By Donnie Lama

We continued the story of the arrest and imprisoned in Saudi Arabia of Donnie Lama for leading a Liturgy of the Word – with communion – for his fellow Catholics.

Finally, the court, the court summoned me. The judge confronted me with my admission that I preached as a Christian for 15 years. It said so in the paper. I placed my thumb mark on. On this basis, the court sent me to the Malaz Jail. To me, it was an improvement compared to the isolation cell where I was confined for the previous weeks. It was bigger and I could accept visitors. I was now in the national prison of Saudi Arabia. I found myself welcomed by several prisoners – Christian and Muslim. Most of them were Filipinos. The Filipino prisoners at the time were estimate to be at least a hundred. On the way to prison, I was submitting myself to the Lord: “Lord, help me to accept your will and your purposes for me, I entrust myself to you. Take care of my family for me. I cannot do anything anymore. I don’t know what will happen next. But I know that you will be with me.” Prison life was a miracle in itself for me. Surviving each day was grace enough from the Lord.

I Deny my Faith and I’m Free

Very early on, I was tempted to give up my Christian faith in exchange for freedom. Some Filipinos who had converted to the Muslim faith challenged me to do the same. My punishment would be lessened, they said, and I would be set free in no time at all; no questions asked. If not, I may die in prison, but it is not that easy to give up your own faith, I argued. I immediately recognized the devils voice as the proposal was being broached to me. “You’re stubborn! We are telling you the strategy and yet you persist in your religious crusade. You cannot eat religion!” I countered. “If you say that is the fastest way to freedom why are you still here?  Should you not have been released? Didn’t you give up your Christian faith for Islam?” the argument stopped there. I had just proven my point.

Freedom within the Prison Walls

I was strictly prohibited from talking with fellow prisoners – Christians and Muslim alike, Filipinos or otherwise. They saw me as a threat to Islam. I found myself ministering to fellow prisoners especially to those who have lost hope and courage to go with life. I and a Filipino brother in the Lord would pray together in our native tongue so that other would think we were just talking.  We also synchronized our prayer time when the Muslims were also praying. This gave us some kind of ‘freedom’ to pray everyday and have special fellowship with our God who is able to accompany us at all times.

The Truth Finds its way

The Bible was able to enter the tightly guarded prison doors. One Christian visitor of mine tested the water. The first time, I requested the prison guard to slip in paper Riyals (Saudi money) to be given to me. The money was carefully and thinly rolled to make it inconspicuous to the striker guards. It was not ordinarily allowed to give money to prisoners.  But his guard was kind enough do it. The next time, my supply of money came again for the same visitor. This time, however, there was a page of Bible rolled inside it.

Psalm 91 in written form had entered the thick walls and personally delivered by a prison guard! The next time the roll of money became a little thicker. When I received it from the guard, there were 5 pages of the Bible in it. The next time, there were 20 rolled pages. After several visits from the Christian visitor, we were able to gather a good portion of the Bible, both the Old and the New Testament! There was rejoicing among us Christian prisoners – for it would mean food for our hungry souls. It was also a clear demonstration of God sovereignty and power over tightly closed doors and thick walls. He enters us and no one can stop Him. Life and through simply find a way.

How we guarded the Pearl of Great Price

With the Bible we received on installment basis, would read the Word to my fellow prisoners specifically the Filipino community. Then I would expound on it and then pray. We did this while the Muslims were having their prayer time. The Bible was kept in the custody of one of my prison mates, tightly guarded. It is to us pure gold, a treasured possession. How the Bible was being hidden by us Christians inside the prison doors was another interesting story. (Editor felt it safer not to print this story)

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

I had devised my own communication system to the outside world. I would collect plastic straws which I use in drinking softdrink given to me by my visitors. Behind the prying eyes of prison guards and cellmates, I would roll my letters very thinly then insert them in the straws. I would then insert he straw in a tiny whole I discovered in a wall of the prison where opposite of that wall was a waiting area for visitors of prisoners. Trusted friend who visited me would know what to do once they saw a straw protruding on their side of the wall. One would be on the look out for guards while the others would pull out from the straw a thin strip of rolled paper. This was how I sent my first letter to my wife a month after I was imprisoned to let her know of my situation.

Betrayal

I also experienced how it was to be betrayed. There were co-prisoners who tipped off the prison warden whom they call Mayor. They would send word to the warden that two other prisoners and I were preaching Christianity inside the prison. This resulted to my being punished by bringing me in the isolation cell together with the two other prisoners, Roger, Pascascio and late Ruel Janda, each time the warden was tipped off. We did not mind being put in the isolation cell despite the fact that here we were a lot less comfortable to sleep, less space for us to move about, less air to breathe, less light to see, less people to talk to. Roger, Ruel and I occupied an isolation cell that faced a wide circular and solid wall, which was built at the center of the prison where prisoners were tied and whipped as part of their sentence. Every time prisoners were bought in that circular wall, I would see with my own eyes and experience in my life the words of the Psalmist, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near your. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.”

I endured the harshness of he isolation cell. Until one day, a Saudi prisoner was brought into the same cell. He was in his early 30’s. He was imprisoned for killing his brother. He turned out to be a very violent man and very mentally sick. If the intention of the prison guard was to torture us, a mad man for a prison mate was very effective. I and my Filipino companions had no peace and quite once the mad man joined us in the cell. We never slept a single night for fear of being strangle to death. We would always be half-awake and alert to protect ourselves wherever the mad man turned violent. He would throw his food at us. He would spit at us. He would pee on the floor and scatter his feces on the wall.

The three of us realized that whatever happened to the mad man, we stand to lose. If the mad man died for whatever reason while he was with us, his death shall automatically be cast upon the three of us. The other possibility was we die first for the physical and mental abuse we were receiving from him day in and day out. Roger, Ruel and I felt we were living with a very hungry, very angry roaring lion that was ready to eat us alive anytime he wanted to. We had already petitioned the prison guards that we be separated from the mad even if it meant the three of us being tied to a single post as long as it is outside the cell and away from the lunatic. But the guards would not listen to us. I found myself crying all over again for the hopelessness of our situation. Perhaps because I was so tired after several sleepless and restless nights. I was encouraged this time by Ruel. “Take heart, Donnie,” he said. “We cannot do anything but pray that the Lord will give us peace and rest in our hearts and save us from this crazy man.” We all cried to God for help that the mad man be taken away from us. I recited Psalm 91 and sought refuge in His word: “You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot, because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him and honor him...”

I Was Ready for Anything

For three days, we were able to rest because the guards transferred the mad to another cell. But after that, they brought him back to us. This time, however, my companions and I had learned to be more secure in God’s protective care. As to the mad man, he became the lion in Daniel's den. He simply closed his mouth. Finally, the three of us were able to return to the big cell. But he warden warned me: “Don’t do anything foolish again like the preaching that you do. Or else, it will be the isolation cell again for you and it would be a severe and ultimate punishment for you.” In my heart, however the suffering I had done through had made me stronger. I was more convinced than ever that no matter what happens, I would stand up for Jesus, even until death. I was ready for anything. I was happy to be serving the Lord in this way. After all, I was secure in the lord. I was also certain that my family is in God’s very capable and loving hands. If there was anything that prison life did to me, it was to deepen my conviction that the lord is good and He is worthy to be served.

Very early on, I was tempted to give up my Christian faith in exchange for freedom. Some Filipinos who had converted to the Muslim faith challenged me to do the same.

To be continued... next issue will tell you of Donnie extraordinary exit from prison.