It was with great jubilation and immense relief that the Haitian Coalition of Somerville welcomed the news of the safe release of Lissa Alphonse and Rev. Michel Louis by their abductors in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

The Alphonse family requests privacy at this time as Lissa’s husband Yves Donald, two children, extended family members, friends and supporters still wait to welcome Lissa back into their arms, again, in person.

“We thank God for Lissa and Rev. Louis’ safe release and can’t wait to see her lovely face when she sets foot on US soil,” said Yves Donald Alphonse, Lissa’s husband.  “We miss her tremendously and are grateful to have her back.  When we see her, we’ll find it very difficult to let her out of our sight ever again.  Please respect our privacy as we recover from our shock and await for normalcy to return to our lives.”

On behalf of the Alphonse family, the Coalition thanked all of the dedicated family, friends and supporters who prayed for the captives’ return.  They also thanked Sen. Scott Brown, Sen. John Kerry, Rep. Mike Capuano, the State Department and other entities and supporters who worked diligently for their release.

The Haitian Coalition of Somerville is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the social, educational, and economic development of Haitian youth and families living in Somerville and the greater Boston area.