta earthquake, in order that they may one day be given a new lease of life as building materials for a new dwelling. Despite the baking heat of the afternoon sun, the men were chatting away in high spirits. Noticing familiar faces from our CRS medical team, a grin suddenly broke out from one of them. Momentarily interrupting the chain, Yoel struck a quick pose in front of our clicking cameras, bringing about a hearty string of teases and laughter from the rest.

Ever since the onset of the Yogyakarta earthquake on 27 May 2006, Yoel and other members of the Gereja Injilis Di Indonesia (GIDI) had worked tirelessly for the recovery of the affected village of Karang in Pundong district, Bantul. Although distinct in physical appearances as outsiders from the province of Papua, these GIDI volunteers had quietly won over the trust and affection of the local Javanese. Without a murmur, they had performed even the most demanding and menial of tasks, including carrying heavy sacks of donated rice, tearing down of dangerous broken walls and clearing of debris from the dusty rubbles. So close have the two sides grown in attachment, six of the Papuans have now uprooted themselves for an infinite period from the conveniences of Yogyakarta city, where they study as university students, to sleep in a tent by the road in Karang. Six days a week when they laboured in Karang, they eat from the makeshift communal kitchen meals prepared heartily by the local women. Only on Sundays do the GIDI volunteers return to their homes for a break.

As a result of the physical toil and fatigue, Yoel and his friends came to CRS’s medical clinic to request for vitamins and ointments for their strained muscles. With a smile and almost with pride, he revealed that all six of them had been sharing three blankets amongst themselves every night.

“It is very hot now in the day. But oh, it feels very cold at night sleeping here under the tent”, Yoel said in fluent Bahasa Indonesia. “And there are lots of mosquitoes too!” 

When a query was raised on the reason for his willingness to serve a village of previously unacquainted people in such a manner, the twenty-something enlightened nonchalantly in a gentle voice, “People in Indonesia call this gotong royong – people helping people. We do all this to serve and love the people.”

In every village across Yogyakarta and Central Java where CRS’s volunteers offered free medical services, this selfless spirit of gotong royong was clearly evident. Every family, every person, made sure of their contribution to the community’s recovery through any available means in the form of providing physical strength, skills and time. With scant regard of their meagre resources, these farmers, handicraft-makers, blue-collar workers, small-scale traders and even housewives, gave abundantly in love even with their few material possessions for their neighbours. 

Together with Yoel and other free-spirited people in Indonesia, volunteers of CRS from Singapore and Malaysia are also learning through this disaster how to give generously from the depths of their hearts. With an unshaken belief in the importance of touching every single life wrecked by the earthquake, their actions and spirit have led to the coming of true Love in Java.

CRS is pleased to update that we have completed our medical phase of relief efforts in Yogyakarta through the fruitful efforts of our Teams 3 and 4. Team 3 (21-25 June 2006) consisting of nine volunteers was led by CRS President Dr Lim Koon Jin, while the eight-strong Team 4 (25-30 June) was headed by Mr Mok Choon Hoe. Continuing from the foundation of trust achieved by the earlier CRS teams, these two teams were able to provide much needed medical, social and spiritual support for the relief and rehabilitation of the people of across affected regions of Bantul, Sleman and Klaten.

Because of the single-minded dedication of all our volunteers and generous financial support of donors, CRS was able to offer free medical services and follow-up care to a daily average of 70 patients in for the whole month of June. The success of our medical missions has enabled our local partners UKRIM University and GIDI church to effectively extend their work in amongst 11 different village communities.

Describing the strong bonds forged between CRS and our new friends in Indonesia, Ibu Sigit, a worker of GIDI, wrote in a letter of appreciation: “We express much gratitude for the support, morally and materially. With full patience and friendliness, you have helped us… Do not forget us, for we too will always remember all of you.”

Team members:

Soh Choi Ling, Dr Yeoh Peng Cheng, George Annadorai, Joanna Tan & Winston Chin

In partnership with our local host, Team 2 set up medical clinics in several remote villages in the Bantul region. The team saw about 240 patients over a 4 day period. Most of the patients were experiencing post-traumatic stress syndrome. Besides providing medical relief, CRS is also discussing the possibility of food distribution relief with our local hosts.

CRS teams will continue to support this project with medical clinics till 30 June 2006. The project will be reviewed after that.