How the Kidnapped Haitian Missionaries Made Their Courageous Escape
Christian Aid Ministries is revealing the stunning details of how its missionaries finally escaped captivity in Haiti, and it sounds like something straight out of a movie.
The remaining group of 12 missionaries made a daring overnight escape last week, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow.
The group used the stars as their guide to reach freedom after a two-month kidnapping ordeal, officials with the Ohio-based agency said Monday at a press conference.
“The hostages were sensing God nudging them to attempt an escape,” said the ministry’s spokesman Weston Showalter. “Over the time of their captivity, God gave various hostages a desire to attempt an escape.”
“To attempt such a thing would be dangerous,” he continued. “They sought God over and over again seeking direction from Him.”
“After much discussion and prayer, they became solidly united that God seemed to be leading them this way.” He said they sought specific signs from God, and He confirmed over and over that the timing wasn’t right yet. Then, the night of Wednesday, Dec. 15, arrived.
“When they sensed the timing was right, they found a way to open the door that was closed and blocked, filed silently to the path that they had chosen to follow, and quickly left the place that they were held despite the fact that numerous guards were close by,” Showalter said. “In the distance, they could see a mountain feature that they had recognized and identified in the previous days. They identified this landmark before and they knew that this was the direction they needed to go. They also followed the sure guidance of the stars as they journeyed through the night, traveling toward safety.”
“After a number of hours of walking, day began to dawn and they eventually found someone who helped to make a phone call for help,” he said, his voice beginning to choke. “They were finally free.”
The ministry had revealed on Thursday that the missionaries were finally free, but it wasn’t clear if they were freed by ransom since their captors had demanded $1 million for each of the 17 hostage missionaries.
All the members of the group are reportedly in good shape and are now back home with their families.
In November, the 400 Mawozo gang released two hostages, and then freed three more in early December.
Christian Aid Ministries offered thanks to the U.S. government for helping get their members safely home and offered thanks to everyone who upheld them in prayer. “We say THANK YOU to the multitudes of people worldwide who prayed, who cared, who wept with us, and who sent notes of encouragement to the families of the hostages. You cannot know how big a blessing you all were and are!”
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