Brinkman Adventures

Nick Ripken: Move a little to your left.

Roger Misner: Is this better?

Nick Ripken: Yes, but I can't zoom out enough. Let me step back a little. Oh!

Roger Misner: Nick!

Beachglass Ministries: You're listening to the Brinkman Adventures, and I'm so glad you joined us for today's exciting story. Roger Misner's in Bangkok, halfway around the world on an important trip with Nick Ripken. Let's join the two men an hour later inside Roger's hospital room.

Nick Ripken: How's it feeling now?

Roger Misner: Still hurting. I'm so sorry, Nick. I really messed things up.

Nick Ripken: It wasn't your fault. They should've had a fence around it. I bet you're not the first person to fall into that stairwell.

Roger Misner: When do I fly out?

Nick Ripken: You mean, when do we fly out?

Roger Misner: Nick, you need to stay. You're really hurting. I'm not letting you travel back to the States alone with a broken ankle.

Nick Ripken: Don't worry about that.

Roger Misner: I'm sorry for what you're going through. I wonder where God's at in all this.

Nick Ripken: He sees our pain, Nick.

Roger Misner: I suppose. But I'm still coming with you.

Nick Ripken: You can't. Ruth spent weeks arranging the interviews and travel plans. That will all be wasted.

Roger Misner: I couldn't do these interviews on my own.

Nick Ripken: What are you talking about? Before I started, you flew solo.

Roger Misner: I'm not going back to that again.

Nick Ripken: Well, do you know of anyone who could come on short notice?

Roger Misner: There is this one guy I know.

Nick Ripken: How was the flight?

Jack Brinkman: Not bad. Has your assistant left yet?

Nick Ripken: Yeah, he should be home by now. He's got surgery scheduled for later this week. Hey, thanks again for coming on such short notice.

Jack Brinkman: I'm glad I was able to come. So what's the plan?

Nick Ripken: We have interviews scheduled in different countries. Tomorrow we'll interview a guy here in Bangkok named Promana. On Monday, we'll fly out and meet with a large group of pastors. And after that, we head to Pakran to meet with a third group.

Jack Brinkman: Sounds like we'll be busy.

Nick Ripken: Oh, brother. Not again.

Jack Brinkman: What's wrong?

Nick Ripken: This guy's been emailing me for three weeks. Listen to this: "Mr. Ripken, I still strongly believe that the Lord needs you to come to the border town of Yetsin."

Jack Brinkman: Who's it from?

Nick Ripken: Some European doctor named Finegold. This guy's been bugging me to come his way ever since I got here. We'll be in his region next year. I keep telling him he'll just have to wait. You hungry?

Jack Brinkman: Most definitely.

Nick Ripken: Let's hit a street vendor after we get your luggage. It should be in baggage claim four. This is our stop. He's waiting for us in the hotel.

Jack Brinkman: So can you tell me anything about him?

Nick Ripken: Well, his name is Promana. Somehow he found out that I was in the country wanting to discover how Muslims were finding Jesus and what challenges they were experiencing.

He told me he's never been on a bus before, never even been on a paved highway. He spent his entire life in a village, and yet somehow he found me. Traveled 29 hours. Oh, this is his room.

Promana: Hello, Mr. Ripken.

Nick Ripken: Call me Nick.

Promana: Please, come in.

Nick Ripken: Has the hotel staff been taking care of you?

Promana: Yes. They have been very kind. Thank you, sir.

Nick Ripken: This is my assistant Jack Brinkman.

Jack Brinkman: Marhaba. Good to meet you.

Nick Ripken: He'll be recording our interview and taking notes. Shall we begin?

Promana: Yes, sir.

Nick Ripken: How about you, Jack? Are you ready?

Jack Brinkman: I am.

Nick Ripken: Okay then, Promana. Please, tell us your story.

