Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy and his wife, Lawingga Yikwa-Karoba are two of the first 9 persons baptized as members of the Evangelical Church of West Irian (GIIB – Gereja Injili Irian Barat), then called GIIJ (Gereja Injili Irian Jara) and now called The Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI – Gereja Injili di Indonesia). (These changes of names happened according to the changes of political names and status of the western half of New Guinea Island. However the last change happened due to the spreading of the Gospel from West Papua to many parts of Indonesia).
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy is from Walak Tribe, but does not speak Walak language until his death. He hears and understands his own vernacular, but cannot speak. He grew up in his mother’s village, in Kedlela and surrounding. In fact he was born at Biam Paga, the hill on top of Kelela town, he then grew up inside the Kelela town, and then he moved to Mogonik (Eragayam) at the time the Gospel reach Eragayam. (This was why he was returning to Kelela, to his uncles, Yabingga Yikwa and Yiawon Yikwa when missionaries already settled at Kelela).
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy has five children, 1 daughter (the first child), and four sons. The first son is the one typing these letters in this blog. One of the other three sons has replaced Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy and he is now also a church leader in GIDI. Two remaining sons work as coffee farmers. One as coffee farmer in the village, the other as coffee roaster and seller in the town.
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy is a coffee farmer and a coffee-lover himself. He loves coffee so much. He left his five children with legacy as the Reverend, the founder of the Evangelical Church of Indonesia, a fully dedicated servant of the Lord, a coffee farmer and finally as a coffee-lover.
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy is a prayer warrior, he prays for hours everyday. He prayed merely to worship, glorify and declare the names of God Almighty. He will praise Him for God’s identities and demonstrations of His existence and presence in life in general and particularly in his own life, since his childhood in the stone-age till his life to the present time. One can come and learn his complete background and history from listening to his prayers.
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy prayed for so many things. His other main prayer points is Pray for Indonesia, so that Indonesia becomes a Christian country, so that as many Indonesians as possible believe and acknowledge Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of humans.
I personally did not accept this prayer point since I knew and I personally experienced the brutality of Indonesian people. I witnessed they mocked him. I cried for many of my own relatives killed by Indonesian people. I myself live as refugee because Indonesia want to kill me, I must escape now from Indonesia. I felt my father was not realistic, not understanding the real situation we Melanesians in West Papua are facing. At one point I wanted to question this prayer point.
However, only after his passing, I now fully understand, and I know have a full and real love so that as many Indonesians as possible accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Rev. Ki’marek Karoba Tawy is also a prayer warior for the freedom and independence of West Papua as a people and as a country. He prays from morning and almost every time he prays, you will hear him pray for Indonesia. One thing that he empasises in his prayers is that
“Indonesia must go out with shame and respect! They must feel ashamed that killing other human beings is against God’s laws and that therefore, they must leave by themselves, without any bloodshed, with enlightenment of the Lord, leave West Papua in peace.”
This prayer point is also illogical. How come this most populous Moslem country, full of supporters of terrorists, home-grow and harbour terrorists in the world, and have so many militias ready in West Papua to obliterate Melanesian ethnic in West Papua, to realize the dream of Pan-Indonesia from Malay Peninsula to Fiji, including Wallis-Futuna and Vanuatu will go out peacefully?
I was thinking,
I am very sorry that my father is ignorant that Indonesia actually has plans, and has preparations in place, with fully arms and training to take over all New Guinea Island and all Melanesian archipelago. I am sorry that he is ignorantly praying to God to allow Indonesia to get out from West Papua peacefully. No, they will not. But they will expand and extend their territories into other Melanesian countries. That is something my father does not know.
However, I now realize the confirm that there nothing impossible for God, and we as the children of God have the power and authority, have the right to ask God to manifest his Kingdom in this Earth. “Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”
Eight Plus One Ministry 