Tuesday, July 31, 2007 . 3:08 PM

It sickens me to read news reports about the situation in the middle east.

The most recent one would be about the kidnapping of the Korean missionary group in Afghanistan. Already a second body has been found. It is beyond me to imagine the terror the hostages must be going through. They don't know when they would breathe their last or if they would ever see their families again. I don't know what that feels like and I pray I never have to know.

If I can make a decision on whether to accede to the Taliban's demands to trade the hostages for prisoners, I would be at a loss. How do you decide? Do I sacrifice the lives of these Koreans for the greater good? Or do I acquiesce and risk having an upsurge of copycat behaviour in other extremists groups?

Really, how can one decide who should live and who should die? God bless seems inappropriate to end this post, seeing as how they ended up in this situation doing God's work. No, don't get me wrong, I am not blaming God in any way, for I am mere mortal and could never presume to understand what He has in mind for us.

What I can do is to add my voice to the chorus of prayers said in the name of the Koreans.