US Missionaries Trapped in Violence-Torn Haiti
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Worthy News) – Two U.S. missionaries remained trapped in Haiti on Friday, some two weeks after a gang uprising began seeking the ouster of the troubled Caribbean nation’s prime minister.
With gunfire heard and bodies reportedly littering the streets in some areas, missionary Jill Dolan, who helps run children’s home “Love A Neighbor” in Haiti, and her family were begging to get out.
Dolan, her husband, Ryan, and their adopted teenage children have been sheltering in a makeshift motel in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
They had been on their way to a wedding in the U.S. state of Florida when armed gangs took over the airport, Worthy News learned.
“We have been ‘sheltering in place’ for 13 days now,” the missionaries wrote on social media. However, “Knowing that so many have been praying for us means so much to us! We are touched by your kindness and support,” they added on their Facebook website page.
Some two weeks of “intermittent gunfire is not something we are obviously used to. It is not something anyone should ever need to be used to!” the couple stressed in remarks monitored by Worthy News.
“We came to Haiti to show the love of Jesus to the children. We have been blessed with 10 years of service in Haiti, and never have we experienced something like this.”
“GENUINELY LOVING HAITI”
They stressed that “90 percent of Haiti is filled with genuinely kind, loving and precious people. Although we call Haiti home, we desperately want to get out of Port au Prince.”
They urged prayers and asked for donations “for our unplanned, extended stay as well as possible evacuation costs.”
Hundreds of thousands of people, including Christians, have been displaced by the ongoing violence by well-armed groups saying they want to topple Prime Minister Ariel Henry, an unpopular leader.
Henry, who was never elected, had been appointed prime minister by President Jovenel Moise in 2021, shortly before Moise was assassinated. Henry repeatedly postponed ballots, adding to anger.
To restore calm, Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico, released a video Monday pledging to resign when a transition council and temporary leader were chosen.
However, influential gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier had warned politicians not to participate in such a council and threatened them and their families in recent remarks on the social messaging platform WhatsApp.
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