Epilog 2/22/2006      The Story       The Testimony       Contact Information     GLOW Ministries

PHIL SNYDER KIDNAP ORDEAL

Phil is a long-term missionary to Haiti.  In the course of getting medical attention for a child in December, Phil's vehicle was hijacked, and Phil received numerous gunshot wounds.  Phil and the child were held for ransom by a military faction in Cité Soleil, the largest slum in our hemisphere.  There they languished under constant threat for thirty-six hours - until a ransom was paid and they were freed. 

Beside the fact that Phil survived his wounds and the threats of death, the most surprising occurrence was that he made friends of his captors, introduced them to Love, and taught them something about the Great Ransom, "the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time."

After several weeks of recovery, Phil joined me in Atlanta to share the experience with the Harvest Network International  East Coast Gathering January 12th.  His testimony over the following three days included some of the most touching words I've ever heard from this man who I grew up with. 

Below is part of Phil's story from a reporter's viewpoint plus a little of his personal testimony.  I'm hoping that this letter will open doors so others may hear how a man of God not only survived a bloody terror attack, but with Yahweh's help, turned the ordeal over for good.

Sincerely,
Jackson Snyder, Phil's brother
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ORDEAL
by John Charles Robbins
Holland Sentinel Staff Writer
 

Moments before a band of armed Haitians took control of his life, Zeeland missionary Phil Snyder saw a sliver of hope.  Potential salvation came in the form of a fully-armed United Nations tank that rumbled by him and stopped about 100 yards away.  Dazed and bloodied after being shot and robbed, Snyder raised his arms high and began to scream.

"Help me! Help Me! I'm an American!"

The uniformed peace-keepers atop the tank did nothing.  "They just stood there looking at me," Snyder said.  The tank did not move.  Snyder briefly considered running after the tank, but it would have meant exposing himself to sure gunfire, like a duck at a sideshow carnival.  In his panicked and dizzy mind he was thinking, "Why are you not coming to get me? Why are you not coming to get me?"

He turned and walked into the bowels of a giant slum known as Cite Soleil, and was quickly gathered up by Haitians. Some were helpful, allowing Red Cross workers to clean and dress his tattered shoulder. Others were threatening and it soon became clear his freedom was lost. 

Snyder relived his recent shooting and kidnapping in an interview with the Sentinel on Friday.  Dressed in jeans and a GLOW Ministries International T-shirt, the bearded man was soft spoken and took his time answering a string of questions. Like his words, his movement was slow and determined - his stocky body stiff from the bullet holes, buckshot and bandages. 

Snyder, 48, traveled to Haiti last week to gather up a young boy, Cheldon, 6, to bring him back to the U.S. for eye surgery.  Snyder was driving a Ford Ranger extend cab on his way to the American Consulate to secure a visa for the boy when heavily-armed men ambushed the truck. The shower of gunfire might have claimed his life then and there if he hadn't instinctively crouched his body behind the dash. The boy disappeared in the hysteria that followed, but was later reunited with Snyder under the watchful eyes of thugs with shotguns and pistols.

Snyder's captors had a plan: Hold him hostage and exchange him for cash. The original demand was $52,000. Once Snyder and the boy were moved into a cramped and mosquito-infested building and shoved into a 15-by-15 foot room, the kidnappers upped the demand to $300,000. Snyder wrestled with his reeling mind - the thoughts that plaque a person in captivity - and also had to console and care for Cheldon, a tiny and shy boy who carries the weight of black eye-patch around his head.

"He was totally numb," he said of Cheldon. "I told him, 'It'll be all right. We'll get out of this. God is with us,'" Snyder said.  The boy began weeping and Snyder gathered him up in his burly arms. "I held him and tried to comfort him," he said. 

Snyder's traumatic day blended into a night of gun battles and later loud rancorous music and dancing in the streets. "It was a war zone ... automatic gunfire throughout the might," he said, shaking his head then rubbing his tired eyes with his fingers. The nocturnal and surreal street party outside was as disconcerting as the bullets."People screamed and hollered. Oh man, it was a nightmarish place to be at night," he said.  His captors repeated threats of violence coupled with the fear fostered by isolation played on Snyder's mind.  "We're gonna kill you ... we're gonna cut your head off," his kidnappers called out over and over.  "Their job was to intimidate me, to convince me they would kill me," said Snyder.

