Joshua Boyle and his family have been in Canada for nearly two weeks since being rescued from kidnappers in Pakistan and on Tuesday, he offered an explanation why he travelled to Afghanistan in the first place.
In a letter sent exclusively to CTV Ottawa, Boyle writes that people who aren’t devoutly religious will never understand why he and his wife, Caitlan Coleman, went to Afghanistan in 2012.
“The simple truth is that no pious Muslim and no pious Christian and no pious Jew has actually questioned our actions at all,” Boyle wrote.
“To those who strive to devote their life to acting as a servant of God, no explanation is necessary. To those who don't strive to devote their life to acting as a servant of God, no explanation is possible. Unfortunately, it's really that simple.”
Boyle and Coleman were kidnapped while travelling in a mountainous region near the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Since returning to Canada, the couple and their three young children, all of whom were born in captivity, have been staying with Boyle’s parents in Smiths Falls, Ont., about an hour’s drive from Ottawa.
Boyle says one of the boys, Jonah, has been adjusting “incredibly” to his new life in Canada, adding the boy has gone from complaining about one of the captains who used to beat him to “complaining that he doesn't think Tim Hortons should be allowed to put plain Timbits in his box.”
Boyle writes that another son, Noah, is still terrified a lot of the time. Noah has been going through medical evaluations and Boyle says the boy is fine as long as both his parents are at his side.
“That's at least progress in the right direction, and God-willing, he'll continue to improve.”
With a report from CTV Ottawa
