SOUTH TAPANULI, Indonesia (AFP) — At the Angkola Protestant Church, in the hard-hit South Tapanuli district, in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas Mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island.

Churchgoer Krismanto Nainggolan said this year’s Christmas service was “different,” even as he noted joy in the bittersweet moment.

“The feelings are mixed. Every word of the pastor’s sermon made us want to cry,” Nainggolan, who lost his house in the flooding, told Agence France-Presse after the Christmas Mass.

“But the spirit of Christmas... gave us strength,” he added.