Freed missionary pilot Kevin Rideout and his wife, Krista, thanked President Donald Trump and praying Christians on Friday as they met with the president at the White House, 10 months after Rideout was abducted in Niger.
“Kevin Rideout, a brave Christian missionary, was held hostage by ISIS Jihadists for ten months! We never leave Americans behind, unlike Sleepy Joe and Obama, because we are America First,” Trump said in a statement Saturday, a day after meeting with Rideout, his family and senior administration officials.
“Today I invited Kevin, his lovely wife, father, and beautiful children, to the White House to see the Oval Office, and meet our dedicated hostage recovery team. Welcome back home Kevin — It was an Honor to help you!”
The couple also thanked the U.S. government and the Christians who prayed for Rideout’s release.
“We are grateful to be together again as a family. After these many months apart, there are few words adequate to express what it means simply to be reunited,” they said in a statement released by Serving In Mission (SIM), where Rideout has worked for 20 years.
“We are profoundly thankful to the United States government and to all those who worked tirelessly for Kevin’s safe release, and to SIM for its steadfast care and support throughout this long season. We are also grateful for our SIM family around the world, and for the countless friends, churches, and brothers and sisters in Christ who faithfully petitioned the Lord for Kevin’s protection and release,” they added.
They also thanked their relatives and said Scripture, particularly Deuteronomy 31:6, carried them through the ordeal.
“To our own family, who never stopped praying, hoping, and believing, we are more grateful than we can say,” they said.
“Throughout this experience, we have held closely to the promise of Scripture: ‘The LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Deuteronomy 31:6),” the couple continued.
“We have known the truth of that promise in very real ways. Even in the hardest and most uncertain moments, the Lord was present and faithful. Our joy in being reunited is also accompanied by grief.”
Rideout, a 50-year-old father of four, was kidnapped outside his home in the Château 1 neighborhood of Niamey, Niger’s capital, last October. Three men seized him near the Bravia Hotel in the city center, a few hundred meters from the presidential palace.
His release came nearly three months after U.S. forces killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, whom was believed to be the Islamic State’s global second-in-command.
Despite the abduction, the Rideouts say they still love the country.
“For decades, the Lord has given us a deep love for Niger and for the people of Niger, among whom we have been privileged to live and serve. Niger and its people are woven deeply into our lives and into the calling God has given us. We continue to love them and carry them in our hearts and prayers,” they said.
“For now, our greatest desire is simply to be together as a family. We are thankful for the prayers and kindness that have surrounded us, and we ask for privacy and space in the days ahead as we reconnect, rest, and begin to heal together.”
