John and Eloise Bergen
Authors - "Forgiveness in the Face of Terror
www.bergensmission.com
 

In 2008, Canadian missionaries John and Eloise Bergen became national news as they were brutally attacked in Kenya by seven people – two of which were hired to protect them.  John was savagely beaten and near death, while Eloise was not only punched, strangled and cut with machetes, she was also repeatedly raped.  These events received both national and international attention.  But God demonstrated His awesome power by turning this story of violence against His servants into a story of healing, forgiveness and triumph.

John and Eloise met in Regina where Eloise’s parents were professors at the Canadian Bible College.  They were married in 1964, raised a family and embarked on careers that included both pastoral ministry and operating a business.  As with many long-term marriages there were times of turmoil, and it was amid these times that John and Eloise learned about forgiveness and healing – lessons that would prove valuable in Kenya years later.  "To forgive is not the same as to condone," says John. "We can't excuse evil, but we can forgive the evildoer. In this way we protect ourselves from the poison of anger."

In 2007, they learned of the plight of Kenya’s orphans and felt called to serve through to mission organization “Hope for the Nations.”  They moved to Kenya in, planning to spend the rest of their lives there – but then faced the events of July 9^th, 2008.  Through the months of healing the Bergen’s discovered that they still feel called to serve the people and orphans of Kenya.