Reflections

A week ago I was sitting in an airport looking for a place to spend the overnight hours as the last leg of my trip to Haiti was over six hours away. Tonight I am sitting in the guest house in Port-au-Price Haiti. I started this trip, or at least tried to, without expectations. I also sit here tonight thinking about the past week. Things that have happened. Conversations that I have had. 

The week's pattern has been to either hang out at the guest house preparing for the afternoon with the kids or visit somewhere in Haiti learning more about the history; and then spend the afternoon with the kids doing a craft and just being and talking to them. 

Learning more about the history of Haiti has been well worth it. As I stated on Facebook you have to understand the history of a place and its people to really understand. In brief, Haiti was first settled by people from South America, commonly called Indians here in Haiti. Along came the Europeans, Columbus, who first enslaved the people and then wiped them out. Needing more labor they turned to Africa. After several failed slave revolts the slaves of Haiti revolted and won their independence and split the island into several areas, each controlled by one of the generals of the revolution that declared himself some sort of ruler. There was some infighting, murder, some unions, some foreign intrusion, etc. And it has been difficult here in Haiti for most of its history. This isn't 100% accurate, but I hope you get the picture. 

I spoke with a man this week who was born in Haiti, but moved to the US when he was five. He moved back to Haiti in December of 2009, two weeks before the Earthquake, at about 45 years old, and has lived here ever since. We talked about why things are still so difficult in Haiti and why change and recovery is so slow. He talked about how in Haiti there is a lot of corruption and not just at the top political offices. How after the earthquake, seeing the influx of money many people started orphanages, calling themselves pastors, filling the orphanages with their own kids or their friends and relatives merely to collect money. About people getting foreign organizations to purchase property in their name and then selling it, taking the money, and fleeing. Of stories of pastors either collecting money from groups to pay translators, drives, etc, but only giving 10% of what the promise to the workers. Or having the workers pay a fee for what they earn back to the pastor so they can continue to get work. How to change it. Education is one aspect of it, but another is getting the Haitian people to start looking out for each other and not just themselves. It is getting people elected and in office who care mor about the people they serve than their own pockets. 

Some of these problems are not unique to Haiti; but Haiti has these problems on top of extreme poverty. 

All these issues weigh on my mind and heart. 

Tonight I pray for Haiti. That it will heal itself. That the good people in Haiti, that far outnumber those that are doing harm, will succeed in taking their country and raising it and it's people to a place of respect, safety, and blessings. Amen.