MISSIONARY HOSTAGE: “Prayer Works; I’m Proof”
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- “Hope is the first thing to go” Jeffery Woodke says, speaking about his six-and-a-half years as a hostage held by radical Islamist terror groups. He says he started out, after being kidnapped, praying eight hours a day. But over the years his hopelessness increased and his prayer time faded to twenty minutes daily. Suicidal, he beseeched his persecutors numerous times to take his life, knowing heaven would be much better than his existence as a hostage chained to a tree.
Despite his doubts, God was always with Jeff. He found he couldn’t abandon prayer altogether.
Listen as Jeff shares more about his time as a hostage; his hunger and water strikes to get better treatment and the ongoing trauma he deals with after his experience as a captive. He’ll tell the stories he heard about the Covid pandemic-and how he assumed his family must have all died and mourned their loss.
Jeff will also tell about his release, from getting a “fruit basket” from the leader of his terrorist captors to being taken to the largest gathering of jihadists and Mujahadin he’d ever seen. It was there, under a tree, he met the French journalist Olivier Dubois. The two men were released together in March, 2023.
Jeff spent several days in medical care after his release as doctors tried to stabilize his health before he could get on a plane to return to the US. One of the first things he asked for was a Bible. “It’s good to have the Word of God,” he says. He quickly turned to the gospel of John and began to read.
Jeff’s testimony of forgiveness is powerful. After being chained physically, Jeff asks why anyone would chain themselves up willingly with unforgiveness? Forgiveness, he says, can cut those chains.
Jeffery Woodke is still learning to process his years of hostage trauma. Pray for healing as he and Els explore what this season in their life will be. Jeff was amazed and humbled how Christians around the world prayed fervently for his release. “Prayer works,” he says. He’ll help us continue to pray for persecuted Christians still held hostage in West Africa and other parts of the world.
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Wow - I appreciate his transparency: "I stopped praying...began asking my captors to kill me...." That's real talk. I can't begin to fathom what it takes to show love and continue to evangelize in such an environment - 6 years?! Thank you, Sir for having the courage/guts to be honest with us.
Please pray for Leah Sharibu and many other young girls who have been abducted by Boko Haram and other islamic terrorist groups. Our God answers prayers. Thank you for this powerful life changing testimony
This is what I am asking God to give me "Perseverance in prayer".
Thank you so much for this interview, it was so utterly raw and honest. I truly don’t know how Jeff survived that amount of abuse, but I pray that our precious Lord will help him to fully recover in time. Thank you Jeff for sharing your experience with your brothers and sisters in Christ. 😢
Thank you for sharing your experience.
There's no such thing as a wasted prayer.
The amazing overlooked thing here is that he started out praying 8 hours a day...wow . I am more at the 20 minute mark now and I am without excuse.
Amazing
Jeff I pray daily and have for an extended period for all those in Christ who are traumatized
by the persecution they are or have endured. You are a hero of the faith as all the others in
Hebrews 11. God bless you richly as you heal from all you have endured.
Weep with those who weep, remember the imprisoned😢 - so happy you and your family are together now. Praying for you to heal daily and that God’s great provisions (mentally, physically and financially) will come to you and your family bringing a greater sense of awe 🫢 in His goodness and love for you personally. May God’s blessings flow like a river towards you!!!!🫶🏻
The churches today avoid hearing or speaking about suffering, every message must in on a high note!
We are FAR from being prepared for the reality of persecution and the pressures of the ever changing sexual society!
We need to hear raw reality and the trauma that can wear down the spirit of hope! I’m blessed to hear the real struggle of missionaries and to know “there’s a cost!” May we prepare for that time!
This reminds me of what Abraham Lincoln once said:
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
Yes, prayer works, even though many of us don't try it until all human efforts have failed. God bless this missionary hostage! An inspiration to us all.
God Bless All these Missionaries. May the Lord God Wrap His Loving ,Healing arms around them .
Please 🙏🏻 for the salvation of my family - especially Charles. Thank you!
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Madison, I have a perpetual intercessory prayer list that I pray over daily & I have added you & your family to my list.
@@bunnielynn777 Thank you for intercessorary prayer. Please add my family.
@@bonniebonbasa3257 yes, I will add your family 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
Thank you so much, @@bunnielynn777, that means a lot to me!
Praying for Jeff and his family, and the persecuted Christians around the world..."I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS. I WILL COME TO YOU." John 14:18 (words from our LORD JESUS CHRIST)
This guy blows me away. Transparency. We need this so much, even in the West. ‘I am not gonna be in ministry anymore…but I can encourage people…I can pour myself out but I pay for it’. That IS ministry. This gentleman will always be in that kind of ministry I have no doubt. I will Pray for him and his dear family. Many will.
