23 Years of Quiet Ministry, Then the Knock
Andrew Brunson was an American pastor who had lived in Izmir, Turkey, for 23 years. He ran a small church. He served refugees. He loved the country. In October 2016, in the aftermath of Turkey's failed coup attempt, Andrew was detained. The charges were absurd: espionage and terrorism. Links to groups he had no connection to. Evidence that amounted to anonymous tips and guilt by association.
He was thrown into a Turkish prison. Then another. Then house arrest. For over two years, one of the most powerful geopolitical standoffs in modern diplomacy played out around a quiet pastor from North Carolina.
The Weight of It
Andrew has been honest about what the imprisonment did to him. This wasn't a story of constant strength. He lost weight. He had panic attacks. There were moments he felt abandoned by God. He described seasons of spiritual darkness that went deeper than anything he'd experienced in two decades of ministry.
"There were days I couldn't pray. Days I couldn't feel God at all. I just held on to what I knew was true, even when I couldn't feel it."
His wife Norine, who was also briefly detained, campaigned relentlessly for his release. Prayer networks around the world mobilized. The case became front-page international news when it tangled with US-Turkey relations, sanctions, and diplomatic negotiations at the highest levels.
The Courtroom Moment
During one of his court appearances, Andrew was given a chance to speak. What he said stunned the room. He looked at the judges, the prosecutors, the gallery, and said: "I love Jesus. And I love Turkey."
No bitterness. No resentment. Just a man who had been broken open and still chose love. The Turkish court eventually released him on October 12, 2018, and he flew back to the United States that same day.
What This Means for You
Andrew's story is uncomfortable because it's honest. He didn't float through prison on a spiritual high. He struggled. He doubted. He held on by his fingernails. And that might be the most helpful thing about it: faithfulness doesn't always feel like victory. Sometimes it feels like barely hanging on. If that's where you are, you're in good company. The man who told a Turkish courtroom "I love Jesus" also had days he couldn't pray. Both things are true.