Chapter 8: Rachel’s Dream

February 1999

On the morning we left for Colombia, the air was tense and heavy with apprehension, as if the day held impending disaster. I had a very great feeling of uneasiness from the moment I awakened. It was 4 AM. I knew that once I was awake, there would be no going back to sleep. I pulled out my Bible as I waited for the coffee to brew. I then began my quiet time, a daily ritual many Christians partake in consisting of prayer and Bible reading. It brings the peace that passes all understanding. As I poured myself a cup of coffee, I looked out the dining room window, watching the full moon sink in the west as clouds formed in the east. It would be several hours before I had to catch the plane for Bogotá.

I prayed that my Lord would watch over and keep my companion and myself from harm, that he would send his angels to set up a hedge of protection around us, warding off the evil that I just seemed to know was going to confront us.

I had already packed the night before and trying to sleep in was out of the question. After all, I was going on the adventure of a lifetime. My lifetime! I just did not know it yet. I woke Rachel up, and curled up with her in our bed. We talked about our plans, my itinerary, what this was all about, and what to do should anything happen. I had written a letter with instructions regarding what to do in the event of unpleasant news and left it on the computer.

I brought her a cup of coffee, and she looked up at me with her dark brown eyes, saying, “I know you’ll be alright. I had a dream last night. I said a prayer asking protection for you and Lou, and believe it or not,” she paused, taking a sip of her coffee, “God answered my prayer in my dream.”

I immediately became interested in the content of the dream. “So, what did God say to you?”

She continued to sip her coffee, and replied with a smile, “He’s sending his angels for you. They are on their way, darling.” She winked and smiled a lovely, contented smile. It was as if she had had a secret and now, she was finally able to divulge it. “I know I won’t have to worry about you or Lou. Don’t forget to tell Lou that he will have angels watching over him too. I think God wants you to go. I mean, the way everything seems to be falling into place, and the questions keep popping up, but the answers aren’t there. At least you’re convinced that they’re not here. So, go check out this cult thing, but be careful. Honey, I know God is with you!”

She sounded so convincingly calm, and at ease all the while knowing I was flying to a city where the murder rate was out of control. Rachel is undoubtedly the greatest asset God ever bestowed upon me. We click. Like machined parts of an engine or mechanical device, we click.

I logged on once more, to see if I could find the answers in some database somewhere. This rogue group of blood sacrifice worshippers has tried to keep its existence unknown to the rest of the world. I wanted to expose the entire rotten business. The travel warning had not changed on the US embassy site. The site was adamant about how it was extremely dangerous for visitors, particularly for foreign business travelers to travel in Colombia. Kidnapping and other criminal activities were their main means of supporting their guerilla factions. The travel warnings were scary enough to read. I read the press releases too. I saw many articles about rebel raids into villages, massacring villagers to include women and children. To Americans, this is unconscionable. To Colombians, it has been the daily life for forty years.