The 17 Christian missionaries, who had been kidnapped in Haiti and held captive for two months, have now all been released.
The missionaries, who are a part of Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries, were abducted by a gang in Haiti while on a trip to an orphanage. Haitian police said at the time that the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, a community that lies east of the capital of Port-au-Prince, on their way back from building an orphanage.
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Haitian police spokesman Gary Desrosiers said Thursday that the gang has released all remaining hostages today.
Christian Aid Ministries released a brief statement, in which they said: “We glorify God for answered prayer—the remaining twelve hostages are FREE!Join us in praising God that all seventeen of our loved ones are now safe. Thank you for your fervent prayers throughout the past two months. We hope to provide more information as we are able.”
There were reports that the gang was demanding a ransom of $17 million – $1 million per hostage – however this has not been confirmed. The group of sixteen contained U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen, made up of six men, six women and five children.
Christian Aid Ministries has been calling for prayer daily for the missionaries, as the gang slowly released them. Two were released on November 21, another three released on December 6, and today, the remaining 12 are now safe.
“Today is the day we have been hoping for, praying for, and working so hard to achieve,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga of Michigan. “I want to thank members of the hostage negotiation team for their diligence in securing the safe release of all the hostages.
“This is a great day for families in Michigan and across the nation who have been worried about the safety of their loved ones.”
Danielle Jarvis
Soul Purpose
Matthias Browning