"When you're in isolation ... the imagination is a wicked thing. Like a one-armed bandit, you pull the lever once, you might get a cherry. You pull it again, you get a lemon.  "I knew I was on a mission from God and the outcome was in his hands. But every so often I pulled the lever and a lemon came up. I had to face it: What if they do kill me? I'd leave my children orphaned. Would they ever see my body? Would they ever have closure?"
"I fought hard not to succumb to those fears but in isolation, your mind never stops," he said.

Calls were made to Snyder's adult son, Chad, who lives in Haiti. Haitian civil police got involved, as did the FBI.  Negotiations stretched on for about 28 hours, from mid-morning of Nov. 30 to about 1 p.m. the following day.  In the end, a ransom was paid - Snyder doesn't want to say how much. Snyder was reunited with his son. Cheldon was reunited with his father. They all took a couple of days to relax and regroup, then finish up the paperwork necessary bring the boy to America. A bodyguard was along for the rest of his stay. Snyder and the boy took a flight into Miami on Tuesday and stayed overnight in a hotel.

On Wednesday afternoon at Ford Airport near Grand Rapids, Snyder and Cheldon walked off an American Airlines jet.  There was lots of hugging.  Since then there have been doctor visits, family time and sleep.

Haiti was Snyder's home from 1979 to 1991. Today he and his wife Amber, who have eight children, live in Zeeland where the ministry is based. Snyder and his mother, Bettie, founded the non-profit organization God's Love for Orphans and Widows (GLOW) Ministries International in 1999.

How has his life changed? "I want to be able to love more deeply, my kids and my wife. I want to kiss them more often. I want to tell them I love them more often.  I want to say to them, 'I'm proud of you.' I want them to know that. I want to be as much of a father as I can to them," Snyder said.

What has not changed is his commitment to the people of Haiti. He and his family have worked to help the poor in Haiti for more than years. "It's really a beautiful place. The people are amazing. But the problems and the needs are overwhelming. It draws you in - you want to help," he said.
One message he wants to share with others is this: "Don't hold animosity against the Haitian people," and realize that only a very small percent of the population is dangerous and capable of violence.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and of late kidnapping for ransom has become a common practice.  The missionary said he hopes to tell people about the extremely desperate situation gripping the Caribbean nation.  "I'm going to be a voice for that desperation," he said.  "I'm not going to turn around and give the criminals a hero's applause, but I'll try very realistically to expose their situation, and give a part of myself to try and help be part of the solution," Snyder said.

John Charles Robbins, (616) 546-4269  john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com

SLUM MAZE
by Phil Snyder

We once had guesthouse in Port au Prince called Sonshine Inn. We took every precaution to keep the rats out. Regardless of what we did they would find their way in. We’d find telltale signs of their presence in the kitchen every morning. It took me weeks to figure it out. It amazed me. The rats were actually coming in via the sewers and through the toilets. How disgusting is that?

In the years that followed, I found, at times, my ministry would reflect that very principle, a “sewer rat” mentality. “How far will you go for Me?” Was I in it for a cushy ministry, a beachfront headquarters? I didn’t want to think so. Sometimes we have to go to extremes to reach those most desperate for His love.

I thought of this briefly, December 1^st, 2005, when I turned, shocked and bleeding, toward an entry path leading into Cite Soleil, the largest slum in the Western Hemisphere. My ears were ringing loudly from the gunshots that exploded the windows of my Ford Ranger. The confusion brought on by the suddenness of the attack was increased exponentially by the inaction of the heavily armed UN peacekeeper parked less than 100 yards from where I stood hailing them. They stared through me as if I were a ghost, my hope for rescue evaporated. I looked again at the blood streaming down my chest and arm, pouring off my fingers, I would take my chances with the Haitian people.

Twenty yards into the “corridor to hell” I was met by a group of young men who offered to escort me to a Red Cross station. “This is suicide,” I thought to myself. I guess I was dead anyway, I just had to walk it out. And walk we did. Gunshots fired sporadically in close proximity to us, warning opportunists that this entourage was armed. We twisted and turned through the slum-maze, heading farther and farther away from the main road and “civilization.” I was in a daze, keeping pace, one foot in front of the other, while I ran a mental inventory of my wounds. Every step led me deeper into despair until I was totally lost, completely helpless.

