evangelism and missionary work which was illegal in Afghanistan. Antioch Community Church responded to the crisis by creating a rotation of 24-hour prayer for Mercer and Curry's release. The crisis attracted the attention of international secular and religious media. The prayer vigil for Mercer and Curry lasted 104 days. At the news of the missionaries' release, Antioch responded with what was described by the LA Times as a "joyous fest" of prayer and worship. Mercer and Curry co-authored a book about their experience in Afghanistan, titled "Prisoners of Hope." As of 2021, Curry and Mercer still do work in Afghanistan serving on behalf of the Antioch Church Despite the dangers, Antioch Community Church continues to conduct evangelistic work and send missionaries to Afghanistan. In 2021, Dr. Mansoor Sawiz, a pediatrician who worked as an interpreter for Antioch Community Church has sent desperate messages to family in Texas and to the media for aid in leaving Afghanistan with his wife and five children. Ajmal Mayar, an engineer whose wife’s sister is married to Sawiz, said that the lives of Sawiz and his family have been upended and placed in danger since U.S. troops pulled out of Afghanistan and the extremist group has taken over. Exploitative proselytization in Sri Lanka After the Sri Lankan tsunami of 2005, Antioch Community Church sent at least a dozen Americans under the pretense of humanitarian aid. Most American aid groups, including those affiliated with religious organizations, strictly avoid mixing aid with missionary work. Pat Murphy, 49, a leader of the team, claimed the group is nongovernmental organization, or NGO, and not a church group. But the church's own website said the Americans are one of four teams dispatched to Sri Lanka and Indonesia who have convinced dozens of people to "come to Christ." Rev. Sarangika Fernando, a local Methodist minister, accused the Americans of exploiting traumatized people. Antioch's aggressive proselytization have also angered and alarmed other humanitarian aid groups, who feared backlash. Pastor arrested for prostitution In 2017, pastor Edward Ignacio Espinosa was arrested for patronizing an illicit massage parlor. Upon his confession, Pastor Espinosa was placed on administrative leave from Antioch Community Church and was later allowed to resign. Antioch Community Church’s own anti-human trafficking ministry, UnBound, assisted the women who were found at the massage parlor that Espinosa visited. Espinosa was on staff with Antioch’s Community Outreach Ministry for eight years. Aggressive church planting