Transcription of Interview with Wilbert Concerning His Kidnapping
Pastor Wilbert and Family
Question1: When you were kidnapped did you know who did it, where were you taken and how did you get free?
I was kidnapped on October 8, 2010. I did not know the men who took me. I was driving home from work and as I approached my house I noticed a car following me. I thought it was a neighbor so I stopped my truck before entering the gate to the house so I could say hello. I got out of the truck and was approached by some men claiming to be police, and they asked my name. I told them I was Pastor Wilbert and they said yes, you are the one. Then they covered their faces and grabbed me putting me back into my truck. That was about 6 pm and it was raining. They covered my eyes and drove out of Cap Haitian into the countryside.
At that point, I was really upset with God because He allowed me to be kidnapped. I wanted to let God know exactly who I was because I was doing all these things in Haiti for Him. Why would He allow this to happen to me? They drove until about 2 am when they got concerned about the fuel level in my truck and started calling their friends for help. But their friends never answered them.
Shortly after that, we came to a river and the truck ran out of fuel. Because God had sent lots of rain, the river was flowing very fast and impassible. At this point, I was fighting with them to get free and they hit me in the head with their guns causing me to bleed a lot. They thought they had hurt me bad enough that I would not struggle anymore. They put handcuffs on my hands but the handcuffs were in front of me. I heard the doors open and the men got out of the truck to access the situation at the river. I used my hands to lower my eye covering to see where I was. The men were about 40 feet in front of the truck discussing the situation. I heard a voice telling me to get out of the truck. I felt that it was truly the voice of God or one of His angels. I was afraid if I got out of the truck the men would shoot me. But I felt courage fill me and I stepped out of the truck and ran for the woods. I was well ahead of the men before they realized I was gone. I really feel that God sent His angels to deliver me from harm and protect me as I was running away. It was approximately 6 am when I escaped from my captives.
Question 2: How has being kidnapped affected your ministry and your life in general?
My kidnapping experience was eye-opening to me. Sometimes when we are doing God’s work we believe bad things will not happen to us. But that is not true. Jesus never said that – Jesus actually said: “If anyone wants to follow me, he should pick up his cross and carry it”. As you know, your cross represents all the problems and troubles you will face. I think this is when and where I realized that God was in this whole situation, protecting me, and showing me both His mercy and grace to get through the situation. As I was running away from the bad guys, I kept praying and repeating Psalm 91, which is my favorite Psalm. It says: Those who trust in the Lord and walk under His wing will be protected by His shadow. I realize God was always with me and He helped me to escape.
Question 3: What did you learn from this experience personally and about your relationship with God?
After that experience, I take precautions like watching who is around me, trying to be more diligent about when I travel, and trying not to travel after dark. The incident still puts fear in me, but I place my trust in God. God does not promise bad things won’t happen, but He does promise to be with us until the end, and He gives peace to us. I have learned to trust God more and more in all situations. We must place our trust and faith in Him no matter what happens and He will be with us and provide a way out of the situation.
Question 4: When you were being held captive how would you have wanted others to be praying for you?
I wanted them to pray that God would have mercy and grace on me. Ask God to send His angels to watch over me and rescue me. People who are kidnapped or have other bad things happen to them feel abandoned and lose hope. But in the end, they will know how others prayed for God’s mercy and protection for them as well as asking for God to provide a way out of the situation. We need to pray that God sends His angels to protect, comfort, and deliver them from their situation.
Question 5: How do you pray for the missionaries recently kidnapped in Haiti and where do you think they are holding them?
Likely the missionaries are being held in a home in the capital as there is very little wooded space near the capital city of Puerto au Prince. We need to pray for God’s mercies, comfort, and protection for them. Pray that they do not lose hope and that they are rescued soon.
Question 6: Do you think or fear that you could be kidnapped again?
Yes, it could happen again and I think about that. I am more careful now especially when American mission teams are in-country. We don’t talk about providing money to help in front of Haitian people because they might think you have a lot of rich American friends who would pay a ransom to get you back. We talk very discretely about projects we are involved with. God continues to provide courage to do the right thing and I know He will protect us.
Question 7: How do the Haitian people feel about the gangs operating in Haiti now and the kidnapping in general?
The Haitian people in general are very upset about the kidnapping of the 17 missionaries. Haiti does not have a true government right now that can handle this situation. They thought that the American government would send troops to Haiti to handle the kidnapping and help establish a new Haitian government. But unfortunately, the US government has not done that. The Haitian people are upset over what is happening here, only 700 miles from the United States. Only the American Christian community is helping in Haiti and we thank them for doing so.
Question 8: Has the gang control of the country changed the lives of the Haitian people?
The gangs are in control in Haiti and they do whatever they want to do, so the Haitian people live in constant fear for their lives. They are worried about sending their children to school because of the potential for kidnapping the children. The general Haitian population has no money – they are afraid when they attend church or even go for food supplies. Most just stay in or near their homes. This is a very sad situation for Haitian families. We really hope that the American government will do something to help Haiti.
Question 9: What would you communicate to the United States about what is happening in Haiti?
I would ask that the American public pray first for Haiti – the people and the government. We have some Christian organizations like the partnership of LHM and TPM that are still providing clean water, building churches and schools, and providing food for those in need. But the country is still in great need of help. Local Haitian pastors, school administrators, and teachers are working day and night to make things better, but we still need your help. I hope my American friends will keep praying for Haiti, and I thank each of you for your past and continued support to improve the situation both spiritually and physically in Haiti.
The End:
After escaping from his captives, Pastor Wilbert walked through the wooded area for several hours following the noise of roosters off in the distance. The rooster’s noise led him to a village after about four hours of walking. There he talked with people telling them his situation, and they called the local police, United Nations soldiers in the area, and the US Embassy (since Pastor Wilbert is a dual Haitian/US citizen). Representatives from all three groups came to the village to meet with Pastor Wilbert. They discussed the whole incident and eventually took Wilbert home that afternoon.
In the early evening, Pastor Wilbert’s wife had been contacted, and asked for a $500,000 ransom for Wilbert’s return. She told them that she did not have that kind of money. Later, in the early morning when the kidnappers realized Wilbert had escaped, his wife was contacted again and asked for all the money she could get. The kidnappers were given $10,000.
Wilbert worked with the police to try to help determine who had kidnapped him without much success. In a totally unrelated incident, a man was caught stealing a motorcycle in Cap Haitian, and he told police he was involved in Wilbert’s kidnapping. He gave up the names of the others involved. Pastor Wilbert views that event as a miracle from God, as otherwise the kidnappers may never have been identified. Five men, including a neighbor of his, were arrested, charged, and convicted. They are still in prison. None of the money was ever found or returned. Pastor Wilbert says he was watched over by God’s angels during the entire incident and he knows that God never left him alone.