Greg Hatcher, the son of missionary William Hatcher, said he just got of the phone from talking to his dad who is now in Santo Domingo, Doinimican Republic. Hatcher said although his dad sounded tired, he sounded in good spirits.

“The connection was terrible so we had to practically yell into the phone so he could hear us,” said Hatcher. “And he had to yell back but at least we were able to hear his voice and that was great.”

Hatcher said Santo Domingo authorities arranged the telephone connections. He was able to talk to his dad for about three minutes.

None of the four in the Lockhart Church of God mission group were hurt during the 7.0 earthquake that has left devastation in Haiti when it struck Tuesday afternoon. Now the focus is trying to find a way to fly out of the Dominican Republic back home.

“The US State Department has been excellent throughout all this and is taking very good care of them,” said Gregg Hatcher. “They even have their luggage with them which I found amazing considering what they’ve been through.”

Hatcher said his dad and the other three members of the group,Paul Confer, Mark Surbrook and Silas McGehee are going to try and find a place to clean up and get something to eat. More on this evolving story as details become available. For the complete story pick up a copy of Friday’s Meridian Star.