CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When news of the release of American missionary Kevin Rideout first broke on August 14, millions saw it as a true answer to prayer.
“I found myself praying, ‘God, I want to be aligned with what you’re actually going to do,'” said Randy Fairman, president of SIM USA, the ministry that sent Kevin and his wife, Krista, to serve as missionaries in Niger.
He also offered a personal appeal.
“‘By the way, what I want, God, is for Kevin to walk out the way Peter did,'” he added, referencing the New Testament account of the apostle Peter’s escape from King Herod’s prison with the aid of an angel.
“When Kevin actually walked out of that situation, not too far different from what happened with Peter in the book of Acts, I think there was a sense that we, as God’s people, have been heard,” Fairman told CBN News at SIM’s U.S. headquarters here in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Watch here to see the faithful ways people prayed for Kevin Rideout’s freedom:
Days after Kevin reunited with his family in the U.S., they visited the White House to meet with President Donald Trump and to express gratitude for the support and prayers they received during his 10 months in captivity. The family has requested privacy as they heal and reconnect.
For the first time, SIM USA is opening up about the ordeal, which shines a light on the ministry’s mission, history and the future of global missions.
Fairman told CBN News he believes Kevin is adjusting well, after spending some time with him during a recent birthday party for his wife.
“From everything I can see on the surface, it looks like Kevin is handling things as the Holy Spirit guides him: with reality and compassion and love,” he explained. “He seems to be doing really well.”
Last October, armed terrorists kidnapped the American pilot outside of his home in Niamey, the capital of Niger. In recent years, the country has been a hotbed of terror activity for al Qaeda and ISIS-linked groups.
Kevin and Krista, who had served in Niger for 19 years, found joy in their work, building a life and relationships in a foreign land they grew to love – even now after the abduction.
“Their love for the people of Niger has not diminished one ounce,” Fairman explained. “An important part of their heart is there, and this is part of who they are.”
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While the ministry supported his family and tracked developments behind the scenes, another prayer was for Kevin’s captors.
“We know Kevin’s heart. From the beginning, we knew that what he would want is for his captors to know Jesus,” Fairman told CBN News, describing Kevin as a deeply committed Christian whose work in Niger reflects his love for the people he served.
“Kevin is a man of faith,” Fairman explained. “I feel confident that if he had a choice between him dying and his captors dying, he would rather die because he knows where his hope is.”
“His hope is not in this world,” he continued.
Prepared to be a Hostage
Kevin Rideout was the first hostage in the organization’s more than 130-year history.
Part of the preparation SIM missionaries receive for difficult assignments includes crisis training, critically important when serving in high-risk areas. That includes a mock kidnapping exercise.
“We select one person from the group in advance,” Fairman recounted. “When Kevin was going in that training, he was actually the one selected.”
“They come in and put a bag over your head and haul you out. It’s really helping people experience some of the emotions and some of the thoughts so they can pre-prepare how they’re going to act if it actually happens to them.”
Watch here to see the “Just in Case I’m Kidnapped” Checklist Rideout Wrote in case he was ever taken hostage:
The training reflects the realities many missionaries face while serving in parts of the world where instability, terrorism, and religious persecution are ongoing concerns.
Born From Self-Sacrifice
Rideout’s journey shares some common themes with the history of the global missions ministry.
Known simply as SIM today, the organization traces back to 1893 as the Sudan Interior Mission. Its three founders – Walter Gowans, Rowland Bingham, and Thomas Kent – traveled into the African interior convinced that the Gospel should reach people who had never heard it.
That call did not come without risks. Gowans and Kent died in the first year.
Yet Fairman argues that the founders’ sacrifices contributed to a transformation that reshaped global Christianity.
“Now we’ve got 60% of the Protestants in the world living in Africa, Asia, and South America,” he explained. “It went from 3% in 1893 to 60% today.”
“Do you think those founders would have traded their lives for that kind of change?” Fairman asked. “I guarantee you they would.”
A Call to Serve: The Future of Global Missions
Due to increased risks that currently exist in Niger, SIM USA recalled its American missionaries.
“The risk is too high for me to have Americans serving there, even though the need is still great and the passion is still there,” Fairman said, adding that he hopes to return soon.
Despite reports of growing persecution against Christians in various parts of the world, Fairman remains optimistic about the future of missions.
SIM International currently has about 2,000 missionaries serving around the globe, and he believes a new generation is ready to answer the call.
“What I see is the evangelical church in America, the non-denominational church in America, is actually growing,” Fairman said. “There’s another generation of young people that are engaging in missions.”
Fairman’s own journey has shaped his perspective. A former naval officer and self-described atheist, he believes Rideout’s story demonstrates the authenticity of a faith willing to endure hardship.
“His story is compelling,” Fairman explained. “Kevin is one of 2,000 in SIM, and I think that’s the way he would probably want himself to be known. He’s not the hero.”
“He’s a person whose sacrifice has now become public in a way that people can see and recognize the sincerity of his love for Jesus.”
As the Rideout family continues its recovery in private, SIM leaders hope Kevin’s experience will be a catalyst to inspire others to consider how they might serve.
“You might want to ask yourself,” Fairman posed. “Are you another engineer, artist, another butcher, baker, or candlestick-maker that God might be calling to go and proclaim the goodness of Jesus to people that otherwise may not hear?”
Learn More about SIM USA
