‘We’ll be home soon’: SWFL church group stranded in Haiti as protests erupt

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A Cape Coral church group is stuck in Haiti due to the eruption of violent protests over the cost of gas in the country.

The government of Haiti ordered a hike in fuel prices. After protests began, the prime minister pleaded for calm, and said there would be a temporary stop to the price hikes. However, flights in and out of the country keep getting canceled.

In total, there are 17 people from SWFL stranded in Haiti—10 of them adults and seven high school students. They were on a mission trip to deliver supplies to a small village outside Port Au Prince.

The group from Cape Coral is now sheltering in place at a safe location outside the city.

“We’ve been going for years, and it’s the first time we’ve had this exact kind of situation. They’re treating it correctly to keep them on campus, to keep them in a safe place until things settle down,” said Pastor Dennis Gingerich, the group’s pastor at Cape Christian Fellowship.

The group’s team leader, Joyce Shaffner, is with the mission trip on the ground in Haiti and is asking for prayers.

“Just continue to pray for us and we’ll be home as soon as we can. I don’t know when, but I walk with the lord and he has a plan. I’m just waiting for him to reveal it,” Shaffner said.

Gingerich says the area where the church group is staying does have security.

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