Cyd Mizell and Romans 8:31-39

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:28-39 ESV)

The message yesterday was on Rom. 8:28-39. An interesting passage in light of a week that brought difficult news about someone many of us prayed so hard for.

And so I had to ask God: Were You for Cyd Mizell when she was captured and killed? Does this passage apply to martyrs, or only those of us blessed to be able to spiritualize the message it brings rather than live it literally?

My pastor's words were helpful. He observed that v. 28 is for believers - those that love God - and that the "good" that all things work for is our Christlikeness, and that the list of things that can't separate us from God's love - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword - are the "all things" that Paul mentions in verse 28. My logical mind plugs in the phrases relevant to what I know of Cyd's situation:

"And we know that for those that love God

• tribulation works together for good"
• distress works together for good"
• persecution works together for good"
• danger works together for good"

So, if God is for us, who can be against us? We answer "no one". Yet Cyd's captors were obviously against her. How can this be? Paul answers not that these things never happen, but that they don't separate us from his love. God is FOR us - so He justifies, and that stops the condemnation. God is FOR us, so we have the benefit of Christ's intercession. God is FOR us, so nothing separates us from His love. God is FOR us, so we can be simultaneously sheep sent to slaughter, and yet more than conquerors. God is FOR us, and so no one is successfully against us. Not because their earthly schemes always fail, but because they push us deeper into the arms of God. God was not distant in Job's life, and He was not absent in Cyd's last days.

Cyd experiences Him in a way we all only imagine. She is always with the Lord. We see through a glass darkly; she sees face to face (1 Cor. 13). We struggle through the process of sanctification; she is free not only from sin's penalty and sin's power, but also from its presence. We have quiet times before we go out to be in but not of the world; she has throne room worship.

No, the schemes of her kidnappers did not success in separating her from God's love. What they meant for evil, God used as the very tool to usher her to His side, to hear those words we all long for: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

Indeed, God was for Cyd Mizell. Romans 8 did not return void.

Hallelujah and Amen.

Portrait of Courage

ARLDF.NET posted this update today, with some poignant insights into the heart of Cyd Mizell. Please pray for her family and the family of her Muslim driver, Hadi, who was also apparently murdered. This update really is a portrait of courage.

Update: Feb 28th, 2008
We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern expressed by many people following our announcement of the apparent deaths of two of our Asian Rural Life Development Foundation workers. Muhammad Hadi and Cyd Mizell were kidnapped Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We continue to work with the Red Cross to receive confirmation of their deaths.

We remain puzzled over this entire situation. We cannot understand why our employees were targeted in this way or why they would be killed. ARLDF is a humanitarian development organization that works throughout Asia helping to provide a better quality of life for the poorest of the poor, mainly through community development projects. We work in about 12 Asian countries, with most of our programs focusing on small-scale efforts.

In the Kandahar area, our personnel work in education and projects that help people learn skills to better their lives and the lives of their families.

Hadi, a Muslim family man, had served as an ARLDF driver for two years. He had five children, ages 6 to 15. He was a threat to no one, only working to support his family.

Mizell, 50, had lived in Kandahar since 2005. She regularly wore the all-encompassing burqa, showing respect for the culture, and learned the local language to better communicate and help in humanitarian projects. She taught English to high school students and helped women learn income-producing skills such as sewing and embroidery.

“The women here make a beautiful, intricate type of embroidery called ‘khamak,’” Mizell wrote last year. “We have grown to love and appreciate this handiwork and would like to ‘show it off’ to others, as well as to help these women and their families improve their livelihoods. Many of these women rarely leave their homes, and it is not appropriate or helpful to pull them out of the homes in order to give them employment. Our project employs women to embroider small pieces of khamak in their homes that we hope will be useful and marketable.

“I’ve been able to help some with the design and production phase and I really love being able to work with these Afghan women. They are very patient and gracious with my [language skills]. It gives us lots of opportunities to laugh!”

Our prayers continue to be with the families of Hadi and Mizell. We regret we are unable to respond individually to your calls and e-mails of concern. Additional releases will be posted when more information becomes available.