Promana: I am 43 years old. I grew up in the same village my whole life. I practiced a type of folk Islam. I memorized the entire Quran, even though I couldn't understand the language. I would quote the Quran when I needed things. I knew of Muhammad, but had never heard of anybody called Jesus. I had never met a follower of Jesus.

Five years ago, my life was in ruins. I went to the Imam of the nearest mosque for help.

Imam: Describe your problem.

Promana: My wife and I are always fighting. I'm ready to divorce the woman. My children are disrespectful. My animals are not growing or multiplying. My crops are dying in the field.

Imam: Okay, son. Here's what you need to do. Go buy a white chicken. Bring it to me and I will sacrifice it on your behalf. Then go back to your village. Meditate and fast for three days and three nights. On the third day, you will receive the answer to all your problems.

Promana: So I did exactly what he told me to do. I brought him the white chicken. Then I went back to my village. I meditated, fasted, and waited. I'll never forget what happened on the third night. A voice came to me after midnight.

Guest (Male): Find Jesus. Find the Gospel.

Promana: Huh? Who said that?

Guest (Male): Now, get out of bed. Go over the mountains and walk down the coast to Chimera. When you get to that city at daybreak, you will see two men. When you see those men, ask them to direct you to Fussen Street. They will show you the way.

Walk up and down that street and look for the number 26. When you find that number, knock on the door. When the door opens, tell the person why you've come.

Nick Ripken: The voice said find Jesus? Had you ever heard of Jesus before that?

Promana: No. I did not know what Jesus was. I did not know if Jesus might be a fruit or a rock or a tree. I got out of bed at that very moment and hiked over the mountains. I reached the city on the coast the next morning. When I arrived at the city, it was just like the voice said. I found the men, I found the street, and I found door number 26.

Guest (Male): Can I help you?

Promana: I have come to find Jesus. I have come to find the Gospel.

Guest (Male): There are 24 million people in this country and I know of only two other Christians besides myself. And God has led you to me! I will help you find Jesus and the Gospel.

Promana: That old Christian explained the Gospel to me that night, and I surrendered my life to Christ. I stayed with him for two weeks and he taught me much about Jesus.

Jack Brinkman: And what about your family?

Promana: They didn't know where I was. After two weeks, I hiked back over the mountain and went home. That was five years ago. I found Jesus, I found the Gospel, and my life has been changed since that day five years ago.

Jack Brinkman: Which bed do you want?

Nick Ripken: Doesn't matter.

Jack Brinkman: Okay, I'm taking the one by the window.

Nick Ripken: I wanted that one.

Jack Brinkman: Thought you didn't care. Want me to get the light?

Nick Ripken: Yeah, thanks. So what did you think about Promana's story?

Jack Brinkman: Amazing. It reminded me of Ananias in the Bible. God sent him to the house of Judas on Straight Street to help Paul.

Nick Ripken: Yeah, that's right.

Jack Brinkman: I love how the Lord sort of hijacked the Imam's plan.

Nick Ripken: You know, Jack, when we returned from Somalia, our faith was pretty beat up. God felt so distant, so removed. And the Bible just seemed like an old history book full of things God did thousands of years ago, but not stuff that happened anymore. When I hear a story like Promana's, it makes me think maybe God is still doing the same things.

Jack Brinkman: Why don't we see this in the States? Why do I have to come over to the other side of the world to witness this sort of thing?

Nick Ripken: I've asked myself that same question. I think part of the reason is accessibility. We have Christian TV and radio. I have numerous copies of the Bible laying around my house. That's not the case here at all.

Yet God cares for these people just like He cares for us. So it seems that He works miracles when necessary to reach people.

Jack Brinkman: That may be it. So what's the plan for tomorrow?

Nick Ripken: Well, we're catching an early flight out to meet a large group of pastors in Yago. Just got an email from that same doctor. Listen to this. It says, "I really think you should come now."

I'm sorry, sir, but we have a very full schedule. As I said, we will not be coming your way until next year. Period.

