An American pastor held in Haiti has been released by his captors, but the fate of 12 missionaries and their children kidnapped two weeks ago remains uncertain.
Jean Pierre Ferrer Michel, a 79-year-old American pastor, was kidnapped Oct. 3, along with two other church members, Isabelle Devendegis and Norman Weiner. Devendegis was released earlier. Reports indicate the ransom, reportedly $550,000, was paid to secure the release of Michel and Weiner. Michel’s daughter announced his release in a Facebook video Oct. 26.
Meanwhile, the fate of the 17 hostages affiliated with Christian Aid Ministries who were taken captive Oct. 16 remains uncertain. That group, which includes 5 children, one an infant, was kidnapped while visiting an orphanage.
Authorities in Haiti say the same gang, 400 Mawozo, is behind both incidents.
One joint statement by families of the CAM hostages spoke of the situation in biblical terms.
“God has given our loved ones the unique opportunity to live out our Lord’s command to, ‘love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,’” said the statement, issued by Christian Aid Ministries, based in Ohio’s Amish heartland of Holmes County.
Preparing in advance
Though Christian missionaries across denominations might agree with the sentiment of that statement, avoiding crisis situations is preferable, and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions works with churches to provide safe travel training to missions volunteers.
Three levels of faith-focused safe-travel training are coordinated by the SBOM’s office of global missions.
Office director Scotty Goldman said most emergencies are health related, so safe-travel training includes how to handle medical emergencies. But advanced training is available to those going into more high-risk areas to help them reduce their risk of falling victim to kidnappers or thieves.
The SBOM can arrange three levels of training for missions volunteers:
- Level A—This basic training takes about 3 hours and includes a video followed by a country-specific safety update that outlines specific threats in the location where volunteers will be working.
- Level B—This more advanced 2-day training is for team leaders and those going into higher risk areas.
- Level C—The most advanced training, this weeklong training is for volunteers going to the highest risk areas.
Goldman said his office can set up Level A training for missions teams pretty much any time. The SBOM hosts Level B training once a year, but churches can host their own class for groups of 12 to 24 people.
Level C training is also held annually and can be arranged through the office of global missions.
Goldman said he encourages training, primarily “to help people know how to avoid the kinds of things that would get them in trouble” while serving on a missions team.
An additional benefit of safe-travel training is access to a 24/7 emergency response team who can help in times of crisis.
“If there is an issue on the field, our team can be called into action,” Goldman said. “They can help with health issues, natural disasters … those kinds of things.”
Additional resources
In addition to helping with training, the SBOM can recommend travel agents and travel insurers experienced in missions travel. Goldman said his office also has dozens of resources, including team leader packets, planning timelines, checklists and legal templates, on its website.
Find more information and resources, go to a18c.org/resources. (This article includes reporting by The Associated Press)
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