Kayle Mueller has paid the ultimate price in laying down her life to serve the downtrodden in Syria.

A light in the darkness

“When Syrians hear I’m an American, they ask, ‘Where is the world?’ All I can do is cry with them, because I don’t know.”

Kayla Mueller’s letter from captivity at the hands of ISIS sounds not unlike a letter from Paul.

Her faith and hope in God remains unshaken despite her unthinkable circumstances. In her letter to her family she writes, “I remember mom always telling me that all in all in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator b/c there was literally no one else... + by God + by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall.”

She continues, “I have been shown in darkness, light + have learned that, even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful. I have come to see there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it. I pray each day that if nothing else, yo have felt a certain closeness + surrender to God as well + have formed a bond of love + support amongst one another.”

Mueller was a humanitarian aid worker helping Syrian refugees when she disappeared in Aleppo in 2013.

Earlier that year she spoke in her home town of Prescott, Arizona as reported by The Daily Courier, of the plight of Syrian refugees including children being hurt by unexploded bombs, women forced into early marriage and children fighting on both sides of the conflict.

“This is the reality for Syrians two and a half years on,” She told the Daily Courier. “When Syrians hear I’m an American, they ask, ‘Where is the world?’ All I can do is cry with them, because I don’t know.”

“Syrians are dying by the thousands, and they’re fighting just to talk about the rights we have,” Mueller says. ‘For as long as I live, I will not let this suffering be normal… It’s important to stop and realize what we have, why we have it and how privileged we are. And from that place, start caring and get a lot done.”

After learning of the situation in Syria, she couldn’t think of doing anything else but helping herself, a decision that would eventually cost Mueller her life.

On Feb. 10, President Barack Obama confirmed that Mueller had died. ISIS claimed the building she was being held was shelled.

In a release by Support to Life, an international aid organization in Turkey which Mueller worked with as a consultant, STL says

“We are highly concerned about humanitarian workers being increasingly targeted by armed actors in conflict. We call upon all parties to uphold International Humanitarian Law and ensure the protection of civilians and aid workers worldwide so that they are able to reach out to those who are suffering, just like Kayla did.
In Kayla’s spirit and dedication, STL will continue to provide humanitarian aid in an impartial and neutral manner, standing up for violence and securing protection for all. We will not let this suffering be normal.”

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