The only thing that connected me to life was the living. I developed an acute awareness of everyone around me. When I had the energy, I would hunt for eye contact.  If I caught a face, I would follow up with small talk. I began to bond with those around me, just another rat in the sewer, desperately scratching for my own future. But I was more than that! I was a servant of the Most High God, a Messenger. It was this Message that ultimately brought me here. I determined to be strong, as long as my light was shining, may it shine brightly! It became apparent that everyone in here was a prisoner in one way or the other. I began to pray silently for those I was attracted to. I fell into a fatherly role, speaking truth, in love, over the situation, reaching out, sensing and grasping any kindness offered.

This was difficult when it became apparent that my “hosts” were going to hold me as a hostage for ransom.  A very obvious and deliberate change took place at this revelation. All the facades fell away; replaced by hatred and intimidation. The game was on.

We were soon isolated in the back room of a concrete block dwelling. Shelton, at 6 years old, was traumatized and basically mute. Our only human contact was our “host.” He would drift in and out, handing me the phone, telling me he would kill me if I didn’t get the negotiators on the outside drumming up some money. He was often accompanied by a scraggly fellow who savored threatening me. This man was ruthless, he never gave up, usually causing Shelton to fall into a fit of weeping.

I fought the emptiness of this murky isolation to try and maintain a glimmer of hope. It seemed as if I were trying to start a fire in a monsoon. My connection to the Almighty seemed severed, I could not sense His presence, couldn’t drum up even the slightest spark. This was the most distressing facet of my captivity. Where was the Lord God of Elijah? I tried to sing His praises, they echoed empty about the room. I tried to pray in His presence, the effort was hollow, the heavens unyielding brass. I thought of how Jesus must have felt as He shouted out, “why hast Thou forsaken Me?”  Somewhere in the jumble of this loneliness I realized that I was truly alone, more alone than I had ever been in my entire life. Somewhere in this torment I wrestled with powers and principalities I had never known before. Then somewhere in the depth of this quagmire I reached out and touched the purest of Gold. For the first time in my life I came face to face with the highest form of Love this universe can ever know.

I can’t explain it. Somewhere in this gloom was a Father who would send His son into the fire. Somewhere in this hellish pit there was a mission. This would become the greatest challenge of my life, and could very well lead to my death, but in the end would accomplish my Father’s will. This was the highest calling, to walk it out, to plant the seed at any cost, to trust the path and believe this was not coincidence.

In had very little human contact in the 36 hours I was held hostage. I pressed every opportunity that did arise, speaking truth and sowing love. I placed myself in the shoes of my captors and expressed sympathy, forgiveness and love. While they slowly broke me through intimidation and isolation, I slowly broke them through brotherly love and unwavering truth.

The final hours of this encounter proved to be both amazing and anointed. I was set free and allowed to mingle with anyone who cared to visit the front stoop of my temporary residence. Most of the players who had any part in this drama came by to pay respects, apologize and just sit and talk. They had come to know and respect who I was. They honored me as I was led out of the slum maze.

EPILOG, February 22, 2006

When I was a little kid, I had a disturbing dream about my great grandfather Philip. In my dream I saw him lying in a field next to our house. His hands were raised above the weeds, reaching out for help. We could not approach him. In the real world he passed away within a few short weeks. It was a bit haunting to me, I might have been 9 or 10 years old, but it forced me to have an open mind towards prophetic gifts.

uring my early years in Haiti (1980) I had an awesome dream. It came in three parts during one long night. After each segment I would wake up with the inspiration to write them out. Over the years that followed, those dreams eerily paralleled actual events. They were very specific to my family, our ministry in Haiti and my personal spiritual life. It was uncanny the way the associations unfolded, even foretelling my dad’s early death. The final episode of the three dreams ended with a shotgun blast pointed directly at my head.

I’ve carried that vision in my heart for 26 years, the dream ending with a shotgun blast pointed at me. I had always assumed it was a harbinger of my death. I lived through it though, to tell about it and hopefully to find deeper faith through it.

