Violent protests in Haiti have several church groups on mission trips to the impoverished Caribbean nation stranded, including a team from GracePointe Baptist Church in Douglas.
Friday, parts of Haiti erupted in violence due to a sharp spike in gasoline prices. The Haitian government increased gas prices significantly, causing citizens to take to the streets in protest. The demonstrations have turned violent, with several people losing their lives during the protests.
Haiti is a popular location for American churches to send mission teams. Several churches in Coffee County send teams throughout the year. At the moment, a team from GracePointe is down there finishing up its work. The group was supposed to depart Haiti on today — Sunday, July 8. However, due to the protests, the team won’t be leaving until at least Wednesday.
Team members and their families have been updating friends with social media posts. According to the many posts that have been published, everyone is OK and thus far they are untouched by the violence. They do, however, have their concerns and are remaining vigilant.
Betty M. O’Steen, mother of Marti O’Steen Foster, one of the GracePointe team members, made the following post on Saturday after talking to Marti on the phone: “[Marti] said that they are all well, although there is fear that they are going to rough each other up due to having to stay in the house 24/7. (And this was a joke, y’all. I’m trying to see the good in this situation.) She said that it looks like they have seats for Wednesday’s return home so I’m praying this does not change.”
Keep the GracePointe team and the other mission groups in Haiti, as well as the country and its citizens in general, in your prayers over the coming days and weeks.
