Chapter 8 God Delivers a Divine "Shock and Awe"

 

 

 

SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE

CHAPTER 8

God Delivers a Divine "Shock and Awe"

 

     I sat in the meeting room eating lunch with The Team. We were immersed in the assigned language lessons that were a part of our daily grind and a routine part of lunch. Later in the day, recruitment was on our schedule as it had been daily for several weeks. We desperately needed to find replacements for Mark and Chan. It was an arduous chore finding someone equal in talents and skills. Naturally, we included the replacement search in our daily prayers. All of us were feeling a bit of discouragement, except for you-know-who, Samuel. His answer was to pray, then pray some more, and we did. At this moment, the door to the meeting room squeaked with that other-worldly sound that was so familiar. In a Bela-Lugosi voice, Thon announced, "Now, Count Dracula enters the room."

     Everyone waved at Leah but did not take the time to notice the man accompanying her. He wore a pair of Levis blue jeans, a smart-looking pull-over polo shirt, low-top Nikes, and a gold cross hanging from his neck on a gold chain. His hair was fashionably cut. Leah greeted Team members as she came to them. As I sat there staring while desperately trying to put a name to that face, I heard Samuel shout, "Shermake, our Lord has plans for you!"

     They rushed toward one another while The Team stood up, gawking. Embracing with tears,  Samuel said, "I thought we might never hear from you again, my brother. Are you okay? Have you healed? Why did you not contact us? We have tried to get info, but, for some reason, everyone put us off. Leah, was that you?"

     Shermake smiled and walked into the middle of The Team, saying, "I will answer all questions after I have had time to greet all these wonderful Christian brothers of mine."

     I let out an audible sigh of satisfaction at that news. I saw the cross but had no clue that Samuel had spoken to Shermake on the Nigeria-bound plane before it had lifted off. While serving with The Team, my life has been one miracle after another. I hate to use the word typical, but these miracles seemed to be just that with us, typical.

     Leah took me to the side and, in hushed tones, saying, "James, we have thoroughly vetted Shermake's background. He is totally clean of all militant Islamic activity. In fact, he is currently under a death threat by a Somali warlord for refusing to give tribute to that terror group. Shermake was orphaned due to his family being massacred by that same warlord. Also, a couple of your old acquaintances, Artie and Giff, observed him off and on for several months. Their words to you are, "He's as fit and qualified as they come."

     Whispering back, I said, "Leah, are they still off the sauce?"

     Smiling, Leah answered, "Sometimes we at Mossad wish they weren't, but yes, for sure."

     "I suppose an invite to The Team is in the future for Shermake."

     "Here are our records and observations on Shermake Bishar, born in Merca, a port city in southern Somalia. His parents were well-to-do Muslims that would not give in to the warlords and militant Muslim groups. Heavily invested in the fishing industry, Shermake's parent's livelihood was decimated in the 80s by the Somali Civil War. The outbreak of violence began with the extermination of the largest clan in Somalia, the Isaaqs Clan. Attempts at modernization by the Isaaqs was the primary influencer in the attack on them by the Somali Democratic Republic. Shermake's family was exterminated owing to their support of the Isaaqs and refusal to give in to the warlords and corrupt government. One night while Shermake was on a business trip to Baraawe, a city in far southern Somalia, an extermination squad broke into their home, killing his Mother, Father, Sisters, and Brothers. Shermake, being forced underground, eventually made his way to Mogadishu, hoping by fair means or foul to find a way out of Somalia. He has become a fervent Christian. Converting several staunch Muslims to Christianity, he is held in high esteem by many leading Nigerian Christians." 

