American evangelical missionaries killed in Haiti

“Most of you know that my daughter and son-in-law, Davy and Natalie Lloyd, are full-time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by gangs this evening and both killed,” wrote Ben Baker, Natalie Lloyd’s father, in a May 24 letter. Facebook The Missouri congressman added: “They went to heaven together. Please pray for my family, we desperately need strength.”

Missions in Haiti, an evangelical organization supporting Haitian children, was founded in 2000 by David and Alicia Lloyd of Oklahoma. Although the entire country is mired in poverty, children suffer the most, the couple explained on their website. Thousands of them suffer from malnutrition, lack of education and a life without hope.

As full-time missionaries in Haiti, they brought with them their son Davy, 23, who was working as a missionary with his wife Natalie Baker, 21. The young couple, who married in the United States in 2022, were attacked by armed gangs on the evening of May 23 in the community of Lizon, north of Port-au-Prince.

“Unimaginable grief”

With the country under siege by armed groups, it is difficult to reconstruct the events. According to reports, the couple was leaving a church with a group of children when they were ambushed. The attackers attacked the missionaries, looted their valuables and fled. Then a second armed group arrived, arrested and eventually killed the young couple. They also killed Jude Montis, the local head of the missions in Haiti. Montis, a Haitian, had been with the organization for 20 years and was the father of two children, ages 2 and 6.

Baker, a Republican in the House of Representatives, confirmed that the bodies of his daughter and son-in-law had been transferred to the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims who are experiencing unimaginable grief,” a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council said.

2,500 people have fallen victim to gangs

According to the United Nations, no fewer than 2,500 people have fallen victim to the gangs that have taken over the capital. A contingent of Kenyan peacekeepers that was supposed to support the overwhelmed Haitian police was stopped.

In less than 25 years, the missions in Haiti have created several facilities to house and support Haitian children. The House of Compassion houses 36 children (18 boys and 18 girls) “until they finish school and are ready to stand on their own two feet,” the organization’s website states. The Good Hope Boys’ Home has space for 22 boys. The mission has also built a church, a bakery and a school that educates more than 240 students.