'Wrestle not against flesh': Missionary pilot recounts Gospel encounter with armed hijacker

Missionary pilot Jim Streit has opened up about sharing the Gospel with a man who put a loaded gun to his face while trying to hijack his plane in December during a flight carrying Samaritan's Purse medical aid to a remote medical unit in South Sudan.

Streit discussed the confrontation during the Christian ministry’s “On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse” podcast, where he said that what began as a routine humanitarian flight turned into a life-threatening encounter after a stowaway emerged from the rear of the aircraft during the journey.

The December 2025 flight was carrying medicine to a mobile medical unit in Maiwut, a remote town in northeastern South Sudan, where humanitarian groups often rely on small aircraft because roads are limited or difficult to reach.

Streit, a missionary pilot with Africa Inland Mission who has decades of aviation experience and frequently flies missions for Samaritan’s Purse, said he and a staff member identified as Ben had about 40 minutes remaining in the flight when they suddenly heard a shout from the back of the plane.

A man who had secretly boarded the aircraft before takeoff appeared in the cockpit. The stowaway was armed and demanded that the aircraft be diverted to Chad, a neighboring country.

“He lifts up a gun, shows me the magazine is full of 13 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, puts it into the gun, cocks the gun, ratchets a round into the chamber with the hammer back, his finger on the trigger and holds the gun up and points it right at my face,” Streit said on the podcast.

The man became agitated during the confrontation and threatened to kill himself as well as Streit and the passenger on board.

Streit said he began flying the plane slowly and made wide looping turns in the air to buy time while he considered how to bring the aircraft down safely. He knew the plane would eventually run out of fuel, but hoped the hijacker would not notice the change in speed.

His plan was to reach a nearby airport in South Sudan, where he could land and allow security forces to intervene. At the same time, Streit said he felt compelled to bring faith into the situation. He told the hijacker about Jesus Christ and recited John 3:16.

“I’m reminded from Scripture that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, and we’re told that the Holy Spirit will be given to us to bring things to remembrance,” Streit said. “And I believe that’s what God was doing for me, bringing things to remembrance that God had already told me in His Word.”

Streit told the hijacker that Christ had died for his sins and that those who believe in Him could spend eternity in Heaven.

At one point, Streit asked the hijacker about his family. The man replied that his family members were dead, removed his mask and began crying.

While the aircraft remained in the air, Samaritan’s Purse staff in Africa and the United States were working to respond to the unfolding crisis.

Matt Olson, director of Mission Aviation Services Africa at Samaritan’s Purse, received a call in the middle of the night on Dec. 2 informing him that Streit’s aircraft had been hijacked. Olson said the situation struck him personally because Streit had been a friend and mentor for more than 30 years.

“We were hanging on by our fingernails that this was going to resolve well and praying prayers that I’ve never prayed that hard and that intensely in my life,” Olson said.

Samaritan’s Purse staff members set up a makeshift command center and discussed contingency plans while praying for the safety of Streit and Ben. A separate Samaritan’s Purse aircraft, a DC-3 flying another mission, was redirected toward the hijacked plane in case assistance became possible.

Communication from the cockpit was limited because Streit wanted to avoid drawing the hijacker’s attention.

After several minutes of prayer in the cockpit, Streit told the man that he would be protected if he allowed the plane to land.

“At that point, [the hijacker] picked up the gun and he motioned down, and he said, ‘Go ahead and go down,’” Streit said.

The aircraft landed safely in the South Sudanese city of Wau, about 400 miles from its intended destination. South Sudan’s National Security Service took the hijacker into custody after the landing, and no serious injuries were reported.

Authorities identified the suspect as Yasir Mohammed Yusuf, a resident of the Abyei Administrative Area, an oil-rich territory disputed between South Sudan and Sudan. Officials said he had boarded the aircraft before takeoff and that the motive for the hijacking remained unclear.

Later that evening, Streit said he and Ben were able to speak again with the man after soldiers had secured him.

“Ben said, ‘Jim, can we pray with him?’ So, I said, ‘Sure,’” Streit said. “We sat down next to [the hijacker] with the soldiers around us, and Ben prayed a wonderful prayer for salvation for this guy.”