Amid the tragic news that young missionary couple Davy Lloyd, 23, and Natalie Lloyd, 21, were killed in Haiti while doing missionary work, another man was killed who isn’t mentioned as much: Pastor Jude Montis.
Jude Montis was the 45-year-old Haitian native who served alongside Lloyds as the Director of Missions in Haiti, the group’s ministry organization. Along with the House of Compassion, the orphanage operated by Missions that housed 36 children, the organization also operated a school, bakery, and church, serving more than 240 people.
Montis, along with the Lloyds, was ambushed by several gang members. Davy Lloyd, who grew up and spent his whole life in Haiti, was captured, tied up, and beaten by gang members while others stole the church’s truck and other supplies. At that point, another armed group arrived, and a gun battle ensued, where the Lloyds and Montis were killed. A video of the scene later showed two of the victims were severely burned and appeared to have been set on fire.
Haiti has long been considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with armed gangs controlling some cities, resulting in unprecedented levels of violence, instability, and humane crisis.
The U.S. State Department has long advised American Citizens to leave the country, but Natalie’s father explained, “They decided to remain even when it got worse because they felt like if they left, then those kids would have nowhere to go.”
Along with being the Director of the Mission, where he served for 20 years, Montis was a husband and father to two young children, aged 2 and 6. It is unclear if he had social media, and at this point little else is known about him, but amid the reports of the deaths of Lloyd’s, we wanted to ensure that his tragic passing was not just an afterthought.
