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From Death to Life in a Surabaya Cemetery
ALO Update Vol 17 No 1

Surabaya , Indonesia —At Kembang Kuning cemetery, a place of death has become a place of life; a place of great suffering is now a place to find relief. This is the essence of the Christian message and mission—and the heart of Easter. Few stories reflect this better than that of the cemetery ministry of Spice International.

Kembang Kuning Cemetery is the largest Christian cemetery in Surabaya. It borders the city’s red-light district, and much prostitution, trafficking, and “sexploitation” occur in the area at night.

During the summer of 1999, the ministry team of Spice International discovered that a significant number of adults and children were living and working in the cemetery. The team felt compelled to offer help and hope.

“Our first priority was to assist them in very practical ways, helping them meet some of their most pressing physical needs and establishing a relationship based on trust and friendship,” Tom Wheeler, founder and director of Spice International told ALO Update. The team gives nutritious meals to the children and provides medicine, personal hygiene items, and much-needed health care for the sick and suffering.

Services are held each Saturday and Sunday. Although the vast majority of the “neighbors” are Muslims who are ridiculed for attending a Christian church, they come in increasing numbers. They are drawn to the services packed with songs of praise that glorify Jesus and a powerful presentation of the gospel.

“Several of our kids are the illicit fruit of the sins of their parents but have been saved by the grace and power of God,” Wheeler explains. “If not for the ministry of Spice International and ALO, most of these kids would be out on the streets, out of school, malnourished, and enticed into a life of prostitution. It’s heartbreaking for us when parents pull their children away from our program and put them on the streets to beg (or worse). We have so little time to spend with these kids to win their hearts and make a life-changing impact.”

A place where people go to fuel their lusts has become a place that feeds people’s hunger for redemption; a place of dishonor and despair is now a place of hope and promise.