After being held hostage two months, 12 North American mission workers kidnapped by a street gang in Haiti have been released, Christian Aid Ministries announced.
The Ohio-based missions organization posted a notice on its website Dec. 16 saying: “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.”
The nonprofit organization—primarily supported by Amish, Mennonite and other conservative Anabaptist churches—added it hoped to release additional information soon.
Gary Desrosiers, a spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, also confirmed to the Associated Press the hostages’ release.
Previously, kidnappers had released two hostages a few days before Thanksgiving and another three on Dec. 5.
At that time, Christian Aid Ministries asked Christians around the world to join in three days of praying and fasting for the remaining hostages. The organization also had asked Christians to pray for the kidnappers, “that God would touch their hearts and bring them ‘out of darkness and into his marvelous light,’” quoting a passage from 1 Peter 2:9.
On Oct. 16, a dozen Christian Aid Ministries mission workers and their five children were returning to their home base after visiting an orphanage when they were abducted in Ganthier, about 20 miles east of Port-au-Prince.
The 400 Mawozo street gang claimed responsibility and demanded $1 million ransom for each hostage. It is not known at this time whether any ransom was paid for the release of the kidnapped North Americans.
The abduction of the Christian Aid Ministries mission workers occurred less than three weeks after gunmen attacked First Baptist Church in Port-au-Prince. The assailants killed 60-year-old deacon Sylner Lafaille and kidnapped his wife. Marie Marthe Laurent Lafaille was released four days later.
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