      Shermake was forced to sit on one of the tables away from Leah and me while giving a complete history of himself since he and The Team parted ways after the Somali mission. As he began to speak, his expression slowly transformed from smiling to weeping. Hands to eyes, Shermake said in sobbing tones, "I am so blessed by our Lord to be reunited with you all, once more. I owe so much to you, my brothers. Samuel, the words you spoke to me on the plane transformed my life and gave me a renewed reason to live. Doctors told me that I lost all vital signs twice on the flight home. They said that I kept coming back as if God, Himself, was restarting me for some divine purpose. I am here to be used for whatever purpose, even the lowest, that God has for me. Will you give me that chance to serve?"

     Samuel took Shermake's hands in his, saying, "God presents us with opportunities, not man. On The Team, we serve God, not man. You have given yourself to Christ. He uplifts you and gives you new and exciting opportunities to serve Him. Jesus Christ does not waste those who love and follow him faithfully. He is going to walk with you through whatever mission he assigns you. Lean heavily on Him, brother Shermake, for our Lord will be putting some big tasks on your shoulders."

     The Team surrounded Shermake and prayed with and for him. For some reason, I had not noticed Leah crying. As I fixed my stare on her, she waved me off then ran outside. I'm not good at sensing female emotion, much less knowing what to do about it. Whatever was going on here, it was God-inspired, and I was not about to disrupt it by giving inadequate counseling to a woman concerning her emotions.

     The welcome-back celebration for Shermake went on late into the night. I retired to bed around midnight but was roused from my slumber several times by singing and dancing. When I emerged from a fitful night's sleep, my first priority was to hide those loud Dinka drums that startle me when jolted from my beauty sleep. You'd think the neighbors would complain, but, no, they chose to join the celebration with their drums! The meeting room was a total disaster area. I needed some solid Sudanese coffee. Off I stumbled to Fred's Coffee Shack. Sitting there red-eyed, I was informed by the locals how wonderful the celebration was last night. I smiled, I think, and nodded to them, politely, I think, as I encouraged the Barista to refill my cup. Slowly, the lights came on in my head. I needed to get The Team up to address this membership item. I wasn't looking forward to waking up 17 crabby sleepers.

     As I sauntered toward the compound, I ran into Mabior coming at me. "Mabior, we need to wake the men up for a recruitment meeting."

     Nonchalantly, Mabior enlightened me, "Chief, they never hit the beds. They're all down at the Market listening to Samuel, Deng, and Shermake preach, along with half the locals. Come with me. I'm headed back there. I had to get my phone to take some pictures."

     "What else would I expect of you men? Let's see what this Shermake is about." That news had brightened my attitude and put some spring in my step.

     As we neared the evangelists, we encountered a large but attentive crowd listening to Shermake speak, "Only a little over a year ago, I was of the Muslim faith. My family had been slain, all of them, by the Somali government. Some said it was a warlord, but the government empowered that warlord. After my loss, I was empty inside and without direction as to who or what to turn to. Most of the friends in my Muslim faith advised revenge. The solution to killing is more killing? Then what? I was walking through life aimlessly, a walking corpse. Then one morning, two men approached me with the "Good News of Jesus Christ" right there in downtown Mogadishu. I knew that only God himself would send two messengers into downtown Mogadishu to invite me, a worthless Muslim, to become a Christian. I thought, how brave these men must be. Then I find out God has not sent two men; he has sent an entire army. I said to myself, I must come to know this one true God as they called Him. Immediately, God swept me up into his Christian Army. I was accepted and loved immediately. I said this to Samuel and Mr. Jefferson at that moment; if Jesus asked, I would say yes, and he did, and I said, yes."

     Samuel interrupted Shermake after the last word, "I want everyone to know this one thing that Shermake did not include in his witnessing. He stepped in front of an Al Qaeda gunman to block the shot he fired into the Nigerian schoolgirls we were in the process of rescuing. Shermake was gravely wounded, while he, as a Muslim at that moment,  sacrificed his life to save Christians."

     The crowd erupted in whispers due to their amazement at what Shermake had done. People began praising God and praying. Many went to their knees or stretched face down on the ground as they prayed and praised.

