68 Days in Captivity

EMPTY NEST - By Curt Swarm

When 82-year old Roy Libby and his wife Karla of Mt. Pleasant hear of hostages being taken, it brings back memories and emotions that hit home.  Three-and-a-half years ago, on January 3, 1989, Roy and his fellow missionary associate, Richard Grover, were taken hostage by a group of guerrilla fighters near Cali, Colombia, at their annual church association conference. 
The insurgents appeared out of a sugarcane field disguised as Army soldiers, but their ragtag appearance made them suspicious.   The guerrilla fighters said they were there to protect the missionaries from fighting that was going to occur nearby.  Soon, it was revealed that they wanted Roy and Dick to accompany them for the purpose of bringing back a communique.  Since the church congregation of more than 100 was unarmed, there was no alternative but to accompany the soldiers.
All-in-all, compared to savage brutality that hostages can be subject to today, Roy and Dick were treated well.  It was more of a spiritual retreat for them, but traumatic for their families.  Their wives didn't know if their husbands were being tortured, or why they were taken, or if they would be released. 
The captors asked them what they would like to have to help pass the time.  Would they like a pocket knife for whittling?  Roy thought this was a strange thing to ask a prisoner, but decided to ask for a Bible and something to write on.  They were furnished with two Gideon New Testament Bibles, with Psalms and Proverbs, a hymnal and a devotional, plus a small pad of paper.  Roy wrote in tiny print short “daily prayers” revealing events in such a way that it wouldn’t incriminate the soldiers.  During their 68 days of captivity, Roy and Dick read through the New Testament six-and-a-half times, and Psalms five times.  They read a Proverb a day.  It was their mental and spiritual food.  On two school notebooks Roy wrote 76 devotionals in Spanish. (In training for missionary work, they had been taught Spanish.)  Never were guns pointed directly at them, and at times guns were even stacked within easy reach of the captives.  Roy and Dick prayed for God's Will to be done.  They were moved twenty times in the foothills of the rugged Andes mountains of Colombia.  Each farmhouse, or simple shelter would be the stopping place for this band of nine or ten.  Sometimes these stopping places had been abandoned and other times were inhabited by families.
Although they never witnessed nor were subject to violence or brutality, it was always just under the surface.  At one farmhouse where they were held, the previous owner had a son murdered when the father refused to let his son be taken by the guerrilla group.   
Most of the dozen or so combatants were of the 15 – 20-year age, with little more than a second-grade education. Their prize possession was their weapon.
Roy and Dick were given the best places to sleep, which could be a single or double bed, a dirt or board floor, or concrete.  Every meal was provided to them first.  On the first Saturday evening in captivity, the owner of the house had returned with a sack of small bread rolls.  He gave everyone a roll.  Roy and Dick saved one of these rolls so that they could have holy communion the following Sunday morning.
The second in command of the guerrilla group, Orlando, had a girlfriend, Jenny.  Orlando asked Roy and Dick what they were reading.  Dick without reservation said, “We're reading from the book of Thessalonians, where we are told that our savior, Jesus Christ, after He was crucified, rose from the dead and then ascended into heaven.  We are expecting Him to return for his believers.  That could happen any day, and if it does, you won’t be able to find us.”  That very night there was a radio broadcast in Spanish entitled, “The Day the Lord Came Back.”  Orlando and Jenny came into Roy and Dick's room and listened to the broadcast.
On Sunday, March 12, 1989, Roy and Dick were released without demands nor monetary exchange.  The kidnappers stated, “We had been informed that you were members of the CIA or DEA and it was our responsibility to put you on trial.  It was discovered that there was not enough evidence to convict or acquit you.”  They demanded that Colombia stop extraditing Drug King Pins to the US for prosecution.
Both Roy and Dick's families had been moved to Quito, the capital of Ecuador.  Roy and Dick flew to Quito where they were reunited with their families.  Their families were so relieved to see them.  Both men enjoyed a much-needed vacation and spent time sharing the stories of God’s grace during their captivity.  They returned to missionary work, Roy as Director of Ethnic Ministries with a Baptist Association in Oregon for 25 years, and Dick to teach in Ecuador.  Roy and Karla have been married 61 years.  The two families continue to be in contact.
Twenty years following his kidnapping, Roy and Karla went back to Colombia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the church's mission in Colombia.  One of Roy's captors came forward and asked for forgiveness.  And Roy was told that Orlando had found Jesus Christ.
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Have a good story?  Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com.  Curt is available for public speaking.