Kristen Mulvihill and David Rohde had been married for only two months when David, a New York Times reporter on location in Afghanistan, was kidnapped by the Taliban. During the seven months of his captivity, Kristen, an active Catholic, prayed every day for her husband’s safe return.

David, though not himself especially religious, also prayed daily. He did so, not because of a deep belief in God, but rather to pass the oppressive time of being held prisoner.

When David escaped and became reunited with Kristen, one of the first things he said to her was: “Your God saved me!” In response, Kristen told him: “Your God? I thought he was our God.”

This exchange is not fully reported, nor in these exact words, in the couple’s newly published book “A Rope and A Prayer” but this is what Kristen told me when I talked with her about the experience. My conversation with her took place after the couple  spoke at a recent brownbag lunch at the Shorenstein Center.