Prisoners of Hope The Story of Our Captivity and Escape in Afghanistan

Chapter 3 HARD QUESTIONS Before we committed to working in Afghanistan long-term, we each asked ourselves hard questions. We also answered hard questions posed by our families and friends. Extraordinary are the parents who don't balk at the idea of their child moving to a third-world, war-ravaged, drought-stricken countryand, in this case, a country serving as a hub for international terrorist activity. That we had decided to go as Christian aid workers to a country where a harsh, unpredictable regime severely curtailed religious freedom gave most of our loved ones pause at best, and otherwise prompted serious alarm. We were asked: "Aren't you being foolish? Why would you jeopardize your own safety?" Of course, countless individuals choose to put themselves in harm's way every day because they believe in what they are doing. Police officers, fire fighters, journalists, CIA agents, U.S. special forces, United Nations peacekeepersthese people sacrifice their own security to pursue their passions, convictions and dreams. We were no different. Our dream was to go to hard-to-reach places and demonstrate God's love by serving the poorest of the poor. Just as some people are motivated in their vocations by political ideology or patriotism, we were motivated to serve the poor by our love for Jesus. He loved us enough to rescue us from our destructive behaviors, selfishness, bitterness and isolation. He was a faithful friend who protected and provided for us. We wanted to do the things that he considered important. In reading the Bible, we learned that feeding the hungry and clothing the naked were of paramount concern to Jesus. When you do these things, he told his disciples, you do them to me. If Jesus lived among the poor and dying, the widowed and orphaned; then we, too, wanted to live among such people. We knew we didn't have to go to Afghanistan to serve the poorWaco, Texas, is home to plenty of people without adequate means to live. We wanted to go to Afghanistan because we knew few others were willing to do so. "But aren't you really going to Afghanistan to try to convert people to Christianity?" we were asked. "Isn't the work with the poor just a way into people's lives so you can preach to them?" We certainly hoped we would have opportunities to share about Jesus with those who were interested. Jesus turned our lives upside down in a way that brought us enormous joy and hope. Of course we wanted to share this with others. If something touches your life in a powerful way, you don't keep silent about it. To use a simple analogy, if you get hooked on a new diet and lose twenty pounds, you want to share that diet plan with others because it's effective. For us, Jesus did something that defied even what we could imagine in our own mindshe healed our emotions; he gave us the ability to love and forgive; he mended our relationships; he showed us he had purpose for our lives. That's good news. Naturally, we wanted others to hear it if they desired. But the word "convert" does not accurately reflect our intentions; it implies something vaguely manipulative, even dishonest. What we wanted to do was serve the Afghan people because we felt God had put a special love for them in our hearts. If the Afghans asked us, "Why are you doing this? Why did you leave your good life in America and come to this place?" we wanted them to know: "Because God utterly changed our lives and healed our broken hearts with his love. He loves you that much and has a purpose for your life, too." Ultimately, many Afghans asked us questions about Jesus. The Afghans were very curious about our beliefs, and the topiCurry, Dayna is the author of 'Prisoners of Hope The Story of Our Captivity and Escape in Afghanistan' with ISBN 9781578566457 and ISBN 1578566452.