As I write this last installment of the kidnapping ordeal, I’m still searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I know we have a sacred promise. If we are walking in His will He will make ALL THINGS work out for good. And I see where much good has come through this season of sacrifice.

Shelton’s life has been changed radically. How much of this sacrifice was for that one lost sheep? I don’t see him often enough. His smile brings oodles of sunshine into my life. I think I’m his hero, his Superman. But I think when he sees me it brings him some level of pain in remembering, and fear in thinking of going back. He must be special in God’s eyes. He has brought joy and hope into many lives here in Michigan. If I hadn’t walked into Cite Soliel after being shot, I probably would never have seen him again. I doubt if anyone would ever have seen him again.

This ordeal has had a profound impact on my relationship with my son Chad. We have traversed some rocky terrain in the 30 years he has been around. In the last year or so we have grown into a new plateau together. We’ve overcome some major obstacles and patched things up. His voice carried me through my darkest hours during this ordeal. Our opportunities to talk were brief and infrequent, but through the storm we leaped over a hurdle together that landed us exactly where we needed to be; understanding our mutual love for each other, beyond the shadow of a doubt and experiencing a new dimension of trust.

I will always wonder about the impact I had on the folks in Cite Soliel. The fact that I was a ‘dead man walking’ gave me liberty to love them in a way I have never loved before. Perhaps this is part of the purest gold I’ve spoken of having touched, loving the “least of these.” In my mind this could very well be my last “investment opportunity” and there was no place on earth that needed love more than this hell hole. They drew it out of me like a black hole absorbs whole galaxies. And like a river of living water it never ran dry. In that love was solid truth. Voltaire said, “Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” I caught this quote just a few weeks ago and wham, bingo! It was so clear. So many of the atrocities committed in this arena of violence are founded on absurdities! That’s probably why democracy is so important and yet so hard to win. It frees the masses to pursue truth. I could actually see the truths I was speaking destroying the foundations built of lies. I had three and a half hours at the end of the ordeal to converse freely with anyone who wandered in. There was a group of six teenagers that stayed the whole time, devouring my words like a starving man devours rice. Many others came and went. Truth was given a platform that day, and she sang.

What about the dozens of people that have been involved in this, one way or the other, right from the start. The FBI practically camped at my house, they were also on the scene within hours in Haiti. All the media folks who have carried a part of this story, spending time with Amber and the kids while awaiting word of my release, meeting me at the airport in Grand Rapids and the dozens of interviews that followed. Did a testimony of love touch their hearts?

I have seen the positive impact on GLOW Ministries. I know we have had thousands of people praying for us through all of this. Hundreds responded when we cried out for help in December. Many of our old friends have called and written, they have rallied around us and shown again why GLOW is successful. Many new folks have walked in off the streets and introduced themselves. It’s because of love and compassion.

I have also seen Amber’s faith buoyed up by the Father Himself. She likens it to swimming in the Dead Sea, effortless, as she carried our children to the other side.

For me, it is truly the end of an era. The shotgun blast is like the whistle at the end of the day. I can gather what’s left of yesterday’s dream, I’ll write, “THE END,” and close that book. I’ll open it to read it and edit it. Somewhere in the pages I’ll will find yesterday’s gold, like I’ve said, it was the purest I’ve ever touched. But when I look ahead, I’ll be looking for tomorrow’s gold.

There is something about being willing to die for the cause of Christ. It’s a whole other thing to have the opportunity. I’ve always know the possibility existed, the dream kept it fresh in my mind. I always thought it would happen, be over and I’d get my harp; and that driver that can hit the ball three miles, and the eyes to see that far!

The chapters of yesterday’s book are coming to an end as I pen these last words. I’m looking forward to starting anew. I need to commit myself to a few weeks of rest and recuperation. Three months have elapsed since I brought Shelton home. My ears are still ringing like I have a head full of tin bees. I am super sensitive to noise of any kind and just feel like I’m on the edge all the time. The little kids at home don’t understand why daddy gets angry so quick. I wanted to come home and love them more than ever. I’m praying for healing and I’ll be seeing a specialist in a couple of days. Praise God for Teresa and our partners in Haiti and Cambodia, GLOW Ministries will not suffer in my absence.

