Christian Missionaries in Haiti Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

On January 12 a 7.0 Richter scale earthquake				said Dale Woods, another friend.
struck the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti,				Dufour is survived by his wife Dolly and adult
bringing widespread death and destruction to the				children.
western hemisphere's poorest nation. The				Dufour, 64, was killed with his friend from
earthquake killed at least 200,000 people, injured				Michigan, Merle West, when the FOHO
at least 300,000 others, leveled at least 250,000				headquarters collapsed in the earthquake. The
residencies, and destroyed or severely damaged				two men, who spent winter months in a Christian
at least 30,000 commercial structures. It was				retirement community in Lakeland, Florida, had
Haiti's largest and most destructive earthquake in				landed in Haiti only an hour earlier.
more than 200 years.				Merle West
Beyond the statistics, the human suffering is				Merle West of Mt. Morris, Michigan, was the
amongst the most heartbreaking the world has				president of FOHO, a member of Craftsman for
seen in some time - the break-up of families, the				Christ, and a volunteer for the FMWM. In these
orphaned children, the lack of food and water, the				roles he came to Haiti on January 12.
emotional and physical pain, the fight for daily				He had ministered in Haiti many times dating back
survival.				to 1978. He also worked in construction in Miami
This tragedy, however, has born witness to the				for Haitian churches.
generosity of Americans once again and others				"The Lord put Haiti on Merle's heart 30 years
throughout the world who have given of				ago," his friend Kenny Voller said. "That's what
themselves financially - donating roughly $528				Merle lived for. Very seldom did you have a
million as of late January. But long before the				conversation with him that Haiti did not come up."
earthquake put Haiti on the world radar screen, it				"Merle was about others - that was his life,
stood out for its dismal standard of living. For				others," said Greg Ennis, another friend. "Merle had
generations Christian missionaries have come to				a profound influence on the lives of others, that
do what they could. They were there on January				was evident."
12 before the bottom fell out. A few of them				West was 72 at the time of his death.
even made the ultimate sacrifice. If we have				He is survived by his wife Dorothy and adult
missed anyone please let us know so they can be				children.
honored for their sacrifice.				Benjamin Larson
Featured below are their stories of devotion and				Benjamin Larson of La Crosse, Wisconsin was a
achievement which inspire us all.				fourth-year student at the Wartburg Theological
Reverend Sam Dixon				School in Dubuque, Iowa. He was in Haiti to teach
The Reverend Sam Dixon travelled the world to				at the Evangelical Lutheran Church to complete a
further Christ's mission. He was in Haiti on January				January term project.
12 to find ways to improve health services for				Along with his wife Renee and his cousin Jonathon
the poor people there.				Larson, Benjamin was also in Haiti to "help with
His career began in 1975 when he entered the				the new Haiti Lutheran Church," according to a
ministry in his native North Carolina. He served				statement issued by the First Lutheran Church of
there for more than 20 years. He then went to				Duluth where his mother, the Rev. April Larson, is
work for the Board of Global Ministries, serving as				the pastor.
a staff member of the United Methodist				His father is the Rev. Judd Larson, the interim
Committee On Relief (UMCOR). In 1998 he took				pastor at Duluth's Our Savior's Lutheran Church.
charge of UMCOR's field operations unit, where he				Corinne Denis served with Larson in the seminary
confronted issues involving local health care,				and first met him at Luther College in Decorah,
refugees, agriculture, small business development,				Iowa when they were both undergraduate
and orphaned children.				students. She said that when he headed the
In 2001, he became the executive director of the				college's student-led worship service, he looked
United Methodist Development Fund. In 2003 he				forward to singing so much that he could be
was elected head of the board unit on				heard "singing in the stairwell before he got there."
evangelization and church growth. There, he				Renee said that just after the earthquake, "He
oversaw programs on missionary education and				was singing, not unusual for Ben who loved music.
relations with mission partners.				I told him I loved him, and that Jon and I were
He had served as UMCOR's top executive since				okay, and to keep singing. But the singing stopped
2007.				after he sang 'God's peace to us we pray.'"
He believed Christians could better resolve				Larson, 25, died in the collapse of the St. Joseph's
problems by working with others. His decision to				Home for Boys. He had been staying there with
coordinate relief efforts with Muslim Aid of				Renee and Jonathon, both of whom survived the
London drew some criticism, but he stood by it,				collapse.
believing this kind of collaboration better served				In addition to his wife and his parents, he is
those who needed aid the most.				survived by three older siblings.
