News 

Jessica Buchanan, a 2007 graduate of Valley Forge Christian College (AG), Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was rescued along with her Danish coworker, Poul Hagen Thisted (60), reportedly from Somali land-based pirates by Navy Seals early Wednesday morning (Tuesday night U.S. time), after being kidnapped and held hostage for 3 months.

According to reports, the Seals that accomplished the mission were selected from the same unit who killed Osama bin Laden. In the rescue of Buchanan (32) and Thisted (60), approximately a dozen Seals parachuted into the region and advanced on foot, ultimately killing nine gunman in the raid, with Buchanan, Thisted and the Seals team making it out unharmed.

In early reports, it was stated one of the reasons for the strike taking place now was that Buchanan's health was failing. However, Dr. Don Meyer, president of Valley Forge Christian College (VFCC) says that analysis was overstated. "In talking with the family, we've learned that Jessica is in good health and doing well," he says.

Meyer says that even though the school was informed soon after the kidnapping occurred, by authorities' and the family's requests, the school has said very little publically about Buchanan's kidnapping. However students and faculty have been lifting her up in individual and corporate prayer on a regular basis. Meyer says that Buchanan's love for Africa is something he and his wife also share, so they knew her well.

"Due to the requests we received, we asked our students not to Tweet, Facebook or share anything about this on social media," Meyer says. "They did a great job - and now we're all rejoicing at God's faithfulness in Jessica's life."

According to the Danish Refugee Council, Buchanan and Thisted were kidnapped on October 25, 2011, while driving to visit a project site at Galkayo in central Somalia. The two work for the Danish Refugee Council's demining unit - a group that clears unexploded ordnance and land mines that are spread across Somalia. Buchanan serves as a regional educational advisor for the refugee council.

Meyer says Buchanan was passionate about Africa. "She couldn't talk about Africa without tears coming to her eyes," he says. "She went to Africa her senior year to student teach for a semester at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. That's when she really fell in love with Africa - the school hired her when she graduated." While in Nairobi, Buchanan met and married her husband, Erik Landemalm, and after teaching two years, transitioned into the position with the Danish Refugee Council.

A number of reporters have questioned Meyer as to why Buchanan would ever want to go to Africa in the first place. He says it's been a wonderful opportunity to share how mission, conviction and obedience to God can change the world. "I tell them that we have a core of students here with similar commitment," Meyer says. "And that Valley Forge is just one of 18 Assemblies of God schools and some 16,000 students who have that same kind of core commitment, devotion and obedience to God."

Buchanan graduated from VFCC with a degree in early childhood education. Buchanan's sister also graduated from VFCC and her brother-in-law currently is a student there. The family was reunited Thursday at the U.S. military base in Sicily, Italy.

For more information about Valley Forge Christian College, see its website.