Isn't it amazingly powerful? I'm a Canadian & wasn't aware of Jeff's plight until our mutual told me about him. I am someone who has been so blessed & found so much strength from his testimony, & so many others have been & will be. God is absolutely still using him even if he has retired from missionary work! Praise God for this miracle.
.. Apostle Paul, he calls himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ .. (Tim. 2:8-9) prayers for All 🙏🇬🇧
How heartbreaking. I have so much respect for Jeffrey. I am adding him & his family to my perpetual intercessory prayer list & will pray for them daily till Jesus returns. This is the first that I have heard of him & his story 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
I am praying for you my brother. May God freshen your cup- hold & cradle you.. heal your heart, body and mind and strengthen your marriage. God bless you and keep you. Thank you for leaving part of yourself here in this interview to encourage us. What a sacrifice for the Kingdom of God and the body of Christ. Thank you brother. Much love- Your Sister in Christ. Praying for you. 🙏🏻
So there's ransoms paid? That's a bit disturbing to hear.
That said, FINALLY, a brutally honest interview! As was even mentioned, sometimes the people interviewed here seem almost superhuman. I can't relate to that. Most people can't. I think it also gives a false picture of missionary work. It may set new missionaries up for failure. They may go into it thinking God will always quickly answer their prayers. Sometimes... God will leave you in a hellish situation like this, for years. I will never understand it. But that's how it is. The only thing that keeps me going most days is remembering that Jesus suffered too, and worse than anyone on this planet will ever suffer.
I knew this poor man was broken when I heard his voice in Part 1. It's so sad. How I long for this world to be OVER. It's not wrong to long for the day when God will deal with these wicked people who did this to him and continue to do it to others. The Bible, especially Psalms is full of that sort of thing.
I will remember to pray for Jeff his family, hostages all around the world. Provision for Jeff and his family. The captors and compassion for the hostages.
Thank you so much for posting! Amazing story, amazing answer to prayer. Thank you VOM Radio!
Thank you for sharing this- such an eye opener and reminder of how important it is to stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer. May the Lord bless your work and may the Lord bring His healing and restoration 🙏
I appreciate his sharing his struggle with hope. I appreciate his honesty sharing how his prayer time diminishes. I can’t imagine going though the trial he endured. Jesus, help him heal. Help him and his wife heal. Provide for them.
It breaks my heart to know what this poor man went through. I can't blame him for feeling that way. Then the mind games,so sick. When your suffering heaven sure beckons. I know because I've suffered physically and still do but the Bible says, Those who suffer physically are done with sin.
Thank you for filling up some of Christ's suffering. Lord strengthen you.
So brave!
I'm trying to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING! PRAYER MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!!!! I HAVE ASTRO-PROJECTION ATTACKS! ASK FOR ANGEL HELP! WORS!
What does that even mean, "astro-projection attacks"? No Christian should have anything to do with that demonic stuff.
A true story of the cost of following Christ and suffering until the end for him. Love it. What an honor to suffer so incomprehensibly for Christ. We are people of mystery who worship a God of mystery.
God protect you.
Wow. God bless you guys. That was amazing. Trauma plus. Shocking and people Still Hostages. God is Good no matter what we go through. He NEVER Leaves us or forsakes us. I can Testify to that!. God bless you Jeff and Family.
Thank you for sharing your story🙏🏼
Thank you Jesus. Lord, l don't know how you will do it but l trust and believe you will bring Leah Sharibu and everyone in hostage home who was kidnapped by bokoharam in Nigeria.
Thank you for sharing this amazing testimony. Sending prayers for healing both physical and emotional. May God give you and your family comfort and repair what was broken 🤲🙏🏽✝️🧎🏽♀️❤️🩹
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
"Because we cannot forget we forgive daily..."
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This is so hard.. May God see you through it sir.. I will pray. And thanks for sharing this.
Prayers
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Amen
Thank you… 🙏🏼😭🙌🏼
What can be done to try to rescue Jerry Krause who has been missing since April of 2013?
Will Jeff and his wife Els still be in ministry? 2:11 ❤
Where is the first part of this testimonial please
Twenty years in prison!!?? Why.where is god
😂😂😂😂. Doing conversion business is great 😂😂😂😂
You think you've scored a point - you haven't.
What you have done is to show the sort you are.
@@sarahlaslett3279 I am seeing every day case of forced, money conversion of Christianity. Christian missionary are shop of conversion.