What some people living in threat environments have to say

(some names withheld by request)

 

“Although my captivity by off-duty police and military with its subsequent rescue is long over, the memories are still vivid.  Dr. Douglas’ training manual accurately reflects what I experienced as a hostage.  I’ve since radically changed my lifestyle—as taught in this book—so it won’t happen to me again.”  R.A. (held captive for 7 days).

 

“I am glad for the security awareness training I received that is also set forth in this book as it gave me a good idea of what to expect when living in a hostile area.  For me, that is a Muslim area that is considered to be very high risk.  Even though I was mentally prepared to be kidnapped, I was very scared when they actually tried to get me from their boat.  Thankfully, they didn’t succeed.  But more importantly to me than that, this book suggests ways that I can minister in such an environment so that the love and peace of Christ can be shared to people who are in need.”  W.B.

 

“I know I’ve been targeted for kidnapping as we’ve seen them do surveillance on me. Although this manual has specifically targeted missionaries as its reading audience, I can assure you that business people, like myself, will derive great benefit from it as well.” C.V.

 

"In today’s changing world, living or traveling overseas presents risks that were not prevalent a few years ago.  Though God has called us to live and minister cross-culturally and has promised to “…never leave us or forsake us,” we live in a fallen world and the risks are very real.  Understanding these risks and preparing ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually will allow us to live and minister effectively without hesitation or fear.  Missionaries on Alert addresses the risks of living in threatening environments while preparing the reader with understanding through planning.  Dr. Douglas has attempted to thoroughly discuss the subject with clear, concise, and easy to read illustrations and has accomplished his goal.  Missionaries on Alert is a vital manual on personal security awareness for anyone contemplating living and working in a threatening environment."  Don Acker (B.A., B.S.), structural engineering consultant, former missionary (AIM International, Kenya), and Project Engineer (Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, Afghanistan).

 

What some family members of hostages have to say

 

“The Lord Jesus said, 'From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force' (Matt. 11:12, KJV).  In Missionaries on Alert:  A Security Awareness Training Manual for Living in Threat Environments Trevor Douglas has distilled a huge amount of experience and wisdom and presents it in a very easy to read, practical way, and (we believe) from God’s perspective.  A must read for those who don’t want to learn the hard way.”  Chet II and Mary Bitterman (parents of murdered SIL missionary, Chet Bitterman III, in Colombia, May 1980).

 

What some crisis management people have to say

 

“In Missionaries on Alert, Trevor Douglas has combined his many years of personal experience and knowledge with up-to-date security awareness techniques to produce a training manual that is not only timely for the days in which we live but is also formatted in a way that is easy to assimilate.  Having spent the past year as a member of a crisis team working through the kidnapping of two of our missionaries, I can personally attest to the importance and relevance of this material.  If you travel in a foreign country, I highly recommend Missionaries on Alert to you.”  Bob Meisel (B.A.), Member of New Tribes Mission, Philippines Branch’s Crisis Management Team which coordinated efforts to secure the release of Martin and Gracia Burnham, 2001-2002.

 

“Missionaries on Alert is a masterful blend of analyzing recent hostage takings; describing terrorist psyches; and discussing relevant spiritual principles found in the Bible.  The dramatic presentation, cartoon style, and humor make this teaching manual highly readable, yet powerfully impacting.  In our post-9/11 world, this manual is critical for every mission organization and missionary.”  Koleen M. French (M.A.), member of World Team Philippines Field Crisis Management Committee; Language Advisor for World Team Philippines; Co-author (When People Disagree); Author (English Ministry Tagalog Course).

 

What some mission administrators have to say

 

“This is an amazing piece of work!  World Team has made great progress in contingency planning and training under the guidance of Trevor Douglas.  Trevor now provides us with a user-friendly, security awareness training manual to equip new workers for ministry in the shadow of global terrorism.  The graphic opening presentation jolts risk takers to become more realistic and prudent.  The truth principles from Scripture in Part II help cast out fear for the timid and overly cautious.  This is a must read for every new worker and should be read annually by every team.”  Rev. Albert Ehmann, International Director (World Team).

