Narrator (2:04)

And share unforgettable, uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

Holly Worthington (2:14)

Welcome back to the Miracle Files. Today we have a replay episode. This story is about a man named.

Emily Jones (2:20)

Bob Meek, AKA Robert Meek.

Holly Worthington (2:22)

Yes, Robert Meek. And he was virtually kidnapped in Mexico by a gang. It's one of our all time favorite episodes.

Emily Jones (2:29)

This one is wild. And if you've already heard this one, listen again because we've made some changes, added some sound effects, some updates. It is definitely worth a re listen.

Narrator (2:39)

Yes.

Holly Worthington (2:39)

And just a warning, this is an episode that you might want to listen to yourself before letting young kids listen to it. It's such a good story. But it could be a little scary.

Emily Jones (2:48)

Yeah, for sure. All right, let's jump in.

Narrator (2:50)

Okay. Having grown up in the agricultural world of southern Colorado, it only made sense that Robert Meek would go into the agricultural business as an adult. Because the growing season in Mexico is different. The US Agricultural industry depends quite heavily on Mexico. As CEO of onion and potato companies, Robert had been traveling to Mexico many times over decades of work. But when Robert wanted to travel to Chihuahua to meet a new grower, Sean, one of the owners of the company, expressed concerns that Chihuahua was a dangerous part of Mexico. Sean didn't feel comfortable going there himself. And his last words before Robert left were, be careful. It's not safe there. Robert spoke Spanish fluently and felt confident that he knew Mexico well. He figured if he didn't go out after dark and and only went to places he knew were safe that he'd be fine. So on the evening of September 7, 2016, Robert flew to Chihuahua. The next day, he visited his new grower's farm. Then Robert went back to his hotel. His plan was to spend one more night in Chihuahua and take a return flight at 6am the next morning. No alarm bells went off for Robert when the hotel clerk asked for his personal information, such as home address and purpose for visit. He'd answered similar questions while going through customs at the airport. After visiting the onion farm, he looked forward to chatting with his wife on the phone before going to bed. He had no idea how this short trip would soon turn into the nightmare of his life.

Robert Meek (4:34)

Got back that evening. It was about 9 o' clock at night. I had spoken with Lynette and then after I received a phone call on my hotel room telephone and the voice on the other side said, Mr. Meek, we are the hotel security. A cartel has entered our hotel. They've taken over our property and they are entering rooms and they're killing people. And we will do our best to save your life. Don't go out in the hallway. Stay in your room and hopefully you'll be safe.

Narrator (5:12)

Robert Meek followed the hotel security officer's advice and stayed in his room. His heart and thoughts raced as he wondered what chaos lay beyond his hotel door. He searched desperately for a place to hide in his room. He first considered the bathtub, but ultimately concluded the paper thin walls connecting the bathroom to the hallway would provide no protection from flying bullets. He decided to lay flat on the floor and hide next to his bed.

Robert Meek (5:40)

And terror struck. I could feel the unreality thinking that this has to be a dream, that I can't be involved in something like this. And yet the reality continued.

Narrator (5:53)

After speaking with hotel security for another 10 to 15 minutes, the security employee asked Robert to give him his cell phone number. The man assured Robert it was for his own safety. He told Robert he needed a way to stay in contact in case the cartel took out the hotel phone system. It seemed logical enough to ro Robert, and he gave the man his cell phone number. As soon as Robert hung up the hotel phone, his cell phone rang. It was the security officer again. Only what he said now made Robert's blood run cold.

Robert Meek (6:29)

And they called me on my cell phone. Only this time they said, we are the cartel and you'll do what we say or we'll kill you. The situation went from bad to worse, and I felt again the nightmarish real on me again.

Narrator (6:47)

The feeling that this couldn't be real overtook Robert's thoughts. He struggled to breathe and felt a rising tide of fear from head to toe. And yet this was reality and there was no escaping it.

Robert Meek (7:01)

They told me that they had all my devices bugged and that I wasn't to reach out by email, by text, by a phone call, that they had my devices bugged and if I tried that it would be immediate death.

