Saturday, February 09, 2008

Report from Pakistan

Paul and Pat Stock are missionaries in Pakistan and friends of the Lahmeyers. Van forwards us the Stocks' newsletter. Here is an excerpt from the latest:


Dr. Reginald freed Last month we wrote to our prayer partners who are on email with an urgent request for prayer for Dr. Reginald, a Pakistani Christian doctor friend, who was kidnapped by the Taliban on December 8th along with his Muslim driver. He is a skilled surgeon and the Director of the Christian Hospital in Bannu, an area where the Taliban have a stronghold. They were driven blindfolded for about 8 hours into the mountains bordering on Afghanistan. For 25 days they were kept in a windowless room and given poor food and dirty water. In spite of this neither of them became ill. Frequently Dr. Reginald was pressured to become a Muslim. Finally he asked, "Where in the Koran does it say to force people to convert to Islam?"

After that they changed their tactics and demanded that he write all donors to his hospital and ask for over a million dollars ransom. Under pressure he wrote the letter but assured them the money would not be sent. The letter was sent to Taliban headquarters. They recognized him as the doctor who had treated their wounded at various times. They wrote back telling his captors to release him. They delayed in obeying hoping to get ransom money. Amazingly, on Jan. 2nd the Taliban returned all personal effects they had taken from them and drove them back to the hospital gate, without receiving any ransom. Dr. Reginald said those 25 days with God were priceless. He had time to repent and to enjoy God's forgiveness and loving presence. He also had time to fully present the gospel to his Muslim driver who was greatly upset at what was being done to them in the name of Islam. Pray that the driver will come to saving faith. Pray their Taliban captors will start to doubt their own faith in the face of the strength and forgiveness they saw in Reginald. Pray for Dr. Reginald and his wife Dr. Rebecca as they give their testimony about this experience with others, and plan to continue their service at Banu Hospital.

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