83-year-old nun found alive after months in captivity

by mcardinal

Vicky Arias, FISM News

 

An American nun, taken from her residence at gunpoint, has been found alive after five months in captivity.

Suellen Tennyson, 83, was kidnapped in April after armed gunmen raided her convent in Burkina Faso, a west African nation. She was taken “in the middle of the night…without her glasses or blood pressure medication,” according to a report from CBS News.

Many worried she would not survive the trauma.

Sister Tennyson, originally from New Orleans, relocated to Burkina Faso eight years ago as a missionary, to help underprivileged children. She remained there despite “increasing violence in the nation…out of a sense of spiritual duty,” Law & Crime reported.

Tennyson was released and turned over to US officials in Africa at the end of August. The identity of her captors and the details of her release remain unclear. Speaking on behalf of Tennyson’s religious order, “Sister Ann Lacour…confirmed…that Tennyson is alive but would not comment further [in] an effort…to maintain Tennyson’s privacy and allow for [her] safe return home,” according to NOLA.

The sad truth is that violence against Christians has become commonplace in Burkina Faso, where Tennyson was abducted. According to OpenDoors USA, a Christian nonprofit organization, “for the last few years, jihadist groups—some with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State—have repeatedly attacked and kidnapped church leaders and Christians in the northern regions of Burkina Faso.”

Abductions of Christian women and girls have also increased as jihadists have increasingly gained a foothold in the country. OpenDoors found that perpetrators of violence “exploited the government’s weakness during the COVID-19 crisis to gain control of the country’s infrastructure…[leading] to numerous attacks on churches, often during worship services.”

Political upheaval in the region in recent years has led to instability and unsafe conditions for many Christians. According to Brittanica, in 2021 the “frequency and intensity of attacks by Islamic militants escalated…[leading to] widespread discontent [and] in January 2022…a successful coup…announced that it had deposed [the president of Burkina Faso], suspended the constitution, dissolved the National Assembly and government, and closed the country’s borders.” 

Pastor Aaron, who serves the people in Burkina Faso, explained that Christians “never wished for persecution to come [to the region], but still it [did].” He continued by stating that “only God is our security…[and] we must keep our faith in God to survive…be ready, for when persecution comes, it can come fast…Be ready and be strong.”

Scripture teaches in 1 Peter 4:14, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

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