Greetings!
All glory to God our Father!
It has been a hectic week, but it is now over and done. You have blessed us with your confidence and trusted in our abilities. In addition, the Lord has blessed us with an incredible network of influential contacts in some of the most dangerous countries in the world.
Just moments ago, I received a joyful call informing me that all seven Afghani families have been successfully removed and relocated with the promise of our payments. (They trust us too.) Seven families? What happened to four? Well, after I sent the second email to you, the captors changed their minds and required us to take seven families out, not four. Though without having the funds in hand, we agreed, prayed, and trusted the Lord for the extra needed funds. As usual, you responded with more than we thought we needed, and as usual, what you gave was what, in the end, was required. God always knows what we need, even when we don’t.
So, all seven families are successfully relocated, safe, and provided for by the Believers in their new land. There is a fantastic story behind all this that I cannot share with you, but when the day comes, I will. You will be amazed. Our Lord always has someone on hand to fulfill the needs of His people.
Regarding the six captives in a neighboring land and the 500+ Bibles confiscated, as of this morning, all six men are now released and home with their families. And the Bibles? They should have been destroyed, but somehow, miraculously, they were released to us as well. In a short time, they will be in the hands of the regional distributors and given to interested unbelievers and members of our house churches that have waited years to have their own Bible.
Currently, the hostage release price in Afghanistan is $400,000 (minimum) per family. With seven families, we needed $2,800,000. Yet, with God’s help, your offerings, and our incredible network, we were able to secure all seven families for less than $40,000.
I thank God for all of you who were touched by this need and responded to the Lord’s leading. I thank God for those who would have given, had they the ability, yet still interceded for the need with great enthusiasm. I am thankful for those who risked their lives to enter into negotiations and those brave men who delivered our people through what is currently the hottest spot on the planet. But, most of all, I am thankful to our Father, who cares for His own and allows us to be used in His great plan. What a blessing it is to be used by the Lord in such a magnificent way. The angels who serve Him day by day have no greater blessing than we have had, except that they can see His precious face. That will be our joy too, soon enough.
By the way, as an added surprise, you will recall that one of the slain men was married and his wife pregnant with their first child. We were able to take her out of Afghanistan as well. She is safe now, and her child will be raised to know our Lord and Master, for whom their father gave his life.
Now would you take a moment to pray for the sixty-four families left behind? We have learned that the enemy who had infiltrated the church, pretending to be a Believer, did not have any of their names or addresses. For now, they are safe; however, they still grieve over the loss of the two men and saying goodbye to friends they will never see again. While their lives are spared, their hearts are broken, and their future uncertain. Moreover, they are new believers and, thus, prone to fear and doubts. No one wants to be tortured and killed. Pray for our pastors who are shepherding them, and pray for all these families and the new ones they will introduce to our incredible Savior.
If you were led to give or your gift is yet in the mail, please be assured that our Lord knows what unknown needs will reveal themselves. There are always needs we do not know of until the fire is out and the smoke has cleared. Thus, if it is in your heart to give, your additional offerings will be beneficial.
Again, from the bottom of their hearts and mine, thank you for blessing God’s people and sticking your finger in the eye of His enemy. This has been another great victory for our team. Good job, all of you. Now, hit the showers and get ready for the next game.
