“I didn’t even know there were Christians in the Middle East when I moved there – but there’s two million of them.” – Brother David Johnson in an interview to CNA
Posted on 06/23/2015 2:54:47 PM PDT by NYer
As a tall, lanky redhead born and raised in Colorado, 34 year-old Brother David Johnson definitely sticks out in Syria, the Middle Eastern country where he serves with the St. James the Persian Carmelite Monastery in Qara.
He originally came as a student to study the language, but decided to stay after he fell in love with the country and felt God’s call to the religious life there.
That love for language and for God would one day save Brother Johnson’s life. At a recent prayer breakfast in Denver, Brother Johnson recalled the story of Easter Monday, three years ago. He was up in the monastery tower, and, in typical, friendly Colorado fashion, waved hello to some Syrian military men he saw in the hills in the distance.
“I didn’t even know there were Christians in the Middle East when I moved there – but there’s two million of them.” – Brother David Johnson in an interview to CNA
Immediately the army became suspicious and turned their convoy toward the monastery. When they arrived, they demanded to know who waved at them, and kidnapped Brother Johnson when they found out he was American, thinking him a spy.
“They said what is he doing here, he’s probably just playing like he’s a monk,” Brother Johnson told CNA.
His brothers immediately started praying.
“My community, instead of panicking, they immediately went to the church, began the liturgy, began praying, began Mass,” he said, “and I was in God’s hands, I felt no fear.”
Strangely at peace, joyful even, Brother Johnson began to sing songs of Jesus’ resurrection to his captors in their native language. At first they were taken aback, but then Brother Johnson realized their hearts were softening.
“They said ‘I’ve never heard that before, why don’t you sing that again,’” Brother Johnson recalled one of the soldiers saying. “So I sang again, ‘Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.’”
The soldiers started laughing and clapping along, and decided they would take him back to the monastery unharmed. But first, they had to show their friends the singing American brother.
“They opened the doors (to their camp) and had me sing these songs of the resurrection to a crowd of soldiers, and they all were clapping! I thought I was dreaming! I thought I had entered into an alternate reality!” Brother Johnson said.
While Brother Johnson is sure that his ability to speak in the soldier’s native language helped in his immediate release, he said he is convinced that the prayers of his Brothers and the name of Jesus in the songs he sang is what saved his life that day. That’s why his advice to all who are concerned about the Islamic terrorists in the Middle East is to pray.
“Pray, pray, pray,” he said, “And put all your trust in His wisdom.”
To listen to Brother Johnson’s story, and to hear what it’s like to be a Christian in the Middle East today, watch the video below:
Updated 6/23/15: The previous version of this story said Brother Johnson had been captured by Islamic militants. He was captured by Muslim soldiers who are part of the Syrian army. It has been corrected.
Ping!
Wow! Reminds me of Paul and Silas in the Philipian Jail!
Well, the Muslims do have some reverence for Jesus, but they have some very wrong-headed ideas about him due to believing Mohammed’s lies. Still, perhaps Satan has inadvertently been planting seeds that God will harvest.
The Syrian soldiers were not ISIS. They might have been Assad’s army, Shiaa.
Carmelite Brother escapes Muslims
Among devout (not radical jihadist) muslims, Christians are “People of the Book”, not infidels. They recognise that we believe in the same God, but also believe (wrongly, IMHO) that Jesus (Issa) was not God’s last prophet; Mohammad was.
Take that for what it’s worth: modern Islam is full of ignorant savages led by the same kind of politicians (imams/mullahs) we have here - seeking their own power above all else.
The different sects of Islam kill far more of each other than they do us. If our leaders had any sense at all, they’d be doing whatever they could to encourage that trend.
bkmk
Bfl
**“Pray, pray, pray,” he said, “And put all your trust in His wisdom.”**
This will save the Christians.
This will save the Christians.
You don't know how right you are on this.
That, in itself, is a miracle.
Thanks for the ping to this excellent testimony.
It’s a miracle. Praise God!
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