Cyd Mizell: a friend of Afghanistan
As news spreads of the unconfirmed but widely reported deaths of Cyd Mizell and her Afghan colleague, Muhammad Hadi, many are asking:Why would an American woman live and work in one of the most dangerous regions of a country at war?

“Because she cared,” said Jeff Palmer, international director of the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation (ARLDF). “She loved the people of Afghanistan, and she devoted her life to meeting their needs and helping them rebuild their nation, which has experienced violence and suffering for many years.”

Mizell, 50, a native of Eureka, Calif., moved overseas to serve the people of Afghanistan. Since 2005 she had lived in Kandahar, where she taught English to high school students and helped women learn income-producing skills such as sewing and embroidery. She also assisted in other ARLDF-related efforts in the area, which include food-for-work projects, irrigation, rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects.

“The women here make a beautiful, intricate type of embroidery called ‘khamak,’” Mizell wrote last year. “We have grown to love and appreciate this handiwork and would like to ‘show it off’ to others, as well as to help these women and their families improve their livelihoods. Many of these women rarely leave their homes, and it is not appropriate or helpful to pull them out of the homes in order to give them employment. Our project employs women to embroider small pieces of khamak in their homes that we hope will be useful and marketable.

“I’ve been able to help some with the design and production phase and I really love being able to work with these Afghan women. They are very patient and gracious with my [language skills]. It gives us lots of opportunities to laugh!”

Mizell also tried to meet some of the needs of the homeless “tent people” – migrants from drought-stricken areas of Afghanistan who moved to Kandahar. Their poverty and hunger moved her, particularly the women and girls who seldom if ever left the dirty, torn tents they called home.

“She had the time and opportunity to go to a place where there was so much need to give to these girls who have so much potential,” said an ARLDF colleague who worked with her. “The high school students loved her. She was adored by teachers and students because of the spirit that she brought with her. She really loved them.”

Mizell, a gifted musician, began helping Afghan women even before she went to Afghanistan. She volunteered in the United States to teach English as a second language to Afghan refugees who had resettled there. She became increasingly interested in assisting the people of Afghanistan as that nation struggled to rebuild after years of war.

“I remember her telling me that she had volunteered to teach English as a second language and that several women from the Pashtun area in southern Afghanistan had come to her class,” recalled an American friend. “She was so excited because that was the very people she had decided she wanted to help. She did not go to Afghanistan out of any need for adventure. She just wanted to go where the need was greatest and where she could be of the most service.”In 2005 she joined the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation, a humanitarian organization that sponsors development work in a number of Asian nations, including Afghanistan. She won the admiration of many people in Kandahar for her work with them. Mohammad Gull, a professor at Kandahar University, described her as “a very patient and calm woman” who was “always thinking about Afghanistan's future.” Kandahar’s provincial governor, Asadullah Khalid, said she “trusted the Afghan nation and respected them.”

They trusted and respected her, too. That was vividly illustrated in the days following her Jan. 26 kidnapping when as many as 600 Afghan women in Kandahar met to appeal for her release -- a rare public display by women in the conservative area. Rona Tareen, director of the Kandahar Women's Association, urged Mizell's captors to free her immediately, saying she had helped Kandahar's women with small business projects."She was here helping the woman in Kandahar. She was trying to get their embroidery outside of the country," Tareen told the women — many wearing all-encompassing burqas — who gathered in a Kandahar wedding hall. "Her kidnapping is against our culture and tradition.”Another woman, Bibi Nanai, said she received permission from her husband to join the protest. "I came from my home to show my support," Nanai said. "We are very upset."Mizell was aware of the risks of working in Kandahar.

A few months after her arrival in 2005, Mizell wrote: “(T)he security situation here has been steadily getting worse …. One thing that has become very clear in recent days is that we have no guarantee of how long we will be able to remain in our city. So, I want to make the most of the time.”

She was able to remain for almost three years. Just a few weeks before she was kidnapped, she wrote:

“I would just like to say that I am very much at peace in being here. I have no desire to go anywhere else.”

In Memory

photographs used by permission of ARLDF.

Rev. 12:11 But they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Cyd,

The news was shocking at first. All that believing prayer - surely it can't be true. God delivered Paul for the sake of ministry more than once, and I really believed He would deliver you. All those Afghan women obviously needed you. There was so much left for you to do.