Narrator (7:15)

Robert had never heard of virtual kidnappings, but Mexican criminals have become very adept at them, and Robert was now a virtual captive. The voice on the other end of the phone threatened Robert. The same voice that only moments ago seemed to be helping Robert now. This voice assured Robert that the cartel knew where his family lived and had contacts in the U.S. if Robert didn't follow their directions to the table, they threatened to kill him and his family. And they didn't just threaten their lives. They went into graphic detail about torturing members of his family if he did not comply with their demands. Feelings of helplessness and fear overtook Robert. This went on for excruciating Hour after hour.

Robert Meek (8:01)

I spoke to them. We never hung up. We spoke for three hours. And there were four people that would get on the call at random times. And it was like the low level guy to his boss, to his boss, to the big boss. And with every person that would get on, the call became more and more threatening. Oh, it was terrible language. The threats were unbelievable against me. They said that we will find your family, we'll kill you all. And I just thought, how can this be happening to me? And yet it was.

Narrator (8:41)

And then Robert received new and terrifying instructions.

Robert Meek (8:46)

We talked through that first part of the night and they told me that they were going to take me to a different location. And I argued. I said, I don't want to go to another location. I'm not leaving this hotel. My work knew that I was coming home. My family knew. And I knew that if I didn't show that they would search for me and at least find the hotel I was staying at. Well, they said, it's not your choice. You'll do what we say or death.

Narrator (9:13)

Just before 1am Robert received the order to leave his room immediately and head to the other hotel. He was also ordered to keep his phone on speaker and to take it with him.

Robert Meek (9:24)

They told me that I would take my cell phone and a cell phone charger and nothing else. And they gave me the name of a hotel, and they gave me the address of that hotel. And they instructed me that you'll leave your hotel room, you'll get a cab and you'll go to this hotel, and you'll keep your cell phone on speaker the whole time so that we can hear everything that you're saying. And if you try to escape, you're dead.

Narrator (9:47)

He wondered what he could do to let someone know what was happening to him without alerting the cartel. He decided to quickly ransack his hotel room in hopes that someone would come later and realized something was wrong. It was all he could think to do, and he had to do it fast. He left all his belongings, including his laptop and an open day planner, where he'd written down the name and address of the new hotel.

Robert Meek (10:12)

I leave the room, I walk down the hall, and they tell me, as you walk through the hall, there are three men, three of us, that are in the hotel lobby, and they will watch you leave. And if you try to escape, they will kill you. And I look over to my right and there are three men looking at me as I leave. Their eyes followed mine. My heart was raging, 10,000 beats a minute. I again realized the perilous situation that I was in.

Narrator (10:43)

Standing there outside the hotel, Robert waited for a taxi again taking in the strange feeling of surrealness. A taxi finally pulled up. Here was a chance to tell someone he was being held captive.

Robert Meek (10:56)

And I wanted to tell this taxi driver, help me, but I couldn't because I was on speakerphone and they were listening to me. And I didn't know if the taxicab might have been one of them. And I couldn't take that chance yet.

Narrator (11:10)

Robert knew the danger was too grave. He didn't know if he could trust the taxi driver, and his phone was still on speaker. Dreadfully, Robert gave the taxi driver the address to the New hotel. Before leaving the first hotel, the voice on the phone told Robert he needed to check in using a specific Mexican name as an alias. Despite his absolute terror, Robert decided to use a different name. He mustered his courage and gave the hotel clerk the name of his stepfather instead. Kenneth Shepherd.

Robert Meek (11:44)

I got to the hotel and I just felt that I'm not using that name. I use the name of my stepfather, Kenneth Shepherd. I check into the hotel, I get to the room, and there I rate with me, and they say, why did you use that name? Who is this guy? Why didn't you use the name we gave you?