     Samuel paused for a couple of minutes to give the crowd time in their praising, "Let this be a lesson from our Lord not to hate Muslims or anyone, for they are created and loved by our Father. In loving our enemies, we dilute their hate for us. Hate can only be defeated by love. Darkness can only be defeated by light, the light of the truth of our Father. What you have learned here today, take home to your families and teach them these truths about love."

     Deng took up after this with, "1 John 4:19-21 in the NIV version we are using here today, says,  'We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.'"

     As Deng paused after his reading, a family of five stood and made their way through the crowd to the trio assembled before them. The father halted his family and began to talk, "My family, we are of the faith of Islam. We have heard stories here today that have convinced us to become Christians. We have experienced too much hate in our lives. If your Lord Jesus Christ asks us, we will all say yes just as Mr. Shermake did."

     Samuel and Deng turned to Shermake, Deng saying, "The floor is yours, my Brother."

     Shermake moved to the family, telling them to kneel down on their knees and to all join hands with him as he asked, "what are your names?"

     The father began with his name,  "I am called Diemba Pikamba; we are lowly Muslim refugees from Chad. We are not afraid of Islamic militants that may come for us. We are a courageous family, or we would not say yes to Jesus Christ. We would bow to the bullies that force our people into submission, but we are not afraid. With Jesus Christ, there is eternal life, and we have faith in all his words. My wife is named Fadoul; she is a strong woman and mother of my children and teaches them the truth. My oldest son, Mahamat Oumar, powerful in the body, will become a great warrior to sacrifice his life for our Lord someday. Our youngest son, Abakardo, is powerful in mind, and he will take our Lord's holy words to the Muslims. Our daughter, Luiza, is strong in mind, also, and will take Jesus' sacred words to the Muslims. We are not afraid to say yes to our Lord in front of all these people if He finds it in his heart to forgive and love such sinners as us.

     The crowd was dead silent. Shermake took in a deep breath to compose himself. "Do all of you have faith that Jesus Christ is the one true son of God and that he died on that cross and in three days was resurrected, then, after being seen by more than 500 witnesses, was taken into heaven in a cloud of glory?

     The family said in unison, "Yes."

     "To the best of your ability, will you raise your family to live in faith and become a living, loving example of Jesus Christ?"

     Once again, the family said in unison, "Yes."

     Shermake then prayed with them, "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, please, accept this family into your loving arms as new members of your faithful. Be with them to lead them on the promised path to righteousness and love in the coming days. Do not let their faith falter as they encounter trials and tribulations. You have told us those things will surely come. Share your love, your strength, and your wisdom with them so that they may bring many more faithful to your fold. Let them be models of you for our Father's glory. In Jesus' holy name, we pray all this our loving God, creator, and ruler of all.

     Shermake put his arms out to meet the extended arms of the family. All of them had tears running down their cheeks. The father, Diemba, softly said to his family, "From this moment on, we shall come to know and love our God personally."

     I stared at the sight before me, paying particular attention to Diemba. Turning to Mabior, I began to ask, "Do you think...?"

     Mabior smiled and completed my sentence, "Think he would make a good member of The Team? Possibly, Chief, he has the fire and heart of a warrior. Let's invite him to a meeting tomorrow to further check him out. I'll call WCPN to have an in-depth background check run."

     Standing up, I walked toward Diemba and his family while Mabior headed for the office. I stood there waiting for an entrance. Shermake gave me a chance by introducing me, "Diemba, this is The Team's commander, Mr. James Jefferson."

     Diemba bowed low while shaking my hand and saying, "Mr. Jefferson, The Team's renown follows you and them everywhere. After The Team rescued the South Sudanese people in my country, even most Muslims applauded the brave action. The capturing and killing of women and children is detested by my former faith. It is my pleasure, sir."

     Samuel and Deng positioned their bodies up against my back. I had the feeling they knew what was coming. I took Diemba by his hands, asking, "Are you aware of the many dangerous tasks we, The Team, take upon ourselves?"

