Korean Team Released

I'm sure you've heard the news by now that the last of the Korean ministry team has been released. I reminded by a fellow staff member that even if I don't like the terms of the hostage release, it is an answer to prayer. The Taliban had no reason not to just shoot the rest of the team. They threatened to do so time and time again. It is an answer to prayer that they were released. Thank you for praying.

Stumbled across this news article this evening talking about the response of the Korean World Missions Association (KWMA). Korea has over 16,000 missionaries deployed across the world. KWMA was funding up to 115 in Afghanistan -- many working in health clinics and orphanages. Most have been withdrawn in the last six weeks. Pray for wisdom for the KWMA and other Korean mission organizations as they learn and grow through this situation.

Cow manure for His glory

...God uses absolutely everything. He'll even take what seems like cow manure and turn it into his useful material. He'll make it fertilizer for his glory--but only if we give it to him. If we harbor it, the pile just stinks.
-Joanne Shetler, from her book And the Word came with Power

Korean Team in Afghanistan

I think this is the first time I've seen the story of the Korean hostages on the front page of Google News. Finally?

Praise God - it looks like they will be released soon. I'll post a few specific prayer requests later.

The price of their release? Korea will pull all their troops out of Korea by the end of the year and remove any Korean Christian ministry/teams working in Afghanistan. While the Taliban is denying there was a monetary ransom paid, I have little doubt that money is involved. Estimates have ranged from $100,000 - 500,000 per person.

Most articles I have seen this morning also include a statement from the families of the hostages, apologizing for "causing trouble" by allowing the team to travel to Afghanistan.

Short story: Korean group travels to war-torn country to help the country and its people by assisting at a hospital. Afghanistan group kidnaps Korean group and kills two members. When the Korean group is finally released, who apologizes to the world for the trouble? Apparently not the kidnappers.

I'm blogging this

I was wearing my "I'm blogging this." shirt this evening while at the intern game night. So to be honest, I should probably blog. :)

Thanks for your prayers for the new interns. They are all busy adjusting and learning new work responsibilities. They are also learning to have/give grace for those moments when they don't have serious work to do -- the training isn't complete or the mail is slow in coming... I know they would continue to appreciate your prayers for adjustments.

Last night was quiet, but today was busy with visiting the Dallas Farmers' Market, working on broken lawn mowers, transporting a desk, shopping for groceries, and playing at the intern game night. Praise God for days of rest.

Snippet from Ruth Bell Graham:
Test me, Lord, and give me strength to meet each test
unflinching, unafraid;
not striving nervously to do my best,
not self-assured, or careless as in jest,
but with your aid.
Purge me, Lord, and give me grace to bear the heat of cleansing flame;
not bitter at my lowly lot, but mete to bear my share of suffering
and keep sweet, in Jesus' name.

Praise and Busy Day

Praise God - this news report indicates the release of the kidnapped German aid worker I mentioned in Saturday's post. The news report also indicates that two Germans were kidnapped (one of which was killed) by the Taliban about the same time the Korean team was kidnapped. I haven't seen any news on them.

In the GFA office - it was a full first day for our 10 new Road to Reality interns as they started in on orientation sessions. It was a busy day for the rest of us too. A morning staff meeting, a busy volunteer, a crashing database server, a contrary screen cover, switches that needed powercycled, phones to be logged in, printers that malfunctioned. But we survived. And got a lot done.

Korean Team and Ora Staff in Afghanistan

Just found an update on the Korean ministry team that was kidnapped over a month ago in Afghanistan. As of this writing, Google can only find two recent articles on this topic. An Indian newspaper had the following report:

Negotiations to secure the release of 19 Korean church volunteers being held in Afghanistan by the Taliban have failed and the insurgents’ leadership council are now considering their fate, a Taliban spokesman said on Saturday.

VOA is reporting that a female volunteer for the Christian relief organization Ora International was kidnapped today in Afghanistan.

Jesus, I surrender

Lolita was a young Bible college student I met in central India during my trip two and a half years ago. She sang a song for us that has been haunting me today.

Jesus, I surrender
Jesus, my life to you.
Jesus, I surrender
Jesus, my life to you.

Lord, come inside
This my request
Lord, I love you
and I wait for you.

Tired and resting

I've been really wrung out this week -- physically and emotionally tired. Mostly physically. That tends to take a toll on my blogging/online life. I got good rest last night and a three hour nap this afternoon. It's a good start to recovery. Here's a few high points for the week:

• Bought plane tickets for a September trip to San Jose, CA to attend a wedding of one of my past interns.
• Had a birthday! Was loved and gifted all day long in big and little ways. It was a good birthday. My favorite doughnut, favorite people, favorite flowers, favorite kind of chocolate (a whole bag full), my favorite supper, and my favorite roommates. (Several people sent me Hallmark e-cards. It was funny--all but one of them were the exact same e-card!)
• Started dress shopping for a dress for three fall weddings. Found out that according to today's sizes, I'm two sizes smaller than I thought I was. I think I've bought one dress in the last five years.
• Received the news that our churches and missionaries are ministering to their communities during the worst flooding in recent history. An estimated 28 million people have been forced out of their homes.

And... I prayed for you by name. Well, at least, for those of you that I know lurk around my blog. If I don't know you're lurking (a.k.a. reading and never commenting), then you got prayed for in the general "God bless my blog readers" prayer.

And... for ginabnina and banderclip who posted their comments on the lettuce and tomatoes: We purchased 40 tomatoes and 20 heads of lettuce. We used 15 tomatoes and 4-5 heads of lettuce.

Prayer - Minneapolis and Afghanistan

We've had a couple hot topics on our list of things to pray for recently.

• One of my interns is from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, so we've been praying for the people affected by the bridge collapse on I-35W. One of my favorite authors, Pastor John Piper, pastors Bethlehem Baptist Church within sight of that bridge. He wrote an excellent response to the catastrophe at the church's website. I would encourage you to read it.
  
• We're continuing to lift up the 23 member Korean ministry team that was kidnapped in Afghanistan over two weeks ago. (21 is the current count --2 have been killed already.) Trying to find a current news article is difficult. Visiting the BBC News Asia home page brings up articles about a suicide bomber, Afghans wounded in an air strike, millions displaced by flooding across South Asia, and Sri Lanka rulers take a pay cut. It took some searching to find even a reference to the kidnapping/murder in an article titled, "Afghans warned of military action." Assist News writer Michael Ireland mentions the surprising lack of media coverage in this well-written article.