Or so I thought.

In reality, God saw that you had poured out your life as a drink offering to the fullest extent. He knew the women needed Him more than you, and He knew that you would agree. He saw you had fought the good fight and finished the race, even if it didn't look that way on this end.

And so, He told me no. He would deliver you all right - to Himself. I would never get to hear your story (at least in this life, but save me a seat near you at the wedding supper, okay?).

I don't know about Muhammed's relationship with the Lord, but I respect his devotion to you to the point of death. I worry about his wife and kids. I pray this starts a snowball for the kingdom in his people group that nothing can dissuade.

Today I sit in the quiet of my home, thankful for the stomach bug that allows me a day off work, a day to process this hard truth. Somehow I have felt connected to you despite never having known your name until a month ago. So I am taking this quite personally. My friends in the region are too, I'm sure - they know it could easily have been them. But they press on to minister, and you pressed on to overcome.

Ah, to think you see it all from the perspective of eternity today.

Until the kingdom,

A fellow traveler

Sad news about Cyd

Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. (Rev. 2:10)

Thanks to an alert blog reader I have an update from ARLDF. Unfortunately it is a sad one.

Update: Feb 26th, 2008
We are deeply grieved to report the apparent deaths of Muhammad Hadi and Cyd Mizell, Asian Rural Life Development Foundation workers who were kidnapped by gunmen Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Although we have no confirmation of their deaths, we have received information over the past few days indicating that our two aid workers have been killed.

Hadi, a resident of Kandahar, had served as an ARLDF driver for two years. Known by colleagues as a “kind, loving man,” he was the father of five children, ages 6 to 15.

Mizell, 50, a native of Eureka, Calif., dedicated her life to serving the people of Afghanistan. Since 2005 she had lived in Kandahar, where she taught English to high school students and helped women learn income-producing skills such as sewing and embroidery. She also assisted in other ARLDF-related efforts in the area, which include food-for-work projects, irrigation, rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects.

We are thankful for the efforts of local government other authorities during this crisis.

Our prayers are with the families of Hadi and Mizell. We regret that we are unable to respond individually to your calls and e-mails of concern. We will continue to post more information on our Web site (http://www.arldf.net/) as it becomes available.

Cyd Mizell - One Month Later

Dear Cyd,

One month ago today your plans were dramatically interrupted. A day that began like any other ended in silence.

When you and your driver Hadi were kidnapped, I expected a quick demand for ransom and the debate over "negotiating with terrorists" to begin. Instead, there was only a frustrating void.

As I sit home this afternoon, my day interrupted by a stomach bug, I wonder about your thoughts that first day. I wonder how much of it was fear and pure survival instinct - how much of it was practical thoughts of the interruption to your plans - and how much of it was prayer. There's really not a right or wrong answer - and I don't exalt you to the point of thinking that you immediately hit your knees for the captors and prayed God's provision over those you would have helped that day and asked His peace for your family. I know you got to that point eventually, but as a fellow traveler I'm just curious how long it took to get there.

As I live out my minor inconvenience surrounded by the comforts of home and my pets, Dr. George and Nurse Petey, I feel guilty ... and yet in a strange way, I can identify with you. When I was sick again a few moments ago I wondered if it would ever end. I feel guilty, then normal, for focusing on myself so much. And as usual over the past month, my thoughts return to you.

I don't pretend to think that you'll ever read these letters; when you are released you'll have many loved ones and friends you know personally whose emails and cards have flooded your boxes. So I realize that I write these not for you, but for myself, and for the body of Christ. It's my way of remembering, of keeping you real before me. It's my way of identifying with a fellow sister in Christ. It's what I would say (I hope) if one of my friends was in your shoes. And it's my way of reminding people that you aren't yesterday's news.

You are part of us, part of the body. And we are not whole without you.

With hope and prayer,
A fellow traveler

An Open Letter To Cyd Mizell on Valentine's Day

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:19-21)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:8-11)

Dear Cyd,

As much as I've thought about you and prayed for you these past 3 1/2 weeks, I find myself almost speechless when it comes to addressing you personally. There is so much I want to say - and yet words are beyond inadequate, they seem almost ... absurd.