     With a severe countenance and an uplifting of the chin, Diemba replied, "Yes, as do all of my family."

     "Diemba, would you want to come into my office tomorrow morning around 10:00 am to meet with my exec, Mabior, and me to get to know one another?"

     It took Diemba and his family a few moments to comprehend what I asked. When they did realize the scope of the questions, Diemba and family fell to their knees, grabbing my hands and clothing and praising Jesus Christ.

     Samuel, Deng, Shermake, and I gently pulled them to their feet. I looked into Diemba's eyes and began, "Diemba, this is merely a get to know one another meeting. This is not an invitation to join. Although, it could be if all your background checks and history are solid. It is difficult training you would be put through. And your family needs to know the high demand for your time. Our missions are fraught with extreme danger. We only accept the most devout and qualified candidates for training."

     Diemba looked at the ground quietly, saying, "Those Al Qaeda terrorists killed most of mine and my wife's families in a manner that I, as a human being, cannot repeat. When I tried to save them, I was too late. They all lay scattered in pieces. Fadoul told me later that night, 'Diemba, we must leave this unholy land and seek Jesus Christ, for I have had the dream of him. He asked us to serve the one-true God.' I served in the Chadian military as a Captain of the artillery. I was given over to Al Qaeda because I refused to shell a village of women and children while their husbands were out tending the cattle. I know the difference between war and senseless killing."

     "Samuel will bring a vehicle to gather you and your family tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. Food and any other necessities will be provided for you and your family. Sermake, I want you in that meeting, too." I shook Diemba's hand and took off for the compound.

     The following morning, Shermake, Diemba, and family arrived punctually, and all looked very nervous, according to Mabior. We invited Shermake and Diemba into the meeting room, closing the large folding doors behind us. The two invitees became even more nervous as they realized that before them sat The Team in full. The Team in their dress uniforms was an intimidating sight for recruits. As the two entered, The Team stood as one upon Mabior's command. The two were directed down the middle aisle to chairs in the front, facing The Team.

     Mabior ordered The Team at ease and to be seated. After that, Mabior called each man, starting at the back, to rise and give their name, specialties, and the languages in which they were fluent. The recruits were mesmerized by each man's professionalism and abilities. As they came to Little Brother, he stood, listed his specialty as planning, and commenced reeling off eleven languages he is fluent in.

     Upon conclusion of the introductions, the two recruits were asked to stand and give The Team a condensed history of themselves, starting with Shermake.

     Rising slowly and nervously, Shermake began, "I am Shermake Bishar, a man humbled by being in the presence of such great men. I have looked forward to this day for many months. Hoping beyond hope that I might get an invitation. Now that I stand here before you, The Team, I am shaking in my boots, or I should say my tennis shoes. I realize, now, how I do not deserve such an opportunity."

     At that, everyone laughed, and Thon blurted out, "All of us are merely human beings whose main desire is to serve our Lord and bring glory to him. We do not stand against anyone who is for our Lord. Stand easy; you are among friends, my Brother."

     Thon's words seemed to calm Shermake and Diemba somewhat. Shermake smiled meekly while continuing, "My story pales in comparison to all of your's and Diemba's story. My family was massacred by a Somali warlord while I was away and helpless to do anything. I am ashamed to say that, instead of returning home and fighting for my family's honor, I ran to Mogadishu like a coward."

     Samuel stood and spoke in stern tones, "Shermake Bishar, you cannot fight an enemy alone in his territory against his army. You run away to be able to fight another day. That day in Mogadishu, we would have struggled to rescue those Nigerian schoolgirls had it not been for your courage and insight. Then, out of pure God-inspired actions, you sacrificed your life to save Christians. Nobody can call Shermake Bishar a coward. Stand tall before our Lord who has chosen you to serve him, my Brother! Will you accept our invitation to become a member of this team?"

