By Katie Ginn
Tony (left) and Mickie West delivering a baby in Galette Chambon, Haiti.
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the country of Haiti. At home in Mississippi, Mickie and Tony West watched the news in horror.
“We were unusually moved,” Mickie says. “I didn’t even know where Haiti was at the time. I had to Google it. But the Lord immediately put a burden on our hearts.”
Tony, a nurse practitioner, went on several mission trips to Haiti with his and Mickie’s church and with Samaritan’s Purse. Then, in April 2011, God woke Tony up with a vision for a mission compound in Haiti. Tony told Mickie, their pastor, and someone at First Baptist Jackson, who immediately pulled out architectural renderings of that same vision.
“That’s where it started,” says Mickie, a senior English teacher and yearbook advisor at Pearl High School at the time, while Tony was clinical director of Hospice Ministries.
Over the next 16 months, the Wests sought the Lord; sold their house, cars, and just about everything else; quit their jobs; and became the first full-time missionaries for But God Ministries (BGM), established by Mississippian Stan Buckley. Tony would serve as BGM’s medical director.
In August 2012, the Wests moved to the village of Galette Chambon, where BGM was building a sustainable community on 17 acres.
“When we first moved there, we built dorms (for short-term mission teams), our house, a medical clinic, and a dental clinic, all within one wall (this was known as the Hope Center), and then we built a church and (eventually) about 58 houses,” Mickie says.
Numerous Haitians were living in tent cities after the earthquake. BGM aimed to address this need and others with its SPHERES model: spiritual, physical, H2O, education, roofs, economic development, and soil (food).
Tony’s primary job was at the medical clinic, and Mickie often helped him deliver babies at night when other staff were unavailable. Her main responsibility was education, coordinating and hosting mission teams, patient advocacy, and managing other projects like water wells and economic development.
“There would be 20 or 30 people waiting outside the gate to see Tony (at the medical clinic) in the mornings,” Mickie says. “So between the clinic and (mission) teams coming … by the afternoon, Tony and I would just be absolutely spent.”
The Wests’ younger son, Jacob, lived with them in Haiti at first, while older son Jonathan attended Belhaven University back home. But within four months, Mickie and Tony knew Jacob needed to finish high school in the States. Mickie moved back with him for two years until he graduated, and she and Tony visited each other often.
During one of Mickie’s visits to Haiti in September 2013, she and Tony took their translator, two interns, and a couple of Haitian boys they’d befriended on a long hike. That night, Mickie made brownies. “We had just gotten all the backpacks in (to) distribute backpacks to the kids the next day,” Mickie says. She and Tony went to bed happy.
Before the night was over, someone was shooting a gun at her husband.
‘Nothing is stopping us’
Tony West (right) with a Haitian grandmother whom BGM helped by sponsoring two of her adopted children to attend school.
Around 2 a.m., Tony sat up in bed and said, “What’s that sound? It sounds like fireworks.” He ran to translator Vladimir’s room (he lived with them), only to find him huddled in his closet because he recognized the “fireworks” as gunfire.
Six gang members had breached the Hope Center, and one of them had used a crowbar to break into the Wests’ home. The two interns, Crockett Ford and Drew Dennis, were tied up on the couch, along with a night watchman.
While Tony was in Vladimir’s room, the gang member entered the Wests’ bedroom.
“He put the gun in my face, and he started saying, ‘Lajan, lajan, lajan,’” Mickie recalls. “And miraculously, I understood (that) word to be ‘money.’”
Then, despite not knowing Creole, “it just came out of my mouth, ‘Talè, talè, nou bezwen pale ak Tony,’ which means, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute, we need to talk to Tony.’ I didn’t know (how to say) that,” she says.
At Mickie’s reply, the gang member lowered his gun and left the room. When he left, Tony came back into the bedroom by another door and told Mickie to grab the gun they’d been loaned. She put in the clip and handed him the firearm.
“I said, ‘Now if you are going to open that door with that gun, you’d better be ready to use it,’” Mickie recalls. “And he said, ‘You go in the closet and pray.’”
As soon as Tony opened the door, the robber shot at him, from a distance of maybe 20 yards if not less, Mickie says.
