"It all happened so fast that even now, a month later, I still have trouble believing it, and I have to tell myself over and over again: Leszli, you have been kidnapped." On April 12, 1999, Leszli Kálli boarded a plane in Colombia to work on a kibbutz in Israel, but she never made it. The plane was hijacked by a leftist guerrilla group and forced to land on an abandoned runway in the jungle. Leszli, along with her father and the other passengers, were held hostage for 373 days. Her diary reveals her innermost thoughts, darkest fears, and visions of hope. Leszli vividly presents this painful time in her life: trapped, held at gunpoint, and never knowing if she would live to see another day. Although never close before, the bond between her and her father grows as they provide one another with vital support. Alienated as the only woman in her group, she maintains her guard but finds comfort caring for animals, including a tarantula living beneath her bed. As the pages of her diary unfold, so, too, does the incredible story of one girl's fight for survival against overwhelming odds. "Leszli emerges to remind us to combat victimization, seek peace, and appreciate the glowing beauty of freedom." -- Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place "As a person who has also flourished in the rebirth of liberation, I was astonished that such a young woman could have so rapidly gained the perspective to see her kidnapping as a gift. Her amazing story helps us appreciate all the blessings that life offers, 'in their truest Dimension.'" -- Aron Ralston, author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place "Kidnapped by Leszli KÁlli is an achingly honest and intense story of survival. KÁlli's words pour freely from her heart, and like the tropical rivers that alleviated her confinement in the jungle, the reader is also refreshed by the elasticity of her mind, and the resiliency of her youthful spirit, and is left believing that in spite of the senseless cruelty in the world today, with such courageous and sensitive young people within it, there is hope for the future after all." -- Cecilia Samartin, author of Broken Paradise "Kidnapped is one woman's moving account of how vulnerable we all really are. Drawing on her inner strength, KÁlli remarkably turned her trauma into triumph, and in the process gained a renewed perspective on what is really important." -- Lisa Pulitzer, coauthor of The Daughters of JuÁrez Leszli Kálli was born and raised in Colombia. She has since left her native country and is working toward degrees in English and graphic design. The Diary of Leszli Kalli In the Mountains of Colombia Thursday, March 25, 1999 Today, for the first time, I opened the Bible in search of advice. My aunt always does this; she says the Bible sends us messages. This is her method: she opens the Bible, flips to a page, any page, and places her finger on a passage at random and interprets the message contained in the words she reads. This is what I have done today, and this is my "message": I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name. (Revelations 6:8-9). With all my heart I hope that the "door" is my trip to Israel. Can this be the message I have been sent? Thank you, God. Wednesday, April 7, 1999 I haven't written here for a little while, because I was waiting for something to happen, something different. I guess I was hoping for some kind of change because right now my life is so dull, so boring. I get so angry when I look around me and am reminded, yet again, that nothing ever happens to me. Today, however, something has finally changed. Firstly and most important, I am going to Israel. For how long? I don't know, but all I can say is that I am overjoyed; everything worked out and today I bought my plane ticket from Madrid to Tel Aviv. Today is Wednesday and I am leaving this coming Monday. Dear friend, please forgive me for not regaling you with all the stupid details of what is going on in my life, but I figured I would only bore you with my stories. Dear God, You and I will always be together, in this life and in any other. You will always be my innermost being, my "self." Even if or when these pages come to an end, You will always be inside of me. The most wonderful thing about having You at my side is that with You all my fears, all my doubts vanish. I know this is true because You are my creation -- I have created You, or who knows? Maybe I just allow You to exist. Between us there is no need for goodbyes, and knowing that is a comfort to me. From now on, I will tell You all sorts of new stories about the things going on in my life. The next time I write to You I will be in Israel. Today I will be packing my bag and rest assured, You will be right there at my side. I love You. Leszli. Wednesday, May 17, 1999 What happened, Leszli? Just when ev