TEMPLE, Texas — A couple of months ago, the community of Belton teamed up with Kids Against Hunger to feed local and Haitian families in need. Thanks to the community's help and donations, the trip to Haiti was just completed.
The trip was a joint effort between First Blessing, Together Haiti, World Vision Haiti and Hope for the Hungry - Central Texas.
Glenn Lackey went on the trip.
Lackey was with First Blessing Ministry of Temple to give Haitians shoes as many are left barefoot in a country still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew three years ago.
Lackey said safety is a huge concern in the country.
"There's a man standing there with a sawed-off shotgun," he recalled when thinking of the lunch they had at a Baptist church. "You get this realization that even though you're in this Christian environment and you're told you are safe here, it's really not as safe as you think."
Lackey and his mission group, which included his wife Deborah and his granddaughter, were met at the airport in Port-au-Prince with what he called a ransom demand. He said his family was told to pay $100 before they were allowed to leave the airport.
"This man said, 'oh no, you can't leave until you pay us 100 bucks," Lackey said.
The family gave him $50.
"We paid this man fifty bucks for nothing," Lackey said. "It was going straight into his pocket. That just shows a little bit of the corruption that is in Haiti and continues to be in Haiti."
Lackey said he's open to a return trip to Haiti despite what he went experienced during the trip.
"I would say yes, it is a scary situation," he admitted. "I don't believe they would hurt me just for the purpose of hurting me, but I think they would take what I have because their trying to survive."
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