“And not a bullet grazed him. There were bullet holes all around the door facing of our bedroom, but none of them hit him.”
When Tony stepped toward the robber and started shooting into the ceiling to scare him, he turned to run out of the house, and the night watchman (who had come untied) “stuck his foot out” and tripped the man, who dropped his gun, Mickie says. The night watchman grabbed the gun and shot him dead.
The whole encounter lasted maybe 15 minutes. Local police agreed to visit the scene only after BGM promised to fill their tanks with gas. The next morning, a friend and an off-duty palace guard picked up the Wests in a black SUV and sped them to the airport, where they caught the first flight home.
“Everybody wondered if we would ever come back,” Mickie says.
Two weeks later, Tony and BGM Founder and Executive Director Stan Buckley did come back, interviewed security companies, and installed additional security features at the BGM compound. Several months after that, when Jacob West graduated high school in 2014, Mickie rejoined Tony in Haiti.
No, the break-in did not scare her off, she says:
“To experience God putting a language in my mouth and God putting angels around Tony to not be struck by a bullet … (From) that point on, I knew, nothing is stopping us.”
From August 2012 to September 2019, the Wests delivered upwards of 700 babies, “stitched torn-up feet,” Mickie says, and formed friendships with the people of Galette Chambon while completing the work of the BGM mission. Mickie especially loved on the children. The village called the Wests “Papa Tony” and “Mama Mickie.”
“Tony used to always say that Mickie could remember your name as long as you were under 18,” Mickie says. “I knew just about every child in the village by name.”
The West family ate plenty of spaghetti with sauteed hot dog and red sauce, a local specialty.
One of their favorite dishes was a “gumbo” Mickie made with Rotel and okra, which grew hearty in Haiti. “Sometimes I would put chicken in it,” she says. Her own favorite Haitian dish was soup joumou, Haitian independence soup, made with Calabaza squash, beef, and vegetables.
Meanwhile, with the help of Haitian staff, BGM continued to expand its impact with a child sponsorship program, a second Hope Center an hour from Galette Chambon, gardens, water wells and other water projects, schools, a business center, and more.
Coming home, finding healing
Mickie (left) and Tony at a healing school in Tampa, Florida, in 2024.
After the 2010 earthquake, the United Nations sent peacekeeping troops to Haiti. In 2017, their contract ended.
Almost immediately when the troops started leaving, “the gangs started popping up (more),” Mickie says. “By 2018, we were not able to host (mission) teams anymore.”
The following year, the Wests bought two round-trip plane tickets for a normal two-week visit to the States. “But on the day that we left Haiti, September 13, 2019 … before we had gone through security … a gang war had started right outside the airport, and they had lit all these tires on fire.”
The airport was immediately locked down. If the Wests hadn’t arrived more than four hours before their flight, they wouldn’t have been able to leave.
At the end of their visit home, they were told it wasn’t safe to return to Haiti. The Wests kept trying to reschedule, but five tries and 10 weeks later, it was still too dangerous. That’s when they realized they might not make it back to Haiti anytime soon.
Even as they grieved being away from the people and mission they loved, the Wests soon discovered a new challenge:
“In November 2019, Tony started noticing some symptoms that concerned him,” Mickie says. “His doctor hoped that it might be prostatitis, so he went through two rounds of antibiotics hoping it would resolve itself.”
By January, Tony was not any better. Biopsy results soon revealed stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.
“We went to MD Anderson, and the doctors there said that our doctors here could do everything they could do there … We immediately began chemo and radiation at UMMC,” Mickie says.
“Whatever people suggested (for treatment), we did it,” she recalls. “Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted radiation, many non-medical, homeopathic treatments … unfortunately his cancer was exceptionally aggressive and resistant to all forms of treatment.”
Meanwhile, the Wests created a bucket list and began checking off as many items as Tony could physically handle: hiking Glacier Point at Yosemite National Park, riding in a hot air balloon in Napa Valley, camping in Gatlinburg, seeing the Aurora Borealis in Alaska, spending two weeks in Italy and Greece, and visiting Haitian BGM staff on a 2022 retreat in the Dominican Republic. (Since leaving Haiti, Mickie has remained on BGM staff in charge of Haiti operations.)
