Today marks ONE YEAR since this picture was taken.
Today marks ONE YEAR since this picture was taken, and I was finally free.
Today is a very special day. After spending 412 days in jail, I was released on August 16th of last year. However, my first day out was with two ICE officers with me all the time, and I also spent several hours in a holding cell at JFK airport. So, even though I was physically out of jail, I did not feel free at all. After a long night on a plane to Copenhagen, Denmark, I was finally let go. No more handcuffs, no more ICE officers. I got my phone back and could finally call my family and friends, feeling truly free. I will never forget that moment and there are still many emotions attached to it.
After a few hours in Denmark, I boarded a plane to Germany where Lene and the girls were waiting for me. That's where we took this picture you see. What a moment. What a relief.
That was the moment when it truly felt over. And the relief came.
Love you Lene and family
Yes, it's today, and it's so special to think about. It's still a part of us and will always be. Nothing has gone back to how it was and it never will. All things have changed forever.
As hard as it was and sometimes still is just in a different way, we know God is in it and will use this story and the teachings He reveals to bless many people. And we are expecting for that. And yes, we see much fruit already that have come out of this season in our life.
If you haven't seen these 23 minutes, please do so: It is blocked in Europe, so you need to use a VPN to see it.
Torben Sondergaard: Why Was He Arrested? Eye-opening and shocking documentary
Here is the link for my book that will be released on September 14th. This will be a game-changer.
https://www.torbensondergaard.com/412days
Here is a little taste from the book from one year ago today when I was on the flight from Denmark to Germany where Lene and the girls were waiting:
412 days - Chapter Thirty - The Day Finally Came
“After a few hours there, I boarded a plane from Copenhagen with my friend Lebo, as they did not want me to fly alone to Hamburg, Germany, where Lene and the girls were waiting. It was weird to be out, but at the same time, so natural to just see people again, to see Lebo and his wife again and their little boy. It was the first time I saw him, and just to walk around the airport.
It felt so good, so relaxed. I was happy. I was free. But at the same time, I was thinking about Lene the whole time and that I would soon see her, and I felt the emotionsrising in me. But I could now hold back on the way to Hamburg where they were. I knew they were waiting for me when I landed, and I would soon see them. All the emotion just rose up in me, and I cried most of the way from Copenhagen to Hamburg.
I was, at the same time, exhausted. I hadn't slept that whole night. I had a painful headache, as it was all so much for me. The stewardess in that small plane to Hamburg noticed me and how I was crying off and on, and we started to talk. I told her the story of how I’d just been detained in America for more than a year for things I hadn't done. I explained how I'd been married for twenty-seven years, and I'd only been away from my wife for a few weeks, but now I haven't seen her for more than four hundred days, and now she's waiting for me when we land.
As she heard the story, the stewardess had tears in her eyes, and she asked if she could hug me, as it had touched her very, very deeply. She also told me she wanted to leave the plane with me and meet my wife if she could, but she needed to stay back. I gave her the website, and I know she will go in and see our movies there. Yes, it was good to share Jesus again outside in the free world.
When I left the airplane, she and the other stewardesses stood in the doorway, waving at me and making hearts with their hands. It touched her deeply, and she took the time to share my story with the other stewardesses.
Lene and the girls stood just outside where we picked up the luggage. I couldn't hold back as I left the airplane and came close to them. So many emotions—I'd never experienced anything like this before in my life. I'd been waiting for this day—I'd been dreaming about this day—almost every day for over a year, and now, in a few minutes, it would happen.”
Let's keep serving.
Keep loving.
Keep making disciples.
Keep following our Lord Jesus.
I have much more I would love to share with you, and I will do that very soon.
Stay in touch.