     The Team jumped up and applauded Shermake. He was tearful and overcome with emotion at the words of Samuel, the support of The Team, and being asked to join. Shaking and sobbing, Shermake looked around the room at all The Team, then managed to scrape together an answer, "Yes, my Brothers."

     It took a few minutes for everyone to regain their poise. In the lobby, Diemba's family was concerned with all the shouting. The old woman cleaning there, Mrs. Akech, who acted as a mother to The Team, told the family, "Those boys are always shouting and going on about everything. They are an extremely spirited group. I shouldn't worry about your man, Diembra," as she winked.

     After a calm ensued, Mabior asked Diemba to stand and give his history.

     Diemba looked around the room at all the faces staring at him, "I am called Diemba Pikamba. I grew up in Sahr, a small town in Chad located in the far southern area of the country. After joining the army, I was moved to N'Djamena's capital to study artillery taught by Russian Advisors. I was made a captain after completion of school. I am deeply humbled just as Shermake was to stand before such a group of professionals whose lives are dedicated to our Lord. My family and I have not been educated in Christian ways and the Bible yet. However, Samuel and Deng tell me that I am accepted and loved just by my faith. What a wondrous God we have. My family and I will study hard to learn about our glorious Savior. My wife and I lost our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, many uncles, and aunts to Al Qaeda in cooperation with the Chadian government. I learned that revenge is our God's. That is good because revenge has kept my country in turmoil for many years. But it is difficult not to wish for such. I try not to be driven by hate. Samuel, Deng, and Shermake spent many hours yesterday explaining to my family that hate can only be defeated by love and forgiveness. These are amazing truths that I shall embrace. God has taken us in and given us new life. I shall never be against Him. We must stop the needless violence in Africa. God is our only hope."

     When the candidates had finished speaking, and The Team had asked some follow-up questions, The two men were asked to leave the room while we had discussions and voted.

     Shermake and Diemba, with his family, sat outside and waited. They heard what sounded like shouting and arguing; those sounds made them even more nervous. The periods of absolute quiet began to paint ominous pictures in their minds of them being inadmissible. At one point, Leah entered the lobby accompanied by Alexei Fedorov, the KGB Agent and an ally of The Team. Mrs. Akech caught the worried eyes of the men upon seeing these two enter and disappear into the meeting room. She smiled and commented, "Mossad and KGB working together with Christians, it is true, nothing is impossible with God."

     Diemba gasped upon hearing of this unusual alliance, "Truly, my God can do the impossible! I am seeing and hearing things that serve to affirm my faith."

     Shermake, with a grin, said, "You don't know the half of it yet, my brother. If we are accepted and pass the training, we will experience the true power of God. That little one, Samuel? The stories of him, I have only read in the Bible."

     Diemba responded to Shermake, "When Little Brother, as they call him, speaks of Jesus Christ, his eyes take on a spiritual look that peers into one's very soul."

    Finally, the folding doors rolled back just far enough to let in the two men. Diemba's wife turned to Mrs. Akech as the men left the room, saying, "That Mabior is African and second in command to Mr. Jefferson? I have seen very few men that would be a match for any of these men, but Mabior has the aura about him of a true leader. My husband will follow him wherever he asks to serve our God, and I will support him in this."

     Mrs. Akech sat down beside Fadoul, offering her some of the imported Belgian chocolates given to her regularly by the men due to it being her favorite. "Fadoul, All these men are selected by and led by God, not The Team. They frequently pray about everything, as the Lord asks us. If your husband is selected, it will be by God. Not just your husband, but your entire family will be asked to serve God - possibly, even with your earthly lives. Such a great honor. The respect and love of all the people here  will make your sacrifices that much easier."

     In the meeting room, Shermake and Diemba, standing on the small stage, raised their hands and repeated The Team's Oath. to serve God in everything they do, even unto death. As they finished, a loud cheer went up, and The Team rushed the stage to congratulate the recruits.

     Alek turned toward me, asking, "Chief, Diemba knows artillery. What's the chance of acquiring some mortars? A couple would sure be nice to have around in case of emergency."