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Robert Meek (12:33)

And I made an excuse. I said, listen, I forgot the name. I couldn't remember what you gave me. And they said, who's Kenneth Shepard? And I said, kenneth is my favorite name. If I could have named myself as a baby, I would be Kenneth. And I said, shepherd is the good man above, and I need every blessing I can get.

Narrator (12:53)

Miraculously, his captors believed Robert. Robert made his way to the hotel room. It was now 2am and he had been on the phone with the cartel for five hours. Every three to four minutes, the cartel would come on the line and say, robert Estassai, are you there? And Robert would assure them that he was still there. And following their orders, Robert knelt and prayed at every chance he could. And then a physical darkness seemed to envelop Robert.

Robert Meek (13:23)

At three in the morning, my hotel room got very dark. The light was still on, but it became dark and with a feeling of death that loomed over me. And I just had the feeling that I'm not going to survive this experience, that they will ultimately kill me.

Narrator (13:43)

Robert wondered what he could do to combat the darkness. He knew he needed to somehow summon more spiritual strength.

Robert Meek (13:52)

And so in addition to my prayers that I had been saying the whole time, now for six hours, I knew I had to get an increased abundance of the spirit in my life. So I looked up some scriptures that I thought would bring me strength. And as I read that became very comforting to me. I knew that I had to get rid of this evil feeling that I felt. So I stood up, and silently I cast evil spirits out. And they left. And my room became light again. It was a spiritual feeling that improved greatly.

Narrator (14:26)

Robert continued to read on and found scriptures that spoke of ministering angels. He prayed again and felt the comfort of loved ones who had gone before him. They didn't speak to him in words, but he felt the assurance that he would be okay. Somehow he didn't feel confident that being okay meant he would survive to go back to his wife and children again. But he felt sure that either way, he would be at peace and be embraced in the love of God. Robert knew what the Mexican cartel was capable of. He had a friend who lost a brother to a kidnapping by a cartel in Mexico. And in that moment, he began to prepare himself spiritually for what was to come.

Robert Meek (15:09)

The thought that remained in my mind was, will I ever see my family? And I wasn't sure I would. That night. I felt that I would not survive this experience. And the overriding thought that was in my heart was, are you ready to die? And so I knelt down and I prayed to God. I said, God, am I ready to die?

Narrator (15:32)

Robert prayed for an hour straight, and finally a feeling came to him.

Robert Meek (15:37)

And it was an amazing experience because a feeling came to me that basically said, you're okay, you're okay. You're not perfect, but you're okay, and you don't have to fear death. And that was such a relief to me that God loved me enough to let me know that I was okay.

Narrator (15:58)

And then Robert did something incredible. He began to pray to forgive his captors.

Robert Meek (16:07)

The second hour after this came with the thought that I hate these guys. And I hated them with a hate that I'd never felt in my life because I felt they were robbing my family from me. And I thought, how can I die with hatred being the last thought in my mind? And I just couldn't do that. And so I knelt again and I prayed to God, help me forgive these guys that hold me captive. But it didn't seem to work. I didn't feel a power, power to really be able to forgive them. And yet I was asking God for this incredible blessing to forgive. Finally, a feeling came that basically delivered the message. Don't worry about it. Jesus Christ paid for their sins, and he forgave them and will forgive them for what they do. And at that moment, I felt this feeling of hatred vanish.

Narrator (17:05)

As the anger drained from Robert's heart, he quietly asked God what he could do to help someone else. Instantly, his mind drifted back to his days as a missionary. So he asked the man on the phone if he knew how Robert had learned Spanish so well. To his surprise, the man asked how. Robert told him about serving a mission in Guatemala, how he had tried to follow Jesus Christ there to serve him and bless the people he met. As they began to correspond back and forth, Robert gained a glimmer of hope that maybe this cartel member's heart could be softened.

