An Oklahoma-based missionary organization operating in Haiti’s capital has expressed condolences after gang members killed three of its members, including a recently married American couple in their 20s. Mission in Haiti Davey Lloyd and mission director Jude Monteith were ambushed and killed by gang members on Thursday, May 23, as they returned from a youth activity at a church in Port-au-Prince. Davey Lloyd is the son of Haiti mission founders David and Alicia Lloyd, who were back in the U.S. at the time. Natalie is the daughter of Missouri Congressman Ben Baker.
Hundreds of people reportedly gathered at a church in Port-au-Prince for Monteith’s funeral. Associated PressThe lives of Mr. and Mrs. Royce were also honoured at the ceremony, and their bodies will be flown to the US. Monteith, 47, was married and had two children, aged six and two.
“We are facing the most challenging period of our lives,” the Haiti mission said in a statement. Facebook page“We thank you all for your prayers and support.”
Haiti is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to do missionary work, with gangs controlling much of Port-au-Prince. Last summer, the U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel” notice due to kidnappings, crime and civil unrest. The tragedy unfolded in real time on Facebook, where Alicia Lloyd posted an urgent prayer request Thursday evening, saying Davy and Natalie were in danger but still alive. At the time, gang members were threatening their lives outside their home, and the couple were in contact with the outside world via the internet.
“This evening Davey, Natalie and the kids were coming out of the youth center at our church when they were ambushed by a gang of men in three trucks,” Alicia Lloyd wrote Thursday night. “Davey was tied up and beaten and taken to a house. The gang then took our truck, loaded it with everything they wanted and left. Another gang apparently showed up to see what was going on and see if they could help. No one knows what they’re doing or what happened but one person was shot and killed and this gang went into full attack mode. Davey, Natalie and Jude… [were] “I got a call using Starlink internet to my house on the edge of the compound. They’ve barricaded themselves there, the gang has shot out all the windows in the house and are continuing to shoot. Their lives are in danger.”
She added: “I have asked everyone I know to call police armoured cars to evacuate them to safety but no one will do it. I am also trying to negotiate with the gang to see how much to pay them so they can leave and get to safety. Please pray for me. It’s going to be a long night. All the phones are off and I haven’t been able to get in touch with anyone for the past few hours to find out what’s going on.”
About three hours later, the Mission in Haiti Facebook page posted an update: “Davey, Natalie and Jude were shot and killed by a gang this evening around 9pm. We are all heartbroken.”
The missionary group has spoken openly about the dangers of doing missionary work in Haiti, writing in a May newsletter that “Haiti’s humanitarian crisis has worsened since our last newsletter” and that “gangs have taken control of even more areas in and around Port-au-Prince.”
“We are very grateful that our area has remained relatively peaceful,” the May newsletter stated. “A gang leader in our area controls one of the Haitian ‘good gangs’ who has been working to keep the ‘bad guys’ out of our area, and we pray that they will remain strong enough to keep a semblance of peace in our area.”
The newsletter said Natalie had been “looking after the children at House of Compassion and helping out at ACE School” while Davy had been “working on many much-needed projects around our site.”
Founded in 1998, Mission in Haiti runs an orphanage called House of Compassion that houses 36 children. It has also established a juvenile detention center, two churches and three schools, according to its website.
“Our goal is to see the Gospel of Christ make a difference in the lives of young people in Haiti,” the website states.
Photo credit: ©MissionInHaiti.com / Haiti Mission Facebook
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
