BOSTON (WHDH) - A Revere missionary group who were trapped in Haiti for days following violent protests across the country arrived in Boston on Sunday.
The Morning Star parishioners were all smiles as they greeted friends and family at Logan Airport.
“I think the concern for me is when we would come home because it did not seem like the situation in Port-au-Prince was being alleviated or was going to stop soon,” Linda DeCristoforo, a parishioner who traveled with the church, said.
The group was in Haiti nearly three weeks building playgrounds, cleaning churches, and donating school supplies and food when the widespread demonstrations broke out, causing roads to be barricaded and airport access to be blocked.
With food, water, and gas scarce, and the protestors vowing to keep protesting until the president resigns, the group was confined to a church in L’Asille and unable to leave.
“Even though we weren’t able to do the big projects, building a wall, that we were looking forward to, we were still able to work with them, which was one of our big things,” Kristen Ells, a parishioner, said. “We don’t work for them, we work with them. So even that, we were able to work side by side.”
The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory warning people not to travel to the Caribbean country, and recalled all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their families.
The missionary group worked with state leaders and the Archdiocese of Boston, who made arrangements to airlift them by helicopter to Port-au-Prince Airport.
“Our hosts in L’Aisle have been just marvelous,” Fr. John Sheridan, Morning Star’s pastor, said. “They’ve really helped people understand that they’re safe. Everybody was safe throughout this entire process.”
The group is grateful for all of the support they received in Haiti and back home, and added that their faith got them through this experience.
“It’s great to be home,” DeCristoforo said. “We still have a connection with our brothers and sisters in L’Aisle and that won’t end, and we still pray for the poor people in Haiti that are suffering right now.’
Many of these church members said, while they have been through a lot during the last few days, they would do it all over again.
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