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.
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.
To our own family, who never stopped praying, hoping, and believing, we are more grateful than we can say.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Above all, we give thanks to the Lord, who has been faithful to us in every season.
Kevin and Krista Rideout
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