The Spirits Are Afraid of Jesus

In March 2011 the pattern of Philip's island weekends was already set: a knot of Moken boys sleeping on his porch "so the spirits won't come," late-night sea-cucumber dives with the men, and slow, patient cultural learning. Woken too early one morning, he answered a boy's question half-asleep: no, he was not afraid of the spirits — the spirits were afraid of him, because Jesus lives in him. Walking a pitch-dark path that night, seven-year-old Kiew clung to him and asked whether Jesus was with him too; by the next day the boy was telling all his friends that the spirits are very afraid of Jesus. The month also brought a whirlwind visit by a Brazilian doctor from East Timor — three two-hour health sessions a day that the Moken took to eagerly, with Philip cooking, arranging lodging and translating through a heavy cold — and a frightening allergic reaction that laid teammate Cally low before the right medication pulled her through.