And yet I have to write this letter. I have to tell you what has been in my heart over the past few weeks, since your face became emblazoned in my memory and your smile written on my heart.

My heart leapt when news emerged you were captured. Knowing people in that part of the world, I immediately wanted to pick up the phone to check on them. I can't of course, and unfortunately my initial reaction was typically American and selfish -- I wanted to make sure that those I personally know were safe. I prayed for you that night, but I prayed for them more. For that, I apologize.

The next day when the dust settled and your name was released, I began to pray for you. Confession time: I felt sorry for you and angry that someone who meant such good could be mistreated. I felt helpless and unsure how to pray.

Two days later, 500 Afghan women protested on your behalf. Knowing that culture, I realized the risk these women took, and admired you for the impact you must have had on their lives for them to take a stand for you. Their protest also served as a condemnation on our western church mindset. I questioned whether I could get 500 people together to pray for you. I decided to call my Congressman and Senators, then yours, and finally ended frustrated at a system that seemed to circumvent doing anything to actually help you. The day ended with me determined that nothing could help but prayer.

And then the weeks began to drag on ... and on ... and on. Your father spoke on YouTube. Your organization began posting updates that came less and less frequently - a reminder that everyone was truly clueless about the situation. Only God knows where you are. And as James 5 reminds us, even one person's prayers can make a difference. So, I pressed on to try to be that person -- failing more than succeeding, I confess, as the days wore on. And I still felt sorry for you, fearful of what you were experiencing.

But yesterday, I stopped feeling sorry for you. You see, I discovered that you have something in common with the Apostle Paul! My readings in Philippians 1 and 3 gave me renewed vigor to pray for you. I've realized that you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ - and how can I deny you that honor? I must say that I don't envy you, but I no longer pity you.

Now I pray that you will perservere.

I pray that you will have strength and not be ashamed.

I pray that our Lord will be honored in your body - in this imprisonment just as in your service, and if He wills, in your death.

I pray for your parents to experience His peace.

Yes, I pray for your deliverance. I pray that we will get to hear your story.

And I thank God on this Valentine's Day that whatever happens, our God is both a God of refuge and strength, and a God of love. We can trust Him. And I trust Him with you.

In His Grip,
A fellow traveler

Cyd Mizell - latest from ARLDF.NET

This latest "non-update" from ARLDF should remind us to continue praying fervently for Cyd. For me personally it was also a reminder to pray equally fervently for her driver. It's easy to focus on someone from "our" country - but her driver in many ways faces greater danger as an Afghan working with an aid agency. Let's lift Muhammad Hadi up as fervently as we lift up Cyd Mizell.

From ARLDF.NET ...

DATE: Friday, Feb. 8

We continue to appreciate the calls, emails and expressions of interest and concern many of you have sent regarding our employees, Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi. We remain concerned for their safety and well being and want to see the situation resolved with their release as soon as possible.

Update - Cyd Mizell

From ARLDF.NET ...

George Mizell, the father of ARLDF worker Cyd Mizell, has addressed a videotaped message to those responsible for the disappearance of Cyd and her driver, Muhammad Hadi, on Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Mizell family asked us to post this message on ARLDF.net in hopes of hearing from Cyd and Hadi or from those who took them. You can read the text of George Mizell’s message below, or watch the videotaped message at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ifc0AtNzg.

MESSAGE FROM GEORGE MIZELL

I am Cydney's father.

My family and I want to thank all those who have shown their deep concern for the safety and well being of my daughter, Cydney Mizell, and Muhammad Hadi.

I am indebted to the Afghani people for their support of Cydney and Muhammad.
My family and I love Cyd very much.

I'm confused why my daughter would be taken because she's a gentle, caring, and respectful person.

When we talk to Cyd, she tells us about the friends she's made and the kindness that's been shown to her and of her desire to help them.

To those people who are holding our daughter, please let Cyd come home. Each day that passes without knowing about Cyd is difficult for our family and friends. We ask that you work with us so Cyd can come home. Cyd knows how to contact us and her co-workers. All of us are waiting to hear from you.

