Missouri church: 6 members missing since March in Micronesia

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A southwest Missouri church whose members are from Micronesia said six of its members have been missing since March, when they returned to their native land for a mission trip.

Tonis Mathew, pastor of the House of Mercy Church in Neosho, says the four men and two women apparently were lost at sea on March 7 as they traveled by boat near the island of Chuuk, part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search for about a week but didn’t locate them or any wreckage.

Mathew said the church didn’t publicly discuss the disappearance because Micronesian people try to handle their own problems. But he is grateful that a GoFundMe page and other efforts have been made to help the church.