BERLIN — The hills of Amish Country are alive in Holmes County glorifying GOD. “We thank Almighty God, who so wonderfully answered our prayers!” a prepared statement said. “As it is written in the Bible, ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
The final twelve missionaries who remained captive in Haiti executed a daring escape plan to free themselves from their captors after they were “nudged” by God, officials from Christian Aid Ministries reported. On two occasions, the group received divine signs to stay put, but after receiving a sign to flee, they snuck out under the cover of nightfall following a sign on December 15th.
The missionaries are associated with the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), which describes itself as a “channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world.” Five had been freed in earlier releases.
The nightmare began when seventeen missionaries were kidnapped on October 16th outside Port-au-Prince while on their way home from visiting an orphanage. The group included five children ages 3, 6,14, and15, with the youngest being just eight months old.
The notorious Haitian gang 400 Mowozo claimed responsibility for the missionaries’ abduction and demanded $17 million in ransom for their safe release or they threatened they would execute them.
The captors moved the twelve adults and five children multiple times and kept them mostly in small, barricaded rooms. The gang provided baby food for the young children, basic hygiene necessities, and sparse meals.
“We do not know all of the challenges you face. We do believe that violence and oppression of others can never be justified. You caused our hostages and their families a lot of suffering. However, Jesus taught us by word and by his own example that the power of forgiving love is stronger than the hate of violent force. Therefore, we extend forgiveness to you.”
Ohio-based missionary group Statement to their captors
As the hostages became aware of what was happening at the time of capture, the group began singing the chorus, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them,” based on Psalm 34:7. This song became a favorite of theirs, and they sang it many times throughout their days of captivity.
Abductions aren’t new to Haiti, but have surged in recent months. Criminal gangs kidnapped at least 119 people in the first half of October alone, according to the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights, a nongovernmental organization based in Port-au-Prince.
David Troyer, General Director of Christian Aid Ministries, said his office held conference calls with the families involved twice each weekday during the two months the missionaries were in captivity. Troyer said the group will pause its missions to Haiti but not abandon ministry in the country.
The hostages were able to spend their captivity together as a group. They spent many hours of each day praying, singing, and encouraging each other. Unfortunately, they did not have a Bible, but they recited Bible verses by memory among themselves. They prayed for their captors and told them about God’s love and their need to repent.
On the night of December 15th, the twelve remaining captives found a way to open the door and snuck toward a mountain range, escaping the guards’ notice. The group carried the children through brambles, forest, and gang territory roughly twelve miles before day broke. A Haitian found them and helped them call the police. Later that day, the missionaries were on a Coast Guard flight to Florida to reunite with the five hostages previously released.
Troyer gave a special message for the kidnappers, offering forgiveness from the ministry and salvation through Jesus Christ. “We do not know all of the challenges you face. We do believe that violence and oppression of others can never be justified. You caused our hostages and their families a lot of suffering. However, Jesus taught us by word and by His own example that the power of forgiving love is stronger than the hate of violent force. Therefore, we extend forgiveness to you,” Troyer said in a statement.
“The hostages told you plainly how you can also be forgiven by God, if you repent. Our desire is that you and all who hear or read this statement may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Son of God, and the Prince of Peace,” the statement concluded.
View this week’s press conference on the video by WKYC Channel 3 News below.
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The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Acts Chapter 12, “Then the angel said to Peter, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed the angel out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening…“
