MIRACULOUS RECOVERY

November 2001 – 9’00’’

About three months ago, 8 aid workers of Shelter Now were arrested by the Taliban. They were accused of trying to convert people to Christianity. Something they deny, although two of them were showing a film on the live of Jesus to a Muslim family. Last Thursday the were freed and returned to Islamabad. The two Australian aid workers tell their story in an exclusive interview.

2.00 P. Bunch

One O’clock in the morning, we were put in a steel container. With a few blankets and all just sleep, and they wanted to actually close the container and the ladies got really almost paranoid, you know, and I didn’t want them to close it either, so they left the door open, but it was freezing.

2’20

5 o’clock in the morning. So we got in the Toyota Landcruiser, for three hours to Gazny (?) and they say ‘we’re gonna take you to a house, a satellite phone, you’re gonna be able to phone to the embassies and see whether they’re willing to give you some money. So actually the wanted a ransom.

2’44 P. Bunch

We heard some bombs, we thought ‘right, we just come to the city and now they’re bombing the city and they don’t even know that we’re here.’ But than we heard other gunfire, and we prayed, and rocket launchers and all of a sudden there was a breaking noise of smashing noise and they broken the door down. We thought ‘what’s happening now; they’re taking us, someone else is taking us?’ Than a couple of young guys exited came to the door; ‘you’re free’

‘what do you mean we’re free?’

‘Taliban’s had ‘em, taliban’s finished’

3’22 D. Thomas

When we heard the knocking the door, they were trying to break down the door, I thought ‘Oh no, they’ve come to kill us.’ And than all of a sudden all these guys came in to our room and said: ‘you’re free, you’re free.’ We just sat there for a few second we thought: ‘what? We’re free?’ and we realised that the taliban had all left.

3’49 reporter

‘and what did you think?’

3’50 D. Thomas

I just thought this is incredible, awesome. I can’t believe this, this is so incredible

3’56 P. Bunch

We thought they were Northern Alliance probable or private commanders, taking over the town. So this is an hour after we got put in the jail. God has got these guys to get us out of jail. So we walked through the city and everybody id celebrating, everybody is happy, you know. We go to this peoples house and the looked after us. Like honoured guests, we don’t even know them, you know, Than they said we go to ICRC and see whether we can do some negotiations for your release, you know, see if we can get an aircraft to come and get you

4’31 P. Bunch

Somebody in the ICRC had a satellite phone, this was a guy who helped us right from the beginning and we hadn’t seen him for a month and a half but he had a satellite phone. So we were able to get to the American embassy and found out what they we’re doing.

4’46

They wanted to pick us up between 11.30PM and 4 in the morning. ICRC said it was past curfew, we cant get there those hours. The commander said ; ‘I gonna get to the other two commanders to get the information, because if I do it on my own they kill me

5’05 P. Bunch

we had one lamp, we had to had four of five, you know, but we didn’t have time, you know, time and time again we thought ‘man this is crazy, we’re not even gonna get out of here’, you know. A couple of ladies started pulling their ????? of and lighting fire to them and some of the guys come out and found wood and put on, so we had this fire going, you know.

5’29

So eventually they saw us and came in with flames, but than they’re gone. We thought ‘what happened now?’. I can’t really go in to the details, but suddenly these guys were there ‘come on let’s go’ and they got us by the shoulder and running through the dark for an other two, three hundred (kilo)meters and all of a sudden there was this huge helicopter there. And we were in the back. No light, just these night vision glasses. Sitting on the floor. Amazing, you know

6’00 reporter

How did you feel at that moment?

6’02 P. Bunch

I felt great

6’10 D. Thomas

it was two people who were set up by this family to go to there homes, the were very persistent. And they asked three of our ladies to go there and show them a film about Jesus and they felt quiet pressured to go. That Friday that they went, only two of them went the other was to busy. And they tried to show the film, but their computer didn’t work and when they left the house, the family didn’t follow them down the road what they normally do to see them into their taxi and they thought this was very strange

6’56

And the Taliban were waiting for them and they asked where is the third person. So than we realised that this had been set up by this family and the rest of us were innocent of the charges they did against us, because two of us were taken going to the office. Another lady was in here bed; she was sick; they took her. Another lady was working on a project and they took her. Our director was checking up one of the ladies when he was taken, so non of us were doing the things they charged us of

7’39 reporter

only the two?

7’40 D. Thomas

only the two, but they were really set up. They were pressured and I think it is important to realise that we were not there to convert Muslims. We are there to help people, we have been working with afghan refugees for the last 18 years

7’57 reporter

but when you show a Jesus video and when you give a Bible, isn’t that evangelising?

8’03 D. Thomas

If people request to see this; in some Muslim countries people have free access to a Bible, like in Pakistan they can go and buy one and if they ask for one; yes we’d give it to them. But we don’t try and convert people.

If people ask us to share about our faith and what we believe in; we share with them. We have had Mullah ask us what do we believe. In fact, one of them was debating with our director about Christianity. Many times they say to us you should become a Muslim. Well, this is what we believe. I don’t believe that is preaching, I believe that is sharing

8’50 reporter

if you’re sharing the gospel with an afghan and you know it is dangerous for Christians or for people who have a Bible, don’t you put them at risk, isn’t it your responsibility to avoid that?

9’03 P. Bunch

Yes it is. The earnest is always on the person who either wants to know the information or receive the information. The earnest on us is to explain that you may well die if you do that. If you except that, if you wanna see that it may cast you your life. ‘Are you wiling to lose your live? If that’s what you do. Don’t play around with this. Don’t do it because you just want to impress me or because you want to be my friend. Or you want to get some money from me to help what ever you’re doing, don’t do it. It serious business. For you it serious business. So if you know that and you still want to see or receive, that’s your responsibility you cannot …

10’00

We are as absolutely careful as you can be. We don’t put anyone’s life in danger in … knowingly. And we put the earnest of danger of live onto the other person, because it’s their live. It’s not ours

10’19

So they have to decide if the warning is there. And if it not once but several times and I have actually pushed people away, because I have been unsure on this situation I said ‘No, go back and think about it,, you know, ‘go back and think about it again.’ And when a person comes back half a dozens of time and they are desperately asking and they know the cost; it’s for them. For me. That’s for them, you know. Some people might say that’s wrong. But for me, that’s my responsibility

11’00