The reports of arrests and kidnappings of Westerners in the Middle East are truly horrifying. I've often wondered why people travel to areas of unrest and put themselves in jeopardy. After reading Kabul 24 I have a better understanding of the dedication and faith of those who choose to answer a call from God and serve oppressed people. Kabul24 by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson documents the kidnapping of twenty-four people who worked for Shelter Now International (SNI). The eight Western missionaries and sixteen Afghan coworkers were helping Afghan refugees rebuild their lives following decades of war.

There was nothing unusual about the Friday that changed their lives. It was the third of August in 2001 and it was blistering hot. Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer visited an Afghan family they had befriended. The women brought a Christian movie and a crowd of friends and neighbors joined the family to watch it. Their intent was not to convert the family but simply to share the gospel story because the family expressed a desire to learn more about Christianity. But Dayna and Heather were arrested by the Taliban that day for infringing on Sharia Law and eventually the others in their group, Peter Bunch, Katrin Jelinek, Margrit Stebner, Georg Taubmann, Silke Duerrkopf and Diana Thomas were taken into custody as well. Sixteen Afghan men were also arrested and held separately. They had been under no pressure to convert and they remained committed to their own Islamic faith but the Taliban accused them of converting to Christianity. They were held in a section of the prison separate from the two Western men, beaten and tortured. The hostages were denied the basic rights we take for granted. There are shocking descriptions of their interrogations and the prison conditions but they never lost hope and their faith and devotion is truly inspiring. The incident preceded the 9/11 attacks.

The source material for the book included raw film footage of interviews with the SNI hostages, Eberhard Muehlan's "Escape from Kabul" and letters and court documents. The amazing story is very well written and reads like a novel. There are black and white photos included. It gave me a chance to learn first hand about a different culture from the safety of my home and it made me thankful to be living in the United States. It's an inspirational and thought provoking account of real faith and answered prayers. A definite page-turner, I highly recommend it.

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 29, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1595550224

Paperback: 320 Pages

Price: $14.99