Jack Brinkman: Persistent guy.

Nick Ripken: Yeah, no kidding. Hey, speaking of, how's it going with the persistent young man who's been after your daughter?

Jack Brinkman: He asked if he could marry her.

Nick Ripken: Well, that didn't take long.

Jack Brinkman: Tell me about it. I gave him a marriage application form.

Nick Ripken: A marriage application form?

Jack Brinkman: Yeah, of sorts. I asked him some tough questions.

Nick Ripken: Well, has he completed it?

Jack Brinkman: Yeah, he answered the questions in a handwritten letter before I left. Very thought out.

Nick Ripken: So does he get the girl?

Jack Brinkman: I don't know. I'm still thinking about it.

Nick Ripken: Was there a problem?

Jack Brinkman: I'm not sure. For some reason, I'm just not ready to say yes.

Hope: Michelle, come here. Quick!

Michelle: What is it?

Hope: Have a look. Put it on my head, Charlie. That looks nice, Hope. Hold still. This is your tie.

Anthony: Spiffy. Okay, here we go. Anthony, I love you so much. I will never leave you. I'll make you cake and pancakes. I'll do your laundry. I'll make sure your socks match every day.

Anthony: Will you make me hot dogs?

Hope: Yes, for breakfast. Now say "I do," Anthony.

Anthony: I do, Anthony.

Hope: No, just say "I do."

Anthony: I do. Peter, give us the rings.

Peter: I ate them.

Anthony: Peter, go get some more.

Peter: Okay.

Michelle: That's so cute.

Anthony: Hi, Gracie. Want to play wedding with us? You can be the dad and walk Michelle down the aisle.

Gracie: Dad is not going to let Michelle get married.

Hope: Why not?

Gracie: I don't know.

Michelle: Mom, even the kids have noticed that Dad doesn't like him.

Guest (Female): Michelle, it's not that Dad doesn't like him. Dad likes Anthony. He's looking out for you, honey. He's trying his hardest to do what's best for you because he loves you so much.

Michelle: How long is it going to be like this, Mom?

Guest (Female): I don't know.

Kate Brinkman: Hey guys, this is Kate Brinkman. Did you know we base most of our episodes on real people and real events? If you want the whole scoop on today's episode, visit our website at brinkmanadventures.com.

Just click on the Real Story tab and then navigate to episode 45. While there, you can also find some cool stuff like behind the scenes video, or you can contact us if you'd like to drop us a note. We love hearing from you, our listeners. And now, back to the adventure.

Jack Brinkman: I'm guessing he's our contact.

Guest (Male): Nick Ripken?

Nick Ripken: That's me, and this is my assistant.

Guest (Male): Get in, both of you. Quickly. Throw your bags in the back.

Jack Brinkman: Oh, great.

Guest (Male): Leave your bags on the seat and lay on the floor, please.

Nick Ripken: What's the problem?

Guest (Male): Listen to me carefully. Somebody may have followed me here. I'm sorry, but you'll need to stay down until we arrive at our destination.

Nick Ripken: How long is that going to be?

Guest (Male): Four hours. Feel free to sleep.

Jack Brinkman: Four hours? I wish I would've brought my pillow.

Guest (Male): Stay down. I'm going to tell them you're here.

Jack Brinkman: We're there?

Nick Ripken: I think so. Man, I can't feel my legs.

Jack Brinkman: Boy, I need to stretch.

Nick Ripken: I didn't know I had service out here. You're not going to believe this, Jack.

Jack Brinkman: Let me guess. "Please come to my country"?

Nick Ripken: "I really believe God wants you to come here right now." Please stop asking me to visit. I am not coming to your country at this time.

Guest (Male): I'm taking you to the airport.

Nick Ripken: What?

Guest (Male): All 18 pastors we had lined up for you to interview have been arrested and are in jail. Now is not a good time to visit unless, of course, you want to stay a lot longer than you planned.

