When I heard the news that Dan Terry, one of the 10 missionaries killed in Afghanistan, I was deeply saddened. He stood in the pulpit just this past January as one of the speakers during our Mission Week emphasis. He and his wife shared their story concerning their work among the dear people of Afghanistan. He was a genuine, caring person who was deeply in love with that country, the work that he was doing and the people who lived there. He had been there for a great number of years. His spirit was of a kind, gentle person who literally radiated love. He lived through the worse years when the Taliban ruled the country and survived. He knew that the work he was doing was very dangerous, but he didn’t live in fear. He spoke fluent Dari, an Afghan language, knew many of the Taliban leaders and was highly respected for his work among the people. Truly, the country and people of Afghanistan have lost one of their champions.
Our church knew that his presence in Afghanistan was extremely dangerous. We could not speak of our support of Dan on our website nor tell anyone that he was in Afghanistan. Any references to him being a missionary was highly restricted out of the fear that someone might place it on their website and place Dan’s life in jeopardy. To be known as a Christian, American or a missionary would be very dangerous. Mr. Terry was very aware of this dangerous, but still pressed on in hope.
It would be easy to hear the sad news of Mr. Terry’s passing and began to lose hope.
It would be easy to allow the anger to well up from within because of his senseless killing. It would be easy to just write off this country and their future because of the stupidity of a few members of a radical sect of Islam. It would be easy, but we would be doing Dan Terry’s memory a tremendous disservice if we do.
We should look at this country through the eyes of someone who lived there for over 40 years. Dan’s eyes were the eyes of hope and promise and possibility. He had great hope for the future of his adopted second country … great hope … not because of the war effort for that was and is an endless and senseless hole into which we are only pouring money and men. Eventually we will learn the hard lesson of every other country that has ever tried to do anything militarily in those mountains and among those people. No, Dan Terry’s great hope was to be found in the simple act of caring for the people, loving the people and demonstrating, in a meaningful way, that there are other solutions to their situations other than guns and tanks … or growing poppies … or being dominated by any particular rendition of a religion. The hope … the great hope … was to be found … could be found … within their hearts and spirit. Dan lived his life to that end and died without realizing his dream and hope.
May we each dedicate ourselves to seeing that his hope is fulfilled for a people that he was willing to lay down his life so that they might be able to realize a brighter tomorrow … a tomorrow with hope!
Quote for today: There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them. Clare Boothe Luce.
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