THE APPROACHING DARKNESS: - # 3
# 1 - A chill ran up my spine as I considered the possibility of going to a country where terrorists had decapitated an American journalist. The stakes couldn't have been higher. Seven of the men sitting around the table had counseled me when I had previously faced this kind of darkness, but it was the first time for the other five to give input about how to deal with this horrible evil. I cleared my throat as I spoke to the Board of Directors of our ministry. "Im willing to die for my faith, but I__" My lips trembled. "I don't want to go through what I've been reading about and seeing in the media." Sudden tears welled in my eyes. "I love my wife, and I want to spend many more years with her. I want to watch my grandchildren grow up." I didn't know what else to say. The silence that engulfed the room demanded that God's wisdom chair the remainder of the meeting. My last visit to Pakistan had been nearly ten years prior to sharing those thoughts with the Board of Directors of our ministry. During that time, I had spoken about Jesus to large crowds in Faisalabad, Lahore, and Karachi, and many responded to the gospel.
2. - It was a wonderful season of encouraging Christians explaining the love of God. Christian leaders were excited about the possibility of my return to the country. After I left Pakistan, Christians translated and produced many of my messages in a digital format and distributed them throughout the nation. Christian leaders utilized the messages to teach in villages and communities surrounding the major cities. One Christian leader translated them into Pasto, major language in Afghanistan, and many Afghans readily embraced the gospel. A year later, my Pashto translator felt his life was in danger and asked us to hire a bodyguard. We agreed and made plans for a staff member to travel to Pakistan and provide technical assistance. We found a safe house for the work, but our staff member never made it to Pakistan. A couple of weeks before he was scheduled to leave, I received a phone call that left me stunned. Terrorists had kidnapped my Pakistani colleague along with his bodyguard and demanded a large ransom. I didn't know how to respond and was left speechless.
{ 3 }. - Before I could make a decision, I received another call. Our colleague and his bodyguard had been brutally murdered. My stomach knotted. I was overwhelmed with a sense of grief and guilt__grief over the barbaric murder of a friend and colleague and guilt because he had likely been killed because of his work with our ministry. The terrorists had taken the laptop that held all my translated messages. Pakistani Pastors sent me an urgent but simple message: "You are on their radar. Don't return anytime soon. Wait until things settle down. We'll let you know when it's safe." I wanted__for seven years. Then, Pakistani Christian leaders contacted me, asking me to come back. They felt enough time had passed and that my ministry was needed. I agreed to go, but had a full travel schedule. After finding an agreeable date, we decided I would come during the first part of October, 2013. Our Board of Directors was scheduled to meet on September 23, 2013, the week prior to my departure for Pakistan.
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