"You could not be in his presence and not have a				Jean Arnwine
sense of his passion for his faith and his work,"				Clara Jean Arnwine, 49, of Dallas, Texas,
according to Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of				volunteered to go to Haiti last month along with 11
the United Methodist Council of Bishops.				other members of the Highland Park United
Rev. Dixon's body was pulled from the rubble of				Methodist Church. They arrived three days before
what was the Hotel Montana in Port-au-Prince, 55				the earthquake.
hours after the earthquake on January 12. He				The group included four employees of Texas
was 60.				Retina Associates, Arnwine's employer of many
He leaves behind his wife Cindy and four adult				years. They were in Haiti to provide free eye
children -- Christy, Amy, Josh, and Molly - and his				care service. The group included Dr. Gary Fish and
mother, three sisters, and two grandchildren.				Dr. Kenneth Foree who, with his wife Lila, had run
Reverend Clint Rabb				the church eye care clinic in Haiti for more than
The Rev. Clint Rabb was in Haiti along with Rev.				30 years.
Dixon and Rev. James Gulley to find health care				Arnwine's husband of 30 years, David, said she
solutions for the Haitian people.				eagerly agreed to join the group.
His life was all about helping those who needed it				"She was excited. She was thrilled. She started
most.				calling everyone she knew to donate glasses."
"Clint Rabb was a tough and fearless advocate				"She loves a project that benefits someone else,"
for the least and most vulnerable of God's				Dr. Fish said.
children," said Bishop Joel N. Martinez, the interim				Her experience in Haiti had been all she expected
general secretary of Global Ministries. "He travelled				it to be. Alex Paz, Arnwine's coworker at Texas
the world encouraging volunteer ministry in his				Retina Associates, said "She was very happy to
service on behalf of Christ and the church. He				be there. She was ready to come back next
gave his life for others and we celebrate his				year."
faithful witness."				The earthquake leveled the eye clinic in Petit
A native of Hunt County, Texas, northeast of				Goave, a village west of Port-au-Prince where
Dallas, Rev. Rabb began his ecclesial career in				Arnwine and four members of her team were
1974 with the Goliad United Methodist Church.				working. Her coworkers survived their injuries. Her
Early in his career he served in various ministries				injuries, however, were more extensive. She died
in the San Antonio and San Angelo areas of				three days later.
Texas.				In addition to her husband, she leaves behind two
He joined the Global Ministries in 1996. His work				children, son Ashley Ryan Arnwine, 29, and
took him to Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and				daughter Merilee DeAnne Arnwine, 27.
central Asia. He developed the "In Mission				Yvonne Martin
Together Church to Church Partnership Program,"				Yvonne Martin, 67, a retired nurse from Elmira,
bringing together congregations, annual				Ontario (Canada) landed in Haiti only 90 minutes
conferences, volunteer efforts, and mission staff.				before the earthquake. She was among a group
He had directed the Mission Volunteers Ministries				of seven volunteers with World Partners and the
since 2006. This unit partners with regional and				Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.
jurisdictional volunteer networks under the				On this her fourth Christian mission to the island
auspices of the United Methodist Volunteers in				nation, she and her group had planned to provide
Mission (UMVM). The UMVM stations volunteers				humanitarian aid in the northern part of the
throughout the world, often in the field of health.				country.
In this role, Rev. Rabb also promoted the				She looked forward to it, having come to love
Individual Volunteer programs and mission				the Haitian people and their culture.
opportunities for retired people.				"She was growing her love for Haiti. This was her
He died in a Miami hospital on January 17, five				retirement plan, to fundraise, learn Haitian Creole,
days after the earthquake. He had been meeting				and go back," said her son Luke.
with Rev. Dixon and three others at the Hotel				She had just left her fellow missionaries to change
Montana when the earthquake struck. He was				clothes when the earthquake leveled the building
found alive, but his life could not be saved.				she was in. Her body was found the next day.
He leaves behind his wife, Rev. Suzanne				She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Ron,
Field-Rabb. He is also survived by eight children,				and her sons Luke, Dean, and Terry, their wives,
Maury Rabb, Tyler Rabb, Ginny Scheuch, Travis				ten grandchildren, two brothers, and a sister.
