Paradise Interrupted

From a WWII POW in Indonesia to Pastoring a Small Community Church in America

There's a little church in El Monte, California, tucked safely away at the corner of Peck and Hemlock. The pastor, Reverend Willy de Quilettes, is a humble man by nature, the quiet sort, unless he's preaching. The small, family-oriented congregation simply calls him Oom Willy. Uncle Willy, that is. But I call him Papa.

His passion for God came from hearing the song "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" at his sister's funeral. He found peace while men with guns walked all around him. He found joy and never lost it. Many times I've wondered what made him tick. Why does he enjoy such a simple life? One morning, I got the chance to reach into my father's heart as we shared a few giggles, some painful tears and stories from his war-filled childhood.

Born in Makassar, Indonesia, Willy and his family moved to Jokjakarta on the island of Java when he was ten years old. His father, Leo, was a Sergeant Major in the Royal Dutch-Indonesian Army. At the time, Willy had three younger brothers and a sister. One brother died in his sleep at age two, and his sister died during the war from food contamination.

They were a wealthy family. Willy's grandfather owned 150 acres of land, where they hunted wild pigs, fruit bats and pigeons. The wide variety of mango trees provided hours of climbing adventures for the boys.

"It was a tropical paradise," said the Reverend Willy with a smile. "We used to spend warm summer afternoons swimming and fishing for catfish."

Willy especially loved the crystal-clear-fresh-water lakes and rivers that flowed endlessly throughout their island. They would build rafts and float to the middle of the lake.

But paradise was interrupted when sirens blared one afternoon in 1942, and in the distance came the sounds of Japanese fighter planes.
The Japanese invaded Jokjakarta when Willy was twelve. For the next two months, the boys and their mother, Juliana, lived in a bomb shelter in their back yard. As bombs fell dangerously close, it became necessary to use rubber mouthpieces for protection. The explosions threw everyone violently against walls and to the ground.