Northeast Georgia group remains in strife-torn Haiti

The 22 members of a mission team from Hartwell, Georgia’s Mt. Olivet Baptist Church are still in Haiti. They were warned again yesterday that, because of continued unrest, to not travel. The team does have flights booked on Friday but hope to be able to return home sooner. They were first to have returned to the U.S Saturday, but civil riots broke out in Haiti when gas prices jumped from about $4.50 per gallon to over $7 per gallon. The unrest, including roadblocks, fires and vandalism has swept the island nation, including along the road from the Mission Camp Headquarters and Port Au Prince. The mission camp is about a two-hour drive from the airport in Port Au Prince. While no one from the mission team has been harmed, there are reports of at least three deaths as a result of the rioting, including one person who was set on fire. According to reports, the missionary team is safe at the Mission Camp Headquarters because the facility has armed security personnel. U.S. Embassy officials have urged the group to stay put until there is a break in the rioting. At home, according to Lake Hartwell Radio WLHR, a community prayer rally will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 12 on the square at the courthouse in Hartwell. Anyone who wishes to join in the prayer service is encouraged to come and pray. If that were not enough, Tropical Storm Beryl’s remnants could pose an additional threat to the missionaries, bringing strong winds and heavy rains. For now, however, authorities are expect the storm to continue to dissipate.