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Missionaries waiting for Haitian airports to open again

South Florida leaders continue to express outrage over the killing
Posted at 12:02 AM, Jul 09, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-09 00:07:59-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The entire country of Haiti is under a two-week State of Siege after the assassination of their President Jovenel Moise.

South Florida leaders continue to express outrage over the killing.

"If a president can be killed is his own house with all of the security that he had so we know that no one is safe and Haiti," State Rep. Marie Woodson said.

The capital, Port-Au-Prince is bare. Shops are closed, public transportation isn't running, and the international airports were shut down.

The closing of the airports presented a problem for Missionary Flights International.

"We have flights pretty much two times a week. As we go down every Tuesday and Thursday," Joe Karabensh with Missionary Flights International said.

He said the nonprofit has been around for over 50 years. Their main focus is Haiti.

They fly for about 600 different mission organizations that work in churches, orphanages, schools to hospitals.

"We had a team we were supposed to fly in today. And we had 19 passengers from a team that had been down there wanting to fly out as well. And they're stranded down there till they can get the airports open," he said.

Karabensh said he's looking to evacuate 22 people on Friday from a grass airstrip in the middle of the nation. It's just one mission in the days ahead.

"We also have a flight to the Bahamas on Saturday. We might be able to go to the Bahamas and then to Haiti and then come back. That's kind of what I've been working on today," he said.

Karabensh said Haiti has had turmoil for decades. But he said he and his crew are steadfast in their faithful work.