Kabul 24 by Henry O. Arnold, Ben Pearson, Michael W. Smith (Foreword by)

Is God in control when His People are in the hands of the enemy?by Rachels_Reading_List

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January 26, 2010: Kabul 24 is the riveting story of Christians and some of their employees who were taken prisoner in Afghanistan just a month before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When these Christians, varying in age and nationality, left their homes to help the Afghan refugees they knew exactly what they were risking. Still it was terrifying when their nightmares came true and they were taken, not knowing if they would ever make it back safely to see their families again. First response was to turn to God in prayer, and He answered in miraculous ways!

This book was impossible to put down. I simply had to know if the prisoners would make it home safe! I was afraid when I first received this book that it would be hard to read. I have read other books about Afghanistan under the Taliban's power, and the evil that took place was hard to read about. Instead this book showed how prayer, faith, and endurance trumps the evil man will seek to do to those who love God!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

KABUL 24 by Henry O. Arnold & Ben Pearsonby KrisZ

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January 07, 2010: This book is a play by play through an experience that is hard for this American to imagine. Aid workers serving the people of Afghanistan were kidnapped by the Taliban before the attack of 9/11. This account pulls you into an experience of captivity, fear, confusion, tension, uncertainty and abuse of power that we rarely hear about in such detail. It's an action packed retelling that covers the spectrum of emotion and intensity, humor to sheer terror and days of captivity to wild road races in military vehicles.

I was drawn into this story on a couple levels. One, I had no idea this happened! I was struck by the renewed realization that things like this happen all over the world on a regular basis. I was captured by the first story of an execution in a full soccer stadium! The way fear and oppression were used to control people impacted my heart and soul. The love of those captured for the people of Afghanistan and their faith displayed when they turned down opportunities at freedom for fear of any of their captures being killed in the process.

Secondly, the philosophy of their ministry was impacting. They served people who had desperate need, built them schools, homes, provided medical assistance, taught, fed, loved them without requiring their conversion in return. In fact, their Afghan employees were all still Muslim. This organization gives the love of God away freely. They see people in need and they serve them. This type of giving of the love of God is beautiful and inspiring. I recommend this book. I believe it will challenge anyone who reads it to rethink how they live and who they live for. It will challenge them to a deeper faith as they witness a genuine trust, through action, in God.

This book is different, revealing, and it will help gain some type of perspective on a culture and world that is so far away... so difficult to fathom.