FRM Newsletter
FEBRUARY 2022: GOD’S MEN ARE COMING
View Full February 2022 Newsletter
Christmas day was a blessing for Vicky and me. We had the grandkids over on the 23rd to celebrate, and the whole family had a great time. On Christmas day, it was just Vicky, myself, Vicky’s father Jim, and Edward, who is on my staff overseeing Ghost Operations. It was a quiet and enjoyable day. I prepared a smaller turkey, and it turned out perfect—we enjoyed each other’s company and great food. During the course of the day, I texted several of my friends, all former Special Forces, and about half a dozen friends that had never been in the military. I was joking with them and said no machine-gun fire, no mortars, no one yelling “incoming,” no night flares or tracer rounds, and no one calling for a medic; it just does not seem like Christmas. Of course, all the former military got the joke and had a good laugh, but I realized none of the civilians did. Those that did not understand the joke started texting me, “Oh, sorry, brother.” I had to explain and say, “Guys, it is a joke.” This is not the first time this has happened to me. Years ago, Ed Gauntt, my assistant, had found a photo of a small kid smoking a cigar reading a book, which made us both laugh. So, I sent it out to my friends and jokingly said that I had found my second-grade school photo and that I was reading my Bible. Again, everyone believed the photo was true and said that we did not realize you smoked cigars when you were seven. Once again, I told the guys that it was a joke, and I did not start smoking cigars until I was sixteen. Thus, stories always become bigger than reality. I am sharing this because I have had many pastors come overseas and see our work, and the one thing they all say is that you have only told half the story. The work is far bigger than you have explained. We have never needed to embellish what is going on and would not even if the story were not as dramatic as one would hope. I have to leave out many of the details for various reasons. One reason is security; second, much of what we witness would be too difficult for the average believer unless you were former military and a true soldier. Right now, we have spent over $4.5 million on the Afghan rescue mission and will most likely have to spend another several million in the next few months. We are in the middle of several ongoing operations, and while we will be able to explain in the future, we have to maintain secrecy to protect the lives of those we are still trying to rescue. Shannon Spann, whom I have written about in previous newsletters, was a member of the CIA and has become an invaluable part of our team. We are now working together to rescue many of her people that supported the U.S. government. Unfortunately, as we race through the list of people to be rescued, we try to get the most vulnerable out first, and some have perished. The Taliban caught two of her team, burned one alive, and shot the other in the head. Thus, the need for extreme secrecy. With ongoing operations to rescue Afghans, this brings me to Burma. The genocide being committed should be front-page news in every newspaper in the world. But unfortunately, when nations have lost their moral compass, the world turns a blind eye. The Burma Army continued to rape, murder, and kill, with no one reporting the ongoing massacre. I have seen stacks of burning bodies killed by the Burma Army, who put civilians in front of soldiers as they come to destroy villages to protect themselves. I have decided to share one of the photos so that you will see the crimes against civilians. Each village is digging holes for children to get in when the planes bomb schools, churches, and villages. All the photos that I have received from Burma are from our people on the ground. One image, in particular, is so very troubling to me. It is of what looks to be about a three-year-old girl holding on to her four-year-old brother with no parents to care for her. I just want to put my arms around this little one and tell her not to worry and that God’s men are coming. And, we are. I can share very little, but we are dispatching an advanced team of former Special Forces to try and see how we can protect and save lives.
What is needed right now is money for food and medical treatment. Below is just one testimony of a thousand testimonies:
My name is Naw Kawkupaw. I am 33 years old, and I have four children. My oldest daughter is 12 years old; my twin sons are eight years old, and the youngest daughter is four years old. Since the third week of May, the Burmese military came to our village and surrounded us. When we realized that we had been surrounded, we ran for underground cover to hide. We were so scared, and very soon, the Burmese soldiers found us. When they did, they bound all our hands by rope. They did not allow us to look up or see where we were going. They kept my husband and my brother. As we moved away a little further, I heard the sound of gunshots. Immediately, I thought that this was a bad sound, and I was sure the soldiers might be killing my husband and my brother. Since I was not allowed to look back, I just kept going. One of my younger sons, who stayed with me, shouted that soldiers were beating my husband and brother. After a while, I just heard shots, and that is why I was sure my husband and brother were being killed. After this happened, we moved to an IDP camp. After one week, we heard that the Burmese soldiers had just burnt down the village, including people who stayed there. After the Burmese soldiers left the village, a Buddhist monk went to the burning village to check what had happened. The place was on fire. And unfortunately, we heard that some people were burned in the fire. Sadly, my husband was among them. At first, I did not know whether he was among those caught in the fire or not, but finally, we recognized him by his clothes. After a while, we moved from the IDP camp to another village in a more isolated area. My mom, who is handicapped, came with us. As we were hiding, my mother passed away. We cannot return to our village because the Burmese soldiers have wiped it out. We cannot keep any of our belongings because the soldiers destroyed everything. Therefore, I am finding it very difficult to live, and it has been extremely hard for me to be able to raise my four children. Deep in my heart, I am longing that the war will stop soon to have our normal life back. I hope that peace will come soon—that is my prayer. I just comfort myself with the words of God, and I strongly believe that God will continue to protect my children and me. I thank God that He is with me now. I always consider everyone who helped when I was in need. I am forever thankful for your kindness and help. I hope and believe that God will continue to bless you, and may you receive a blessing from God abundantly. May you continue to help people in need in the days to come. Thank you to those who helped us with aid.
God bless you all,
Your sister in Christ
Unfortunately, this will be another year of extreme warfare for the ministry. The one great blessing is that the chaplains have taken the war for the Gospel to South Sudan with great zeal and are having a dramatic effect for the Kingdom. They have matured in their faith, which has freed me up for ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Burma. In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan says to his armor bearer, Let us go up to the Philistines, and if they say come up to us, we will know that God is with us. And the Philistines did say come up to us. Then Jonathan and his armor bearer went up and won a great victory for the children of Israel. I have to ask, where are God’s men of faith? I believe that with Christ on our side, great victories can be won.
As a special note, we have had many pastors come alongside and been a great encouragement for the ongoing operation in Afghanistan. But I would like to give a special thanks this month to Pastor David Rosales from Calvary Chapel Chino and Pastor Bob Davis from North Country Chapel. You have helped to save many lives.
Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries