Syrian Rescue Counterintelligence
01 Syrian Rescue Counterintelligence
May
2025
Radical Islamists want to eradicate all Christians from Syria, which led Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) to initiate rescue operations of Christians residing in the most volatile and high-risk areas.
One of the most difficult things that I personally have to deal with is knowing that the decisions I make can determine if a person, or a family, lives or dies. This month, I got word the Taliban were actively pursuing a family and had to decide if we could pay $60,000 to spare them from torture and sure death. They are Afghan nationals that were introduced to Christ by one of our Afghan missionaries serving with our Dutch based sister organization.
The family saw the difference in the lives of the missionaries and began to ask questions and ultimately through the love they were shown, they came to a place where they counted the cost and chose to follow Christ. Almost immediately, threats started coming from their own family; warning of violence and even death if they did not deny Christ and convert back. The family chose to run and hide. The husband contacted the missionary, who had led him to Christ, and told him they were in great danger of being found.
He shared there was no money, nor ability to get work, and asked for urgent prayer as time was running out. I got the news with a photo of the family. As I looked at the photo and prayed for God’s will, I was drawn to the wife’s image, she had a beautiful countenance and purity in her eyes. I know the Taliban are notorious for raping and torturing women, and they say that raping a woman guarantees she will not enter paradise. It is just an excuse to rape. If they are merciful, they kill the women. The alternative is that she is given to a Taliban soldier to be his wife and then given to another and another, sometimes up to 15 in a single day.
The cost is very great in difficult rescue operations, and the men I hire put their lives in great danger. If they are caught, it will mean torture and death. And while the price was very high, I believe the Lord wanted us to spend whatever it took to get this family out of danger. For now, they are secure in one of our safe houses in Afghanistan but still a long way from being out of harm’s way.
"THEY WANT TO KILL US, AND THEY ARE ACTIVELY HUNTING FOR US RIGHT NOW."
- Here is the brother’s own testimony:
We are facing another crisis in the Middle East with the overthrow of the Syrian government. The new government is not ISIS, but probably the best way to explain it is ISIS in a suit–trying to look like a proper government. They recently killed about 1,000 people, most of whom were from the former president’s religious sect, but Christians were also killed. Officials claim that the number of believers in Syria is three percent, but according to believers in Syria, it is actually about half that, or about 200,000. Every day in Syria, on the radio, they talk about radical Islam, which leads to militants going after believers and churches. While the government pretends not to know what is going on, this is a plan to slowly eradicate all Christians and others who do not uphold the view of Islam in which they believe. FRM has already started preparing to get believers out of the most dangerous areas. Within a few days of Syrian operations, we have found four countries willing to take those who have been rescued.
Syria has been in terror.
I cannot share how we carry out these rescues. FRM has both former CIA and FBI working for us, and they are highly skilled in these types of operations.
In addition, we have a pool of former special forces that work with our ministry. And I cannot share much, but I have had 15 years working with U.S. Counterintelligence, which has been invaluable in understanding these types of operations. In the early days of the ministry in Sudan, I discovered where a terrorist base was operating, so I contacted U.S. intelligence and told them. My involvement started slowly but then grew very rapidly. I was asked to meet with three agents. We met and had lunch at a very nice restaurant. They asked me if I would work with them, and I agreed. They offered me a considerable amount of money, but I told them I did not want to be paid for doing the right thing. You have to understand when I joined the Marines, I swore an oath to protect my country from both foreign and domestic threats, and I feel that when the Lord allowed me to find these threats, I had a responsibility to stop any terror that could cause the loss of innocent lives. At the height of my involvement, I had five agents or handlers assigned to me. The Lord just dropped extremely valuable intelligence into my hands, and I was told that the assistant director told his agents it was a dream come true. To this day, one agent tells all the other agents I made his career, but truthfully, it was the Lord. I took many precautions with the people I worked for. I told them I only wanted to know first names, so if I was ever caught, I would not be able to give any valuable information.
Before Vicky and I married, she asked me if there was anything I had hidden from her. I was quiet for a moment because, at that point, she had known me for almost four and a half years and knew nothing about this. And, I thought to myself, if she is going to be my wife, she has the right to know. When I said yes, she told me it really scared her that there was a part of my life she knew nothing about, but she handled it well and never pushed me to tell her what I could not.
I do not want anyone to think that I have any special ability. It was more about being at the right place at the right time, and truthfully, while I was told my work was great, it just fell into my hands. After 15 years, I felt that it was time for me to leave this part of my life behind, and that was about nine years ago. Of the team at FRM, those who have worked in the intelligence world, I feel all of them are far more qualified than I am. I share this because I want people to know that we know what we are doing. In those 15 years, I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge.
Far Reaching Ministries has never lost anyone to the Taliban once they were under our care. I believe this is due to the Lord’s guidance, and our team’s extensive knowledge of the world of intelligence and counterintelligence. Luke, a former Marine officer, served with Special Forces and the FBI. Brent, a former Marine with Second Force Recon, the elite of the U.S. Marine Corps Special Forces, oversees much of the planning for extraction. Shannon is former CIA, with great knowledge. In difficulties, Jared, who was a Seal, has been a great help to our organization bringing in men we can trust. Beyond that, Luke, Brent, and I were all Marines, and we have a deep bond as former Marines and, more importantly, to our Lord.
