Operation Mobilisation (OM) missionary Bonnie Witherall was up early on that fateful morning of 21 November 2002. Her husband, Gary, remained in bed, and she did her best not to disturb his sleep. It was not unusual for her to get an early start to get the tea and snacks ready at the clinic where she volunteered. But not long after Bonnie left, Gary was awakened by the persistent ring of the phone.
It was difficult for Gary to understand the frantic words he was hearing. But one thing was clear: something terrible had happened, and he had to get to the clinic right away.
When Gary arrived, he rushed up the stairs of the clinic building to the front door. He barged past the soldier there but was tackled by two others and forced into a separate room, away from the body lying on the floor—the body of his beloved wife. Sobs overwhelmed him, and he began to tremble as the realisation sunk in—Bonnie was dead.
She had been met at the clinic by a Muslim extremist with clear intentions. He mercilessly fired three shots into her head at close range. A man full of hate killed a gentle Christian woman who’d come to his country to share about love and forgiveness.
In deep anguish, Gary moved to the wall separating him from his wife of six years. He stretched out on the cold tile floor, pressed him- self against the wall, and tried to get as close to her as possible. With tears streaming down his face, he felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest as he mourned the death of his best friend and life partner.
Images of Bonnie’s warm, sunny smile and sparkling eyes, her love and compassion for all people, floated through Gary’s mind. He remembered her serving in the clinic, giving pre- and post-natal care to Arabic refugee women. He remembered how diligently she had worked to learn the Arabic language but still struggled with certain words and expressions and was often lovingly teased by her patients. She had spent many nights in tears for these women whose religion kept them in bondage with very little compassion or hope. The couple had prayed daily for the clinic to meet not only short-term physical needs but also the deeper, spiritual needs of these lost and suffering women. Bonnie’s sole desire was to bring them the message of eternal life, love, and hope.
Only a year and a half earlier, the Witheralls had begun serving the Lord in Sidon, Lebanon. They quickly saw God’s plan in action as they worked together to share Christ and to love the Lebanese.
They made a great team. She was peaceable, fun-loving, and a perfect counterpart for her unconventional husband. Gary was a seemingly fearless, out-of-the-box evangelist, who would spend his days roaming the streets of the noisy, busy town, building relationships with his pre- dominantly Muslim neighbours and taking every opportunity to tell them of his God—a God who was merciful, loving, and forgiving; a God who could be known.
As the pictures of the past surfaced, Gary found a song running through his mind. He and Bonnie had sung it often.
I surrender
All to You, all to You.
I surrender
All to You, all to You…
In that moment, the Lord spoke to Gary with these words: “A seed has been planted in your heart today. It is a seed that will turn either from anger to hatred or from forgiveness to love. You need to choose.”
Instantly, Gary chose to reject the temptation to hate his enemies and seek revenge on his wife’s murderer. Instead, God gave him an unprecedented opportunity to appear live on television across Lebanon and proclaim forgiveness for the assassin from himself and from God.
At Bonnie’s funeral back home in the US, Gary addressed the crowd: “I know we are all very sad, and we all miss Bonnie. But Bonnie is not in a box! She is in the presence of the God she loved and died serving. She isn’t sad or afraid or in pain; she is dancing and rejoicing in Heaven. We should be celebrating for her!”
Gary opened the huge curtains at the front of the sanctuary. As they were drawn back, the room was flooded with light, and there, framed in the picture window, was a magnificent view of Washington state’s Mount Baker, snow-capped and dazzling in the sunlight. Though mournful at first, the ceremony became a celebration of Bonnie’s life, a time of giving glory to her Lord and Saviour.
The service formed a picture of Gary’s emotional and mental decision. He was choosing to look past the dark, physical curtain and to focus instead on the glorious beauty of the spiritual realm. It hinted at the reality that persecuted Christians seem to understand better than most. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings and being found worthy to be beaten, imprisoned, or even killed for His sake is not a tragedy, a punishment, or an accident. Instead, it is the greatest privilege that a Christ- follower has. Neither is such sacrifice wasted in God’s eyes.
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