'Healing' Death March route
Published on: Monday, July 27, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: They sang, they wept, they prayed and at the end of it all, came away convinced they have brought healing to the land on which more than 2,500 Allied servicemen died during the war.More than 20 Christians from various denominations took part in the two-day prayerful journey across the Death March route, culminating their bid to bring a measure of calm to the scarred land at the site of the main PoW camp in Sandakan.It was the first such effort to 'heal the land' by any group, 70 years after the atrocities were committed and made known to the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The land is cleansed. The trauma of this land had been healed and the spirits of the people (Sabahans) will be lifted," declared the group leader Pastor Serena Shim.Their conviction was made stronger after one of the eight pastors who took part in the journey, told of her dream about a black whirlwind that lifted up and left Sabah.Among them were individuals who identify themselves as 'intercessors' who claim to have the ability to listen to God's voice, instructing them what to do and giving them some sort of enlightenment as to what had happened 70 years ago."Since we want to reverse the effects of this sin, we are going to retrace the steps of these men but we will do it in reverse. Instead of starting from Sandakan, we start in Ranau where the march ended," said organising secretary Pastor Tan Mei Chan.
ADVERTISEMENT
The group stopped first in the Last Camp in Ranau and after a briefing by the tour guide, they gathered under the shelter, overlooking the site where 25 prisoners were brutally executed by the Japanese guards.Songs of praises soon ensued with intermittent prayers for forgiveness before they fell to their knees and prostrating, they wept and begged for mercy.
ADVERTISEMENT
At the end, they blew their shofar, a musical instrument of ancient origin, supposedly to cleanse the spot."The sound of shofar resembles the sound of God's voice and we believe it brings healing, liberty, deliverance and peace. It will release the land of its pain," said Pastor Aster from Kudat.Next stop was the First PoW Camp in the compound of SIB Church in Ranau where the group was joined by SIB faithful. The atmosphere was less sombre there and they even danced together as they sang praise and worship songs.The third stop was in Paginatan and here, the group erected a small altar before they each took communion among themselves.In Tampias, near the site of Nunuk Ragang, the only Rungus member of the group led the prayer where she prayed for her people and the natives of Sabah for their conversion, believing that because many are still animists, more bad things will come onto the land.The group stopped near the signboard that showed the valley where PoWs were tortured and killed in Taviu, but since the site was just next to a busy road, the group opted to pray inside the air-conditioned bus before setting off to Sandakan.After a night's rest, the group proceeded to the Sandakan Memorial Park where they culminated their journey with a more earnest prayer session and a series of prophecies and intercession.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
