By Jeff Brumley
Tina Bailey took to Facebook May 3 to appeal for prayer.
For a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel like Bailey, that’s not all that unusual. But this post was particularly painful.
“On this Sunday morning wherever you are and from whatever tradition,” she wrote from Bali, “take a moment to pray for the families and friends of the eight lives taken from us after midnight on early Wednesday.”
Two of those eight were part of the so-called “Bali 9,” convicted drug smugglers sentenced to death and, eventually, executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on April 29.
It’s not just that Bailey and her husband, Jonathan, work in an arts and music ministry in Bali that had connected her to the prisoners. She had come to know and love the prisoners — and was especially close to two of them — by working in Bali’s Kerobokan Prison.
Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were talented artists and also functioned as spiritual leaders in the prison. They, along with the others executed with them, refused blindfolds before being shot.
Through email, Bailey shared with Baptist News Global how the deaths have impacted her and the prison where she continues to serve.
When is the last time you saw/interacted with Myuran and Andrew? How were their spirits then, and what did you speak about?
I visited Myuran on Monday, the day before the executions and also spoke to Andrew, as well Rahem and MaryJane. I visited Myu with his family as well. We all talked about many things. He spent time with each person passing on words of wisdom and encouragement and also things he was thankful for. His spirit was amazing. He was completely present to everyone. He was at peace while also at the same time knowing that all that was happening was not right. He thanked me personally for staying involved with the art program and expressed that he was not sure it would have survived without my help. I was very moved to hear him say that and was not expecting it.
How and when did you learn of their deaths — were you surprised or did you (and others) get advanced notice they had been moved for execution?
When the 72 hours notice was given we were all shocked. They still had court dates challenging the ruling to the constitutional court. But that process of justice was not honored.
They were moved to the island of Nusa Kambangan, where the executions took place, two months ago. When they were initially moved we were afraid it would be soon. But since there were several … that had court cases still in process, we were all able to breath. Only last week, Myu had just gotten approval to teach the other inmates at the prison.
Has there been or will there be burial services for them? Were you/will you be there or be involved?
The funerals for both Myu and Andrew will be at the end of this week in Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend. I hope I will be able to watch a live stream.
I understand both men were leaders and looked up to in the prison; how is the mood in the prison since their deaths?
In the prison here in Bali where they were such strong leaders there is a strong sense of loss. But they are doing what they can to move forward and honor the legacy that Myuran and Andrew left. They are processing their grief but it is going to take a long time for complete healing. Myu and Andrew were the examples to live up to, meaning that they were people who had changed and did something amazing. So this in turn encourages others to believe they can change as well. … Those who were closest to Myuran and Andrew, I believe, are going to be OK. But there is a deep sense of injustice at killing the two people who helped others.
How is the grief process manifesting itself in you, and what is sustaining you through it all?
For me the grief has been a long process, being up and down as the news changed throughout the past few months. Visiting Myu after he was moved was helpful. I could see where he was … and I could just be supportive however he needed it and sometimes that was just in being present and talking about art and answering questions about news on the outside and giving him updates on how everyone at the prison back on Bali were doing. I think what has sustained me is being available in any way that I could be, whether that was in helping source art materials so he could paint, or being with his family when I could or even on the day he was killed being the one called on to take care of his paintings. Sitting in a room surrounded by Myu’s last paintings was grief work for me …. Dealing with the grief is also coming to terms that it does not make sense and never will, but that through it all the love of God was present in them and through them to those who they came in contact with until their very last breath.
How is art helping inmates through this loss?
The arts are a source of healing that touch the deepest part of ourselves. For the painters, they honor Myu’s memory by continuing to paint and sit in the shared space of the art room with each other. The art room is a safe space that has in some way become sacred …. I see that they find their comfort and quiet in the paint and canvas. It allows them to quiet their minds and find a quiet meditative space in the process.