American Missionaries Trapped in Haiti Amid Violent Anarchy Plead for Prayer
“We’re already on the front lines of it…The gunfire never stops.”
The family of an American missionary trapped in Haiti amid violent unrest with four of her adopted children is pleading for prayer as the woman claims the U.S. Embassy hasn’t been much help.
Earlier this week, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned amid widespread unrest in the country, leaving them among those stranded in the collapsing nation.
Port-au-Prince has been in chaos since gangsters broke into two major prisons, releasing thousands of prisoners and assuming control of 80% of the city.
According to a Facebook post from a family member of Ryan and Jill Dolan, who run an orphanage in Haiti, the mother and four of their adopted children have been holed up in a makeshift hotel.
“My nephew Ryan and his wife Jill are asking for urgent prayer for Jill and four of their adopted teenage kids who were on their way to their biological daughter Sarah’s wedding north of West Palm Beach Florida when armed gangs took over the airport in the Haitian capital, Port–Au–Prince, early last week, trapping them there,” the relative wrote, as The Christian Post reports. Ryan and one of the couple’s sons were already in the U.S. when the violence erupted.
“Flights have been canceled since then, forcing them to stay in a small hotel where they can hear gunshots as the massive gang violence to oust the prime minister continues all over the city, and especially near the airport where they are holed up. The teens are all white (one biological brother-sister set half Mexican), so they stand out in Haiti, which doesn't help at present,” the post continued.
The Dolan’s relative explained that roads in and out of the capital are closed, so the family can’t return to their ministry in a mountain village in western Haiti.
In an interview with The New York Post, Jill said the family has been in contact with the U.S. Embassy but that the help they’ve offered has amounted to assuring the mother and teenagers to “be safe.”
“My fear is that we will be caught in the middle of something really dangerous. We’re already on the front lines of it, we’re in a bad area. It’s kind of depressing. The gunfire never stops,” she added.
Lord, we are lifting the Dolans up to you, and everyone who is caught in the path of these violent gangs. There have been some reports that bodies are piling up in the streets, with no infrastructure to clear away the dead. We know that many in Haiti love You and know You, so we pray for armies of angels to surround them and for Your Spirit to minister through them as they brave against this onslaught of violence and wickedness.
Most of all, we lift up the souls of the gang members wreaking havoc and slaughtering the innocent, that they would be led to the foot of the Cross, repent of their wickedness, and be saved and redeemed forever in Your Kingdom with us, Lord. Amen.