The teens could tell that the shouts and chanting were getting closer. An older teen looked nervously at his friend: "The Muslims are coming, we'd better hide the kids" he said.

 

Others followed his lead, helping the smaller children to find hiding places in the nearby buildings. Then they hid themselves. It was January and a crowd of mostly Christian children and teenagers had gathered for a Bible camp at the Station Field Complex of Pattimura, a University on the island of Ambon, Indonesia.

 

When the camp was over cars came to take the laughing rejoicing children back to their homes, but there were not enough cars to hold the young people. Mecky Sainyakit and three other Christian men had gone to Wakal village to try to rent additional transportation to take the rest home, but they had not come back.

 

What the kids waiting for the rides home did not know was that on their way to the village, the men were attacked by a Muslim mob. They were pulled them from their car and onto the road. Mecky and one of the other men were stabbed to death and later their bodies were burned by the mob. The two other men escaped with their lives.

 

Before long, the mob reached the University. They found many of the teens and forced them to come out of hiding. Roy Pontoh was forced from his hiding place and made to stand before the mob…

 

"Renounce your Jesus or we will kill you!" they threatened.

 

Roy was terribly frightened. Though trembling, he answered, "I am a soldier of Christ!" At this, one of the Muslims attackers swung a sword at his stomach. The sword hit the Bible Roy held and ripped into it, knocking it out of his hand. The man's next swing sliced open Roy's stomach. His last word was "Jesus".

 

The mob dragged Roy's body out and threw it in a ditch. Four days later, his family found it. Even though they are wrecked with grief, Roy's parents stand proud of their son, who stood strong in his faith to the end.

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God." 
(Luke 12:8).

Roy Pontoh
15 years old
Died in Ambon, Indonesia
January 1999

 - Adapted from "Jesus Freaks", Alsbury Press 1999