Last night, on the way back from Orlando, Craig shared with me Psalm 91 which Valerie had shared with him on the way to Orlando that morning.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."  Further on in Psalm 91: "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

This is what I witnessed yesterday – Kibrom, on the stand in front of his lawyer, the government lawyer, and the judge, stating his love for God and that he would rather die for his God if he were to be sent back to Eritrea than to betray Him. (I think at this point that most of us were crying.)Kibrom stayed strong during this and did not break down.

To say that the judge was confused  would be an understatement. You see, before Kibrom was baptized  and knew the Lord, he lied on his paperwork that he submitted. Wally testified that during his studies with Kibrom, Kibrom confessed his sin of lying on the paperwork. The church leaders and Wally told Kibrom that in order for his baptism and faith to mean anything, Kibrom would have to tell the truth even if it meant that he might get sent back to Eritrea and persecution. Wally testified that Kibrom broke down and cried (along with Wally) when told this.  Kibrom wrestled with this for 3 days. At the end of the 3 days, Kibrom came back to the Bible studies prepared to make things right on his application. Back to the judge – The judge stated that Kibrom had a great case that he submitted the first time and that he would have received asylum based on that. The judge stated that he thought this might be the first time he ever saw anyone come forward on their own and amend the original paperwork. "Usually, people end up getting tripped up in their own lies which are found out by the government. In this case, the original case was strong and would have been granted asylum."  The judge also stated, "I can't see any strategic reason why this young man would come forward to do this other than to admit to the truth." At one point, the judge had a verbal disagreement in front of us with the government attorney as to Kibrom's sincerity. He believed in Kibrom's sincerity while the government lawyer did not.  The judge had Kibrom explain why he wouldn't be able to go back to Eritrea and practice his religion in one of the four acknowledged denominations in Eritrea. Kibrom explained the difference and how his faith was Bible based and a faith in action, which meant sharing his faith with others. Sharing your faith with others in Eritrea is punishable by imprisonment and possible death.

Throughout the court proceedings, the judge would give us a 10 minute break here or there. During those breaks, we (about 18 or more people) would pray for God to allow Kibrom to have a positive outcome, to soften the judge's heart, to give Kibrom, Ruth, Wally, and Kibrom's teacher from Eritrea strength and courage. We prayed openly and right outside the courtroom.

During the proceedings, I would see the judge look at us spectators from time to time. He knew that we were all from the Tampa Bay Church of Christ (we also had two women from Orlando join us).  This made me turn and look at our group. What I saw was a group of obvious diverse cultures,male, female, young and old. (Did I imagine it or did the judge look a little puzzled?)

During Kibrom's cross examination by the government lawyer, I thought about my "court appearance'  before the Most High, Holy Judge. What actions from my life will I have to face before God?  How can I lead a better life as a Christian? Kibrom was cross examined based on actions he made BEFORE his baptism. As a Christian, I have to answer for things I have done/not done AFTER my baptism.

Kibrom showed great courage and faith during this whole process. He testified in truth. The only time I saw him break down and cry was during Wally's testimony.

Wally was a pillar of strength during his testimony. (He presented himself in such a way that the judge would  keep referring to his testimony later on in the court proceedings.) Wally gave an account of Kibrom's bible studies, Kibrom's wrestling with the truth, and his baptism.  The judge asked Wally a number of questions at this time. He asked Wally what our church believed in and why we baptized adults as opposed to infants or children. He asked Wally about how many people he had studied the bible with over the eleven years Wally was in the church. Wally stated that he studied with at least 100 people over the past eleven years. The judge asked, "How many people have you baptized?" Wally stated, "3, with Kibrom being the third." The judge spluttered, "3! Why only 3?" Wally answered, "Because when people are faced with choosing between God and sin, like having to admit to their spouse that they committed adultery they are not willing to change their lives for God. Our church holds people accountable for their actions." The judge was amazed and sat for a minute thinking about this. ( I wouldn't be surprised if at some time in the future, Wally hears from this judge.) Later on when asked if he was nervous, Wally said he was very nervous. It didn't show!!!

Some more testimony, a short recess and a prayer later, we were all back in the courtroom to hear the judge's ruling.

Before I get to the ruling part, I would like to take the time to state how Ruth has been a pillar of strength throughout all this. She has been living in this state of not knowing and yet leaning on her faith in God and His promises for the past year and a half. I see her as a Psalm 91 woman.  She has called out to God in prayer  and He answered her.  

What I remember the most about the ruling is the fact that the judge reviewed all the testimony, he referred to all the letters written on behalf of Kibrom (he mentioned that he had read them), and he may have made mention of the people who came to court in support of Kibrom. At this point, we were all holding our breath. The sweetest words of all came out of his mouth, "Therefore, I am granting Kibrom  asylum." We all cried out and shed tears of joy.

The judge based his  granting of asylum on the fact that if Kibrom were to be sent back to Eritrea now, he would be persecuted and possibly executed for his religious beliefs.

The government lawyer stated that she would appeal the judge's decision.

During the ride back from Orlando late last night, Marie commented on how much praying had gone on throughout the day. She stated, "Look what can happen when we all pray together with one mind and one heart."  Craig stated that he felt that God had called Kibrom out of Eritrea. I tend to agree with him. I will treasure this day always.