Spring 2024

Most of you have probably heard about the tragic deaths of a young American missionary couple in Haiti this past month.

They were living and working in an area just outside of Port-au-Prince, where gangs have been active for many years. They apparently had never had problems with gangs in the past and obviously felt they were safe to continue with their ministry.

Unfortunately, this changed and they lost their lives.

Situations like this affect the entire missionary community and cause us to reflect on our own safety and that of our staff. Here in Jérémie, there have never been organized gangs or individuals who are armed with automatic weapons like those in Port-au-Prince. But, there is always the potential for harm to us as Americans and we take that very seriously. We are never on the roads after dark and we keep our house and front gate locked even when we’re at the house.

We never travel by car any further than Les Cayes, which is a two-hour drive away. And, we avoid confrontations with motorcycle and truck drivers so as not to provoke any anti-American sentiments.

Cherlie and I went back to the US at the end of March, as the US Embassy had suggested for all citizens. But, we felt that the personal risk to us in Jérémie was low compared with the benefit of keeping our clinic open so we returned to Haiti in mid-May to re-open the clinic and resume our normal duties.

We appreciate your prayers for us, as always, for wisdom in our decisions and safety for all of our staff.