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Lovingly in Christ, (Dan was field Chairman of New Tribes Mission Columbia at the time of the kidnappings and has been part of the crisis team since then. |
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History: Background information |
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It has now been almost 9 years since Dave Mankins, Mark Rich, and Rick Tenenoff -missionaries with New Tribes Missions- and their wives were living in the village of Púcuro in Panama. They were in the process of planting a church among the Kuna people. On January 31, 1993, the men were kidnapped and taken across the border into Colombia |
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Initially, the kidnappers demanded a $5 million ransom. Contact ceased after less than a year. Since then there had been many rumors and reports, but no proof the men were alive or dead. |
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| Why they were there |
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In 1993, Dave Mankins, Mark Rich, Rick Tenenoff and their families lived in the village of Púcuro in the Darien region of Panama. Púcuro is a village of approximately 300 Kuna people, in the southeastern part of the country, about 15 miles from the Colombian border. |
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The missionaries were there at the invitation of the leaders of the village. In addition to studying the Kuna language and culture, the missionaries were involved in linguistic analysis, teaching the people to read and write in their own language, and administering medical assistance. The missionaries also translated the Bible and taught Bible studies to interested Kuna residents. |
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| The kidnapping | |
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As dusk fell on the evening of January 31, 1993, a group of armed guerrillas entered the village. They immediately seized control of the village square, and teams of these men went to the homes of the three missionary families. |
The missionary men were tied up, and their wives were
instructed to prepare small packages of clothing for them. The guerrillas took the three
missionaries with them on a trail that leads to the Colombian border. All of the evidence
indicates that the men were taken to Colombia.Since then ... |
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During the first radio negotiations, the
captors demanded a $5 million ransom for the return of the missionaries. Then, in January
1994, the radio conversations unexpectedly ended, and have never resumed. |
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| - for daily
strength and grace for the wives and families. - for the mission's ongoing hostage expenses - for wisdom for NTM leadership and for those with responsibilities in this traumatic situation - and most of all pray for the Kuna believers as they struggle on alone. |
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| For current information, and for stories and pictures of the families, see the hostage update. |
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