Minutes before, the prosecutor had made his opening statement projecting only hatred and contempt toward my father, a missionary charged with rebellion. The police had arrested him the night before by covertly setting a trap. The press had already shamed and ridiculed him nationally and internationally, proclaiming his guilt on headline news before the hearing had even begun. The cold demeanor of the judge terrified us and the odds seemed to be undeniably stacked against my dad. I looked at the judge's stern, intimidating eyes and wondered what my father would decide. She had laid the choice before him. He could face the trial (and be charged with 15 years or more in prison if she declared him guilty) or leave Colombia forever. "Choose the States," I prayed, "Who knows what will happen to you here." "This book recounts some of the most important stories of my life including how I found true love and how my father, Russell M. Stendal, was arrested and falsely accused of terrorism."-Alethia Stendal
