A group of northeast Georgia missionaries who had been stranded in Haiti due to civil unrest are finally home.
Pastor Jason Webb from Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Hartwell, along with a 21 others traveling with him, had been in the island nation since June 30. They were supposed to leave on Saturday, July 7, but violent protests over rising gas prices prevented the group from leaving.
The protests shut down the main road leading to the nation's international airport.
“I am glad we waited until we did to attempt to drive to Port-au-Prince," Webb told 11Alive's Christie Etheridge Thursday afternoon. "We passed dozens of places where roadblocks had been.”
"Friday afternoon, amid a scheduled gas price increase, the Haitian people began to protest the gas hike, and first there were reports of people going to the gas station and pulling the hoses off the pumps," Webb told Etheridge last week. "A little further down, they were set on fire. In our town, they created roadblocks with debris, rocks and burning tires."
The group arrived just before 8 p.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. After warm embraces from family and friends, the group returned to Hartwell by bus.
PHOTOS | Hartwell missionaries find themselves stranded in Haiti by civil unrest
"The only thing we want is Chick-fil-A and sweet tea," Webb said.
The United States has given nearly 13 billion in aid to Haiti ever since the earthquake in 2010 and many Haitians continue to struggle. It's why this group says they were called to serve.
The group said it's not about the road bump, it's about serving.
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