On the evening of March 28, the body of Michael “M.J.” Sharp, son of Hesston College Bible and history instructor John Sharp, was confirmed as one found in a shallow grave March 27 in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. John Sharp confirmed the report.
M.J. was part of a UN panel of experts investigating ongoing conflicts and government abuses in the region. He was kidnapped by an unidentified militia group on March 12, along with his companions, UN colleague Zaida Catalan of Sweden, and three Congolese nationals, interpreter Betu Tshintela, driver Isaac Kabuayi, and two unnamed motorbike drivers. The bodies of Catalan and Tshintela were found along with Sharp’s. The search for the remaining three missing continues.
Hesston College Interim President, Ben Sprunger, issued the following statement:
“We mourn with John and Michele Sharp in the death of their son, M.J., who was killed as he worked to bring more peace to a hurting world. M.J.’s life and work reflected his deeply rooted beliefs of peace for all humanity, and we are grateful for the example he set of what it looks like to offer hope in place of despair and replace war and conflict with peace. We recognize the risks to those who work for peace, and we are grateful for their service. Our prayers and support are with the Sharp family in the difficult days ahead, as well as the families of Zaida Catalan, Betu Tshintela, and the three companions who remain missing. We also pray for the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with deep and painful divides, that it would come to find peace and relief.
M.J.’s career of more than 10 years was devoted to humanitarian work and service. He had worked for the UN in the Congo since 2015. Prior to that, he served for three years as Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) Eastern Congo coordinator, working to facilitate repatriation of Rwandan refugees and negotiating with militia leaders. From 2005-08, he served as a Mennonite Mission Network worker with the German Mennonite Peace Committee where he was director of the Military Counseling Network assisting U.S. service members pursuing conscientious objector status.
During the two-week search for M.J., John and his wife, Michele Miller Sharp, reflected through news reports and social media updates on who M.J. was, why he pursued humanitarian work and what he believed.
In a March 14 article in the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, John was quoted as saying: “MJ is committed to finding nonviolent ways to resolve conflict. He is aware that 20 years of violence in eastern Congo has solved nothing – he was working to find a better way.”
Like their son, John and Michele’s reflections exemplified a spirit of peace and compassion for all.
In a March 14 interview with the Mennonite World Review, John was quoted: “I have said on more than one occasion that we peacemakers should be willing to risk our lives as those who join the military do. Now it’s no longer theory.”
Likewise, in a March 18 Facebook post, John shared: “We continue to wait in hope for M.J., Zaida and their four Congolese companions. Please pray also for the captors who are also victims of the violence that has taken six million lives and has made millions more homeless. They have families, too.”
Hesston College chapel on Wednesday, March 29, will be a time for the community to come together to hear more information, reflect on the situation and worship with one another through song and prayer. All are welcome.
Further services of remembrance are being planned and details will be shared as they come available.
M.J. was a 2001 graduate of Bethany Christian School (Goshen, Ind.), and a 2005 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.).