Update on Missionaries Who'd Been Attacked; their Inspiring Forgiveness is a Testimony to All
"The people here in Kenya are good people. When the world sees things like this happening, they think this is Kenya. This not Kenya."
(Calgary, Canada)—Hope for the Nations missionaries John Bergen and his wife Eloise were mobbed by family members as they arrived back home in Canada after being viciously attacked and left for dead at their mission in Kenya. (Photo: Bergen and daughter hug-Todd Korol/Reuters)
A report in Canwest states the two—bandaged, in wheelchairs, and still bearing scars from the attack—wore T-shirts emblazoned with the word "Believe" and shared a message of forgiveness for the men who tried to kill them.
"We hold nothing against our assassins," said John.
Eloise had been raped during the attack and it was she who saved her husband, driving them both to a hospital 20 minutes away on a dark, dangerous road. Speaking of that night, John reportedly started to cry, saying of his wife: "She's the queen."
"I'm just learning how to smile again," said Eloise, as her injuries still restricted some movement in her face. "I'm smiling big on the inside."
The report also noted the couple—who had sold all their possessions four months ago to move to Kenya—have been an incredible inspiration to others.
Spokesman Steve Pippin said, "They're just very tired with the whole ordeal, but they definitely want to come back. The people here in Kenya are good people. When the world sees things like this happening, they think this is Kenya. This not Kenya," he said. "It's sad that the world had come to believe this. But we also know that we can't be naive. We have to look after our own."
