PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Two of 17 members of a missionary group who were kidnapped more than a month ago have been freed in Haiti and are safe, “in good spirits and being cared for,” their Ohio-based church organization announced Sunday. […]
“While we rejoice at this release, our hearts are with the 15 people who are still being held,” the group said. […]
The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There are five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.
2 of 17 kidnapped missionaries are freed in Haiti by NPR, November 21, 2021
Hello Readers, hope all’s well. Time for another #shorts post.
Today I’m writing about a story that happened over a month ago as of this writing. And that would be the crisis of the seventeen Christian aid worker missionaries kidnapped in Haiti. They were kidnapped on October 16, 2021. So by the time this post goes live in December, it’s almost been two months.
The latest on this (as of the time of writing) is that two of the hostages have been released. Fifteen are still in danger. Let’s pray that by the time this post goes live one month later, all the hostages have been released.
The story of these Christian missionaries shows us the bravery real Christians should have. These missionaries went to provide aid to disaster-ravaged Haiti in spite of the physical dangers they knew they would face. We are all called to have this same kind of bravery in doing the LORD’s Work here on earth. Do we have that bravery??
Some will answer ‘yes,’ others ‘no.’ The truth is we won’t find out until we’re tested though, right??
Let’s keep this in mind as we look at the latest (as of this writing) on this hostage crisis. By the way, you can get updates about this on a special webpage on the Christian Aid Ministries website. Updates are frequent.
The Latest Development
The news story I used for reference is: 2 of 17 kidnapped missionaries are freed in Haiti by NPR. There doesn’t seem to be any reporter credited for this story, I guess that’s how NPR does things. If anyone finds that the author is mentioned somewhere, let me know so I can credit them in this post.
Anyway, like I said, the latest on this is that two hostages were released. Take a read:
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Two of 17 members of a missionary group who were kidnapped more than a month ago have been freed in Haiti and are safe, “in good spirits and being cared for,” their Ohio-based church organization announced Sunday. […]
“While we rejoice at this release, our hearts are with the 15 people who are still being held,” the group said. […]
The missionaries were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang on Oct. 16. There are five children in the group of 16 U.S. citizens and one Canadian, including an 8-month-old. Their Haitian driver also was abducted, according to a local human rights organization.
2 of 17 kidnapped missionaries are freed in Haiti by NPR, November 21, 2021
It’s a miracle that two hostages were released. But we must pray for the fifteen who are still in danger, including children. Let’s pray they will all be released by the time this post goes live next month—but hopefully sooner!!
This Is what it Takes
Brave Christians like this embody John 12:24-25. We are meant to take risks and go into danger to do the LORD’s work. If we love our life here on earth, staying in safety and never taking risks, we will lose our life (eternal life). If we’re courageous in the threat of danger and take risks (hate our lives in this world), we will keep our life forever.
(24) I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. (25) Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever.
John 12:24-25 (CEB)
If we never risk anything, we’ll never gain anything, and we’ll never advance God’s cause here on earth. We will never do good works that honor the LORD if we stay comfortable in the safety of our home turf.
The missionaries being held hostage in Haiti were there to provide aid in the wake of a major earthquake. And that major earthquake came on the heels of major political unrest, because the president of Haiti was assassinated earlier this year. These missionaries were flying into an unstable, chaotic situation. And they knew that.
These brave Christians went where there was a need for help, regardless of the danger to themselves.
Let’s each examine ourselves and see if we have this same kind of bravery. Are we prepared to put ourselves at this kind of risk?? The risk of imprisonment, kidnapping or worse?? Are we willing to Preach the Gospel and do good works for God’s Glory even in the face of consequences like this?? Because that kind of bravery is what it it takes to live the true Christian life.
This is what it takes. Are we this kind of brave?? Do we have the same bravery as these seventeen missionaries who were kidnapped while doing the LORD’s Work in Haiti??
Besides these current hostages, there have been many other Christian missionaries kidnapped over the years in many parts of the world. And that’s not to mention the Christians in certain countries who live under the constant threat of persecution and death. You can read more about that in Do Not Fear the End Times Part 90: Persecution World.
To be a Christian takes bravery. Many Christians in the world today face constant threats of persecution and death. Others face kidnappings and more when they go to provide aid in hard-hit areas. But they will keep going no matter the consequences. This is true Christian bravery.
If we’re Saved Christians we should have this kind of bravery, according to 2 Timothy 1:7. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, love and a sound mind. If we are called to the same kind of work and sacrifice as these missionaries in Haiti, God will empower us to face any danger. God will give us the courage to continue on in the face of fear.
Because remember, courage does not mean having no fear at all. Courage means overcoming our fear to follow God’s Will and stick to our convictions. If there’s no fear, courage is not needed. Anything we do in life that doesn’t involve fear doesn’t call for courage—it’s just a regular activity. But anything we do that gives us a fear of the consequences, not that takes courage.
Jesus Christ calls us to have courage if we want to follow Him. His Path is not for the faint of heart. But don’t worry!! If we are the faint of heart, the LORD will give us a Spirit of power (courage) to overcome our fears and surprise even ourselves with what we’re capable of.
I wrote today’s post as a kind of reminder of what it could take to be a real Christian. Not everyone will be called to be kidnapped or ransomed like this, but some are called to this as we can see. Not all Christians will be called to such extremes in their life. But all Christians are called to be brave in the face of danger to do the LORD’s Work in what ways they can.
Please pray for the immediate, safe return of the remaining hostages. You can also visit their parent organization, Christian Aid Ministries, and donate some money if you feel led to do so. If you want to stay updated on the hostage situation, you can stay informed with the update page.
That’s it for #shorts Part 39.
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