Missionary kidnapping in Haiti has ripple effects

By December 5, 2005

Haiti (MNN) — Lawlessness in the streets of Haiti has given way to a rash of kidnappings throughout that troubled nation. The kidnapping late last week of American Missionary Philip Snyder with Glow Ministries is just another example of that. The 48-year-old Michigan man was taken hostage while traveling north of Port Au Prince.

Christian World Outreach’s Greg Yoder says they have extensive work in Haiti. He says this will affect their work. “It, of course, affects teams going. We had a small group going for our annual pastors conference the first week of January. That kind of hinders that. And, some of the people were coming from close to that area where he was from.” Yoder believes that trip will be cancelled.

In the meantime, Yoder is concerned about their Haitian workers. “Working for a foreign organization they seem to be targeted in some ways because they see money tied to a foreign organization, I guess. They’re working in fear.”

Christian World Outreach provides Christian leadership and vocational training, micro-enterprise development and youth camps. Yoder says apart from Christ there doesn’t seem to be many answers for this beleaguered nation.

Yoder says there’s really only one thing to do. “We just really need to pray. I don’t know what else to do. For us its emotional. For me, having lived there, I have Haitian people that are my friends that are there and know the danger they are in. I feel like my hands are tied, so I don’t know what more we can do.”

According to reports dozens of people have been kidnapped for ransom in Haiti and most of them have been released.

Leave a Reply


Help us get the word out: