Seth Udinski, FISM News
FISM News has followed the horrifying case of 17 kidnapped Christians in Haiti, taken hostage by the 400 Mawazo gang in the region. The last update was the release of a terrifying video of the ringleader, Wilson Joseph, threatening to murder the believers if the kidnappers’ demands for $17 million in ransom are not met. Wilson said he would “put a bullet in their heads” and “make them cry blood.”
In an incredible response that shows the power of the gospel through Jesus Christ, the families of these victims, with every reason to seek vengeance against the kidnappers, are responding with forgiveness. Christian Aid Ministries, the missionary group to which the kidnapped missionaries belong, released a statement Saturday revealing that the victims’ families exhibit a genuine desire that these wicked men would repent and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus.
One of the family members said in the statement,
As a group of Christians, our King [Jesus] said that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. That is our desire for the men who are part of the gang.
On Monday, Christian Aid Ministries followed up asking for believers to continually pray for the release of these victims.
The seventeen hostages need your prayers, for endurance and faithfulness, as they continue to be held. Pray for their families as they wait for this situation to be resolved. Pray that the gang members could turn to Jesus and enter the kingdom of God. One family member of a hostage expressed a desire that the gang members “follow Jesus by turning their lives over to Him, and to love and serve the men, women, and children of Haiti.”
We at FISM News join these believers, and we ask you to join us in praying both for the victims’ safe release, and for the kidnappers to repent and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. – Matthew 5:43-44