Robert Meek (17:39)

And I asked him, I said, who are you? Tell me. I demanded that he tell me. And he said, mi nombre e Sergio. He said, my name is Sergio. And then he said, when I was a young man, I was baptized in your church. And yet he said, I have turned away from everything. I've lived a terrible life. And he said, I have no family, I have no friends. I have nobody that I can trust or that trust me. That's my life. And so I simply told him that if he would change, that there was hope for him, there was a way for him to work back into good favor in the sight of God. And then he said something that I'll never forget, and I share it humbly, but he said, you know, Robert, it. If I ever thought that I could change, he said, I hope that I could find someone like you to help me, because when you speak to me, I get a really warm feeling in my heart. And at that point, I knew that I had accomplished everything I could possibly do with him. I accepted that. My job was done.

Narrator (18:51)

Sadly, at 7am as quickly as Sergio had softened, he became vile again and began making horrific threats to Robert.

Robert Meek (18:59)

He said, if you're going to do onions in Mexico, you have to respect the cartel. And he said, we need money. He said, but before we talk about that, I'm going to send you down to a little store down the streets a block away. You'll go in, you'll buy a disposable Mexican cell phone, and we will use that cell phone to communicate with your company to extract money.

Narrator (19:22)

Sergio told Robert to walk a block down the road and that he would come to a park. He described how Robert would find a bench there with two cartel members sitting on it. The store was just beyond the park. Robert walked out of the hotel down the street, and there it was, the park and the bench. Two men sat on the bench and watched one Robert walk past. Everything was just as Sergio had described. Robert walked into the store and purchased the disposable phone. He asked the store employees to activate the phone, which they did. As Robert walked back to the hotel, the two Men still sat on the bench staring him down as he walked past. Back in his hotel room, Robert was told that the cartel was ready to ask for his ransom. 300,000 pesos. They had Robert call his company on the disposable cell phone while keeping his personal cell phone on speaker.

Robert Meek (20:19)

They had me call my company on that Mexican cell phone and they told me exactly what to say. And so I called our CFO and I said, trevor, good morning, this is Bob. I said, I'm held against my will and they want money. And I said, get prepared to go to the bank. And he laughs. And he says, right, Bob? He said, when are you coming home? And I said, this is for real. And then they told me, hang up the phone. And I did.

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Narrator (21:48)

Trevor walked into the room with all the salespeople and management and he said.

Robert Meek (21:52)

Guys, he said, I just took the most strange call from Bob and he explained what I had said. And he said he just didn't sound right. And I said, I think it's for real. Well, shock and surprise and awe and fear enter their hearts, their beings.

Narrator (22:09)

Several phone calls between the cartel and Trevor then ensued as Trevor desperately tried to find a way to get the money to the cartel.

Robert Meek (22:17)

We have numerous conversations back and forth. They want money and they told Trevor, go to the bank, get $19,000. Put it in a briefcase. One of your people will get on an airplane, we'll fly to Chihuahua. You'll give Bob the briefcase and I will deliver it to them. And I said, I'm not doing that. I refuse to do that. I'm not meeting you guys. And I said, besides, couldn't get A briefcase of money across the border if we wanted to. And so we went to plan B.

Narrator (22:49)

They finally settled on Western Union, but the plan was complicated because wire transfers of a thousand dollars or more to Mexico are flagged. His captors directed Robert to have 20 people in the US send $950 to 20 different addresses in Mexico. However, when Robert's employees went to send the money, Western Union insisted they give their names and personal addresses. No one felt comfortable giving their addresses to the cartel, so they stalled, trying to figure out another plan. Robert's captors were losing their patience. They threatened to begin chopping off Robert's fingers one by one if the money was not sent within 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Robert's C.O. workers had notified the FBI, hoping that somehow they could get to Robert before the worst happened. Robert sat waiting, minutes dragging on like hours. He hoped desperately for some kind of Rescue. Around 3:30pm, Robert's hotel phone rang.

Robert Meek (23:49)

My hotel phone in my room rings and I answer it. These guys are still listening to my iPhone. And the voice on the line says, are you Robert Meek? And without thinking, I said, yes, I am. And they had instructed me when they first introduce themselves with the cartel, if you disclose to anyone who you are, this immediate death, you cannot tell anyone who you are.

