What Have You Heard Lately? - Praying For The Kidnapped American Missionaries in Haiti

What have you heard lately about those 17 American missionaries - including children as young as 5 years old - kidnapped for ransom by a criminal gang in Haiti?  Not much, unless you have gone looking for it.  By my mind, it illumines our current American cultural climate when I observe that this matter has fallen out of the news cycle in barely a week.

By God's grace, it will not fall off of my prayer cycle though.  And I hope you will join all those who are praying fervently for the safety and release of the missionaries as well as just punishment of the perpertrators.  The people of Haiti are terrorized daily by this breakdown in the rule of law.

Here is some information and links that have informed, empowered and directed my own prayer:

• This organization and these missionaries are from the Anabaptist tradition; a Christian tradition that historically is pacifist.  For example, their statement of faith includes this: 24. We believe that Christians should live a nonresistant life style, without any acts of retaliation, demonstrating the love of Christ in our daily walk. (Matthew 5:39-46; John 18:36; Romans 12:19-21) - CLICK HERE for their complete Statement of Faith.
• CLICK HERE for their own updates on circumstances surrounding the kidnapping.  These are updated rebularly, so keep checking back.
• It has been hard to find insightful reporting on these events in many news sources.  The best to my mind (Pastor Bill) have been with ChristianityToday.com  CLICK HERE or HERE and follow any links as they are updated.
• In the meantime, join together as Christian Aid Mission asks:  Join us in prayer that God’s grace would sustain the men, women, and children who are being held hostage. In a world where violence and force are seen as the solution to problems, we believe in God’s call to Christians to “…not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Pray that those being held hostage could find strength to demonstrate God’s love. The kidnappers, like all people, are created in the image of God and can be changed if they turn to Him. While we desire the safe release of our workers, we also desire that the kidnappers be transformed by the love of Jesus, the only true source of peace, joy, and forgiveness. - October 18

A prayer from an 11-year old on the Christian Aid Mission website