 

“Contingency planning, risk assessment, and security awareness are key issues for today’s missionaries.  In World Team, Dr. Trevor Douglas has led the way in preparing our leaders and missionaries to cope with living in threat environments.  When Trevor told me that he was preparing a manual for World Team to use in training our people, I suggested he was thinking too small and his expertise should be made available to the global missionary community.  I am therefore delighted that Trevor has provided missionaries worldwide with this valuable learning tool.  His knowledge of the subject, born out of two decades of missionary work in the Philippines, is combined with his skills as a teacher.  He blends realistic illustrations, historical accounts, and up-to-date facts to bring us this valuable manual.  Missionaries on Alert is potentially life-saving reading for every missionary.”  Rev. David W. Martin, retired.  Former International Director (RBMU International), Field Director (Papua, Philippines), and Asia Director (World Team).

 

“Dr. Douglas has written a very timely book needed by today's missionaries who face increasing dangers in many parts of the world.  His nine key principles are both soundly biblical and practical.  They are reinforced and illustrated by actual historical and current examples of missionaries who have experienced many forms of terrorism.  These nine principles are comprehensive covering issues from dealing with fear to coping with being held as a hostage.  With keen insight, the author provides many very useful suggestions on how to cope if one is taken hostage.   In essence, he has provided a theology for dealing with wrongdoers and at the same time, he has provided an invaluable, practical handbook for missionaries.  As the Director of a mission organization, I have been wanting to attend a workshop on this subject.  Now Dr. Douglas has provided such a key resource for me and our missionaries!”  David J. McKinley (Th.D., D.Min.), Executive Director (Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission).

"Missionaries on Alert is a relevant, insightful and valuable tool for missionaries worldwide who are seeking greater preparedness in serving the Lord, especially in hostile mission fields.  It helps you see the serious need of God’s people for equipping in the area of security awareness and how receiving such could make a great difference in your life and ministry.  Although written particularly for missionaries, it offers principles that also apply much to Christian businessmen and even pastors.  I appreciate the author’s thorough discussion of the teachings on security issues and the book’s wealth of illustrations. Moreover, its illustrated form not only makes this contingency training manual unique but also easy to understand.  Missionaries on Alert is a significant contribution to the advance of world missions!"  Bishop Efraim M. Tendero, National Director (Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches).

 

"This should be required reading for all missionaries and others who travel or work overseas.  Having traveled and worked personally in over 40 countries on all five continents, I can say that this book is applicable and relevant for many situations in every place – not just those particular regions we think of as extremist and terrorist.  Dr. Douglas has done a superb job of conveying his expertise (from his doctoral studies) into a format that is easily readable and applicable to all readers in a variety of situations.  We live in a day and age when we all know it is sheer folly to take security for granted.  The teaching and graphics of this book will make one think about life’s realities, instruct with wise teaching, and lead one to apply its brilliance to our individual circumstances.  It gives me great pleasure in commending it to you."  C.G. (administrates work in several limited access countries).

 

 

What a mission counselor has to say

 

"With the escalating of terrorism and threats to missionaries around the world Missionaries on Alert is a must read training manual for everyone in missions. Trevor has helped me understand in a new way through mountains of research, the background and the underlying philosophy of terrorism and terrorists.  It has also helped me to be better prepared in case of hostage situations.  The original way of writing these principles make them easy to read and easy to remember.  I appreciate the hard questions presented with biblical applications.  Thank you Trevor!"  Mrs. Barbara Friedman (M.A.), Member Care (The Evangelical Alliance Mission, France).

What a medical doctor has to say

 

“Frighteningly enlightening, this book expertly and sensitively addresses the psychological and emotional impact of threat--as well as the obvious physical challenges.  Superbly researched, broad based--yet extremely focused--it elegantly combines biblical truth and contemporary living, whether that be politics, religion, or current events.  The cartoon style is dynamic, easy to follow, and allows for humor in a heart-rending, frightening topic.  The writer’s personal experience is evident and adds passion to this powerful presentation.  A must for today’s missionaries wherever they serve.”  Elisabeth Cousens (M.D.), recipient of the Order of the British Empire (Officer rank) by Queen Elizabeth II for outstanding missionary medical work in Irian Jaya (Papua).

