When Tom White was a boy, his mother gave him a book called Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. The book told the stories of people who had been killed for their Christian faith. As Tom grew older, he learned more about Christians who risk their lives to share the truth about Jesus.
He believed God wanted him to do more than just learn what others were doing. “I decided to commit myself fulltime to active duty,” he said.
Tom decided to drop Christian pamphlets out of a small airplane while flying over Cuba. Cuba is a communist country, and the government at that time did not allow anyone to share the gospel there.
Tom’s airplane accidentally crashed in Cuba, and Cuban officials took Tom and the pilot to prison.
Sunglasses Can’t Stop Prayers
A Cuban officer, Captain Santos, questioned Tom often during his time in prison. Captain Santos did not believe in God. He questioned Tom for many hours, sometimes threatening him if he did not answer the way the captain wanted.
“How can I fight this?” Tom wondered. “This could go on forever.” God helped Tom feel sorry for his questioner. Captain Santos did not know God. “God, help Captain Santos,” Tom prayed silently.
“What are you doing?” the captain asked.
“I’m praying for you,” Tom answered.
The captain’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He looked nervously around the room. He started drumming his fingers on the desk.
The next time Tom was questioned, Captain Santos wore sunglasses. “God doesn’t need eye contact,” Tom thought. “He deals with the heart.” Tom continued praying for the captain.
A Chain of Witnesses
Another time, the officers asked Tom to sign a statement. The statement accused other Christians of breaking the law. If Tom signed the statement, other people would get in trouble.
“The chain keeps me from signing this,” Tom told his captors.
“But you are not in chains!” insisted the officers.
“Yes, I am,” said Tom. “I am bound by the chain of witnesses who gave their lives for Jesus throughout the centuries. I am a link in the chain. I will not break it.”
Released
Christians around the world prayed and worked for Tom to be released from the Cuban prison, and he was freed. Today Dr. Tom White is the director of The Voice of the Martyrs-USA. VOM helps Christians around the world who are links in the chain of Christians persecuted for their faith, as he was.
To Discuss
Why do you think Captain Santos put on sunglasses? What did Tom mean when he said, “I am a link in the chain”?
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