Missionary Jeff Woodke Reflects on Faith After Six Years in Captivity

American missionary Jeff Woodke has released a memoir, "All the Way Home," detailing his abduction by militants in Niger in October 2016 and his subsequent six-and-a-half-year captivity. Woodke, who worked with Youth with a Mission, was held by members of the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and moved across the border into Mali. During his ordeal, he endured extreme temperatures, isolation, and physical abuse, including being chained and confined in small spaces.

Woodke describes his experience as a period of profound psychological struggle, noting that he faced a "complete dissociation" while his captors attempted to break his spirit and pressure him to convert to Islam. He explains that his book is not a simple story of miraculous deliverance, but rather an exploration of what remains of one's faith when all other comforts are stripped away. He credits God with carrying him through the suffering, stating that while he lost his religion during the ordeal, he ultimately gained a deeper, tested faith. Woodke was released in March 2023 following government intervention and has since focused on his recovery and advocacy for others held in captivity.