The huge crowd of Samford University students listened in awe as guest speakers Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer told their surreal story at an April 18 convocation. They also continued their story at the spring luncheon of Samford Auxiliary that same day.
With radiant faith, the two young missionaries whose experience last summer catapulted them into international headlines, shared their fantastic adventure of being held captive in a filthy Afghanistan prison for 105 grueling days.
Their stories reflected the ongoing struggle of the Afghan people, and their testimony reflected the deep love they both have for the people and the struggling third world country.
Curry spoke first and told the crowd of her reaction when she was handed a telephone aboard her rescue helicopter and heard the voice of the president of the United States. “His first words to me were, ‘Dayna, don’t we have such a good and gracious God.’ I immediately replied, ‘Yes, Sir, we certainly do.’”
Although the modest heroes’ story was front-page headlines for weeks, the two missionaries who were working for Shelter Now, an international relief agency, gave personal anecdotes of faith and miracles that were not highlighted in the media.
Mercer talked about Sarah, an Afghan woman who came to their door worried about her daughter who was suffering with a high fever. “One of our friends prayed a simple prayer with her asking Jesus to take away the fever. When the woman returned home the fever was gone. She came back and asked, ‘Who is this Jesus?’”
Both women talked about the multitude of children who spent their entire day on the streets begging for food or money. “Their mothers sent them out to beg. This was their job — to bring home anything they could for their families,” Mercer said.
Taken captive
Then there was the fateful day when the parents of one of the children came to visit and started asking lots of questions about Jesus. The missionaries decided to show them a video they had about Jesus.
“We don’t know how the Taliban found out, but they were waiting for me in a car when I came out,” Curry said, describing her fear as “a fire inside of me.”
Curry said that two hours later a car drove up with Heather. “I was so relieved to see her.
“They put us in a cell with 30 Afghan women which was very strange because it’s against the Taliban law to mix Afghan women with foreign women,” Curry said.
“Prison can be very exciting. You get to see life up close and personal,” Curry joked.
Mercer explained that the Afghan women were in prison for various infractions of the Taliban’s rules such as running away from an abusive husband, refusing to marry a Taliban solider or not opening their door with their headdress on.
“Being in prison with these women was a missionary’s dream come true,” Curry said, explaining how they were able to witness and share their faith with their fellow captives. “It was a joy to spend time in prison with these women,” Mercer interjected.
Deplorable conditions
Curry briefly mentioned the deplorable prison conditions where all the prisoners had to use one primitive hole-in-the-ground bathroom. “We called it the squatty potty,” she said, explaining that dysentery problems were rampant. “The cook would bring us our food and his hands were black they were so dirty,” she said, adding that flies in the room only exacerbated the already unsanitary conditions.
“Bombs are really loud,” Curry said, matter-of-factly. “Your body shakes, your nerves go crazy. It wasn’t fun.” Mercer added, “As terrifying as it was — it was the greatest honor in my life. We were able to experience a side of the cross that we never would have before.”
Mercer readily admitted that there were times she was terrified. “At one point I freaked out — I lost it pretty good. I cried all the time. I couldn’t cope with the pressures. I would be shaking with fear.”
Mercer said she had lots of time to spend with God. “I knew when I came to Afghanistan that there was a possibility that I could be thrown into prison and possibly lose my life.”
Mercer said she came to the realization that she had to trust totally in Jesus. She wrote in her journal, “God, if I lose my life it will be in glorifying You.”
Mercer said she experienced more freedom in prison than any other time in her life. “The Spirit of God set me free. His presence was so real and so alive. I’m so glad I got thrown in prison.”
Although the Baylor University graduates don’t question the reasons they were imprisoned, they have a theory. “Maybe it was the sovereign hand of God to have the world focus on our imprisonment and thus reveal the plight of the people of Afghanistan. We were told by our lawyer that people all over the world were praying for us and praying for the people of Afghanistan,” Mercer said.
Through a secret radio, the women heard encouraging news that the Northern Alliance troops were heading to Kobul, Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, they were taken out of the city and ordered into a vehicle that was also transporting rocket launchers. Once again the prisoners were taken to another location. They heard gunfire and looked out the window to see Taliban soldiers running down the street. “I prayed to Jesus asking Him to help me die well,” Mercer said.
“A man ran into our room with wild hair and belts of ammunition strapped around him. He was covered in dust. He started yelling, ‘You’re free! You’re free!’” Curry said.
Following a harrowing rescue that almost failed, Mercer and Curry were in a helicopter headed for freedom. A member of the U.S. Special Forces unit yelled to Curry above the roar of the helicopters that he and his family had been praying for the missionaries since the day of their capture.
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