VANCOUVER - A missionary couple from Vernon, B.C. who were brutally beaten in Kenya will come home next week, despite wanting to continue their work in the African country.

John Bergen, 70, and his wife, Eloise, 65, were beaten with clubs and slashed with machetes and Eloise was repeatedly raped during a night attack last week that put them in a Nairobi hospital in serious condition.

Ralph Bromley, president of Kelowna-based Hope for the Nations, the group the couple volunteered for, said the pair are "emotionally buoyant, very resilient."

"Their heart was to stay (in Kenya) but when their family came into Nairobi...plus our recommending that they come back for recovery, they embraced that idea and were happy to come home," he said.

The pair are expected to return back to B.C. at the end of next week.

"As soon as John is released (from hospital,) based on space, ability to fly home, they'll come home," Bromley said.

Eloise has been released from hospital and is being cared for at a hotel. John's condition is said to be improving every day.

"We're within striking distance," said Bromley.

Several men ransacked the couple's house, stealing money, a computer and a camera and attempting to steal the Bergens' car.

Police arrested three men in the attack, as well as two guards assigned to protect the couple. As of last week, at least four suspects remained at large.

The Bergens had been operating a program in a farm-like setting for widows and orphans.

LIKE IT?  LET OTHERS KNOW

Thanks for participating!

Be the first to recommend - Sign in now


See what other people are recommending - Popular Stories