Members of a Boston church are praying for the safe return of their pastor, who is being held hostage in Egypt.
Pastor Michel Louis, 61, pastors the Eglise de Dieu de la Pentecote church in Boston. He was on a missions trip to the Holy Land when the group’s bus stopped on the road to Mount Sinai.
At that time, Egyptian Bedouin Jirmy Abu-Masuh pulled the 61-year-old off a tour bus on the road to Mount Sinai, along with a church member and an Egyptian tour guide.
The pastor reportedly offered himself as a hostage in a failed attempt to secure the release of a female hostage.
Rev. Louis is a diabetic and left his medicine on the bus. Abu-Masuh said security officials will have to help retrieve it.
The pastor’s son, Jean Louis, told reporters that his family is “in good spirits because we know that the God we serve is in control of the matter.”
“The only concern that we have at the moment is that he is diabetic, and the longer they hold him, I assume it’s not going to work in his favor,” he added.
“We just want to thank everyone that’s involved and concerned, and we ask that everybody pray not only for the safe return of Reverend Michel Louis but the safe return of everybody that is also with him.”
Meanwhile, Abu-Masuh told The Associated Press that he is demanding the release of his uncle from prison. The Bedouin said his uncle was put in prison for failing to pay a bribe to police.
Pastor Louis’ church takes a trip to Israel every year. This year their tour bus crossed into Egypt.
“He’s been doing it for the past four years now, and this just turned out to be a little different from any other year,” the younger Louis said. “We’re just concerned for his health. But we know that the governments are working very hard negotiating.”
