If not you, who? If not now, when? This was the challenge answered
by Stephen Foreman and his wife, Emily, when they traded in their
American white picket fence for a giant, dusty sandbox as missionaries
in the deserts of North Africa. Stephen had given Emily a well-read copy
of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs on their first date, a telling
foreshadowing of the ultimate cost he would pay when, at 39, he was shot
and killed by al-Qaeda operatives. His life and death planted a seed of
boldness and inspiration in the hearts of local believers. This seed
would grow and multiply efforts to help reach the very goal that Stephen
was willing to give his life for—glorifying God and seeing his Kingdom
established among the nations.
In this memoir, Emily, left with four kids and an undying calling to reach the Muslim world, recounts their heartrending yet uplifting story of sacrifice and love for a people held captive by the ultimate Enemy. Stephen did not die in vain. This promise echoes through the book’s pages and far beyond, in the minds and lives of countless individuals touched by a man who daily put his life in the hands of God.
Because of security issues and the need to protect other workers and local believers in the country, the book employs pseudonyms for all major characters, including the authors.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE : The Butcher
1. The Prison
2. The Dangerous Prayer
3. Putting Down Roots
4. Finding Our Way
5. The American Dilemma
6. Not Forgotten
7. Culture Shock
8. What Is My Mission?
9. Faith in the Storms
10. Talking about Jesus
11. Urgency
12. Blessed Are the Balanced
13. Enemy Territory
14. Money Is the Root
15. Restless
16. Then Came the Rain
18. Loss and Found
19. The Rain Continues
Endorsements
"God is moving in unprecedented ways to fulfill his mission
of reaching the nations, though it is not without cost and
sacrifice on the part of those who dare to be obedient to
his call. This gripping testimony of a family willing to go
to the ends of the earth is filled with emotion and intrigue.
Another stronghold of Satan crumbles and God is glorified
as a family walks through the tragedy of a modern-day
martyrdom. Every reader will be challenged to abandon a
comfortable, self-centered lifestyle for a deeper devotion to
showing Christ’s love for a lost world."
---JERRY RANKIN, President Emeritus of International Mission Board, SBC
"Ten days before the tragic event described in this book, an
African colleague and I had dinner at Emily and Stephen’s
home. When I asked Stephen how he was dealing with the
risks of speaking boldly about Isa al Masih (Jesus) in this
challenging place, he smiled. “A few months ago I sensed
God inviting me to seize more opportunities to speak openly
with people and occasionally give away Bibles,” he said. “And
I have done that as God led me. A few years back, when
Emily and I were still learning Arabic and French, we made a
decision. You see, we died before we came here!” Years later,
tears come to my eyes almost every time I try to share what
Stephen said. And now, with this wonderful book, Emily has
invited all of us into her family’s remarkable journey of high
iintentionality in proclaiming the kingdom of God where
Jesus is about to go."
---JERRY TROUSDALE, Author of Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims
Are Falling in Love with Jesus and director of International Ministries at Cityteam Ministries
"I personally walked the streets of the capital of the desert
country where Stephen and Emily Foreman served. As
you, too, walk through these pages, seeing the tragedy that
is turning to triumph, the book will not just tug at your
heart; it will break your heart—and then you will see that
resurrection comes after death in Christ alone. As you read,
you will find your own heart changed, and you will grow
in maturity through seeing the experiences of this family
serving in one of the neediest areas of the world. This book
is written by one of my true heroes. And it’s authentic
because it’s real life after death."
---LOREN CUNNINGHAM, Founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM)
In this memoir, Emily, left with four kids and an undying calling to reach the Muslim world, recounts their heartrending yet uplifting story of sacrifice and love for a people held captive by the ultimate Enemy. Stephen did not die in vain. This promise echoes through the book’s pages and far beyond, in the minds and lives of countless individuals touched by a man who daily put his life in the hands of God.
Because of security issues and the need to protect other workers and local believers in the country, the book employs pseudonyms for all major characters, including the authors.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE : The Butcher
1. The Prison
2. The Dangerous Prayer
3. Putting Down Roots
4. Finding Our Way
5. The American Dilemma
6. Not Forgotten
7. Culture Shock
8. What Is My Mission?
9. Faith in the Storms
10. Talking about Jesus
11. Urgency
12. Blessed Are the Balanced
13. Enemy Territory
14. Money Is the Root
15. Restless
16. Then Came the Rain
18. Loss and Found
19. The Rain Continues
Endorsements
"God is moving in unprecedented ways to fulfill his mission
of reaching the nations, though it is not without cost and
sacrifice on the part of those who dare to be obedient to
his call. This gripping testimony of a family willing to go
to the ends of the earth is filled with emotion and intrigue.
Another stronghold of Satan crumbles and God is glorified
as a family walks through the tragedy of a modern-day
martyrdom. Every reader will be challenged to abandon a
comfortable, self-centered lifestyle for a deeper devotion to
showing Christ’s love for a lost world."
---JERRY RANKIN, President Emeritus of International Mission Board, SBC
"Ten days before the tragic event described in this book, an
African colleague and I had dinner at Emily and Stephen’s
home. When I asked Stephen how he was dealing with the
risks of speaking boldly about Isa al Masih (Jesus) in this
challenging place, he smiled. “A few months ago I sensed
God inviting me to seize more opportunities to speak openly
with people and occasionally give away Bibles,” he said. “And
I have done that as God led me. A few years back, when
Emily and I were still learning Arabic and French, we made a
decision. You see, we died before we came here!” Years later,
tears come to my eyes almost every time I try to share what
Stephen said. And now, with this wonderful book, Emily has
invited all of us into her family’s remarkable journey of high
iintentionality in proclaiming the kingdom of God where
Jesus is about to go."
---JERRY TROUSDALE, Author of Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims
Are Falling in Love with Jesus and director of International Ministries at Cityteam Ministries
"I personally walked the streets of the capital of the desert
country where Stephen and Emily Foreman served. As
you, too, walk through these pages, seeing the tragedy that
is turning to triumph, the book will not just tug at your
heart; it will break your heart—and then you will see that
resurrection comes after death in Christ alone. As you read,
you will find your own heart changed, and you will grow
in maturity through seeing the experiences of this family
serving in one of the neediest areas of the world. This book
is written by one of my true heroes. And it’s authentic
because it’s real life after death."
---LOREN CUNNINGHAM, Founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM)
