Hope in Darkness: The Josh Holt Story

Hey, Hope In Darkness host Becky Bruce writing here. KSL Podcasts is launching a new show called Stranger Becomes Neighbor - Afghan Arrivals. It’s a great series and I hope you’ll give it a listen. The story begins two years ago, when the U.S. scrambled to evacuate refugees from the Kabul airport as the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Around 80,000 Afghans soon arrived in America at a time when the resettlement agencies were critically low on resources. For the last two years, my colleague, journalist and host Andrea Smardon has followed some of these refugees, as well as the everyday Americans who have found themselves helping our newest neighbors. Stranger Becomes Neighbor tells stories of rebuilding and resilience. It's available now. Search for and follow the show on Apple podcasts or anywhere you listen so you don’t miss an episode.  

KSL Podcasts, the creators of COLD, Hope In Darkness and The Letter, present: Stranger Becomes Neighbor

The Holts arrive on US soil. Josh and Thamy meet the president and make the rounds on morning television. Adjusting to life on the outside requires more faith and hope than expected. 

A riot erupts inside El Helicoide as tensions mount in Venezuela. Barricaded in his cell, Josh Holt sends a series of fearful videos begging for help from the United States. We go in-depth for the first time on exactly what set it off – and how it resolved. 

We go in-depth on all the work behind the scenes to secure Josh and Thamy Holt's freedom – including never-before-heard details about the strange interplay of faith, legal, political and human rights activists.   

After realizing his life and safety may well be in danger, Josh Holt negotiates a transfer "up the hallway" to a cell among the political prisoners. Health and prison conditions combine to sink Josh into his lowest point as a hostage of the Venezuelan government.   

The Holts work to get Thamy's daughters to the US. Josh and Thamy finally start getting regular "visits" from the outside world – but also become frustrated to their breaking point over their lost human rights.  

Josh and Thamy Holt continue to learn how to navigate life in a corrupt dictatorship – from which guards to bribe and how, to how to get along with their fellow inmates. New connections with cellmates provide new opportunities.    

Back home in the US, Josh's mom, Laurie Holt, is busily making her voice heard from West Jordan to Washington, D.C. A smuggled cell phone becomes Josh's lifeline to his family.  

We take a closer look at El Helicoide itself and how it serves as a metaphor for the chaos in Venezuela. The first of several health crises to strike Josh Holt leaves him struggling, helpless and alone. A fellow inmate offers more context and perspective.   

Court date after court date comes and goes without any resolution for the Holt family. Thamy and Josh find themselves stripped of both dignity and basic human rights. At home, July 4th festivities are tinged with news of the Holts’ arrest. 

Josh and Thamy Holt are forced to wait four days with no answers about what is going on or why they were arrested. What are the political and economic conditions in Venezuela that exacerbated the situation? We bring in two well-known experts on Latin American politics to sort through what is happening. 

Thamara Holt searches for answers after her husband of just two weeks is arrested. Armed men continue to round people up. After one of the longest days of their lives, Josh and Thamy wind up under interrogation at El Helicoide, an infamous Venezuelan prison. 

Josh Holt, a young man from Utah, finds himself on the wrong side of the law in Venezuela, where he's just arrived to get married and spend his honeymoon. How did this happen to an American citizen?

Hope in Darkness premieres May 27th.