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On January 19, 1981, at 6:30 in the morning, the Bittermans' doorbell rang. Seven armed terrorists burst through the door, demanding to see the SIL director. Told that he wasn't there, the rebels pointed at Chet, "We'll take you."

Before being marched out the rear office at gunpoint, Chet held baby Esther and kissed three-year-old Anna. He asked Brenda to remain calm for the girls' sake.

Four days after the abduction, the terrorists' demands were made known: Wycliffe must stop their work and leave the country. For 48 days, Chet's whereabouts were unknown. His family received some letters and an audiotape, later saw his photograph in the newspaper, all assurances that he was doing okay. In moments of anxiety, Brenda realized that her husband was sharing the gospel with Colombians who have never heard it before—his captors.

But on the morning of March 7, police found Chet's body in a parked bus south of Bogota. There were no signs of torture, just one shot to the chest. Honoring his wishes, Chet was buried in Lomalinda.

The year after the tragedy, applications for overseas work with Wycliffe doubled. Two years after the kidnapping, one of the rebels told a Colombian pastor that he had decided to follow Jesus Christ because of Chet Bitterman. Though guerrilla activity hasn't been eradicated in Colombia, Wycliffe continues to carry out their mission of translating the word of God into every language. Learn more about Wycliffe at www.wycliffe.org.

A Christian Reader original article.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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