CHAPTER 15 HOUSE OVER THE GHOST HOLE

Previous | Index | Next

While Perry was enjoying his work at the Seventh-day Adventist Clinic in Sedau, another interesting story unfolded. One day, he was sitting on the veranda of their rented house in Kampung Pematang (Pematang village), Sedau. Suddenly, an elderly man with a hunched back and slow gait passed in front of the house. Perry politely greeted the old man and asked where he was headed. The old man replied that he was unwell but had to walk to the small shop to buy something, as no other family member was healthy enough to go for him.

Perry then asked why he hadn’t sought treatment if he was sick. The elderly man answered that there was already a shaman at their house who said that if the family wanted to be healed, they needed to move out. The shaman had explained that their house was built directly above a ghost hole. Unfortunately, the old man said, they had no other place to live, so they couldn’t move.

Hearing that, Perry asked, “Why not just make the ghost move instead? Why doesn’t the shaman they believe in drive the ghost away?” The old man responded, “Can ghosts even be told to move?” Perry then explained, “Why should we bow to the ghost? It’s the ghost that should move, not us.” There was a sparkle in the old man’s eyes as he said, “In that case, please, son, help us drive away the ghost so we don’t have to move.”

Perry took that conversation as a challenge he had to respond to. He told the old man to return home first and promised to come visit his house. After the old man left, Perry went inside and prayed with his wife, asking for God’s strength to face the challenge. He then grabbed his ever-faithful medical bag and set out for the old man’s house, full of resolve, though deep inside he still had no idea what he was going to face or what he would do after his initial examination.

Upon arriving at the house, Perry found not only the old man’s immediate family members but also some relatives who had come to visit. Yet no one was sitting in the middle of the main room. He noticed a man dressed in white with a long white beard and a censer releasing smoke in front of him—presumably the shaman. Everyone else was sitting along the walls, and no one dared sit in the center of the room.

Perry entered the room and pretended as though there really was a hole in the center. He walked slowly along the wall, avoiding the empty center. As he moved, he observed the room. There were no windows, and it was so dark that even during the day, they had to use a kerosene lamp. The lamp’s smoke had blackened the walls. After making his way across the room, Perry reached the kitchen door and stepped outside.

Not long after exiting, he raised his voice and said, “Oh, the ghosts aren’t in a hole under the house—they’re hanging in the trees! Come see!” The house was surrounded by trees—mangosteen, mango kuini, durian, banana, and various wild trees. The yard, including the area beneath the house, was full of trash.

Everyone inside the house rushed out through the kitchen to see. Perry continued, “Look, they’re in the mangosteen, mango kuini, durian, banana trees, and all those others.” The people tried to see something in the trees, though nothing unusual appeared. Even the shaman tried to look.

Perry then told them the trees needed to be cut down. They hesitated, saying they were afraid. Perry asked for a machete and began hacking at the trees himself. The durian tree, being tall and productive, he spared, saying, “These ghosts won’t want to stay in that one anymore.” He encouraged them to continue cutting the trees later and assured them there was nothing to fear now that he had started.

His next step was dealing with the trash around the house. He instructed the residents to gather all the trash beneath the house and burn it, explaining that if the area wasn’t cleaned, the ghosts might just move from the trees into the garbage.

After that, Perry began examining each household member. His diagnosis: the entire family was suffering from malaria. He gave them the appropriate medication. Reports reached him later that all of them recovered within a few days—without having to move out of their home.

Perry realized this was one effective way of conducting mission work among people still steeped in superstition. After such experiences, it became easier to guide them toward understanding health principles—and ultimately to rely on the guidance of God, who can overcome all powers of darkness.

Previous | Index | Next