On This Day January 24 1964

Irene Ferrel Takes the Arrow for Christ

Khen Lim




Irene Ferrel (Image source: mylordkatie.wordpress.com)

For the local kids attending classes at the Baptist primary school in Mangungu, Belgian Congo (now called Zaire), the beating of the drum was akin to sounding the school bell but it was also a daily reminder to the Jeunesse who were young Chinese-backed Marxist terrorists bent on destroying Christianity, which they view as formidable ideological competition.

“We fear the beating of the drum for classes is inciting the Jeunesse,” said Nkedi, the local director of the school who was concerned because of their notoriety for massacres and tortures.

The teachers were in agreement with Nkedi that school should be suspended for now until things got better while looking from a distance, missionaries Irene Ferrel and Ruth Hege had also felt their plight. Suddenly the roar of an airplane jolted them to look upwards.

“Avion! Avion! Avion!” the locals exclaimed while pointing excitedly at the approaching plane. For many, the sight of planes was always a good sign for many remote missionary bases in troubled areas. As the locals ran towards the sighting, the pilot threw out a package attached to a trailing white tape that fell into the nearby foliage.

Tied to it was a note, which Irene grabbed hold of and read, “Are you in trouble? All missionaries have been evacuated from Mukedi. Kandala Station burned and missionaries evacuated.” The message continued with an offer to help evacuate them by a returning helicopter, asking that if they were interested, they should signal back by sitting on the ground.

With the plane – with Mission Aviation Fellowship markings – circling back and awaiting their response, there wasn’t time to labour over a decision. “Lord, lead us!” they cried out. While no one wanted to abandon the local Christians, they were all too aware that Irene and Ruth stood out as easy targets, being the only white women in the area so ripe for attacks. And so on that fateful day at 3:00pm, January 24 1964, they both walked to the clearing and sat as requested while the plane tipped a wing to acknowledge their interest before flying away.

From thereon, everything was a blur as all the people hurried to prepare their hasty departure from the missionary base but even so, as nightfall beckoned, there was no sign of the promised helicopter. Still the local Christians had gathered for a farewell service till midnight. After the service was over, Pastor Luka told Irene and Ruth, “We will be right here. We are not going home to sleep tonight. We want to be here to see the avion come down.”

Ruth Hege (Image source: mylordkatie.wordpress.com)

In the calm before the rude awakening, everything was still and silent. It was hard to imagine that there was a civil war happening but it was. As Ruth had just begun to sleep, a distant commotion forced her awake. Suddenly the brief interlude was shattered. Peace was over. Luke and others were screaming for others to take heed. The Jeunesse had arrived and everyone’s lives were in danger now.

Ruth stormed out of her room and rushed to get Irene but where would they go since the helicopter had not come? The Jeunesse were now surrounding the whole area. They forced their way into the compound and ransacked the place at will. Eventually these drugged-out Marxist youths dragged Irene and Ruth fifteen metres across the front lawn with such force that they were hurled violently to the ground. Thankfully, Ruth thought, they were still together. But not for long.

And suddenly, an arrow was unleashed out of nowhere, slicing through the air and pierced Irene’s throat. In that moment of helplessness, Ruth could just look on in despair.

“I am finished” were Irene’s last words before she took one last step and collapsed to become Baptist Mid-Missions’ first and only martyr of the previous century. In utter disbelief, Ruth cried aloud her friend’s name one more time as she rushed towards her dead body and as she collapsed in an emotional heap, a blow landed on her head.

Ruth passed out and laid over Irene, all bloodied and appearing lifeless. In the midst of the terror, she awoke in a shivering mess just as the Jeunesse was approaching her but somehow she managed to lie perfectly motionless. One of the rebels, saw her bloodiness, reached down and felt her.

“Dead,” he said and moved on. Still there were others who also checked her and found the same. One of them yanked a lock of her hair to wear as a fetish and in her pain, she did not wince. After they left, she crawled across the lawn amidst the dead bodies and burning buildings to a hiding place where she continued to witness the terror for the next four harrowing days until local Christians came to rescue her and bury her friend, Irene.

Not long thereafter, the Jeunesse did capture Ruth but despite the murder of her good missionary partner and the real threat to her life, she managed to reach out and shared the Good News with them. On the third day, U.N. forces arrived to rescue her even while Pastors Luka and Zechariah were themselves captured and tortured before they managed to escape.

And all through Ruth’s ordeal, the helicopter somehow never arrived.