Eleven members of a Perry church doing missionary work in Haiti are on their way home after being briefly stranded during protests in the Caribbean nation.
Pastor Jordan Kersey, of Church in the Park, said the group includes six adults and five teens, ranging in age from 13 to more than 40. The last time he communicated with his wife, Lindsey, the group was in the Port-au-Prince airport waiting to catch a flight to Florida, then Georgia.
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They left for Haiti June 30 for seven days of mission work in an orphanage and medical clinic. They were scheduled to leave Saturday but couldn’t because of civil unrest and looting over fuel prices.
According to media reports, an unknown number of people have died.
“It’s crazy,” Kersey said.
This was the three-and-a-half year old church’s first mission trip to Haiti. Another Georgia church, Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Hartwell, also has members delayed in Haiti who probably won’t be able to leave until Friday, according to the church’s associate pastor.
Church in the Park members followed warnings from the U.S. Embassy to “shelter in place.” They, and other U.S. residents, were unable to get to the airport, where many flights were canceled and supplies are short.
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“My wife said everything had come to a standstill,” Kersey said. “They were stuck.” He said the embassy had told him that if supplies ran out where the group was housed, that they would make sure they got help, which gave him some relief.
Kersey said he has been communicating with the group mostly through the internet, which has been spotty at best.
Church members, which number about 300, have held prayer vigils for the group’s safe return.
On the way to the airport, the group saw dead animals on fire, burning tires and buildings.
“Once they got to the airport, we felt we had gotten over a pretty big hurdle,” he said. “Once I see her face, I’ll know we crossed the finish line.”
He has alternated been anger, fear and relief. “My kids want their mama back.”
In spite of the scare, Kersey is adamant that the group will one day return to Haiti.
A number of U.S. churches send missions to Haiti, which has a rich history and culture, but is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. It has been hurt over the years by corrupt regimes, crippling debt, natural disasters and environmental threats such as deforestation.
In Hartwell, about 22 members of Mt. Olivet, including Pastor Jason Webb, have been in Montrouis for more than a week. They were originally scheduled to return on the weekend but were advise not to make the trip to the Port-au-Prince airport.
In Montrouis, they worked in an orphanage, clinic, distributed food and worked in with a vacation bible school program.
This is the church’s third year in Haiti, he said.
Mt. Olivet will hold a community prayer vigil at 8 p.m. Thursday in downtown Hartwell, said Associate Pastor Caleb Bond.
“They’re family so of course we’re worried about them, but we know that God has a purpose for this” he said. “Pastor Jason’s message is that this ‘momentary light affliction is for God’s glory. Jesus is worth it. The gospel is worth it and Haiti is worth it’. We have absolutely no regrets.”
And Church in the Park’s Kelsey also has a message: “Please don’t let this story stop anybody from doing mission work,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate, but there are impoverished and starving children in this work and there will continue to be unless we do something about it.”
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