Nick Ripken: Are you kidding me? All 18 of them?

Jack Brinkman: Sorry to hear that.

Nick Ripken: Isn't it at least possible to meet the hosts and pray with them?

Guest (Male): No, it's too dangerous. I'm sorry about this. You'll need to lay on the floor until we get to the airport, please.

Nick Ripken: Seriously?

Jack Brinkman: What do you think we should do?

Nick Ripken: Well, the second group wasn't expecting us for two days. I think I'll call them.

Guest (Male): Hello?

Nick Ripken: Hello, this is Nick Ripken. Our schedule has changed, and we're wondering if we should come now or if you'd prefer we wait until Sunday.

Guest (Male): The pastors you're planning on visiting were in a car accident and are in the hospital. Others are under tight surveillance. This is not a good time.

Nick Ripken: I'm so sorry. We'll be praying for them. Goodbye. Did you hear that, Jack?

Jack Brinkman: Yeah. Not sure I want to suggest this, but there's always that doctor.

Nick Ripken: I was thinking that myself.

Dr. Finegold: Finegold.

Nick Ripken: Hello, this is Nick Ripken.

Dr. Finegold: Nick Ripken!

Nick Ripken: Yeah, it's me. You've been asking me to visit you for the last month.

Dr. Finegold: Yes, yes!

Nick Ripken: It suddenly looks like we don't have anything else to do. Would you still like us to come?

Dr. Finegold: Yes, of course! I will be waiting at the airport on the runway when you disembark.

Nick Ripken: That was an interesting flight.

Jack Brinkman: These little planes scare me. I'm guessing one of those six men is our European doctor.

Nick Ripken: Well, let's see. Five guys in traditional Muslim dress, one white guy in a suit.

Dr. Finegold: Doctor Finegold? You must be Mr. Ripken.

Nick Ripken: Yes, and this is my friend Jack Brinkman.

Dr. Finegold: Good to meet you both. Thank you for coming.

Nick Ripken: Sorry it took us so long. Who are your friends?

Dr. Finegold: What? You don't know who they are?

Nick Ripken: No. I didn't know who you were until 30 seconds ago.

Dr. Finegold: If you don't know these men and if I don't know these men, then we have a serious security problem. They told me that they had come to meet you.

Nick Ripken: What?

Dr. Finegold: So, I'm going to have to leave you now. You have my number. If everything turns out okay, call me.

Nick Ripken: This isn't good, Jack. Let's walk to the terminal and see if we can catch the next flight out of here.

Guest (Male): Excuse me, please. They're following us.

Nick Ripken: We're leaving. Hey, wait. Let go of me. I don't speak Arabic, please, no.

Guest (Male): I said stop. We must talk with you. We are followers of Jesus.

Nick Ripken: Wait, what? Huh?

Guest (Male): Yeah, the Lord wants you to come with us, please. We won't hurt you.

Nick Ripken: Well, what do you think?

Jack Brinkman: Come with us, please. I don't know. It's up to you, Nick.

Nick Ripken: Well, I think we should go with them.

Jack Brinkman: There's no furniture in here. Just a bare floor. What do we do?

Nick Ripken: I think they want us to sit down with them.

Jack Brinkman: Okay. Now what?

Nick Ripken: Hi. My name is Nick Ripken. You told me you were all believers in Jesus. There aren't many Christians in this country, are there?

Guest (Male): No, only us as far as we know.

Nick Ripken: Would you mind telling me how you came to know Jesus?

Guest (Male): We would actually be happy to tell you our stories. I had a dream about a blue book. I was driven, consumed really by the message of the dream. "Look for this book," the dream said. "Read this Bible."

I began a secret search, but I couldn't find a book like that anywhere in my country. Then one day, I walked into an Islamic bookstore, and I saw this sea of green books lining on the walls.