Two weeks before Tony died, he and Mickie attended a “healing school” in Tampa, Florida. “We worshipped and praised in ways we had never experienced before,” Mickie says, and they learned what God’s Word says about healing.
“That ended up being two of the greatest weeks of our marriage,” Mickie says. “During that (time) we actually understood what it means to be healed, and so when we asked God for healing, we knew His answer was yes, whether (Tony) was going to be healed physically and stay here or be healed for eternity and receive his reward in heaven. (We) became very good with that, (which) was very healing in and of itself.”
Another healing moment happened last month, one year after Tony’s passing, when the West family spread his ashes over Horsepound Falls in Savage Gulf State Park, Tennessee. They had camped there in 2008, and Tony had always said he wanted his ashes spread there.
“Using his old metal Coleman coffee cup that he always used camping, we took turns spreading his ashes over the falls,” Mickie says.
‘One big adventure’
Tony (left) and Mickie at Rome’s Trevi Fountain during their backpacking trip from Venice, Italy, to Santorini, Greece. This was their biggest bucket-list trip during Tony’s illness.
Stan Buckley refers to Tony and Mickie as “some of the most selfless Christians I have ever known. In order to share the love of Jesus with some of the poorest people in the world, they left their extended families, well-paying jobs, the dream home they had built, their vehicles, their church, their state, their country, and the comforts of a developed country,” he says.
“Even after the passing of Tony, Mickie continues to pour her life into the lives of those in Haiti who are living in unimaginable despair and hopelessness.”
In addition to remotely overseeing BGM operations in Haiti, Mickie stays busy painting and teaching art classes, especially at The Stompin’ Grounds in Flowood. She is at peace not living in Haiti for now.
“We didn’t realize we were doing this (over the years), but we were preparing (our Haitian staff) to run (the mission) on their own,” Mickie says. Turns out, BGM did build a sustainable community.
She recalls a moment when she was crying on the phone with Vladimir after being unable to return to Haiti. In a loving response, the translator told her, “You know, Mickie, God didn’t intend for you to be here forever.”
He could’ve said something similar of Tony’s time on this earth; his sixty-two years were relatively short. But boy were they memorable.
“Nothing in the world could ever replace the memories we made,” Mickie says. “Our entire lives together were one big adventure.”
To be continued…
One crucial chapter of Mickie story involves a young Haitian man who worked for BGM and became like a third son to her and Tony. This young man prefers not to share his part of the story just yet – but he has already impacted many lives for the kingdom, and we are excited to see how God will use him next!
The latest on But God Ministries
Since 2011, BGM has built more than 300 houses in Galette Chambon and Thoman, Haiti. More than 2,500 students are fed and educated each day at BGM’s seven schools. Thousands of Americans have served on BGM mission trips to Haiti, and tens of thousands of Haitian patients have received care at BGM medical-dental clinics. Two churches have been planted and hundreds of Haitian kids have attended Vacation Bible Schools. Hundreds of jobs have been created.
In 2016, BGM started work on a sustainable community in Jonestown, located near Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta. Most recently in Jonestown, BGM held a grand opening for a baseball/softball complex in partnership with Major League Baseball and the Players Association.
“Our partnership with Major League Baseball and other donors has been a smashing success!” said BGM founder Stan Buckley. “God has blessed more than we could have asked or imagined. Over the first few weeks since completing the facilities, we’ve had multiple high schools playing on our fields, and we recently started our recreation leagues games. It’s a dream come true!”
BGM’s other efforts in Jonestown include medical, dental, and legal clinics, a 6,000-square-foot Hope Center that hosts more than 300 people on mission trips each year, an after-school program for K-8th grades, a 4,000-square-foot Center for Economic Development, a housing program with the first house already built, summer camps, an agriculture incubator program, a full-time Spiritual Development Director, and more.
To donate to BGM or volunteer as an individual or team in Jonestown, visit www.butgodministries.com.
Where’s your mission field?
“One thing I want to say about missions,” Mickie West added during our interview: “You just have to give God your unconditional yes.” Chances are, your church has a missions opportunity that you can participate in. Whether you cross the ocean with members of your congregation or just take a meal to your neighbor, spend some time asking God, “Where do You want my ‘yes’ today?” Below are some possibilities.
