Family of Man Taken Hostage Seeks Prayer Support
BELIZE, Central America - The family of a Mennonite man taken hostage March l7 by five masked men is seeking prayer support.
Menno Penner, 42, a farmer/businessman, was taken hostage by a guerilla group which calls itself the American Battalion for the Poor (BAP). He is the father of four young children. They live in Belmopan, the capital of Belize.
Penner was recognized for his efforts in assisting refugees from El Salvador in l985. He and his wife opened a room in their home to a newly founded outreach church in Belmopan in l992.
The BAP has asked for $l million ransom money, but this has not been paid. The first contact with the BAP occurred March 2l when a tape was left for the Penner family. In it Penner stated that his possessions were of no value to him and the ransom money should be paid to his captors.
Though the captors warned against contact with the police, they became aware of the hostage-taking immediately. Penner was taken hostage together with some of his workers. These were released by their captors, and they informed the police.
Several more contacts were made with the hostage-takers who finally stated that the next contact would be through a tape which would record Penner's death cry.
Belizean police have worked on this case for months. A curfew was in place for a short while in Spanish Lookout Colony, where the Penners also lived for some time. The BAP stated in a letter that Penner was captured because he was a Mennonite, a landowner, businessman and professional colonizer. The Mennonites were a target for the BAP, the letter stated.
Mr. Penner's wife Tina has written a request for prayer in which she states: "Despite the efforts of the Belizean Government and other international efforts, my husband has not been released. Could you support us in prayer and ask the Lord for the following:
The above article was written by Abe Warkentin, Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. He is the editor of the "Mennonitsche Post," a periodical which serves German-speaking Mennonites in North, South and Central America. He has had a number of conversations with members of the Menno Penner family.