The most important thing in my life is sharing Christ with others and making disciples. When the Lord called me to serve Him, I really did not understand how I could be used. I prayed and told the Lord; I am a soldier and not a pastor. Though I function in the role, I have never felt called to this type of ministry. I have even had believers call and ask if I would be interested in pastoring a large church, to which I thanked them for the opportunity but shared that I am truly just a soldier called to serve the Lord.
I knew from a very young age I wanted to join the military, and I lied about my age in the tenth grade and joined the Marines. When I enlisted, the U.S. had pulled out of Vietnam, but in 1975, when Vietnam was losing the war, the U.S. started to mount up to go back into Vietnam. And I immediately went in and told my commanding officer I wanted to go. But President Ford decided to let Vietnam fall, so the U.S. never went back. I thought that when I got out of the Marines, I would go to Rhodesia and become a mercenary. But then, I came to faith in Christ, and for a while, I considered going to other countries and joining either the French Foreign Legion or the British Royal Marines. I even considered joining the Korean ROK Marines but realized I would never learn the Korean language. Interestingly enough, you do not need to speak French to join the French Foreign Legion. You see, the members are not French, but from many countries, and by the time you get out of training, they say you have a good enough understanding of the French language. But this was not the plan God had for me, and I had to let go of what I wanted in order to serve Him.
What a lot of people do not understand is that when some men join special forces, it is because God has designed them to protect. I told the Lord if somehow you can use me, I will go wherever You call me, and I truly believe that I am functioning the way God has designed for me to work for His Kingdom. I cannot stand by, and watch believers be massacred and raped. As believers, we need to be the watchman on the wall. If we idly stand by while members of the body of Christ are killed, what does it say about us when scripture says no greater love does a man have than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. Because the situation in Syria is now critical, I am asking you to join us in the rescue of Syrian believers. This operation will take years and cost millions of dollars.
On another note, seven Christians have been arrested in Iran for having an underground church. The pastor and his wife are in the greatest of danger, and if convicted they can be executed. They need about $10,000 to have any chance of mounting a legal defense. I have sent $5,000 to assist them, while I try to raise the rest.
On a personal note:
I come from a family of five children–four boys and my sister– I am the eldest and my sister is the youngest. Growing up with three brothers, it seemed like one of us always had a broken bone or injuries. But my sister, Dana, was quite the opposite; she was sweet and kind, what a little girl is supposed to be. Dana gave her life to Christ very early in life and has been married to her husband, Tony, for over 30 years. Dana now suffers from early Alzheimer’s, and the thought of losing her is truly terrible for me. I am asking the body of Christ to pray for her to be healed or for the Lord to greatly slow the disease. I have always loved my sister, and she has always been a great support to me and proud of her brother.
When so many of you gave to rescue believers from Afghanistan, FRM was able to rescue between 2,600 –2,700 lives. I pray you join us to save the Syrian believers. They are a part of our family.
Syria Rescue
Syria is facing an immediate humanitarian crisis with the rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into government power. HTS is a radical Islamic military faction progressing out of al-Qa’ida. Designated as a Terrorist Organization by the U.S., HTS has initiated a violent and widespread campaign against Christians, as well as ethnic cleansing. There are numerous ongoing reports of door-to-door attacks, widespread rape, and mass executions.
Sunni extremists are engaging in systematic ethnic cleansing, violence, and atrocities such as sexual assault and killings. Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) is urgently working to address the targeted killings of Christians, as well as violence against women, children, and the elderly.
FRM has launched an Emergency Response Mission requiring $1.5 million to $2.5 million for rescue operations, safe housing, and the critical support needed. If you can help with this critical need, please mark “Syria Rescue” on the enclosed gift card, along with your donation.
Calvary Bible School
Syria is facing an immediate humanitarian crisis with the rise of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into govern Far Reaching Ministries is in the process of building a new school that will house 200 students.
We have started construction, and the school should be ready to open in 2026. It will cost between $250,000 and $350,000 to complete. If this school were built in the US, it would cost millions of dollars. We need believers to come alongside and help us raise the first $200,000. The school will provide a two-year program and turn out between 100 to 200 pastors and missionaries every two years. We are working with Calvary Bible Institute to train men who have a heart to serve.
To be part of this vital project, please mark “Calvary Bible School” on the enclosed gift card, along with your donation.
Ukraine Home For The Elderly
Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) was introduced to Pastor Fedor from Odesa, Ukraine. Pastor Fedor has a ministry that helps the elderlyand poor who have no place to live. Currently, they live in a crowded room on the second floor of Pastor Fedor’s home. There is just enough room to walk around the beds and no place for them to sit.
Many of the elderly cannot walk, so once a week, they are carried down from the second story to bathe and then sit in the sun for a while.
Pastor Fedor’s dream is to build a home for the elderly and poor so that they can have a better quality of life. So, we at FRM would like to help Pastor Fedor fulfill his dream. We will need $400,000 to begin construction of a home that will house 200 elderly people.
If you would like to help with this urgent need, please mark “Home for Ukraine Elderly” along with your donation on the enclosed gift card.