If you haven’t read the post from last Friday, you will want to do so before you read today’s post.

When one of the armed men shot the tire of the car, it didn’t go flat until Linda’s* family made it home to seek help for rescuing her from the kidnappers. It was a miracle—one of many that day. Another miracle happened when a neighbor noticed suspicious activity in the house next to her. She called the local police, who already knew about the kidnapping, describing activity that didn’t seem normal. In the series of events that took place after that, Linda was rescued two and a half hours after the kidnapping. One of the kidnappers got shot while the others fled, but Linda calmly went to her rescuers. The officers took her to the Embassy, where her family waited under protective custody. At school, the administration gathered everyone together to announce the successful rescue. The cheers and praises were probably heard in the next town over. God heard and answered our prayers.

This tragic event became a testimony to Linda and her family. We celebrated her return to school, and she shared her bravery and trust in the Lord for her life. Linda understood Spanish and spoke with her captors, who showed her favor. Nobody tried to touch her or hurt her in any way. She boldly talked with them about the Lord, and confronted them as to why they kidnapped her. “What if something like this happened to one of your loved ones,” she challenged. Linda felt a sense of peace that could only come from the Lord. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

This event provoked fear in most of my students, to the point that their parents asked the school for counseling and follow-up for the kids. Some of them were having scary dreams and not wanting to leave their homes. Instead of having normal classes, we opened our Bibles to the scriptures that describe God as a refuge.

We read Scriptures that say we can put our hope and trust in Him. Our favorite passage, Psalm 91, begins with, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (NIV). His refuge isn’t a place we can randomly enter, but with a personal relationship with Him, we can freely enter this place at any time. We are not always going to be kept from bad things happening, but in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, He will go through it with us guarding and protecting us each step of the way. That’s where testimony comes in. We go through the test and have the testimony of His divine love. Our talks with the students were deep and had a healing balm as we sorted through these truths.

The school counselor came into the classroom for group sessions. The process of healing took time, but we all stood together for one another in the love of our Lord.

God did not create this world to be sinful, but He gave humankind the freedom of choice. It is sad when someone chooses to do evil, because it affects the innocent. Our encouragement came from Linda’s choice to testify to her captors and trust the Lord with her life. I hope her testimony encourages you. None of us knows what tomorrow brings or even the next hour. One doesn’t have to live in a third-world country to see tragic happenings, but the Lord God remains a place of refuge for any who wants to enter in.

*Name has been changed.

Arriving at CAG (Christian Academy of Guatemala) early one morning, I felt the sense of urgency when the principal told me that the staff would meet in front of the office. I wondered at this out-of-the-ordinary request when students were already in the school building. A coldness gripped my heart when I heard the word kidnapped. The coldness intensified when I learned that one of my students had been kidnapped that morning. With few details and fighting tears, I brace myself for my students. I had never thought of such a thing happening, and I certainly didn’t have any training for such a crises. My mother’s heart felt pierced. I called out to God for help and wisdom. Lord I need the right words to say, and help me not to provoke more fear in the hearts of these children. Help me to remain calm and be a source of comfort. Keep me from falling apart.

Soft sobs and long faces surrounded me in the classroom. “Children, this a time when the power of prayer goes into action.” No further words were necessary as everyone went before the Lord requesting the protection and rescue of Linda*.

Linda lived with her family, in the country, a short distance from a village near San Cristobal. I later learned that her father, sisters, a friend, and she left for school as they had daily for many months before this. But this day was different. Armed men stopped the car a few miles from their home. One man shot a tire to keep the father from returning home for help. Then another grabbed Linda and shoved her into their own vehicle. They kidnapped her with the plans to get ransom money. Even though the tire had been shot, it didn’t go flat until the family reached the house. The father rushed home and called the US Embassy. Within minutes, that task force went into operation.

We continued to pray in our classroom for the protection and covering of this young girl. We serve a God who wants to protect us, and there are many places in the Bible that show He is our refuge. We declared these Scriptures for Linda and her family. We prayed that they would find a calmness in knowing who God is and that He had Linda in the palm of His hand.

I will conclude the story about Linda in the next post, but I have a question. Have you had your trust and faith stretched during a crises or even during a hard situation that life seems to deal out at times? Our testimonies are an encouragement to one another. We never know when we may be caught up in a difficult time and then remember the words someone shared—the exact words that we needed for the moment.
*Name has been changed.