Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“It felt like the hardest news we have ever felt in our lives. We had been hoping. We had been praying. We really believed that these seven brothers would return to us. But then we heard that they had died - and died violently.”
Voice 1
Richard Carter, an English priest, spoke these words. You may remember the story of these seven men from an earlier Spotlight programme. The men belonged to a Christian religious community called the Melanesian Brotherhood. The members of the community are called ‘brothers’. This community was based near Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands. Normally, these islands were peaceful. But in 1998 fighting started between two ethnic groups. The Melanesian Brothers acted as peace-makers to try to end the conflict. They offered help to families on both sides. And they persuaded rebel leaders to surrender their weapons.
Voice 2
But in 2003, a tragic event happened to the community. One rebel leader had refused to hand over his weapons. The leader’s name was Harold Keke. So, one of the brothers decided to visit Keke. He wanted to persuade the rebel leader to change his mind. But Keke did not believe the brother’s offer of peace. So he kept the brother, Nathaniel, as his prisoner. Later, he killed him.
Voice 1
When Brother Nathaniel did not return, six other brothers went to look for him. Harold Keke also took them hostage. He treated some of them very badly. And then, he killed these six men also.
Voice 2
Richard Carter had been working as a priest with the Melanesian Brotherhood. He had been good friends with these seven men. He wrote about what each one meant to him:
Voice 3
“I called Robin Lindsay ‘The Encourager’. He had time for everyone. He loved to help people find out what they are good at.
“Francis Tofi was gentle and wise. The last words he said to me were: ‘I am not frightened to die in God’s service doing something that is good.’
“Alfred Hill was quiet and kind. It is hard to write about the death of such a about young man.
“Ini Paratabatu had lots of energy. He loved to act in the plays that we performed.
“Patteson Gatu was full of joy. He always smiled from ear to ear when you met him.
“Tony Sirihi came to the community when his father died. We were a family and home for him. He was very brave during the time of conflict.
“Nathaniel Sado looked after the community’s animals. There was no darkness in this young man. People say that he sang songs to Jesus as he died.”
Voice 1
But the death of these brothers did not just affect the brotherhood. Richard Carter explained more:
Voice 3
“The death of those brothers helped the whole country to return to its normal state of mind. It showed what happens when you let violence rule - innocent people suffer and innocent people die. The seven brothers became an example of a different way to live. We too can choose to live our lives differently. We can live in a way that brings goodness and hope to a nation.”
Voice 1
The funeral was a time of national mourning in the Solomon Islands. But it was also a time of hope. Richard Carter continued:
Voice 3
“All kinds of people attended the brothers’ funeral. Those brothers represented a deep sadness for the nation. But they also represented a great hope. They showed that peace and goodness were stronger than evil and hatred.”
Voice 2
Richard Carter had lived through all these experiences with the Melanesian Brothers. And he did not want people to forget the sacrifice that his friends had made. So he wrote a book about their story. It is called, “In Search of the Lost.” In it, he talks about his own struggles to understand all that happened. He did not always see how God could bring good from such a tragic situation. However he did a lot of thinking about the life of Jesus Christ. And it was only then that things began to make sense. He wrote:
Voice 3
“I was walking through [the city of] Honiara. A man came to me. He asked me about the brothers who have died. Everyone is asking us. I kept silent. And then he asked me:
Voice 4
“What is wrong with the Brotherhood? How can the brothers die? Why did God not protect them?”
Voice 3
“I knew what the man was really asking. He wanted to know what the brothers had done wrong. He thought that if you do good, then nothing bad will happen to you. So he thought that the brothers must have done something wrong because they died. We do not find these ideas in the teachings of Jesus. And so I answered the man: “Why did the brothers die? Why did Jesus Christ die? They died because all humans die if people beat them and torture them and kill them.”
Voice 1
Two thousand [2000] years ago, Jesus Christ was executed. He was hung on a cross. And he was innocent. Richard believes that God brought Jesus Christ to life again the third day after his death. This gives Richard a great feeling of hope. Death does not have to be the end.
Voice 2
Richard Carter felt deeply the pain of knowing that people he loved had suffered and died. But he knew that God cared about people’s pain. And this helped him to have courage for the future. He wrote:
Voice 3
“The mystery of the events on the Solomon Islands will never go away. But I am discovering a little more about the truth of Christ’s message. If we believe in Christ’s death, we must also believe in his resurrection, his rising again.”
Voice 1
The brothers’ deaths had brought new life and peace to the Solomon Islands. So, Jesus’ death - and life - could bring hope to the most tragic of situations. And this was not just for the islanders. It was for everybody.
Voice 2
Richard Carter is now working as a priest in a large church in London. His desire is to share God’s love with the lonely and homeless people of this city. But he will never forget his brothers in the Solomon Islands. And he will possibly return to live there one day. When Richard was with the community, he wrote this poem:
Voice 5
“Resurrection begins in darkness...
And I look around
And I cannot find who I am looking for...
And then Christ comes
to chase away all fear...
he comes
like rain on a dry land
And there is song
and a hope
and a future.
We are surprised by his love,
but he is not.
Because although he kept us waiting and trusting
Christ always knew he would never leave us.”
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