Narrator (24:15)

Robert realized he had made a grave error. He quickly slammed the phone down in fear. His captors were enraged.

Robert Meek (24:24)

They said, you just told someone who you were, didn't you? And I said, it was an honest mistake. I knew they knew. And they said, you'll pay for this.

Narrator (24:34)

Two minutes later, Robert startled at the sound of someone knocking at his hotel door. Robert slowly opened the door. Three people in street clothes stood there. One of them flashed a Mexican police badge. But the last 18 hours had made Robert afraid to trust anyone. The man asked him if he was Robert Meek.

Robert Meek (24:57)

And they asked, are you Robert Meek? And I couldn't reply. Fear struck me in a probably a millisecond of a thought. I thought of Elizabeth Smart. And if you recall, when the police found her, she didn't immediately confess to them that she was Elizabeth. And I felt that complete the hesitancy to disclose who you are because of all the emotional trauma that had happened up until this point. And. And they said, we're the police. You have to believe us. We're the police. And I finally said, okay, here's my chance. It's the best odds I have. And I said, I am Robert.

Narrator (25:35)

With the cartel still on the phone, Robert had confirmed his identity, something he was told to never do.

Robert Meek (25:42)

They grabbed my phone out of my hand. And they shut the call off. And the phone was rang back immediately. And they didn't answer it. And they unpowered the phone and they said, we need to get you out of here. But I said, they have this hotel staked out. They've told me I've seen them. They said, no, we've walked the hotel. There is nobody here that we see. And I said, well, draw your guns at least, because there's going to be a gunfight as we leave. We walk out, we walk through the lobby, which gave me intense anxiety. They helped me get in the backseat. And at this time I'm thinking that, okay, they miss me in the hotel, they'll do a drive by shooting.

Narrator (26:23)

Now, the police car was an unmarked Toyota RAV4 with only two gears. As they crept along down the road, Robert felt far from safe. Finally, they arrived at the police station where Robert could take a moment to breathe at last.

Robert Meek (26:41)

And we get in the police station, fill out the reports, and the two police officers that rescued me came up to me and they said, robert, we have a favorite ask. I said, sure, whatever you need, I'll do. And they said, could we take a picture with you? Because this is probably the best day in our career. And I said, absolutely. Tell me about this being the best day of your career. And they very solemnly said, we don't rescue people, we recover them.

Narrator (27:13)

The true miracle was that Robert had been inspired throughout the entire ordeal. His ransacked room alerted the federal police that something was amiss. They were then able to locate the day planner where Robert had written the other hotel's name and address. When the police arrived at the second hotel, they asked if Robert Meek was at their hotel. When they learned he was not, they asked if there were any American sounding names on their registration list. The hotel staff confirmed they had a Kenneth Shepard staying there. The police would never have been able to find Robert without the trail of clues. He was inspired to leave. Robert refused to stay the night in another hotel in Chihuahua. But there were no available flights to the US until the next day. He was desperate to be reunited with his family. His grower offered to drive him to the border. Robert gratefully took the offer, though he knew it meant traveling through the badlands of Mexico, another treacherous area. He contacted a friend who offered to pick up Robert in a private airplane. And Robert was able to meet his friend at the border and travel back to the United States that very evening. That night, Robert had the most joyous reunion with his wife and family. Robert's wife had been sick with worry but had contacted everyone she could think of to ask for prayers on Robert's behalf. Here is her side of the story.

Robert Meek's Wife (28:40)

So I didn't know anything was amiss with him until middle of the morning. I had decided to go to the zoo with my little grandsons and my daughter. We were just buckling them in the car when we received a phone call from my son in law. And he said, well, I have some news that Bob, your, your husband has been kidnapped in Mexico and he's not coming home today. And when I heard that, it was just a moment of complete unbelief because I mean, he works for a farm, you know, we're just ordinary people. And then he got off the call. I thought, what can I do? And I thought the only source of power or comfort is from God. And so we told the little grand boys, we said, hold your arms, we have to say a special prayer right now for your bop. And so I was the voice of the prayer. And it was probably the most sincere, heartfelt plea for heavenly help that I've ever given.