 

 

What some academics have to say

 

“I have read Missionaries on Alert with great interest and believe it will become required reading for all missionaries serving in areas where terrorists are active. The instruction is clear, concise and—inevitably—controversial in some areas. But all the issues raised must be faced by evangelical missions, preferably before any real experience of their workers being kidnapped and held hostage. This is no ivory-tower production but a carefully researched and wholly relevant handbook by an experienced missionary ministering in a country where missionaries have lost their lives at the hands of terrorists. The cartoon-type drawings accompanying the text make for easy reading. A full bibliography on terrorism makes the study even more valuable.”  Ted S. Rendall (D.D.), Chancellor Emeritus (Prairie Bible Institute), Pastor Emeritus (Prairie Tabernacle Congregation); 1993 recipient of the Governor General of Canada’s commemorative medal; 1994 recipient of the ACSI Annual Red Deer Award; 2001 recipient (along with his wife Hester) of the Alberta Premier’s Award of Excellence.

 

"Missionaries on Alert is a don't-leave-home-without-reading-it introduction to terrorism:  what it is and how to respond to it.  Don't let its format—approxi-mately 550 pages of cartoons, sketches, and pithy precepts—fool you.  Based on real life experiences, good and bad, MOA's cultural and spiritual perspectives make this book a deadly serious manual for survival and witness.  Relevant and realistic, it will help you get inside the mind of the terrorist and the heart of the terrorized.  It's a 21st century exposition of 'be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.' You need to read it, now!"  Terry Hulbert (Ph.D.), Provost and Senior Faculty Member (Columbia International University), author (Walking in Their Sandals), former missionary (Zambia).

 

What some missiologists have to say

 

“The beauty of this unusual publication is that it will appeal to missionary-related readers of all ages.  Utilization of cartoons might belie both the volume’s seriousness and the skill with which the author explores some of the complex issues and possible responses relating to expatriate missionary security.  Combining real life experiences, creative communication skills, and an insightful application of biblical case studies, Trevor Douglas has produced a manual that will serve both as a stand-alone CD and as training manual for more extensive workshops and discussion groups.”  Jon Bonk (Ph.D.), Executive Director (Overseas Ministries Study Center, New Haven, CT); Editor, International Bulletin of Missionary Research; Project Director (Dictionary of African Christian Biography); Author (Rich Man, Poor Man); former missions professor (Providence College and Theological Seminary).

 

“We live in a day when millions are riveted by make-believe ‘Survival’ programs on television.  My colleague Trevor Douglas—a veteran missionary with years of experience in the Philippines—provides an urgently needed real-life survival manual for one of the world’s toughest yet most endangered species—Christian missionaries.

 

State departments and the media train ambassadors, diplomats, embassy personnel, and reporters on foreign assignment for the possibility of hostagedom.  Tens of thousands of Christian missionaries—called to venture far more vulnerably and at times more frequently into harm’s way—need their manual for survival too.

 

If survival lessons can be learned from the kidnap of Chet Bitterman in Colombia, the New Tribes Five in Panana, and the experience of others like Gracia and Martin Burnham [in the Philippines], Tom Bitzma, and Jerry Brown [the two fictitious characters in Book One], even more good will result from the travail they and their loved ones endured.  Trevor Douglas’s research is intended to give tomorrow’s missionary hostages a better chance.

 

Will more missionaries be taken hostage?  Undoubtedly, yes, especially in the Islamic world.  Why?

 

Militant Islam has its own handbook for terrorism—the Koran!  No less than 109 passages in the Koran urge Muslims to inflict harm upon infidels, i.e., non-Muslims.  Beheading, ambush, torture, treachery, kidnap for ransom and enslavement are officially authorized by Mohammed himself.  Many of Mohammed’s 109 ominous war verses specifically name Christians as desirable victims!  Partly because Christianity’s New Testament and Islam’s Koran are such polar opposites, every Christian is potentially endangered by the well-funded, utterly seditious, and rapid spread of radical Islam in our time.  But no Christian is more at risk than frontline missionaries!  Hence the timeliness of Trevor Douglas’ Missionaries on Alert.”  Don Richardson (D.Lit.), former missionary in Irian Jaya, author (Peace Child, Lords of the Earth, Eternity in Their Hearts, Secrets of the Koran), popular speaker.