Brigitte Gabriel

Trapped beneath her collapsing bedroom, blood pouring from her forearm and shooting forth from her tiny wrist, screaming for help, and fighting delirium, ten-year-old Brigitte Gabriel experienced first-hand the brutality of radical Islam in her hometown of Marjayoun, Lebanon. Over the next seven years, she and her parents spent their every day in a dark, underground bomb shelter to avoid getting killed by 155-milimeter shells. The Lebanese Civil War did not end directly thereafter, however. Brigitte spent the next ten years of her life dodging shells, avoiding bullets from AK-47s, and going undercover to avoid getting killed. She faced death countless times through her teenage years, never knowing when she might be killed, asking herself, "will it happen quickly or slowly and painfully?" Through it all, however, Brigitte Gabriel emerged strong and fearless. Her faith and determination to live through it brought her through the toughest years of her life, but perhaps the most incredible trait this woman had while growing up, and still possesses today, is her undaunted courage.

Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese-born American journalist, has endured hellish nightmares that have shaped her as a person, but instead of crumbling beneath the disturbing experiences, she has faced them with courage, and for that I admire her. As a young teen growing up in a bomb shelter, she and her elderly mother would crawl in ditches to a spring for water, all the while avoiding enemy fire. When the war finally came to an end, Brigitte spoke out against radical Islam, reporting the reality happening between Israel and Muslim groups in Lebanon. This put her in a dangerous position, and many times she was chased in her car and shot at, because of the things she reported. Finally, as an adult, Gabriel faces death on a daily basis, fully recognizing "there is a bullet out there with my name on it." As she travels the United States she must have bodyguards and police officers around her to ensure her safety. Throughout all the dangers, however, Brigitte Gabriel does not allow fear to stand in her way, and she continues to warn the American public about the drastic measures continually taken by Muslims who want to harm the country.

Whether dodging exploding shells as a child, fleeing in a car from those seeking to kill her, or confronting a crowd of angry Muslims around the United States, Brigitte Gabriel has shown fearless determination. Her life stands as an example of courage through suffering. Romans 5:3-4 reminds us we should ". . . rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Brigitte Gabriel has proved this through her life, time and time again. Her suffering allowed her to continue when life became tough, and ultimately she has hope: hope for her future, her children's future, and the future of her adopted country. She had courage through her childhood, even during the harshest trials, and this is what eventually brought her through. As she says while she reflects back to her childhood, "Despite the hopelessness and difficulty of the situation, I had a vision for my future and the will to figure out how to prepare for it."