“THE BLOODSHED BY THE MARTYRS HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE GREAT VALUE OF THEIR TESTIMONY.” — CHESTER ALLEN BITTERMAN

 

Chester Allen Bitterman III, better known as "Chet Bitterman," was born on November 30, 1952, and died on March 7, 1981. He was an American Christian missionary linguist who was kidnapped and murdered in Colombia by the M-19 guerrilla.

 Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he attended Columbia Bible College in South Carolina. After graduating, he received language training from the Summer Institute of Linguistics in North Dakota. He married Brenda Gardner, and together they traveled to Colombia to begin their missionary work in 1979.

 Initially, their missionary work was in Puerto Lleras (Meta), but later they were reassigned with his wife to Bogotá to gain more experience by assisting more seasoned missionaries and preparing themselves to attempt to reach the Carijona tribe in the Colombian jungle.

 On January 19, 1981, members of the M-19 stormed their residence looking for Al Wheeler, who was the leader of the congregation in Colombia. Failing to find him, they decided to kidnap Chester Allen Bitterman. After an unsuccessful negotiation where the guerrilla demanded the Christian community to leave Colombia, they decided to assassinate him.

 The missionary's body was found on March 7, 1981, on a bus on the outskirts of Bogotá with a gunshot wound to the chest.

 Chester Allen Bitterman was buried in Puerto Lleras (Meta), and later in his diary, an entry was found that read:

 “Perhaps this is just a kind of complex prepared for the sacrifice of martyrs, as this is the recurring thought that comes to my mind, that maybe God has called me to suffer martyrdom in His service in Colombia. I am willing.

The bloodshed by the martyrs helps us understand the great value of their testimony. Let us pray for all those who are currently on the battlefield against Satan and his hosts.”