Quiet Path to Mental Rehabilitation

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Daniel Alamsjah

Daniel Alamsjah, 76, felt called upon to build a house of worship and rehabilitation center to help people with mental health problems. Although he is not a clergyman and has no background in psychology, Daniel has been active in his mission to serve those who need therapy.

Daniel is known as the founder of Rumah Doa Bukit Rhema (Bukit Rhema House of Prayer) in Borobudur district of Magelang regency, Central Java. The center is housed in a seven-story building shaped like a dove, but is known as Gereja Ayam (chicken church).

Situated in the Bukit Menoreh area, Bukit Rhema’s popularity spiked after Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (What’s Up with Cinta? 2) was filmed there several years ago.

Established in 1992, Bukit Rhema is a house of worship as well as a tourist attraction. The center is teeming with local and foreign tourists every day.

At the time I was praying at home, when the white wall of my prayer room suddenly turned into a mountain with a beautiful panorama.

Bukit Rhema was developed after Daniel had a vision in 1988, while he was working at a company in Jakarta.

“At the time I was praying at home, when the white wall of my prayer room suddenly turned into a mountain with a beautiful panorama. It lasted only for a few seconds, then it disappeared,” Daniel said on Friday (18/10/2019), when Kompas visited him at Bukit Rhema.

Although it was brief, the spiritual experience left a deep impression and set Daniel’s course in life.

One day, he visited the Borobudur area, where a young man took him on a hike up a hill. Daniel was taken by surprise, as the hill he was climbing was the same one he had seen in his vision. “After I returned to Jakarta, I kept thinking about this place every day. It drew me like a magnet,” he said.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Daniel Alamsjah

Daniel finally decided to return to the hill in Borobudur. This time, he climbed the hill alone and prayed at its peak overnight. From then on, he was resolved to build a payer house on the hill.

Daniel purchased land on the hill in stages and built Rumah Doa Bukit Rhema. From the beginning, the prayer house was intended to welcome all faiths, and not exclusive to any religion. The center has prayer rooms for all religions.

Daniel was not born into a wealthy family, and he worked hard to succeed from early in life. Daniel’s profile on the official Bukit Rhema website says that he only completed up to elementary school in his formal education.

In his youth, he worked as a driver’s assistant on a truck that hauled bricks. Later, he worked at an export-import company. In 1978, Daniel found a job with a foreign company in Jakarta.

Institution

In addition to the Rumah Doa Bukit Rhema, Daniel also set up the Betesda Rehabilitation Center, which provides mental and spiritual rehabiliation services. Located close to Bukit Rhema, the institution provides treatment for people with mental disorders.

“Like Bukit Rhema, the institution was built in 1992. They were built only several months apart,” said Daniel.

Aside from his own funds, Betesda also received the support of several parties. Among these were several Buddhists who accidentally visited the facility while it was still under construction.

15 percent of whom come from poor families and are provided free treatment.

Daniel recalled that construction had been going for six months and only 10 rooms were finished. It was Waisak, and the local hotels were full of guests who had arrived to attend the celebration of the Buddhist holiday at Borobudur Temple.

“Several Buddhist followers came to the institution and asked to be allowed spend the night here. Later, some of those who had stayed became donors of the center,” he said.

Thanks to their donations, the center was completed in 1994 and inaugurated on 12 Nov. 1994.

Kompas

Daniel Alamsjah

The center offers a variety of therapies for its mental health patients, including singing and praying. They also receive medical treatment, which is provided by the doctors of Magelang’s Prof. Dr. Soerojo Mental Hospital.

According to Daniel, the Betesda Rehabilitation Center is currently treating around 100 patients, 15 percent of whom come from poor families and are provided free treatment.

Daniel Alamsjah

Born: Lampung, 17 Oct. 1943

Wife: Jumami, 35

Education: Elementary school in Lampung

Occupation: Founder, Rumah Doa Bukit Rhema and Betesda Mental and Spiritual Rehabilitation Institution