One night, while at a meeting, we had to lie down on the Kingdom Hall floor, as cross fire broke out between Sandinista fighters and government guards.a

Another day, while I was in the ministry, I came across a masked Sandinista firing at a guard. I tried to flee, but more masked men appeared. I ran around the corner, but there was no escape. Bullets began to rain down from government helicopters. Suddenly, a man opened the door of his house and pulled me inside. I felt that Jehovah had rescued me!

Deported!

I served in Masaya until March 20, 1982, a day I will never forget. Early that day, five missionary companions and I were about to have breakfast when we saw a group of Sandinista soldiers with machine guns marching into the backyard of the missionary home. They burst into the dining room, and one of them sternly ordered: “You have an hour to pack one suitcase each and come with us.”

The soldiers took us to a farm, where we were detained for several hours. Then they took four of us in a small bus to the border of Costa Rica, and we were expelled from the country. In time, a total of 21 missionaries were deported.