Tomorrow will come. Today is a season of rest. Some tomorrow soon will be a new day. When that day dawns I will crack open a fresh ream of paper and begin anew. I have every reason to believe that the vision will reveal our most exciting adventures yet ahead.

Please keep us in your prayers. Sometime in the next month Bettie and I need to get back to Haiti together. Bettie has been down with a broken pelvic, injured when she fell at the Visa Lodge the day we were reunited, December 2^nd. She is just now starting to feel better and believes she should be walking soon. There are many exciting and new avenues opening up for GLOW Ministries and we want to meet with our partners and friends in Haiti and cast the vision for the next five years or so. Please pray for Haiti as well. This is a monumental opportunity for the new government to shift the course of history and set the country on a path towards equality and prosperity. Please pray for Chad, Papillion, Devin, Angie and Gideon as they continue to hold the fort there in Haiti. Please pray for Teresa, Joel, Neal and Emily as well. A couple weeks ago Joel’s mother went to be with the Lord. This has been a tough month. Pray for Joel’s dad Jack while he adjusts to losing his lifelong mate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Go to www.Glowmi.org or write
GLOW, POB 123, Zeeland, MI 49464-0123
(877)  456-9468
 

For personal appearance at your church or group,
contact Jackson Snyder
 

UPDATE!
January 7, 2009

I SURVIVED!

Kidnap recap: Zeeland missionary leaves today for Boston TV taping of Haitian abduction story
By JEREMY GONSIOR
The Holland Sentinel
Posted Jan 07, 2009 @ 11:00 PM
Last update Jan 08, 2009 @ 01:30 PM
Holland, MI —

Phil Snyder will relive one of the worst moments of his life. During a TV interview Friday, Jan. 9, Snyder will recount his kidnapping during a 2005 missionary trip to Haiti. The Zeeland missionary will be featured on “I Survived,” a Biography Channel program that allows survivors to explain how they cheated death in extraordinary circumstances.
He and his wife, Amber, will leave today for the taping in Boston.
“They found me, found my story and called me up and we are on our way,” said Snyder, 51. “It’s good to be out there ... (but talking about it again) gets me a little apprehensive.”
Dec. 1, 2005, was a time of political strife in Haiti. Snyder was there to bring a child, Shelton Baptiste, back to the U.S. for eye surgery.
While driving down a Haitian road with Baptiste and Baptiste’s father, the group was ambushed and kidnapped.
Snyder was shot in the shoulder and held captive for more than 24 hours.
The kidnappers demanded a $300,000 ransom for his release, but through negotiations involving the FBI, Snyder was let go for an amount “much less” than what the kidnappers first sought, although that amount was not revealed.
Snyder returned to West Michigan five days later. Baptiste and his father were also released.
If her husband must retell his story to bring attention to the poor living conditions most Haitian citizens experience, then he is willing to do it, Amber Synder said.
Many Haitians are so desperate to earn money, kidnapping is an industry, she said.
“People in the neighborhood where Phil was kidnapped live in the world’s largest slum,” she said. “People are literally living in liquid sewage.”
Depleted natural resources in Haiti mean that the country cannot mend itself, she said.
“To be able to share that story is important because it brings the needs of the people of Haiti to the forefront,” Amber Snyder said. “Haiti hasn’t been declared a failed state as of yet, but the ability of Haiti to take care of herself is just not there. They are so much in need of assistance from the outside.”
An air date has not yet been scheduled for Snyder’s appearance on the show, according to a representative for A&E Television Networks, which owns the Biography channel.
The program schedule will be updated on www.aetv.com.
Today, Phil Snyder continues his work with Zeeland-based GLOW Ministries International, a group that helps Haitians with food, shelter and education and has a presence in the country.
GLOW is an acronym for God’s Love for Orphans and Widows.
Snyder co-founded the nonprofit organization in 1998 with his mother Bettie. The family has been helping Haitians for nearly 40 years.
“I am there all the time. I am there almost every month,” he said. “It was just another bump in the road.”
Despite the trauma the kidnapping has caused her family, Amber Snyder said she would not want what happend to her husband to deter others from visiting Haiti.
“Phil’s kidnapping was a situation where he was in the wrong place,” she said. “He was a crime victim. I don’t want anyone to be discouraged because of what happened to Phil.”