Claim:   E-mail requests prayers for David Kristynik, who is about to be sent on a dangerous mission in Iraq.

Status:   Partly true.

Example:   [Collected via e-mail, 2006]

We have a young couple in our church, David and Christina Kristynik. David is in Iraq and due to be sent back to the states in three weeks. He called Christina this morning at 9:30 am (our time) to say goodbye to her and their children (they have a 2 yr old and a ten month old). He and his group will be leaving at 4 pm today (our time) on foot to go into Baghdad no vehicles or tanks will be taken. Their mission will last 2 or 3 days and the purpose is to go door to door and capture all snipers in the city. The commanders have told the men what a dangerous mission this is and it is very likely that most will not come back to their base. Christina is terrified and called on everyone in our church to pray. She said the men are also fearful. They were all told to call their families before they leave. I'm asking each of you to pray for these men and women for the next 3 days. If your church has a prayer chain, PLEASE call and ask them to pray.

Origins:   This item is true in the sense that David and Christina Kristynik are real people, David is serving with the U.S. military in Iraq, and his wife Christina did request prayers for his safety. According to Christina, all the verbiage and details about her husband's being part of a "dangerous mission" from which "commanders have told the men it is very likely that most will not come back to their base" is false:

I am the wife of the mentioned David Kristynik. I sent out a prayer request for my husband's safety and protection during his final patrols before he comes home in a few weeks, due to the escalating violence in the Baghdad area. I want him to come home safe, he's in the home stretch. I am very hurt and disturbed how one simple prayer request can be manipulated and embellished with false and bogus information. The info in the prayer requests that I have seen contain very sensitive, yet false information. He never called with his final goodbye. HIs commander never told them they will all die. This is all bogus. I just can't understand why someone along the line would add this kind of info to anothers request for prayer. Anyway, my husband and the guys he is with is fine. Thank you for those who DID pray for his safety, but please know that the situation is not what it was made out to be.

However, that the Internet-circulated version of the prayer request quoted above apparently came directly from another member of the same church, that several readers have reported receiving similar phone calls from relatives serving in Iraq, and that the message reproduced below was evidently sent out as a follow-up all suggest that the Internet-circulated version might have been fairly representative of the original prayer request:

11/14/06, Tuesday: PRAISE from Cristina Kristynik

Yes, good news see below "good and faithful servant". Answered Prayer!

I just wanted to thank everyone that has been praying for David and his group these past few days ... I just talked to David and he is fine and so is everyone else. We all prayed for the safety of the whole group, and that something would happen to where they wouldn't even cross paths with the sniper. Well, when they reached the town that they had expected a full battle, they found the entire town to be DESERTED. No one was there, all the peoples belongings left with them. No sniper to be found, no people to be found. Someone must have tipped them off, but WHAT AN ANSWERED PRAYER!

Everyone is safe and back at the camp where they belong, awaiting the transition to come back home to us. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Last updated:   17 November 2006

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