ARLDF is a humanitarian development organization with offices in the Philippines and Thailand that works throughout Asia helping to provide a better quality of life for the poorest of the poor, mainly through community development projects. ARLDF works in about 12 Asian countries, with most of its programs focusing on small-scale efforts. In the Kandahar area, ARLDF personnel work in education and projects that help people learn skills to better their lives and the lives of their families. Aid efforts in the region also include food-for-work projects, irrigation, rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects.

Latest Update from ARLDF.NET on Cyd Mizzell

Not much, but here is the latest. Please continue to pray for Cyd Mizell.

Latest News Statement from ARLDF.NET

NEWS FEED: We've been gratified by the outpouring of support and interest in the welfare of our employees, aid workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, who were abducted in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on the morning of Jan. 26.

Our small staff has been struggling to keep up with the volume of calls and e-mails. Our Internet service provider has told us we can set up a news feed that will automatically send Web site updates to anyone who subscribes.

You can help us by subscribing to this feed if you wish to receive regular updates. Simply click on the rss link in the address bar of your browser or click on the icon at the beginning of this notice.

UPDATE: Friday, Feb. 1

We want to express our thanks to those who have offered words of support for ARLDF workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi.

Mizell and Hadi were abducted at gunpoint on the morning of Jan. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. We will continue to update this web site as new information on their situation becomes available.

Update on Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, Jan. 30, 2008
We still have no contact with ARLDF workers Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi or with those responsible.

Mizell and Hadi were taken captive in Kandahar, Afghanistan, by a group of unidentified gunmen the morning of Jan. 26.

The silence of those responsible has not diminished our hope that Mizell and Hadi will soon be freed.

Mizell, 49, has worked with ARLDF for nearly three years, helping women and families with income-generating projects. She also teaches English at a high school and embroidery lessons at a girls school.

In addition to teaching, Mizell has tried to meet some of the needs of the homeless "tent people" – migrants from drought-stricken areas of Afghanistan who have moved to Kandahar. Their poverty and hunger moved her, particularly the women and girls who seldom, if ever, left the dirty, torn tents they called home.

"She did not go to Afghanistan out of any need for adventure," said a friend. "She just wanted to go where the need was greatest and where she could be of the most service."

Muhammad Hadi has served as an ARLDF driver for two years. The father of five, Hadi is described as quiet and unassuming but very protective of the employees he works with. ARLDF employees in Kandahar are visiting Hadi’s family daily and seeing that they are provided for during this crisis.

ARLDF is a humanitarian development organization with offices in the Philippines and Thailand that works throughout Asia helping to provide a better quality of life for the poorest of the poor, mainly through community development projects. ARLDF works in about 12 Asian countries, with most of its programs focusing on small-scale efforts. In the Kandahar area, ARLDF personnel work in education and projects that help people learn skills to better their lives and the lives of their families. Aid efforts in the region also include food-for-work projects, irrigation, rehabilitation, health care and restoration projects.


Update on Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, Jan. 29, 2008
As many people around the world express concern for the safety of Cyd Mizell and Muhammad Hadi, authorities in Afghanistan continue searching for the two Asian Rural Life Development Foundation workers.

Mizell and Hadi were kidnapped by armed gunmen in the Kandahar area early Jan. 26. Neither they nor their kidnappers have contacted the foundation.

Mizell, 49, has worked with ARLDF for nearly three years, helping women and families with income-generating projects. She also teaches English at a high school and embroidery lessons at a girl's school and speaks the local language fluently.

Muhammad Hadi has served as an ARLDF driver for two years. Known by colleagues as a "kind, loving man," he is the father of five children: three girls and two boys, ages 6 to 15. ARLDF officials confirmed Jan. 29 that Hadi’s family is being visited daily and provided for during this crisis.

ARLDF staff remain hopeful that Mizell and Hadi will be freed safely and continue to work with authorities to resolve the situation.

A news report Jan. 29 said hundreds of Afghan women demonstrated in southern Kandahar province today to protest the abduction of Mizell and ask for her immediate release. They described the abduction as a violation of Islamic and Afghan values and urged the government to step up efforts to secure her release. They also called on tribal elders to use their influence to gain her freedom. This article may be found at http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i8dGftYb0s4XWdUMRdIVs3vh1CKAD8UFFSF00

Friends in the United States describe Mizell as a very caring person. "She is quiet but very strong," said one. "She enjoys the simple pleasures of life."