     I let out an uncontrolled laugh at his question, replying, "Next, you'll be wanting howitzers. You don't miss an opportunity, do you, Alek?"

     Alek didn't smile as he shot back, "Is that something you've been planning on, Chief?

     "What is it I'm planning on, Alek?"

     Alek, unperturbed, answered, "Adding Howitzers to the inventory?. Maybe a couple of mortars, then work up to 105s?"

     I slapped Alek on the back, answering, "if you really want some mortars, by golly, you'll have them. Why not? Maybe mobile rocket launchers?"

     Alek still didn't crack a smile; he just blurted out, "I've got all the specs and training manuals downloaded in my office. I'll put them on your desk so you can order them."

     I shook my head and stared at Alek as he walked away, muttering to himself. I was thinking how brazen and plucky they all are.

     The folding doors were thrown open to let the joyous crowd explode into the lobby with Diemba's family and Mrs. Akech. The Team was busy planning a feast for that evening at the compound. Look out, here come those interminable Dinka drums.

     Alexei walked up to me, and, in a whisper, he always has to whisper, said, "Please, my friend, keep our secret about where you received the info on Diemba. Tell no one that I was here."

     Looking into Alexei's eyes, I gave this reply, "We are Christian brothers, Alexei. You have no worries."

     As Alexei walked away, I couldn't help but pray for the man's safety. No longer Communist, but a government that has changed little on the inside.

     The training was worked out over the next few days and scheduled to begin two weeks from today. Two more retired British SAS men stepped in to train our recruits, Shermake and Diemba. Harry Oldman is an Englishman with fewer bad habits than Artie and Giff. Lachlan Eddington is a Scotsman who comes with many of the bad habits of Artie and Giff. However, Mabior and I figured that Samuel would soon set him on the road to righteousness.

     I'm not going to bore you with a diary of the training. It's enough to say that The two finished the "full" training with flying colors. Not surprisingly, poor Lachlan did not. He came in drunk one morning after being warned. Samuel happened to be in charge of opening the meeting/training rooms that morning. Poor Lachlan never saw it coming nor stood a chance against Samuel. I first heard of the event when Mabior and I arrived at the compound that afternoon after meeting with the South Sudanese army brass. We decided it would be in Lachlan's best interest if Mabior and I were to stay out of whatever was going on. But, for now, Lachlan was MIA, missing in action. As far as Harry's part, he just rolled his eyes and said, "About time he got his recompense," as he walked away. Both men were great trainers when on their game. 

     The Team walked in with Alek in the lead, "Chief, Mabior, you want in on the pool?"

     Mabior asked a question he knew the answer to, "What pool?

     Alek chuckled, "Silly man, the pool about how long it'll take Little Brother to reconstruct Lachlan."

     Mabior and I forced our hands into our pockets while asking excitedly about the odds and payouts. It is one of our sins, but gambling on Samuel's spiritual power was thrilling. It was never a matter of "if," it was always a matter of "when."

     Late that afternoon, in walked Lachlan with head down and followed by a stern-looking Samuel. All activity stopped at this. The Team began feigning non-interest in the lobby. Mabior and I needlessly shuffled papers on our desk as they entered the office. I offered to shut the door, but the faces outside the office window were frantically signaling, "no."

     I tried to look nonchalant as I asked Lachlan, "How can I help you?"

     Still looking down, he shuffled his feet as he answered, "I - uh- I was drunk on duty yesterday. I owe you an apology, JJ."

     He looked back at Samuel, who told him, "Good, continue."

     "I apologize for any inconvenience my actions may have caused you or anyone else. And - uh - I'll be in church on Sunday morning."

     A yell went up in the lobby from The Team. Then, the inevitable dancing began.

     Lachlan turned and stared out the window as he commented, "What'd those crazy lads do, win the World Cup?"

     Mabior, without looking up, answered, "Close."