MISSIONS IN HAITI

Friday 10/28/05 at 2:30 (Eastern Time)
Alicia came to Morning Star Christian Academy where I am Assistant Principal. Morning Star is located about 1 mile from our house. School is dismissed at 2:30 and Alicia usually comes to pick up Davy and Hannah due to the fact that I stay an additional hour to wrap up the school day and plan for the next school day. She took Miriam with her that day so that she would have someone to ride along with her. I put Davy and Hannah in the car when Alicia pulled in and told them I would see them in about an hour. They went out through the gate and I went back to work. When Alicia drove into the line of cars that were there to pick up their kids from school, she turned down a side road which leads to the main road to House of Compassion. At the end of the side road she noticed a white pickup, which looked very much like a police vehicle and as soon as she passed them the driver of the pickup accelerated and drove around in front of her. At that point, kidnapping didn't enter her mind, she thought she must have offended them in some way. The pickup stopped in front of her and a man got out waving a gun. He immediately told her to scoot over in the seat to allow him to slip under the wheel and she said no, this went back and forth a couple of times. She told him they could have the car but she had to get the children out first. Somehow he pulled her out of the car and they next thing she knew he was in the car driving away in her car with the kids. She immediately started screaming and she ran back to the school where word of the kidnapping had just reached me. I jumped in my truck hoping to spot Alicia's car before they were able to get away. The people at the school began calling the police, the U.S. Embassy, and friends in Haiti. I was calling my parents and in-laws as I was driving toward the worst part of town, because in my mind, I thought that is where the kidnappers were headed. I got a hold of Alicia's father and told him to start calling all the Churches to get everyone praying, which he did immediately and everyone began praying immediately.

Needless to say I wasn't able to spot Alicia's car. Missionary friends of ours took Alicia to their house so she wouldn't be alone. After looking for about 45 minutes, I pulled into a UN/Police station and told them what had happened. They sent a group of U.N. Soldiers out to start looking, but once again we were in the wrong area. We felt the kidnapping was all about money because kidnapping is big business here, but we were very concerned because the kids didn't know our phone number. I went to three radio stations and put my phone number on the air in hopes that the kidnappers would call with the ransom information. The F.B.I. called and I told them all the details and they gave me advice on how to handle the phone calls. As it turned out, the F.B.I. wouldn't be able to come to Haiti until the first of the following week.

I then went and picked Alicia up and we went back to the house to wait for the kidnapper's phone call. After a long sleepless night, our phone rang at 6:00 A.M., and the police told me that they had some information on the case and they were working on it. Then at 9 A.M. the kidnapper called me on a phone number that was different than the one I had given the radio stations (we don't know how he got this number). The man told me he had my children and I told him that before we would do any negotiating I must speak to all three of the children to make sure they were ok. He said okay, he would go to them right now and call me back in thirty minutes. Forty-five minutes passe and the other phone rang and a different man told us the ransom would be $350,000 U.S. Dollars, once again I stated that I wasn't going to negotiate until I talked to my kids, he said OK he would call me back. About forty-five minutes after that, the first phone rang again with the original guy on it, the man that I talked to at 9:00 A.M.. He said, "here are your children". I talked with Miriam first, then Davy, then Hannah. Miriam and Davy answered my questions, but Hannah just cried. A different man then got on the phone and I told him I was here helping his country and I asked him why was he doing this? I told him that he needed to help me. He said "yes I know you are doing a lot for Haiti, but you know what I want too." I said, "okay let's talk." He said, "no I will call you back in about thirty minutes and we will talk about the price then." About fifteen minutes later the Police called and said "don't pay any ransom because just about have the case solved." Five very long minutes passed and the police called again and said they had the kids and they told us to come and pick them up at the Police station.

About an hour after that call the kids were reunited with us. All three had very frightened looks on their face. They were very tired, hungry, thirsty, and dirty. They had been moved to three different houses during the twenty hour ordeal. They were given only a little coke to drink, and some cheese curls to eat. After we were reunited with our kids I began calling everybody in the states so we all could rejoice together.

Then about 4:30 that afternoon another missionary called and said he found our car about 3 blocks from his house. So we went with the police and got that back also. The car was close to the area where the police found our children, all this was about 1 mile from our house, in a completely different area than I had been searching to night before.

Over this past weekend we have witnessed how the power of God can be released when His people bind together and pray. With everybody praying (many all night) God answered prayer and worked a miracle for our family. Seeing this, one has to wonder, if we would all bind together and pray for Haiti, the U.S., lost souls, etc., just what kind of things would take place. We have seem first hand this past weekend that prayer moves Heaven.

Keep praying for the kids, they have some fear at times and they have to be reassured that everything is going to be alright. Also, we are trying to get on with our life here, so pray earnestly for our protection and protection of our work here in Haiti. We know the devil tried to use this to destroy Missions In Haiti, but I believe God is going to use this for even greater things here in this poverty stricken county.

Thank you all again for your love, support, and prayers. All the calls and e-mails that we have received has been overwhelming! Sometimes we get to thinking that we are trying to win Haiti by ourselves, but you all have reassured me that you are right here with us, holding us up in prayer.

Thank you,
David Lloyd