Kayla Mueller was born in Prescott, Arizona. She attended Northern Arizona University, where she graduated in two and a half years with a political science degree.
No one who knew Kayla could have imagined the way her life would end or that the US Special Forces operation to capture or kill her captor would be dedicated to her.
But that’s just part of her incredible story.
“The best composts for compassion”
Kayla’s ministry began in middle school when she volunteered to serve in homeless shelters. In high school, she raised awareness about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and won the 2007 Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her work with Americorps and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In college, she was active with United Christian Ministries. Her minister describes her as “a humble, down-to-earth girl who liked to ease the suffering of just one person. Small, seemingly insignificant gestures of compassion did not escape her.”
While in college, she traveled to India, Israel, and the Palestinian territories on volunteer missions. In Arizona, she worked at an HIV/AIDS clinic.
In December 2012, Kayla traveled to the Turkey-Syria border to provide aid to Syrian refugees. Grieved about the suffering she witnessed, she wrote in her blog at the time, “Anger, sadness, and fear are the best composts for compassion.”
On August 3, 2013, she and a friend visited a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, to repair the hospital’s internet connection. They were reportedly taken captive by ISIS the next day.
“The only one you really have is God”
Kayla was not heard from again until the next spring. Then she sent a remarkable letter to her family through cell mates who were released. She stated that she had been “treated w/the utmost respect + kindness,” clearly writing before she faced the torture that was to come.
She noted: “I remember mom always telling me that all in…
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