Truth really can be stranger than fiction; so be forewarned dear reader/supporter, as we also put the old expression, ‘It never rains but it pours’ to the test.
Shortly after my own release from hospital (second stay this year, second of four surgeries) our dear Pastor Paul, Director of Bibles for Mideast, sent me a casual WhatsApp message regarding the recent death of his 98-year-old aunt. He was, he said, considering travelling to her funeral—a 200-mile bus trip along rough roads—and asked for prayer for guidance.
Two days later I got another message saying he had returned, and that he had also presented the Gospel message to three Muslim families. As I understood it then, all had accepted Jesus and Pastor Paul was back home.
The story becomes murky, however, because at some point—I am still trying to figure out the timeline and details—Pastor Paul was viciously attacked and captured by extremists furious he had evangelized the Muslims. Apparently one of the attackers, using Pastor Paul’s cellphone, began sending messages to several of his correspondents, myself included. They certainly had me completely fooled.
When a few days then went by with no word from or about Pastor Paul, I contacted Peter Haneef (who leads the Assembly of Loving God [ALG] Church, umbrella organization for all Bibles for Mideast churches). He explained as much as he knew, beginning with how Pastor Paul’s family had become worried when he did not return from his aunt’s funeral. They then learned he had been attacked after evangelizing the Muslims, and was being held captive by his attackers.
The deceased aunt’s son—a politician with some connections—had heard that his cousin had been attacked and captured. He managed to discover where the captors were holding Pastor Paul, gathered up a group of political cadets to storm the place, and after a fierce battle, freed the pastor. They brought him back to his home, but his injuries were so severe his family took him to the hospital for care. His cellphone remained in the hands of his captors, but by then I knew not to believe any messages I got from Pastor Paul’s WhatsApp account.
THEN—complete silence from Pastor Peter Haneef. Getting desperate for more information, I contacted Pastor Paul’s wife Mercy. She has had too many of her own medical emergencies this year—hospitalized for heart surgery, and then later, for a stroke—so I wasn’t sure whether she would be well enough to respond. She thankfully was able to reply in her broken English to each of my numerous inquiries, and the blurry picture I managed to piece together follows.
Apparently, Pastor Peter had himself been kidnapped—on his way home from visiting his friend and co-leader Pastor Paul in hospital, I believe.
“He understood they were taking him to kill him,” Mercy explained. “He prayed to the Lord. He saw a police van behind, called again to Jesus, opened the door and fell out.” The police from the vehicle behind the captors’ of course came to investigate, and finding the injured pastor, rushed him to the nearest hospital.
So your prayers are certainly needed and appreciated: for Pastor Paul, Pastor Peter Haneef, myself and for the ministry as a whole: that absolutely no challenges thrown our way will deter us from seeking and following His Way, His Purposes, His Redemption.
We are all recovering, and we “know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Please pray especially for Pastor Paul, who is still on supplemental oxygen.
While the old adage may go, “It never rains but it pours,” we also believe the Holy Spirit can rain down as copiously to save, guide, heal and protect. Make it so, Lord!
Isaiah 45:8 – “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.”
