(Jamaica Star) George, 66, had every intention of fulfilling his daily routine of operating his informal taxi service from his base in St Catherine, and returning home safely at the end of the day.
However, last Wednesday, his anticipation of a smooth day was disrupted about 9:30 p.m. when he took a woman to Jones Avenue in Spanish Town, a trip he had made before.
“I was forced to step in a hole by two gunmen who had prevented me from leaving after I dropped off the woman,” George said. “Just as I dropped her off and was leaving the area, I was robbed at gunpoint, dragged to a pit and was forced to jump in.” George, who was speaking to THE STAR after his release from hospital, was found on Sunday, after surviving four nights and three days in the pit. He was also robbed of cash, his cell phone and the grey Nissan AD wagon motor car he used as a taxi. He is today thanking God for preserving his life.
“They didn’t expect that I would survive, but only God can kill. These men could not kill me because God had another plan” he said. According to George, he spent most of the time in the hole praying that God would send a rescue angel.
“I prayed myself to sleep all four nights. I didn’t feel hungry. I was just asking God not to let me die in this cave and my body not found by my relatives,” he said. George said it was a mixture of hope and doom as he assessed his precarious situation.
“I was not badly hurt except where I hit my back and my shoulder when I was falling into the hole. The injury to my back and shoulder prevented me from even trying a climb back up which I don’t think would be safe because they realised I wasn’t dead and they had kept watch during the nights, but would be gone in the day time,” George said.
The elderly survivor said his captors tried numerous ways to finish him off, including setting a fire and throwing objects at him. These failures brought him hope that God had heard his prayer.
“When the rescue team showed up on Sunday and I heard the cover being removed I thought it was the men who came back to see if they could find a way to kill me. But when I heard the shout ‘Police’, I knew that my prayers were answered,” he stated.
George commended the police and the firemen for doing what he described as a great job and said he is calling on all Jamaicans to support the police in their effort to fight crime.
George said his journey has just begun, and he plans to travel the 14 parishes to relate his story and tell people how great God is if they only trust Him.
“My life in Christ has just began and people need to know we can trust God to come through at the right time,” George assured.