Payne, Daniel Payne, Andrew Payne, Mathew				Molly Hightower
Payne, Clare Payne, and three grandchildren.				A month after graduating from the University of
Jeanne Acheson-Munos				Portland, Molly Hightower, 22, of Port Orchard,
The Rev. Jeanne Acheson-Munos and her husband				Washington, came to Haiti in June 2009 to pursue
Jack were sent to Port-au-Prince by the Free				her passion of caring for children left behind.
Methodist World Missions (FMWM) in March 2004				She volunteered on behalf of the Catholic-affiliated
to serve as career missionaries.				organization, Friends of the Orphans. She provided
In addition to teaching at Haiti's Bible School, the				physical therapy when needed and comforted
Institut Biblique Methodiste Libre, "They worked				disabled and abandoned children. Many of them
alongside the national church to develop and				were both disabled and abandoned -- autistic
strengthen the conference, pastors, church				children, children with Down Syndrome, and others
leaders, and members," the FMWM said in				whose disabilities made them unwanted by their
statement.				parents.
The daughter of a long-time Indianapolis pastor,				"She poured everything she had into the children,
Rev. Acheson-Munos met Jack in high school.				everything she had into these little ones who
They married and lived most of their lives in				might not know love otherwise," said Father Craig
Indianapolis. They became missionaries out of a				Hightower, her uncle and Gonzaga University
desire to help needy people find Christ and				priest.
improve their lives.				"She grew up in a household full of pictures and
"Jeanne's deepest desire was that Haiti, the Pearl				stories (of the people they helped)," another Uncle
of the Antilles, would shine again," the FMWM				John Hightower said. "She wanted to answer the
stated.				call and help the poorest of the poor."
Her "desire was for this whole country to be				At the time of the earthquake she was in her
transformed by God's love and God's grace and				apartment on the fifth floor of a seven-story
she was determined, if not single-handedly, to				building in Petionville. Her body was found in the
make this happen," said John Hay, Jr. of FMWM.				wreckage on January 15, three days after the
"So we hope that, in spirit at least, and by				earthquake.
inspiration for others, that will happen for their				She is survived by her parents, Mike and Mary,
country."				her sister Jordon, her brothers Zach and Sean,
Rev. Acheson-Munos was in her third floor				and a host of other relatives.
apartment with Jack at the time of the				Joseph Serge Miot
earthquake. The building collapsed, killing her. Jack				In addition to playing a leading role in the Roman
was pulled from the wreckage six hours later and				Catholic Church in his largely Catholic nation,
survived.				Joseph Serge Miot, 63, the Archbishop of
Eugene Dufour				Port-au-Prince, will be remembered for playing a
Eugene Dufour was in Haiti as a volunteer of the				leading role in Haitian society.
FMWM and the Friends of Haiti Organization				Ordained a priest in 1975 and appointed Coadjutor
(FOHO).				by Pope John Paul II in 1997, he became the ninth
FOHO primarily builds churches. But through the				Archbishop of Port-au-Prince in 2008.
years it has undertaken a number of projects in				He used his power to stridently oppose the
Haiti, including building parsonages, canteens, a				corruption that has plagued his country, wherever
self-help store, a quest house, retainer walls,				it was, whether it was in the lower, middle, or
schools. It has undertaken well drilling, dental,				upper-most echelons. This meant challenging the
medical, educational, and pastoral projects.				political system, including the prime minister on
A native of Clio, Michigan, Dufour had volunteered				occasion.
in Haiti twice before. His friend Kenny Voller				He wanted to create a more just political system.
recalled picking him up from the airport after his				So he started a school for Christians to learn
first trip to Haiti.				about politics and prepare for political activity.
"He talked nonstop all the way home, five or six				He formed an alliance to help the poor of his
hours, with tears running down his face," said				country become more productive and better able
Voller who also ministered in Haiti on a number of				to rise above the crippling poverty that has
occasions. "'Those poor people,' that's all he could				diminished the quality of life for
say. It tore his heart. He's seen the worst."				generation-after-generation of Haitians.
Dufour served as an active Craftsman for Christ,				As a philosophy professor at the Port-au-Prince
helping to build churches and ministries. He worked				Seminary of St.Jacques, "He was a demanding
in construction in Miami for Haitian churches.				and understanding priest," who emphasized that
"Whether it was across the street or across the				"Being a priest is not a profession, it is a mission,"
ocean, wherever it was, Gene was always there,"				said the Rev. Michel Menard.

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Christian Missionaries in Haiti Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice