Nepalese Missionary Gives Account of Maoist Kidnapping, Release

''His own words best describe the unstoppable saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in the most fearful circumstances''

By Kenneth Chan, Thursday, October 28, 2004

Late last month, Maoist insurgents kidnapped an entire native missionary team working in Nepal, holding them captive for a week until their release on Monday, Sept. 27. The missionaries had been preaching the gospel in one remote mountain village and were on their way to another when they were intercepted by rebel fighters.

UK-based Christian Aid, which reported of the kidnapping last month, recently received a personal account of the kidnapping from the leader of the missionary team. “His own words best describe the unstoppable saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in the most fearful circumstances,” the agency reported.

The following is the personal account:

Thank you for your prayers and support for me and our team. We praise God for you and rejoice with you for the miracle of our release! Let me tell you briefly my experience.

We set out to conduct an evangelism program in a mountain village on September 17. The Lord blessed our time there. Many attended our meetings and were very responsive.

We left this village on September 22 and set out in our jeep for another. The whole time we were traveling, we were not aware that a group of insurgents was following us. They had been watching us for some time. When we reached a place where the roads were so steep that the jeep could no longer go, we got out and began to prepare for our long trek.

That was when the insurgents approached us. Their leader came up to me and asked if I was head of the team. He looked like Goliath to me, so huge and terrifying. He told me he wanted to talk to me and took me a distance from the group. My heart pounded. We hear news all the time that this is how the Maoists torture people, by taking them away to "talk" and then breaking their hands and legs to try to get information. Most of these people end up dead. The rest of the team had to watch helplessly as the heavily armed insurgents prevented them from moving.

The Maoist leader took me a distance and began to question me about my work. I thought this might be the end of my physical life, but thankfully he did not touch me.

All the team members and I were captured and taken to an unknown place. We prayed constantly for God's grace and protection. We were aware that nobody returns once they are taken like this. We felt like Jonah in the belly of the fish, yet we always experienced the living presence of the Holy Spirit and His peace.

The Maoists were surprised that we were so calm and peaceful. Praise God, they never harmed us. God had a greater plan. We had all the evangelism materials with us, which the insurgents found when they searched our bags. Some became very interested in the gospel. We shared the good news of salvation with them, and several received the Lord! They asked us to give them a Bible. What a miracle of God!

God worked in our captors' hearts, and they decided to release us. However, some had managed to get information about our missionary work from us. Now we have to remain alert and underground as their networks may search for us.

Please continue to lift us up in your prayers. Pray for the insurgents who heard the gospel, that they would hold fast to the word of God. Pray that all believers in Nepal would be protected, and that the gospel would spread in this country.