A goodwill trip became a near-death experience for 10 Highland Park Presbyterian Church members ambushed and robbed in a Kenyan jungle this month.
Some of the members, who visited a small village northeast of Nairobi, were beaten by four men armed with rifles and a machete as they threatened: "We will kill somebody tonight."
No one suffered life-threatening injuries.
The mission trip to Njuthine, a small village northeast of Nairobi, had been months in the planning.
Church members hoped to work with engineers on an irrigation project that would save villagers an eight-mile trek each way for water. They also brought items such as Bibles and school and medical supplies for the villagers.
Church members, some on their first mission trip, left Dallas on Aug. 13 and arrived in Njuthine two days later.
The team members, along with drivers and guides, left the village in two vans shortly before 9 p.m. Aug. 15, traveling through the jungle on rough terrain. Suddenly, four armed men stepped into the road and ordered them to stop, forcing church members to sit on the ground with their hands in the air.
Speaking broken English mixed with Swahili, the men ordered the mission team members to turn over their cameras, cellphones and money. Three Highland Park members originally from Kenya were beaten, punched and kicked.
The ambush lasted an hour as the robbers took their time rifling through the team members' belongings and taunting them as they were forced to lie on their stomachs.
Church elder Jon Phillips, 38, of Dallas said he was fervently praying when a truck's headlights shone through the darkness, causing the armed men to disperse. The truck did not stop, but it was enough of a distraction to allow the team members to escape.
Mr. Phillips said that once the truck had passed, the armed men looked as if they were coming back.
"We sped out," he said. "Everybody got out alive."
In Dallas, the Rev. Howard Griffin, a missions pastor at the church, was finishing up a draft of a sermon and preparing to go home when he learned of the ambush.
Within minutes, the church had mobilized to wire money to the team members, change travel plans and contact the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. Seven of the volunteers ended their trip early, returning to Dallas last weekend.
Church members filed a police report before leaving Kenya, and Mr. Phillips said they have since heard that the gunmen were caught.
Mr. Griffin said it was the first time in 20 years a Highland Park Presbyterian mission group had been attacked.
Church leaders said that they are reviewing their procedures for mission trips but that the incident in Kenya will not deter them.
"I truly believe my faith protected me while I was there," said Mr. Phillips, who plans to continue his missionary work. "That is what I am called to do."
He said robberies can happen anywhere, even in Dallas.
"You do realize how insecure the world is – even when the place is not a hot spot," he said. "Knowing that will not deter our missionaries, to reach out to people in need."