I noticed a book of different color on a shelf in the back of the store. So I walked back there and pulled out that thick blue volume. It was a Bible, printed in my own national language. I actually bought a Bible in the Islamic bookstore! Took it home and read it five times. That's how I came to know Jesus.

Jack Brinkman: Now that's the hand of God at work.

Nick Ripken: Incredible. How about you?

Guest (Male): I dreamed about finding Jesus. But I didn't even know how or where to look. Then one day, I was walking through the market when a man I had never seen in my life came up to me and handed me a Bible.

And he said, "The Holy Spirit told me to give you this book." He handed me a Bible, a real Bible, and he disappeared into the crowd. I never saw him back. But I read the Bible he gave me three times from cover to cover. And that's how I came to know Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): I too had a dream. I heard a voice telling me to find a Bible. Bibles are impossible to find in our country. I looked everywhere and then one day I was walking and I found a Bible just laying on a bench along the road. And my story is the same as his. After reading it, I came to know Jesus.

Nick Ripken: This is amazing.

Guest (Male): It was the same for all of us. After reading through the Bible several times, each of us decided to follow Jesus. Each of us were rejected by our families, and each of us were forced to flee for our lives.

We all came across the border and somehow God allowed us to find one another. We didn't know what to do next, so we rented this hotel room. We meet every night from midnight to three in the morning hoping that no one will notice us that we're praying here. We read the Bible to strengthen our faith.

Nick Ripken: Your stories are incredible. I've been traveling for the last couple of years interviewing Christians to see how faith survives in difficult places. I think I know why God wanted me to come to your country. He wanted me to hear your stories.

Guest (Male): You may think that's why God brought you here, to listen to our stories. But we would like to tell you why you are really here.

Nick Ripken: Okay.

Guest (Male): One month ago, we began praying this prayer: "Oh God, we don't know how to do this. We were born into a Muslim society, and we were trained as Muslims. We know how to be Muslims in this environment.

We even know how to be Communists in a Muslim environment. But we don't know how to be followers of Jesus Christ in a Muslim environment. Please, Lord, send us someone. Send us someone who knows about persecution. Send us someone who knows about believers and to tell us what believers are doing. Send us someone, oh Lord, who can encourage us and teach us."

At about 1:30 this morning, we were here praying when God told us to go to the airport and approach the first white man who got off the plane because He was sending that man to answer our questions.

Nick Ripken: I have no words.

Guest (Male): So that's why you're here. Now you can do what God called you to do. But before you start, we have one other question. Where have you been and what have you been doing the last month?

Jack Brinkman: Should we walk up this street?

Nick Ripken: Yeah, let's. I would never have guessed God would bring us halfway around the world to teach five guys how to live through persecution. I thought we were coming to learn.

Jack Brinkman: And we weren't even planning on coming here! I resisted coming. I'm so amazed, so humbled that even while I'm struggling blindly trying to follow the Lord, not even necessarily seeing Him, He's working and directing and even using me to be the answer to other people's prayers.

Nick Ripken: Incredible.

Jack Brinkman: I wouldn't have missed this for the world. This has been a really good trip for me, Jack. I'm realizing God does see the pain in the world. He responded to Dimitri, Aisha, and Promana.

He saw their pain. I don't fully understand why God allows some to go through so much suffering, but I'm convinced now that He's aware of it. He's more than aware of it. He experienced it Himself and helps His own through it. And He can even use that suffering in the end for His glory. Guess who?

Jack Brinkman: The doctor who dumped us at the airport with those five guys?

Nick Ripken: Yeah. He's wondering if we survived. It says, "I have a very interesting person you really need to meet." What do you think, Jack? You up for another adventure?

Beachglass Ministries: You've been listening to the Brinkman Adventures, and today's episode is entitled "The Five Guys." While some characters are fictional, this story has been based on real people and events. To learn more of Nick Ripken, please visit our website, brinkmanadventures.com. And join us next time as Nick and Jack encounter the toughest man they've ever met, and Jack is forced to make an important decision.