Another friend noted she is always willing to volunteer and help any way she can. "She has a heart for others," he said.

Some wonder: Why would a foreigner like Mizell live and work in one of the most dangerous regions of a country at war?

"Because she cares," responds Jeff Palmer, international director of ARLDF. "She loves the people of Afghanistan, and she has devoted her life to meeting their needs and helping them rebuild their nation, which has experienced violence and suffering for many years."

Others have asked why Mizell wasn’t traveling with heavy security, as many aid workers do – particularly those who work with the government in major building projects. Mizell, however, worked with women, students and families, relating to Afghan people one on one. It was not practical or effective for her to travel everywhere with armed guards.

Mizell has won the admiration of many people in Kandahar for her work with them. Mohammad Gull, a professor at Kandahar University, described her as "a very patient and calm woman" who was "always thinking about Afghanistan's future." Kandahar’s provincial governor, Asadullah Khalid, said she "trusted the Afghan nation and respected them."

Song and Video for Cyd

Please watch this video (link) and read the lyrics below. I pray this will encourage you to pray for Cyd with fervor.

http://www.freewebs.com/outofthewilderness/index.htm


Where are you? Do you know I'm here?
All alone, full of fear.
Do you think of me?

I am a sister you don't know.
Holding on. Don't let go.
Please remember me. Please remember me.

We are alike, but worlds apart.
The chains cannot contain your heart.
I'll remember you.

I am a brother you don't know.
I will hold on, I won't let go.
I'll remember you. I'll remember you.

We'll speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
The precious soul, we won't leave on the shelves.
We sleep, while they weep, from a distant shore.
They're dying. Who are you living for?

Let Your Love come pour upon this place?
Jesus, show Your justice, show your grace.
The cry of the suffering will not go unheard,
according to the promise of Your Word.

One day, we'll walk the streets of gold.
That's how this story will unfold.
I'll remember you. I'll remember you.

'Til then, you're always on my heart.
Chains cannot keep us apart.
I'll remember you.

Listen, can you hear the sound,
The Church that gathers underground.
Please remember them. Please remember them.

I'll plant a seed, I'll watch it grow.
I'll work to let the whole world know.
I'll remember you.

I hear your cries when I'm awake.
You're suffering for Jesus' sake.
testifying in chains,
testifying in chains,
testifying in chains,
testifying in chains.

music/lyrics/vocals: kris kemp
adittional vocals: viviana lang

note from creators: This song was written on a solo trip from Jupiter, Florida to Denver, Colorado, done in a 33-hour stretch. This song is written from the point of view of a Christian in the United States who is praying for a sister in Christ who is being persecuted in another country. Basically, they're praying for each other, and looking forward to seeing each other in Heaven. At the end of the song, she refuses to deny Christ, and dies for her faith in God.

Prayer for Kidnapped US Aid Worker in Afghanistan

My heart is heavy today for a US Aid Worker in Afghanistan who was kidnapped Saturday. My grief only deepens at the lack of coverage in the US press. I was shocked when the 23 Koreans kidnapped last year were not covered, but assumed if they were Americans it would be. Now, I'm not so sure.

All I know is that the body of Christ needs to be aware of what's going on. Kingdom work comes in many forms, and the practical help and service that Cyd Mizell provided through the Asian Rural Life Development Foundation is a critical part of meeting people's needs. As a testimony to the effectiveness of her service I am including a link to an article from MSNBC that amazed, impressed, and convicted me.

500 Afghan women in a conservative province took a rare and significant risk on behalf of Cyd. They gathered to protest her kidnapping. They prayed for her in a public setting.

I posted here recently about being a good ropeholder. Well, part of that is information. And part of it is prayer. So, here is the information. Let's all join in prayer for Cyd. Let's raise our voices to the One who sees and knows where she is, and is with her in this.

And please, pass the word. I'm tired of people not even knowing about this story. 500 women in a closed country gathered to protest and pray. In our open society, we should get this word out and at least 500,000 should be praying!

Thanks for YOUR prayers and faithfulness on behalf of the kingdom.

Afghan women protest American kidnapping
By NOOR KHAN
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
updated 6:50 a.m. CT, Tues., Jan. 29, 2008

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5983112/