Prisoners of Hope

When Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer arrived in Afghanistan, they had come to help bring a better life and a little hope to some of the poorest and most oppressed people in the world.

Within a few months, their lives were thrown into chaos as they became pawns in historic international events. They were arrested by the ruling Taliban government for teaching about Christianity to the people with whom they worked. In the middle of their trial, the events of September 11 2001 led to the international war on terrorism, with the Taliban a primary target.

While many feared Curry and Mercer could not survive in the midst of war, Americans nonetheless prayed for their safe return, and in November their prayers were answered.

In 'Prisoners of Hope' Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer tell the story of their work in Afghanistan, their love for the people they served, their arrest, trial, and imprisonment by the Taliban, and their rescue by US Special Forces.

Following is an excerpt from the book:

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 country, and, 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 jeopardise 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, US special forces, United Nations peacekeepers - these 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.

Love of Jesus

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 behaviours, 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 poor - Waco, 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 20 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 minds - he 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 topic of religion came up in conversation on a daily basis. Even while we were in prison, the Taliban officials with whom we interacted asked us questions frequently about our faith. We honestly talked more about Jesus in Afghanistan than we ever did in America. Was this because we were out trying to force our religious beliefs on others who didn't want anything to do with us? No, it was because the Afghans wouldn't stop asking us questions about our God.

Further, in a war-torn country where people barely survive meal-to-meal, hearts are worn on the sleeve - talk of God comes naturally. A taxi driver might say: 'Oh, the country is being destroyed. There's no hope.' We might respond: 'We're praying for your country, that God will restore and rebuild it.' He might agree: 'We hope God will do that, too; but it doesn't look like it.'

Dayna Curry grew up outside Nashville, Tennessee, and attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she majored in social work. She has been active with humanitarian work for several years in different countries, including Uzbekistan and Guatemala. Heather Mercer, originally from Vienna, Virginia, also attended Baylor University.

Before going to Afghanistan, she travelled on humanitarian missions in Central America, Eastern Europe, and East Asia. Stacy Mattingly is a freelance writer. The proceeds from Prisoners of Hope are being used by the authors to start their own organisation, Hope Afghanistan, which will bring relief to the poor of that country. They hope to return to Afghanistan to continue their work there.

Extracted from 'Prisoners of Hope' by Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer with Stacey Mattingly. Copyright (c) 2002 by The Hope Afghanistan Foundation. Published by Hodder & Stoughton on September 19 2002 at £6.99.

The detainees of the Taliban tell their story

Following is an excerpt from the book:

Love of Jesus

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