Friday, September 19, 2008

Dear friends,

Hallelujah, I'm free! Thank you, thank you, so much for praying for me, my captors, and the CMT (Crisis Management Team). As you probably know, the CMT was able to pressure the rebel leader into letting them talk to me on his satellite phone about midway through the captivity. One of God's many blessings was to one day be told by the CMT that there were thousands of people around the world praying for me.

It was my privilege to see God work powerfully in many areas. Prior to captivity, I had neglected my relationship with Jesus. Faced with an excruciating hardship I could not handle, I turned to the open arms of my Heavenly Father. I experienced him in a way I never had before. I was refined and I was loved. The last four and a half months I was kept in a room. When I was at the end of my rope in fear and discouragement, I would literally cry out to God and he would come into the room and lift me out of the "pit." Today, because of God's discipline, I enjoy a new intimacy with Jesus.

I know that many of you prayed for my testimony to my guards. There were many opportunities to be a witness. I obviously had no privacy so they saw my faith lived out, up close and personal, as I read my Bible, prayed, and fasted. I was able to give a clear presentation of the Gospel and on many other occasions to talk about Jesus and my relationship with him. All the other Teda (Toubou) people are embarrassed that one of them committed a crime against me, though I have done nothing but good to them all these years. I pray the Spirit will use this to prick their consciences and cause dissatisfaction with their current belief system.

If God impresses you to do so, please continue to pray for the Teda and for our family. We are currently at a great counseling center getting help in processing the after-effects of the captivity and marriage issues that have come to the surface.

Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for each time you stopped and interceded with God on my behalf.

God bless you,
Steve Godbold