Devoted Dreamers Foundation: Empowering girls to shine!
PEARLS for Girls is a transformative mentorship program powered by the Devoted Dreamers Foundation. Our mission is to guide preteens and teens through Purpose, Esteem, Accountability, Resilience, Leadership, and Service. Rooted in biblical truth and SoulCare principles, we help girls discover their God-given identity, develop life skills, and grow into confident leaders. Through monthly sessions, community service, and character-building activities, we nurture the whole girl — mind, body, and soul.
We invite you to stand with us. Your support — whether through giving, volunteering, or simply sharing our mission — helps us continue this life-changing work. Together, let’s help every girl know her worth and walk in it.
Gateway Rescue Mission
Gateway Rescue Mission, a 501©(3) nonprofit located in the heart of Jackson, is dedicated to caring for men who are battling addiction and homelessness, while also feeding anyone who is hungry. In this season of our ministry, we need deodorant, dental hygiene products, sunglasses, socks and body wipes. Donations may be dropped off at 328 S. Gallatin St., Jackson.
Jackson Leadership Foundation
Jackson Leadership Foundation equips local leaders to bring lasting change to our city’s most underserved communities. Through collaboration, capacity building, and deep relationships, we empower ministries to thrive. Our biggest need is monthly supporters who believe that changing one life, one neighborhood at a time, is the mission.
Know Ministries
For over eight years, we have provided Bibles to children in the inner cities.
We have a unique opportunity to publish a Bible that has never been done before: a Bible that is specific to children in the inner cities and issues they struggle with. These topics will include subjects such as fighting, family structure, purpose, and identity. By supporting this project, you will have a role in accomplishing something that has never been done. We are not changing the Bible but are using it as a tool to direct children to the love of Jesus.
One by One Ministries
More than 50 percent of births in Mississippi are to single moms – moms who may be alone, scared, and unsure how to parent. At One by One, we want moms to know they don’t have to parent alone; we will be with them through their pregnancies and their babies’ early years.
One by One trains Christian women to mentor pregnant and new moms, providing friendship and support, parenting education, baby development information and activities, resource connections, and most importantly, the love and hope found only in Jesus. Each mentor talks / texts with her mom weekly and meets her monthly to support her in her motherhood journey.
If you have a heart for new moms and are willing to serve a mom in person or virtually in English or Spanish, please contact us at admin@onebyoneusa.org or 833.777.1153 to learn more. Visit onebyoneusa.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @onebyoneministries.
The Salvation Army: ‘Doing the Most Good… Everywhere!’
Since 1865, The Salvation Army has been on the move — marching to the beat of love in action. Founded in the streets of London, its mission has always been simple yet profound: “to meet human needs in Christ’s name without discrimination.”
Fast forward to today, The Salvation Army is still marching — now in 134 countries! From bustling cities to remote villages, you’ll find us running hospitals, schools, orphanages, senior homes, and so much more. In some places, we’re the only help people have.
Right here in the Jackson metro area, we’re serving too — with hot meals, financial assistance, afterschool programs, and spiritual care. We’re known for Red Kettles, Angel Trees, and helping folks get back on their feet — but whether it’s a coat, a casserole, or a conversation, it’s all about sharing the love of Jesus.
As founder William Booth once said, “You cannot warm the hearts of people with God’s love if they have an empty stomach and cold feet.”
Major Timothy Delaney puts it this way: “The Gospel travels faster on two feet and a casserole dish.”
Whether across the world or just across the street in Jackson, The Salvation Army is still on mission.
TAG Kids’ Club
At TAG Kids’ Club, our vision is to offer training to equip children in every school in America and around the world to boldly and confidently share their Christian faith. Our mission is to REACH, GROUND, and EQUIP third- through sixth-graders in the gospel of Jesus Christ in public and private schools across America and around the world and equip them to share their faith as a way of life.
Be a part of our team! We’re in search of someone with excellent management skills who has a heart for reaching children with the gospel.
- Communication skills
- Financial management
- Travel
- Love for our Savior Jesus Christ
For more information, contact Paul at 601-517-0497. tagkidsclub.com