KABUL24, by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson
September 21, 2009 by lorrie
Filed under Book Reviews, Non-Fiction
As a Thomas Nelson blog reviewer, I picked up ‘Kabul 24′, by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson to read and review.
‘Kabul 24′ takes you on an ominous journey of what the “SNI 8″ endured during their 105 days in Taliban captivity, and how their faith in God gave them hope when there was no hope left. Told mostly from Georg’s point of view, we get to spend time with these people and ‘see’ what they saw; ‘hear’ what they heard; ‘smell’ what they smelled. The descriptions were so detailed and relevant to the story that at times, I felt the fear the SNI felt, and the confusion of what was happening…only from the safety of my living room.
If hell had levels of horror, these people were forced to walk through each level. Each time they were moved from one prison, they were told they would go to a ‘nicer, safer place’. Only, it became worse and worse.
Throughout the book, the SNI 8 repeatedly talk of their love of the Afghani people, and how they wanted to continue their work there (through Shelter Now International) as soon as they could get back to work. Honestly, I think it takes an extraordinary type of person to do what these people do. They take Jesus’ words and put them into action, and they don’t judge any of these people – not even the taliban soldiers who guarded them. They treated everyone they encountered with respect despite being afraid.
One of the comments Diana made (p. 200) struck a cord with me, and summed up SNI’s mission AND the character of the SNI 8 who were held hostage:
“God had asked them if they were willing to pay a price to help an oppressed nation, and this was the price exacted. Even if being in this dilemma was against their will, it was her opinion that God had handpicked these eight individuals to stay in Afghanistan and pray for her people.”
Diana, I agree. I think God DID use you and your 7 brothers and sisters to not only pray for the Afghani people, but to tell your story to the rest of the world. So that we may see God’s will working in this world; today.
If you are interested in reading about the account of 8 taliban hostages and the conditions they were forced to live in, pick up this book. It’s an incredible story of hope, faith, and strength.
