Missionary mayhem.

A subscriber to THE NEW AMERICAN who works as a missionary in the Dominican Republic had to use a gun to protect his life while he was in that country.

The missionary said that in early March, he was dozing off after putting his kids to sleep when his dogs began barking loudly and continuously at some disturbance. He awoke to the noise. The barking also drew the attention of a 14-year-old neighbor named David. The young man came down the hill on which they lived to the missionary's house and called out for the missionary. Being fatigued, the missionary was not put on his guard by the dogs' barking as he should have been, and he went outside to speak to David. Outside, he was further reassured as to his safety because all of the lights were on in the area and people were walking by and talking freely within sight. He figured no one would try anything with so many people around.

On the porch, the two were startled by the muzzle flash and blast of a shotgun, fired by one of two gunmen who appeared about 20 feet away. Miraculously, the gunman shot high and missed completely. The missionary then jumped to his feet and dragged young David inside the house, pulling the door shut behind him.

In seconds, the gunmen broke through the wooden slats of the glassless windows and entered the house. As the dogs distracted the gunmen, the missionary got a revolver. In the dim light, he took two shots at his assailants. He missed, but the shots scared the assailants away.

In the aftermath of the incident, he discovered that one of his dogs, Morena, had been fatally shot, and that in the gunmen's haste to escape, they left behind a 10-inch long bayonet-style knife, a crowbar, and 20 feet of rope. As the missionary put it, "Those offspring of hell meant business."

Because guns are very expensive in the Dominican Republic (a cheap revolver is $1,400 U.S. and a simple 12-gauge shotgun is $1,100), most people cannot afford guns, and they are virtually defenseless against criminals. Therefore, after his neighbors heard the gunshots and heard his cries for help, they "waited a solid 15 to 20 minutes before gingerly sauntering down the hill to see what happened." The police arrived 45 minutes after the incident.