On Saturday (April 19), Josh Sullivan, the American missionary who was rescued from kidnappers by the South African Police Service last week (April 16), released a statement thanking God for delivering him from the “worst experience” of his life.
Sullivan, 34, was kidnapped at gunpoint by four masked men on April 10 while he was preaching in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.
Last Wednesday, authorities approached the location where kidnappers were holding Sullivan. According to a police statement, “As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premise.”
Officers said that the kidnappers “inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded.”
RELATED: Pray for US Missionary Josh Sullivan, Kidnapped at Gunpoint in South Africa
The American missionary was found inside the vehicle “miraculously unharmed.”
“I want to begin by thanking God for delivering me from what was undoubtedly the worst experience of our life,” Sullivan said on Saturday. “I also want to thank him for delivering me from my sin 28 years ago when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Because of my personal relationship with Jesus, He gave me the peace I needed to get through.”
“I am deeply grateful to the thousands of people who prayed for me while I was in captivity,” Sullivan said. “It was because of these prayers that God performed a miracle a few nights ago.”
RELATED: American Missionary Josh Sullivan Rescued Following Police Shootout That Killed 3 Kidnappers
“I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the South African Police Department, HAWKS, FBI, DSS special agents, and my dear friend, Jeremy Hall, whose efforts were instrumental in locating me,” he added. “I am especially thankful for my wife, Meagan, whose strength and resilience made her the strongest woman in the world last week.”
Sullivan shared that there is more to tell about his story. But for now, his family has begun “the difficult process of healing and moving forward.”
Sullivan asked for “privacy during this time,” adding, “I have a miraculous story to share, and I look forward to telling it when the time is right.”
