Abdel felt the shudder of the not so distant battle as he prayed for the gas to pump faster. It barely trickled out, like a garden hose turned halfway on. When fighting intensified in Lebanon in the 1980’s, the locals hoarded gasoline, never knowing how long the next battle would last.
Come on, come on, Abdel thought as the fuel dribbled into his dust-covered four seater car’s gas tank.
Behind him, a man honked his horn. Anxious. No, scared.
Abdel (fictional name—Edgar Feghaly’s assistant) fumbled with his wallet, paid the cashier and jumped in the car, glancing in the mirror as he sped away. The nervous man was fueling his car now.
As Abdel rounded the corner one block away, a building blocked his view of the gas station.
He heard the explosion of a mortar.
He whipped his car around to see where it had hit, seeing smoke near the gas station where he just was.
The nervous man’s fears were not unfounded. The mortar struck the very pump that Abdel had used only moments before.
This was life in Lebanon.
Three decades earlier, missionaries taught Edgar the meaning of the Gospel, showing that the Catholic faith was hopeless and helpless, and that Christ was sufficient to save people from their sins. As a boy, Edgar heard the truths—week after week—but listened to his fears and did not respond to the conviction.
One day as he played in his yard, without warning, Edgar was thrown into a cartwheel spin and landed in a heap. Dirt flew everywhere. Dust filled the air. His mom and all the neighbors flooded the street where Edgar was lying stunned. Everyone all at once was asking, “Are you okay, Edgar?” and saying things like, “Where did that bomb come from?”
The raucous made Edgar realize that he very well could have been killed by the rogue bomb. Although Beirut was relatively safe in those days, civil war was brooding and random bombings like this were not uncommon.
That night, under conviction that now was the time of salvation, he awoke at midnight and called on the Lord to save him. His life changed forever.
Forward in the Face of Fear details the spiritual journey of Lebanese church planter Edgar Feghaly and the various difficulties he faced in his war-ravaged home town. As a compilation of stories grouped around certain topics in each chapter, the book is a chronology of Dr. Feghaly’s journey through salvation, surrender, Bible college, pastoring, and helping others. His latter years of life have been spent helping international ministries.
Dr. Feghaly writes in a clear tone, never praising himself or his own sacrifices. While autobiographies might seem to imply that the authors are impressed with themselves, THIS autobiography has not a hint of pride or self-promotion. Dr. Feghaly’s devotion to the Lord, his love and care for his family, his sacrificial leadership of his church, his unbending stance on truth, his insatiable thirst for helping others know God… this book is the story of a miracle.
I sometimes think of missionaries as heroes. This book validates that belief.
But you know what Dr. Feghaly would say? “I’m no hero. I’m just doing my reasonable service.”
Along the journey of his life, Dr. Feghaly has never wavered. Boy, am I encouraged to be more like him and others who are like him already.
You’ll be encouraged when you read it, too.
