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Ramlan and Lastri were first assigned to Mindanao in a location named Bahah city. It is a small city located in the heart of Mindanao province about five to six hours’ drive from the capital of the province, Davao City. Meanwhile, Davao City remains the busiest city in the Southern Philippines.
Arriving at Bahah city, Ramlan and Lastri were initially at a loss as to how to start their ministry and who they could call friends. From first impression, they thought it would be easy to adjust to living in the Southern Philippines because their Asian features and similarities between their languages would enable them to blend in easily. However, they were very wrong. They discovered many differences in language, cultural norms and behaviour. They knew that the best way to master the local language was to use it in public places. But, they had to first confront their fears. Their ministry was in a notoriously dangerous area where kidnappings, robbery, bomb threats and murders were rife. These encounters were common for the people living at Bahah city.
In the fourth year of their ministry among the people at Bahah, Ramlan and Lastri met their first student contact who introduced them to the community. Her name was Yuni. She had two older sisters - Tuti and Tiwi. Yuni’s father was Radja, and her mother Aida had worked overseas for many years. Yuni and her sisters helped Ramlan and Lastri to connect with the community. Ramlan and Lastri started by giving tuition to children at a religious school, then conducted baking and cooking classes for the students and their mothers. They also played games such as badminton with them.
They were aware that Yuni’s father had a drinking problem. He would get drunk daily as he sat drinking with his friends throughout the day. In his drunken state, Radja would start creating trouble. There were rumours that he would often send his henchmen to kill his enemies. That was why both Ramlan and Lastri always kept their social distance from Yuni’s father, especially in his drunken state.
Ramlan and Lastri discovered that the students had never been to the city of Davao and were longing to visit it. So, they decided to arrange a trip there on a public holiday. In total, eight girls registered for the trip. Lastri told the girls, “Please ask your parents for permission. Otherwise, we would be held responsible for any mishaps.” Ramlan and Lastri promised them that as long as their parents gave approval, they could tag along. To their amazement, the parents granted their permission.
At around 9.30 p.m. on the night before they left for Davao city, Ramlan, Lastri, and the girls heard their front gate banging repeatedly. It was obvious that someone was angrily banging on it. Lastri decided to check out the situation and found three policemen dressed in uniform beside two other men. One of the men was the father of the three girls who were leaving with Ramlan and Lastri for Davao City early the next morning. Ramlan was meanwhile in a room on the upper floor but he could hear, although faintly, Lastri’s conversation with them. Suddenly, he heard the three girls crying hysterically. Ramlan immediately descended the stairs from his room and invited the men in for a talk but they refused. The girls had burst into tears because they were afraid for Ramlan and Lastri as they sensed that the policemen were here to arrest them. Indeed, one of the police officers charged, “We received a report that these students are going to be taken out of the country. You are trafficking children. We are here to investigate.”
Ramlan and Lastri could hardly believe their ears. How was it possible? The man who lodged the police report was someone they had known for a long time. That man knew very well how much the couple had helped his daughters. That man was Radja, Yuni’s father. For many years when his wife was working abroad, Radja had been living with his mistress. He had neglected their daughters and Ramlan and Lastri had stepped in to care for them. The girls frequented Ramlan and Lastri’s home, confiding in them in both good and bad times. They were like parents to the girls. It was almost normal for Lastri to go to their school to talk to their teachers when there was a problem concerning their studies. They attended the baking and cooking classes conducted by Lastri and engaged in creative art and craft sessions. They also brought their friends to Lastri's classes. In addition, Ramlan and Lastri had been providing financial assistance for their education. Surely, all these would vouch for their integrity and untarnished relationship with the girls.
As they faced Radja, Ramlan and Lastri were at a loss. Radja’s motive puzzled them although Ramlan suspected that Radja was trying to blackmail them by manipulating the policemen. The couple were fully aware that Radja’s henchman was known to be notoriously trigger-happy and always eager to do his evil bidding. The thought that this was their last night ran across their minds.
Suddenly, the daughters yelled at their father, “If you want to kill them, kill us one by one first!” Everyone present was shocked to hear them say that and wondered why they were behaving so disrespectfully to their father.
The policemen insisted on checking Ramlan and Lastri’s passports to ensure they had the proper documentation to stay in the country. The police flipped through the pages taking note of their personal particulars. The couple told the police officers that Radja’s allegation was false. Ramlan explained that they had been living in the country for over five years. He said, “If needed, I’ll call my friend’s wife who is the Head of the Immigration Department or I’ll call the barangay captain who is a friend of mine. They can help clarify who we are.”
Ramlan also mentioned his connection with some Datu in the city (Datu in the local language refers to the title for chiefs, sovereign princes and monarchs. It’s conferred by the royalty and are still currently used, especially in certain parts of the Philippines). At that, the police officers turned silent and appeared scared. Then, Ramlan asked for their names one at a time. They refused his request out of fear. Ramlan assured them, “Don’t worry, Sirs. Don’t be afraid of me. I just want to know your name, so that we can be friends. How should I address you?”
The most senior policeman looked terrified but eventually gave his name. He turned to Radja and rebuked him for being rude to Ramlan and Lastri. Ramlan heard the policeman telling Radja, “They are not ordinary people, there are some Datu behind them and we can all be in serious trouble.” Then the police ordered Radja and his henchman to leave the house quickly. Before leaving, Radja said to Ramlan and Lastri, “It’s okay to bring my daughters to Davao city. They have my permission.”
Radja’s daughters continued crying even after they all left. They failed to understand why their father had made false allegations against Ramlan and Lastri. The couple asked them, “Why did you yell at your father?” They said their father was capable of reckless behaviour. There was an occasion when he had almost shot his own wife with a gun. Upon hearing this, Ramlan and Lastri requested all the students, especially the three daughters, to pray for Radja. God had kept the couple safe from the wicked ones and they used the occasion to testify to the girls what the Bible said – that if we were to go God, He would never leave nor forsake us. He promised to be with us always, to the end of age (Matthew 28:20). Lastri further affirmed, “Those who believe in God need to believe that He is never too late and is always there in the time of need.” After that, she led all the girls in prayer before retiring for the night.
Some people in the local community came to know about the incident. They cautioned Ramlan and Lastri to be watchful every time they stepped out of their house because they had drawn the attention of some very evil people. Ramlan and Lastri were aware that they were engaged in spiritual warfare. As their ministry grew, the devil was stirring trouble.
Although Ramlan and Lastri eventually moved to another place, they continued ministering to the Bahah community whenever they came back for a visit. But they were careful to stay alert every time they returned to serve there.
Regardless of dangers, the couple saw their ministry as a privilege of seeing God at work. They both held on to God’s promise that “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1Thessalonians 5:24, ESV). They had personally witnessed God’s faithfulness through all the years and knew that no harm could come to them without God’s knowledge and protection.