Facing Terror: The True Story of How An American Couple Paid the Ultimate Price Because of Their Love of Muslim People - eBook

Kristin Billerbeck is the author of numerous Christian novels, hitting the CBA bestseller list and winning the coveted ACFW Book of the Year in 2004 for What a Girl Wants and again in 2006 for With this Ring, I’m Confused. She has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, World Magazine, the Atlanta Journal Constitition and been seen on the "Today Show" for her pioneering role in Christian Chick Lit. She has a bachelor’s degree in advertising from San Jose State University.

Facing Terror by Carrie McDonnall with Kristin Billerbeck is the twenty-first century's Through Gates of Splendor, celebrating David McDonnall's exuberant life and his commitment to the Lord, to Carrie, and to the Arab people. Warm, poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, this book will inspire you and touch you.
On March 15, 2004, terrorists surrounded the vehicle that David, Carrie, and three other missionaries were traveling in through Mosul, Iraq. They opened fire with automatic weapons. Larry and Jean Elliott and Karen Watson died within minutes. Carrie was wounded twenty-two times by bullets and shrapnel, but David seemed relatively uninjured though he had been driving. Without the help of 911 services, he managed to get Carrie into the hospital through the help of kind Arabs and a taxi. Then David's condition worsened.
With just the right touch to keep the book from becoming morbid or self-centered, Carrie tells of their work with Journeymen in the Mideast before they met, their meeting, their courtship, and their short marriage. The story glows with the young couple's love for the Lord, each other, and the Arab people.
Carrie’s story is written in the first person in a warm, intimate style that makes you get to know her and David. You feel David's death with an ache, but Carrie does not question God's will. This young woman in her prologue says, "I will never be the same, but I believe, by the grace of God, that I will be better." So will everyone else who reads Facing Terror.
The foreword by Beth Moore sets the tone immediately so that you know you are reading a book of spiritual depth. Carrie and Kristin carry that tone all through the book to the final word of the epilogue. This is a must-read book, one particularly important for young people to see demonstrated a total commitment to Christ and a godly love between a man and a woman. All of us living in a shallow culture can benefit from such spiritual commitment.
Maps and photographs would enhance the reading experience, but the writing is well done. Facing Terror concludes with a song that God allowed Carrie to hear in her mind during her long, difficult recovery, titled Lord I Praise You.
Shortly before the fateful encounter between the missionaries and the terrorists, David wrote in his journal: “Yes, it's dangerous. Yes, we could die, but Paul faced the exact same dangers, and he faced them boldly, keeping his eyes on finishing his race with joy and being obedient to his call to share the Gospel. This kind of boldness is exactly what I need. Lord, give me the boldness to carry Your name to those who may wish to do me harm. Give me wisdom, but more than that, give me courage, strength and boldness to simply be obedient to hear your call.” (p.191) -- Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com