Local Missionaries Are Stranded In Haiti Because Of Violent Protests

STANLY COUNTY, NC.– Local missionaries are stranded in Haiti because of violent protests over fuel prices. The Pastor of a church in Albemarle says some of his members are held up in an orphanage. Two teenagers are part of that mission group. The Pastor of North Albemarle Baptist Church says they were supposed to come home on Saturday. A mission group from Columbia, South Carolina is back in the states.

Pastor Brad Lynch says members of North Albemarle Baptist Church were on the last leg of their trip in the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince when violent protests broke out.

“Road blocks are being set up with burning tires and mattresses, and that sort of thing blocking the roads and making travel impossible,” says Pastor Lynch.

The Stanly County residents were caring for orphans and doing medical work. It’s a trip they take two or three times a year. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti tweeted Monday that flights out are overbooked. Pastor Lynch says the Albemarle group hopes to get a flight by midweek.

“As long as they’re able to do that, we’ll be fine. If that’s not a possibility, we’d just be concerned about food and fresh water.”

Other churches in the Carolinas are also affected. Emily Wheaton is a member of Chapin United Methodist in Columbia. She and a dozen others arrived in Atlanta Monday night.

“There were semis that were put on fire that had to be pushed out of the road,” says Wheaton.

Her group was stuck in Haiti for three days longer than expected.