“Open the rear door of your van!” barked the next guard. Without a word or a smile, our driver opened the rear door.
“Open that suitcase!” he barked again. The rigid guard ran his hands through the suitcase, feeling for anything unusual. Next, standing at the front passenger door, he peered inside the car but seeing nothing suspicious, he left. We all breathed a sigh of relief.
Think that was enough of an intimidating and overall frightening experience? Imagine if this type of harsh treatment was an ongoing occurrence in your life as you smuggled illegal Bibles and Christian books into Communist controlled countries.
This was what Christian author Kathy Vobora underwent for two years as part of an evangelizing underground ministry in the mid 1970’s. Her harrowing but life changing experience is captured in her new book, Journey into Darkness.
A young American woman dreaming of living out her faith in the world, Kathy accepted the offer from a pastor to join the Mission in Austria. The mission – to smuggle contraband Bibles and Christian literature where Communism was strong, but not as strong as the love of Jesus.
“Do you ever want to escape these things? Do you ever want God to take you out of the fire?” I asked.
“No,” the husband said in a somber tone. “We pray that we remain faithful to God in the fire.”
How could I hear such words and not feel the tears moisten my eyes. I heard no complaining. I heard only a prayer for strength.
Kathy Vobora accepted Christ as personal Saviour at the age of eight. Bible school followed at age eighteen. By age twenty two she had joined a team of young people in San Francisco, California serving in short term missions. During her stay in San Francisco, she clearly heard the Lord directing her to Europe and the greatest adventure that she had ever known.