Haiti Kidnapping

[temporal1]

As much as we like to strategize and game what should/could happen, I often have to remind myself: what if that was my family and a bunch of keyboard ninjas are deciding what should happen? Would reading about it online make me feel better?

This is directed toward myself as much as anybody.

it’s established fact, it’s always been a problem. the internet expands on what already existed.
the flip side being, trusting authorities without question does not guarantee competence or optimal outcomes.

in trying times, it’s common to avoid exposure to .. speculation, gossip, judgments, et al. it can be excruciating.

[RZehr]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reu ... S020150430

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/hostag ... ell-062918

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... ese-cases/

I really hope this doesn’t come down to an American rescue mission.

I rather doubt it. The expense of a rescue mission would be many-fold higher than just paying the ransom and would come with greater risk. It would no doubt require US soldiers to kill a lot of people standing in their way, some of whom are likely to be innocent bystanders. Especially given that this seems largely to be a for-profit kidnapping with an obvious solution as opposed to an ideological kidnapping with no obvious end-point such as the Iran hostages back in the Carter era, or some of the kidnappings in the Middle East.

That said, I would expect that if the US government is involved in negotiations, then part of the negotiations will possibly involve “if you cooperate and end this peacefully then you will come out of it a lot better than if it ends badly and the US government decides it it in the US interest to attack and destroy your organization after the fact”

It isn’t just the kidnappers who can threaten violence, seize assets, etc.

Obviously God can and may do a miracle here. And further, we don't know what God has planned in the greater scheme, with regard to the American and Haitian people involved, and media coverage, etc. And we know all things work together for good to them that love God. So in terms of may/may not, is/is not, going on spiritually speaking, that is more important that what we think of from a earthly, natural perspective. Knowing God is ultimately in control is a good thing to keep in mind.

But from a natural perspective, it seems to me that when we consider all the ways this could end, and consider those options that we have power to influence, and weigh those options with our faith, and what the Bible teaches, I think there is action that we could be taking. As opposed to waiting on the government to perhaps use force. If it does go that route and people are killed, I can't help but think that blood may in part be on our hands.

It is no Christian imperative to not pay ransoms. It could even be heaping coals of fire, if one wanted to look at it that way.

[Josh]

It’s a rather big assumption the kidnappers will live up to their word. Why wouldn’t they just release some of the hostages and then demand more money?

[RZehr]

It’s a rather big assumption the kidnappers will live up to their word. Why wouldn’t they just release some of the hostages and then demand more money?

Everything is a big risk. Some are bigger than others.

[Josh]

It’s a rather big assumption the kidnappers will live up to their word. Why wouldn’t they just release some of the hostages and then demand more money?

Everything is a big risk. Some are bigger than others.

Part of the risk is going to Haiti in the first place this year. It seems if one does that, you basically need to plan on violence / being kidnapped.

Planning to get ransomed for millions of dollars doesn’t seem like a good plan. I don’t think it’s effective mission work to hand over $17 million to violent criminals who will then go and oppress and hurt the very people you were trying to do missing work in the first place.

[HondurasKeiser]

It’s a rather big assumption the kidnappers will live up to their word. Why wouldn’t they just release some of the hostages and then demand more money?

Everything is a big risk. Some are bigger than others.

Part of the risk is going to Haiti in the first place this year. It seems if one does that, you basically need to plan on violence / being kidnapped.

Planning to get ransomed for millions of dollars doesn’t seem like a good plan. I don’t think it’s effective mission work to hand over $17 million to violent criminals who will then go and oppress and hurt the very people you were trying to do missing work in the first place.

That may be true but that also seems like the wisdom of hindsight. I think the pressing concern right now is, how to secure the release of 17 hostages as quickly as possible. After that CAM can reconsider how they operate in hyper-violent countries and what contingencies need to be in place if they choose to do so.

[Josh]

That may be true but that also seems like the wisdom of hindsight. I think the pressing concern right now is, how to secure the release of 17 hostages as quickly as possible. After that CAM can reconsider how they operate in hyper-violent countries and what contingencies need to be in place if they choose to do so.

I would disagree that it's "wisdom in hindsight". The Holdeman orphanage there sent all Westerners home 2 years ago due to the violence/kidnapping problems. (The only ones who stayed were people married to native Haitians who have already been living there permanently.)

Fast forward to the present, and the orphanage in question wasn't even wanting Holdeman visitors from just 20 miles away, due to the problems of kidnapping/safety.

If one wants to go do mission work in a place like that, one needs to prepare to be kidnapped. (Maybe mission/ministry opportunities exist there, even.) The need is not for hindsight, but for foresight; anyone going to Haiti this year could easily know about the kidnapping risk, let alone people going with a large, professional, well-funded organisation like CAM.

I myself had a desire to go to Haiti last year or earlier this year, but the situation was too volatile and was advised against going. Likewise my wife wanted to go and visit again. Same story. One of her friends went last year who is a medical professional in order to do some work at one of the clinics there. It was quite dangerous, but she went anyway. With the current situation nobody from the West is going unless they have overwhelming family ties or reasons to be there.

[Ernie]

As I said earlier, I've been around frontier missionaries long enough to know that many of them truly trust God to take care of them and they don't worry about the kinds of things most of us do. When they get into scrapes, they pray and try to find their way out of bad situation. From my "safety" perspective, some of them take this too far, but in the end, they stand before God. Who am I to judge? They don't need to answer to me. They get into scrapes that I never get into. But they also get things done I would never get done.

[steve-in-kville]

This is one of those situations where unless we are closely involved, or have been through something similar, we can only pretend to understand.

[appleman2006]

As I said earlier, I've been around frontier missionaries long enough to know that many of them truly trust God to take care of them and they don't worry about the kinds of things most of us do. When they get into scrapes, they pray and try to find their way out of bad situation. From my "safety" perspective, some of them take this too far, but in the end, they stand before God. Who am I to judge? They don't need to answer to me. They get into scrapes that I never get into. But they also get things done I would never get done.

What Ernie says here really rings true with me and states where I am at. I quite frankly would be way to chicken to do what these folks were doing. But I have nothing but admiration and respect for those that are willing to risk all for the sake of others less fortunate.
Frankly I am so sick and tired of arm chair quarterbacks sitting around and expressing strong opinions on what should be done and what was done wrong when in fact we do not know anything close to the whole story. And yes I have been guilty of doing the same thing in the past.
The best and really the only thing most of us can do is pray and fast. In case any family members or CAM personnel are reading this my prayers are with you. Our church has been holding a special prayer time for this situation the past two Sunday mornings. I have every confidence that God is in control.