Why we do what we do...
Trip Start
Jun 19, 2009
1
16
17
Trip End
Jun 27, 2009
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Upon my return I had some time to think about why Haiti. Why do I feel a strong passion to go there? Why are things so wrong there? Am I accomplishing anything? Having been part of this group for almost three years I have seen real progress take place. I know the people who have been going longer have seen much, much more! After much soul-searching....
Government corruption, waste, and oppressive regulation continue to hinder Haiti’s progress. The web of corruption foils every effort to improve the infrastructure, attract investment, and raise educational standards. We are partnered with a community that is slowly becoming sustainable. By providing jobs and cement floors we have enabled them to provide for themselves. We are in a true partnership with the people of St. Pierre. The money sent through us goes directly to the people there. We hire translators, train area masons, and employ other local workers. Our projects stress volunteerism and community participation. This ensures not only the short-term success but the long-term sustainability. For example, Haitians cut down trees not because they do not want reforestation but because gas costs two months salary. Charcoal is cheaper. However, while we were in St. Pierre, we saw seedlings being planted by men in the community. Although progress is slow, due to the reasons I listed above, it is possible and plausible. Health care is only part of the puzzle. Although it is helpful to work alongside a doctor in the clinic for a week, it is more helpful in the long-term to provide a cement floor. This will keep entire families free of the parasitic worms that plague them. The money that would have to be spent on health care to medically treat such diseases can be spent on food and education. Our small St. John Vianney group provided floors to families. What an amazing impact that will have throughout the upcoming years on their health and dignity!
On a spiritual level, the Bible contains over three hundred verses dedicated to the poor and God’s deep concern for them. Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. God’s message is simple, help the needy. It is a message that is clear but at the same time feels so hard for us to do. There Bible does not say, help those “when you can” or “once a year“, or “in your own country“. Instead it states; Mt. 5:42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. I choose to give to the poor locally but also in Haiti as well as it deepens my faith and hope in God. Although it is not easy to take a week out of a busy life I remember;
Deut. 15:10. You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. I have been blessed many times over and feel a deep passion to pass these blessings on to others. To serve the poor is to serve Jesus.
Is going to Haiti right for everyone? No! The point is to find a cause you are passionate about and reach out your hand. You can be the change, the difference, the heart of a cause! Haiti inspires me to feel grateful for what I have, to teach my children they need to give back, and to continue my volunteerism all year in other ways. I look forward to my travels there again someday.
