As many of you know, when I was in Thailand back in June, I "bumped" into someone that I used to teach school with back in the '90s in Birmingham, AL. She lives in South Korea, but is assigned to the whole Pacific Rim as an education specialist. She travels around and visits with the Ms and offers any assistance she can with their children's schooling.

Anyway, she put me on her newsletter distribution. This morning I got an e-mail from her that I wanted to pass on because it's very thought-provoking. Please say a special prayer for our sister serving on the front lines today.
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Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you know, twenty-three South Koreans were taken hostage recently in Afghanistan. These were people in their 20s and 30s from a Christian church here in Korea. They went to Afghanistan on a medical project to help the Afghani people, but the Taliban stopped their bus and took all 23 of them hostage. When this first happened, I said to a friend, “Oh, the Taliban will not kill any of them. It’s just a tactic.” The very next day the pastor accompanying the group was killed. I was shocked. I had been naïve to believe that they would not be killed, but I continued to believe that the crisis would be over quickly. Then they killed another male hostage and left his body on the side of the road to be found, and once again I was shocked. It’s an on-going crisis with no end in sight, and I have watched the family members of the hostages on Korean television begging for anyone and everyone to help…the Korean government, the Afghani government, the US government, the Taliban. It is heart wrenching to watch.

I have wondered if the hostages are able to be brave – reportedly, eighteen of them are women. I have wondered if they are scared or if they are resting in God’s amazing peace. I have wondered why?

I have given this a lot of thought. I’m not sure why this particular incident has given me so much to think about. I’m not sure what I am supposed to be learning thru this, but one thing keeps coming to mind…Do we count the costs? Do we think going on a short-term, one-week project just costs us a few vacation days and the costs of a plane ticket? When I went on those five one-week medical and dental mission trips to Honduras between 1987 and 1990, did I count the costs? Did I have a clue? How do we count the costs when we may not even know what it will cost us? What if it costs everything?

Lesson learned – I’m not sure what it is…still thinking…and pondering.

Have a blessed day!

P