'Many Tears Have Been Shed': Prayers Urged as Christian Nurse, Daughter Still Captive in Haiti
It has been more than one week since New Hampshire nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped from the nonprofit Christian ministry El Roi Haiti campus near Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Alix is married to the ministry's founder, Sandro Dorsainvil, and the child is their daughter. The pair remain in the hands of their captors, who are demanding $1 million in ransom.
In a recent blog post, the ministry said, "Many tears have been shed this week but we, together with our team, are working and praying continuously to bring them home safely, and we continue to hold onto hope. We are so thankful for the very knowledgeable and experienced professionals God has brought together to complete the task of securing their freedom."
"Thank you for your continued support and compassion during this ongoing situation. We are thankful for each word of encouragement, each prayer, and each kind word," the ministry continued.
Witnesses report Dorsainvil was working in the small brick clinic on the ministry's campus when armed men kidnapped her on July 27.
The U.S. State Department said it is working with Haitian authorities to find Dorsainvil and her daughter.
After Dorsainvil's abduction was announced, hundreds of Haitians took to the streets to protest the kidnapping. Protesters, largely from the area around El Roi Haiti's campus, which includes the medical clinic, a school, and more, echoed that call as they walked through the sweltering streets wielding cardboard signs written in Creole in red paint.
"She is doing good work in the community, free her," read one.
Local resident Jean Ronald said the community has significantly benefited from the care provided by the ministry.
As CBN News reported, the U.S. State Department issued a "Do Not Travel" advisory for the nation and ordered non-emergency personnel to leave on the same day Dorsainvil was kidnapped.
More than 165,000 Haitians have fled their homes amid a surge in gang violence. Several thousand people — their faces covered to conceal their identities — marched through Haiti's capital on Monday demanding protection from violent gangs who are pillaging neighborhoods in the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond.
Haitians' daily lives have been disrupted by incessant gang violence that has worsened poverty across the country as it awaits a decision from the U.N. Security Council over a potential deployment of an international armed force.
Parents of young children are particularly fearful that gangs will snatch them when they go to and from school. Nacheline Nore, 40, said her two boys, ages 10 and 8, have to call her every day as soon as they step inside their school, and she rides back home with them every afternoon: "You don't know who's going to be the next target," she said.
On its blog, the El Roi ministry reminded its followers, "We serve a loving and compassionate God who sees our suffering."
"He sees it now as we ache for news of Alix and her daughter's safe release, He sees Alix and her daughter as they wait for freedom, and He sees the struggle of our Haitian friends who suffer daily. We have this promise found in 1 Peter 5:10 that He not only sees our suffering but 'In his kindness God called {us} to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after {we} have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen {us}, and He will place {us} on a firm foundation.'"
Appearing on CBN News' Faith Nation, American missionary David Vanderpool, CEO of Live Beyond, a faith-based medical ministry outside Port-au-Prince, said the best way to help the people of Haiti is to pray.
"You know the people of Haiti really need our prayers. The people down there trying to help as well," he said. "Praying is the best thing to do."
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