Wasting away in a Turkish prison wasnât how Andrew Brunson would have chosen to spend two years of his life â but after watching turmoil of the last two weeks unfold, heâs more convinced than ever: God was preparing him for this moment. Persecution is coming, he believes. And thereâs no greater burden on his heart than to make sure Americans are ready for it.
Looking back, Pastor Brunson never imagined his lifeâs mission would be advocating for religious freedom. âI thought Iâd be in Turkey the rest of my life doing church planting,â he admitted on âWashington Watch.â God had other plans. When Andrew was wrongfully charged and sentenced to life behind bars, heâs pretty candid: it broke him. Nothing, he said, equipped him for the kind of persecution he experienced. âI had counted the cost for some pressure, but certainly not for prison.â