ME AND A FRIEND FELT LIKE

WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO ON A

TWO-WEEK VISIT IN IRAN.

I HAD A GREAT TIME.

I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE

PEOPLE.

FELL IN LOVE WITH THE

COUNTRY.

WHILE WE WERE LEAVING THE

COUNTRY, WE WERE CAUSING THE

BORDER, AND WE HANDED IN OUR

DOCUMENTS TO BE STAMPED OUT

OF THE COUNTRY, AND WE

DIDN'T GET THEM BACK.

AND IT WAS ABOUT SIX HOURS

LATER THEY FINALLY CAME BACK

TO US AND SAID, THERE IS A

PROBLEM WITH YOUR

DOCUMENTS.

AND THE REALITIES I DEALT

WITH BEFORE I WENT, LIKE

WHAT IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM,

WHAT IF THERE COULD BE

COMPLICATIONS BEING AN

AMERICAN -- YEAH, IT ALL

CAME TO THE SURFACE.

I REALIZED, WOW, I COULD

REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM.

LIKE THIS IS FOR REAL.

IN MY WALK WITH THE LORD IN

THE MANY DANGEROUS PLACES,

I'VE ALWAYS SEEN GOD COME

THROUGH, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN

THE THOUGHT HIT ME, WELL,

WHAT IF THIS IS DIFFERENT?

THEY SEPARATED ME AND MY

FRIEND.

TOOK ME INTO ANOTHER ROOM,

AND THERE THEY BEAT ME FOR

ABOUT SIX HOURS, KICKING ME

AND HITTING ME.

AFTER THOSE SIX HOURS, THEY

DRAGGED ME BACK DOWN TO THE

LOBBY WHERE I MET MY FRIEND

AGAIN, WHO HAD BEEN BEATEN

IN ANOTHER ROOM.

THEY PUT US IN PRISON

CLOTHES AND THEY BLINDFOLDED

US AGAIN, AND THEY LED US

DOWN THIS BASEMENT.

AND THEY PUT ME IN ONE

PRISON CELL AND MY FRIEND IN

ANOTHER ONE.

THERE I WAS IN PRISON IN

IRAN.

IT WAS OUT OF MY HANDS.

THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD

DO.

EITHER GOD WOULD DO A

MIRACLE OR I WOULD STAY

THERE.

I FELT LIKE GOD WAS FAR

AWAY.

ALL I COULD REALLY TRUST IN

WAS HIS CHARACTER.

AND THAT HIS CHARACTER WOULD

BE TRUE, NO MATTER WHAT I

WAS FEELING, AND NO MATTER

WHAT CIRCUMSTANCE I WAS

GOING THROUGH.

THEY PUT ME IN A CELL IN

ISOLATION.

IT HAD A LIGHT IN ONE

CORNER, AND THAT WAS ON 24

HOURS A DAY.

IT WAS IN THE WINTERTIME.

THERE WAS ACTUALLY SNOW

OUTSIDE, BUT THE HEATER

DIDN'T WORK WELL.

THEY ONLY LET ME OUT OF THE

ROOM TO BE INTERROGATED,

WHICH WAS ONCE A DAY, AND

SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL.

AND THEN THEY WOULD LEAD ME

DOWN THIS HALLWAY AND INTO

THE IN INTERROGATION ROOM.

WHICH WAS AN UGLY ROOM.

IT HAD HAD BLOODSTAINS ON

THE FLOOR.

IT WAS DARK AND MERKY.

IT WAS DEFINITELY THE MOST

TERRIFYING PART OF THE WHOLE

EXPERIENCE.

THE BEATINGS WOULD START AND

THERE WOULD BE SLAPPING IN

THE FACE, BEATING IN THE

STOMACH.

I STRUGGLED WITH FAITH.

IF GOD LOVES ME, WHY WOULD

HE ALLOW ME IN THIS

SITUATION.

I REMEMBER ONE DAY I WOKE

UP, AND I WAS DONE, YOU

KNOW, INSIDE.

AND I REMEMBER THINKING TO

MYSELF, IF I'M GOING TO BE

HERE THE REST OF MY LIFE,

WHY NOT CHECK OUT?

MY ONLY THOUGHT WAS NOT TO

STAY THERE.

AND THE ONLY WAY NOT TO STAY

THERE WAS TO DIE.

I STUCK MY HEAD IN THE

SINK.

I FILLED IT UP AND TIED ONE

END TO A BRACKET, AND PUT IT

OVER MY HEAD, AND HOPEFULLY

WOULD TIE THE OTHER END

TIGHT, THINKING WITH MY HEAD

IN THE WATER, IN A FEW

MINUTES I WOULD BE GONE.

FOUR TIMES I TRIED TO KILL

MYSELF.

EVERY TIME I TRIED, I WAS

TOO SCARED TO TIE THE OTHER

END.

I'LL NEVER FORGET THE LAST

TIME.

AGAIN I TRIED.

AGAIN I WAS, LIKE, COME ON,

DO IT.

AND I COULDN'T TIE IT

TIGHT.

I REMEMBER AT THAT MOMENT

JERKING MY HEAD OUT OF THE

WATER.

IF I WAS EVER AWARE OF MY

BROKENESS, I WAS AWARE OF IT

AT THAT MOMENT.

I REMEMBER FALLING DOWN ON

THE GROUND AND I WAS

BROKEN.

AND IF I WAS EVER AWARE OF

MY SHAME, I WAS AWARE OF MY

SHAME AT THAT MOMENT.

I REMEMBER LYING DOWN ON THE

GROUND, IN THAT MOMENT, AND

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ROOM

FILLS WITH THIS GLORIOUS

LIGHT.

AND I TURN AROUND TO SEE

WHAT'S GOING AND, AND THERE

IS JESUS.

AND HE IS STANDING IN FRONT

OF ME WITH THIS BIG GRIN AND

SMILE ON HIS FACE.

AND IT WAS AT THAT LOWEST

POINT THAT HE MET ME.

AND HE LOOKS AT ME, AND HE

STRETCHES OUT HIS HANDS, AND

HE PUTS THEM UNDERNEATH ME

LIKE THIS.

IN THE VISION, AS I SEE

JESUS, HE LOOKS AT ME AND HE

SAYS THIS, "DAN, I LOVE YOU,

AND I PROMISE TO CARRY YOU

THROUGH THIS TIME."

AND FROM THAT DAY UNTIL THIS

DAY, I'VE NEVER HAD THOSE

THOUGHTS AGAIN.

AND THAT'S WHO JESUS IS.

HE MEETS US AT OUR LOWEST,

AND HE CAN RESCUE US FROM

THE DEPTHS OF US.

AND HE WANTS TO GIVE US LIFE

IN THE MIDST OF THE PAIN OF

LIFE.

AND HE MEETS US AND HE LOVES

US, AND HE WANTS TO RESCUE

US NO MATTER WHAT WE'RE

GOING THROUGH.