Kidnapped!

Stello Ho of the Chinese Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church, “The Cross,” one of two Chinese Mennonite churches in Venezuela, shared this moving testimony at the Andean Anabaptist Congress held at Isla Margarita, Venezuela Sept. 22–26. She was kidnapped in January 2004. Her church’s televised plea to release her reached the hearts of her captors.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians says that God can do much more than what we ask or think (3:20). I never thought that through a kidnapping my husband would accept the Lord. Here is what happened.

I am a Chinese woman who has faced many difficulties in my 30 years in Venezuela, but God was always with me. More than once robbers attacked our shop, my husband was shot once, the shop burned twice, but we always could start again. I thank God for our health, our three good children and my husband.

On January 21, as I left the shop, three men intercepted my car, broke the windows, grabbed me, forced me into the back, and fled with me in the car. I realized this was a kidnapping. The men treated me violently and took everything I had. They wanted my credit card and telephone numbers, but I was so scared I could not remember them.

The kidnappers held me for eight days. It felt like eight years. I was very hungry and they continually mistreated me and threatened to cut off one of my hands, my fingers, or to take me to Colombia. When I cried, I was filled with God’s peace. I told one of them, “God loves you. I hope someday we may become friends.” On the third day they allowed me to take a bath. I was surprised.

During those eight days, God’s Word comforted me. I spent more time in prayer than ever before. The Lord encouraged me to pray for my kidnappers. They accepted my prayer. I never thought I would have a chance to share the gospel with such violent people. I felt I was being blessed by God.

Several of the kidnappers had heard the gospel before, one of them when he was in jail. Another one, who had spent almost 20 years in jail, said police had killed his brother when he was taking part in a kidnapping. I reminded them that the same thing might happen to them. I also said I was not afraid to die. If they killed me, I would go to heaven and meet members of my family.

I wished with all my might that if I could not see my husband again on this earth, I would see him in heaven, but he was not a Christian. For more than 10 years, many preachers had preached to him, but his heart was hard.

On the seventh day, one of the kidnappers brought me a Bible and the men asked me to forgive them. I thought I was waking from a nightmare.

Later I learned that on that day, our Chinese brothers and sisters were engaged in a prayer chain and through TV they asked the kidnappers not to harm this servant of God. That message touched their hearts. They said, “Many Venezuelans are praying for you. The pastors requested us to set you free. We will let you go.”

When I saw my family, I learned that in a service organized by the Venezuelan brothers my husband had accepted Christ.

This experience taught me something. Our time is short. We never know what may happen to us. We must strive to serve the Lord and discern what we can do for God.

I thought I was going to die, but I was given time to meditate about God’s work in my life. I was repentant. Every day I thought of my family, my children, my neighbours, the brothers and sisters at church. If God let me live, I would be kinder to them all.

I never felt hate or bitterness towards the kidnappers. In my heart I feel it was worthwhile, but I would not want anyone to go through a similar experience to make them reflect about their lives.

—from Mennonite World Conference release

Note: In an article in the June 2004 MB Chinese Herald, pastor couple Semson and Ana Nip describe the difficult social, economic and political crises facing the 2 churches in Caracas Venezuela, established by Chinese Mennonite Brethren 13 years ago. Unemployment is high, casinos are proliferating, crime and violence is common, and the Chinese colony has been suffering “the pain of abductions.” There are also stories of Christ’s transforming power in these difficulties such as the above, and they invite prayer for the evangelical Chinese churches of Caracas.