A pastor who is close with some of the missionaries who were abducted in Haiti on Oct. 16, delivered a stirring message this weekend about the power of faith in uncertain, painful, and seemingly hopeless times.
“When you’re used to being there for someone and when they’re out of your reach and we have the perception that they need help, there’s a human feeling of maybe a certain amount of helplessness,” Ron Marks told the Detroit Free Press. “But that’s overcome by trusting God that he helps when we can’t.”
Marks, minister at Hart Dunkard Brethren Church in Hart, Michigan, knows the reality of this dynamic all too well, as some of the 17 abducted missionaries are members of his congregation.
One of the most heartbreaking realities is that there are five children among the kidnapping victims, ranging in age from 8 months to 15 years. Four of those kids are siblings and were abducted alongside their mother.
The family’s father, who is also in Haiti, was not with the group when the abduction unfolded. Marks, who is close with the entire family, said the father is doing well, all things considered, MLive.com reported.
“I’ve known him since he was born, he and his family,” the pastor said. “I knew his family before he was born.”
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Marks spoke with the father of the family on Saturday and credited God with the fact that the man is doing “remarkably well” as authorities desperately attempt to safely free his wife, four children, and the 12 others kidnapped alongside them.
“My hope is to give him strength for the days ahead,” Marks added. “It’s in God’s hands.”
The family members, who are not being named due to safety concerns, have the support of the local community, which has been gathering in shock and prayer, hoping the mother and her four children can safely return home.
Read more about how the missionaries’ families have been offering forgiveness and grace to the captors.
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