Details have emerged on how missionaries being held captive in Haiti made a daring nighttime escape and are now home in time for Christmas.

There were 12 missionaries remaining in captivity after 17 were kidnapped after visiting an orphanage. Five of the missionaries had already been released, when the remaining ones decided to make a daring escape.

"When they sensed the timing was right, they found a way to open the door that was closed and blocked, filed silently to the path they had chosen to follow and left the place that they were held," Weston Showalter of Christian Aid Ministries said at a news conference in Ohio on Monday afternoon.

The 400 Mazowo gang who was responsible for the kidnapping was demanding $1 million USD for each captive missionary. It's not clear if any ransom money had been paid throughout the ordeal.

The missionaries recounted their escape through Showalter. He says the group had identified a mountain that they had seen earlier as the point they wanted to get to. They had been moved to several different locations throughout their time in captivity.

Using the stars to guide their way they walked for hours through dense brush that included thickets, thorns, and briars. The group walked in silence, including the children, and an infant was wrapped in clothing to protect her from the brush.

"Twice when they had planned to escape God had given clear signs that this was not the right time. And, God is always on time."

"The hostages spoke to the gang leader on several occasions, boldly reminding him of God and warning him of God's eventual judgment if him and the gang members continue in their gangs," Showalter said.

"With God's help, protection, and leading they quickly made their way through the night." Showalter says they walked for somewhere around 10 miles (16 km) likely, though it was difficult to gauge the distance.

Haiti Update: Press Release | Christian Aid Ministries

Showalter says that as of Tuesday morning all missionaries would be back at their homes. 

The missionaries only decided to escape after they became united in their belief that was what God was leading them to. "They sought God in prayer, over and over" he says, seeking a clear sign for when the timing would be right. "On several occasions, they had planned an escape but had decided if specific things didn't happen at specific times that they had determined as a group they would accept that as God's direction to wait."

"Twice when they had planned to escape God had given clear signs that this was not the right time. And, God is always on time. Those signs that they were seeking, it was on the very minute that they were seeking them," on the night when they finally made their escape, according to Showalter.

They were able to get through that blocked door and to the path they had previously chosen. After walking throughout the night they were able to find someone with a phone once daylight arrived and they were able to call authorities. The U.S. Coast Guard later flew the group from Haiti to Florida.

The missionaries say that gang members did provide them with clean drinking water and food, as well as formula for the baby. They were also allowed outside each day into a yard and Showalter called that "a real blessing."

While they may have been in captivity they didn't let that deter their faith either. "Our workers started each day with a time of worship," Showalter says, "sharing inspiration with each other, singing, and praying.

"It wasn't unheard of if singing and encouraging got on a roll to find us finishing morning devotions sometimes close to noon," one of the missionaries said through Showalter.

The missionaries also met around 1 p.m. each day to pray specifically for their release and that God would make a way for their release.