The father of a brave missionary killed with his devoted wife during an armed gang raid in Haiti, Caribbean, has vowed that work for the gospel of Jesus Christ will carry on after the tragedy.
Haiti is being overrun by gang violence, which has reached unprecedented levels with the United Nations confirming the deaths of 2,500 people in the first quarter of 2024.
Missions in Haiti Inc. was founded by David Lloyd and his wife Alicia in Haiti in 2000. With a vision to helping the small nation’s impoverished children, the Lloyds purposed to bring the gospel by setting up various projects such as House of Compassion providing schooling for youngsters, Good Hope Boy’s Home for boys who lost everything in the hurricanes of 2008, and a weekly church program for children.
David’s 23-year-old son, known as Davy - full name David Lloyd III - worked at the mission project base in Haiti from January 2023 with his wife Natalie Lloyd (Baker), aged 21, the daughter of Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker and his wife Naomi. The couple were married at Bible Holiness Assembly of God in Neosho on June 18, 2022.
“Natalie had a mother’s heart and loved the children in the orphanage in Haiti from the moment of her first trip there prior to her marriage to Davy,” said an obituary tribute with Clark Funeral Home, adding: “Soon after he was born, Davy went to Haiti. His first language was Haitian Creole. He loved his Haitian brothers and sisters, whom he grew up with at the House of Compassion.”
However, tragedy struck on May 23 when a criminal gang killed the couple and local mission director Jude Montis, 45, a married father-of-two, in an armed raid in the Lizon community, in northern Port-au-Prince. The trio had just left a youth group meeting when they were ambushed and eventually shot dead.
Following the tragedy, David Lloyd Jr. returned recently from a two-day trip with family members after checking on the welfare of the Haitian project staff and children who are being temporarily housed. He had reassured project staff and children that the mission work would continue.
Lloyd told Christian Daily International of the importance in continuing the gospel work in the country, “to honor Davy and Natalie’s and Jude's sacrifice, and that is what all three would have wanted.”
He also spoke of the importance to “not let the Devil win” because the Haitian people “that are our staff and kids are our family.”
“You don't abandon your family just because they are in a tough situation that could affect you also. God called us there, we have no doubt, and He hasn't released that calling from off of us.
“The darkest places need the most light and we will do what we can, and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ still needs to be preached – trusting these three lives will be the turning point for Haiti and repentance will come.”
Lloyd himself is aware of questions about the project’s future but he trusts in God for the steps ahead.
“The question of ‘now what’ kept coming up,” he said. “So far now we have a 6-month plan: temporary housing that would be sufficient for everyone for the next 6 months. Found that when I was there.
“Then continue to pray that help comes to Haiti, so the security situation turns around and hopefully soon to be able to go back to our area and pick up pieces and continue on.”
Lloyd also posted a poignant update on the mission’s Facebook page about the recent tragic events. He said there were different accounts of what happened on the night of the triple shooting.
He summarized the incident as good against evil. Gangs in the vicinity decided to help themselves in stealing “what they could get” from the mission base, regardless of destruction.
Before she was killed, Natalie bravely ran past the armed men with guns to rescue a little girl called Laika and bring her to safety with other children, he wrote.
“The whole time Davy kept preaching to the gangs and telling them that God loves them and will forgive them, quoting scriptures and telling them the plan of salvation. They would tell him to shut up and he wouldn't, so they would hit him. He was told by one staff to please be quiet and just lay there, but Davy said he couldn't, that these guys needed to hear about the hope of Jesus, and the plan of salvation.”
A second gang then arrived with “over 100 guys, all shooting.” Davy could be heard continuing to evangelize from another building, his father said, proclaiming the love of Jesus to the gang men.
“The staff and kids in the big house could hear him from the house doing the same thing. Telling the gang guys about the love of God, quoting scriptures, and telling how to be saved and forgiven and have a home in Heaven some day. They said he did that until they killed him.”
In another Facebook post, Lloyd said Davy, Natalie and Jude were in the house at the end of the property using a Star Link internet connection to call him as the tragic drama unfolded.
“So they are holed up in there, the gangs have shot all the windows out of the house and continue to shoot. Their lives are in danger. I have been trying all my contacts to get a police armored car there to evacuate them out to safety but can't get anyone to do.”
“Being able to share the love of God during the attack, reassures us that Jesus was there with them,” said Lloyd in the recent Facebook tribute, “and Davy had a supernatural anointing on him for his voice to carry and echo throughout the area every time the shooting would stop.
“I am still in awe of this, as hundreds of bullets [were] being fired at them, they were demonstrating God's love and mercy in return. Believing this will have a great impact in the world for Jesus Christ.”
The funeral for the couple was held at Bible Holiness Assembly of God in Missouri on June 3.