Narrator (29:48)

Because I knew that.

Robert Meek's Wife (29:52)

God loved this man that I loved and that if there was any way for him to be protected, that it would come through God.

Narrator (30:03)

Robert has asked himself why this happened. He's asked, asked others too, why they think he went through something so traumatic along with the miracles that followed.

Robert Meek (30:12)

I've shared this story in many settings. And after one youth camp, one young lady comes up to me, she's probably 15 years old, and she said, do you realize why this happened or that this story wasn't about you? And I said, share your perspective with me. And she said, this story, me was about Sergio and God needed Sergio to listen and he wasn't paying attention to God. And so God did what he could only do. He could use one of us here on earth to contact Sergio and get his message across that he loved him and that he was important to him and that there was still hope. We all need one more chance.

Robert Meek's Wife (30:58)

My faith that God hears and answers our prayers was confirmed. And I know that God is aware of each of us. And when we're going through difficulties and needs strength beyond our own personal strength that we can seek and receive that through prayer.

Holly Worthington (31:19)

So much to unpack in this story. Like, first of all, I can't believe how kind and good Robert Meek's heart was despite going through these awful things.

Emily Jones (31:29)

Yeah, it's incredible. And as you know, Holly, Robert Meek is actually a good friend of our parents. So we first heard about this when it was happening.

Holly Worthington (31:38)

Yeah.

Emily Jones (31:38)

And you and I were both literally praying for him when he was still in Mexico.

Narrator (31:43)

Yeah, we were.

Holly Worthington (31:44)

And I had never met him in person, but I just remember mom calling up and she's like, this guy has been kidnapped in Mexico. He needs our prayers. And I'll be honest, I. I prayed for him, but I had no idea how they were possibly going to get him home safe and sound.

Emily Jones (31:59)

I know. It was so scary, and I know there were hundreds of people praying, but that's one of the things that really stood out to me in this story is how powerful prayer is. I mean, he's like, literally on the phone with his kidnappers, and at the same time, he's praying in between the conversations with his kidnappers. And you got his wife's praying, the community's praying, his family. Just so many people praying for him.

Holly Worthington (32:24)

Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like God answered his prayers by inspiring Robert's mind throughout this experience to think clearly, to leave clues for the police. And in addition, he was able to feel that peace when things got so dark.

Robert Meek's Wife (32:39)

Yeah.

Holly Worthington (32:40)

And speaking of that dark, dark moment, we got to talk about Sergio. I mean, this was a dude who had really lost his way. His life sounded awful. He couldn't even trust anyone he knew.

Emily Jones (32:52)

And kind of feel bad for him.

Holly Worthington (32:54)

Yeah, I do, too. But for a short time, he was able to remember God because Robert was willing to remind him that God still loved him.

Emily Jones (33:02)

Well, obviously he made some serious mistakes, but, yeah, we don't know Sergio. We don't know what happened to him. But I do love that God at least gave him a chance to turn toward him.

Holly Worthington (33:13)

Yeah, I do, too. And Bob actually wrote a book about all of this. It's called One More Chance. And I think he chose that title partly because he hopes Sergio has reflected upon this experience and hopefully has surrendered his life to God.

Emily Jones (33:27)

Yeah, I hope so, too.

Holly Worthington (33:28)

Yeah, me too. Well, we want to thank Robert for sharing this story with us. Come back next week, because we promise this next episode is one you're never going to forget.

Emily Jones (33:38)

It's really good, so make sure you, like, subscribe, share our podcast with your friends, and we'll see you next time.

Holly Worthington (33:44)

See you then. Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact us@themerical files.com or find us on Facebook.

Narrator (33:54)

We're now releasing multiple episodes each month, so subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.

Holly Worthington (34:03)

Join us next time as we discover more of God's miracles and don't forget to look for his light in your own lives.

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