Based on the book by Ben Pearson and Henry Arnold, Kabul 24 follows the three-month imprisonment of the twenty-four Shelter Now, Inc. workers who were providing aid in Afghanistan and imprisoned by Taliban forces. While the events of 9/11 overshadow these events in our collective memory, the plight of these twenty-two people as narrated by Jim Cavieziel, directed by Pearson, and produced by legendary songwriter and performer Michael W. Smith, is breathtaking.

Called to serve regardless of race, belief, or social status, eight of these people were initially "anonymous," but their efforts as part of the Shelter Now effort ended with their imprisonment, accused of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. Feeling love and compassion for the people of Afghanistan who were without food, water, or support, these people were giving their time and energy to making the lives of these people better, but the Taliban saw them as a threat to the status quo.

Shot with still shots, old photographs and film, recent interviews with some of the principals, and some set pieces, Kabul 24 depicts their 105 days of sheer terror. The movie is different than the average documentary on television, because the pieces of the past and present are so fused together. It's amazing to hear these people recount how they were kidnapped, imprisoned, tried, and then rescued. But even more than merely being rescued, it is the fact that the aid workers were rescued by accident: there was no expectation of rescue (nor should there have been any) but the result is uplifting still the same.

It's hard not to see the "accidental" nature of their rescue as providential, as the grace of God walking into the lives of the people in prison. It's amazing, as the angel walking with Peter in prison, or as the earthquake that opened the prison up for Paul and Silas. God moves in amazing ways, and the rescue of the people is more than one could've ever hoped for as they lay imprisoned. But the ingeniousness of their rescue and escape makes for a gripping story, and a reminder of the power of God in the darkest of situations.

Through it all, these imprisoned people stayed true to the hope that God would provide them the opportunity to believe who they wanted to believe in and to live without fear. Refusing to kill anyone to affect their escape, the group seems braver for their pacifism in the face of what they encountered and their undying faith in the power of God. It's inspirational and amazing, and reminds us of the power of those who follow the God of the universe to care for women and children.