Impact of Haiti

A week has passed by since I last posted...where did time go? What did I do with it? No major activities since the team left. In fact, no teams come again until fall. I can relax a little, reflect on the past 5 months and finish (hopefully) the inventory project I started - however, as little has changed since the beginning of that project my hopes are not high. I will have to accept that change comes slowly in some cases and let it go if necessary.

Planning for the 2010 team Portland trip will begin soon. I've rec'd requests to add 6 names of people interested in joining the team...a list that has grown to about 35 people at this point. Many of the new people are interested after hearing about team members experiences. The impact of a positive experience is what brings people back to Haiti; working here is not easy, not every experience will have a positive or glorious outcome. The impact comes from the little moments. When you can eek out a tremulous smile from a little guy through his tears during stretching exercises, when you can provide comfort to the mother whose baby was born with hydrocephalus by giving her a stroller, to see the delight in the face of the man who is learning to walk again after a stroke and you replace the tips of his 4 point cane so it no longer slips on the stone or cement- little moments add up to big impact. At home, we have all of the latest gadgets, technology and interventions at our disposal - its all taken for granted that its available whatever is needed, whenever its needed. Here nothing is taken for granted- basic health care is difficult to obtain for many many many people.
Many people don't often know what is available, but when they do find help however they are truely grateful for even the most minimal of assistance.

This week Father Jean-Juste, a reknowned Haitian spiritual leader and freedom fighter passed away in Miami. He fought for justice, equality and civil rights for his Haitian people. It was written that he was a man of courage, compassion, integrity and grace. In this same week, a boat load of Haitians- 35 men, women and children were returned to Haiti by the coast guard. 35 people trying to escape poverty, so desparate they will accept the risks of God's greatest gift of life to acheive what we take for granted- liberty, education and health care for their family. Where is our courage, compassion, integrity and grace? Last week 11 people drowned in their attempt to seek this same opportunity. Where was our compassion, integrity and grace? Did it even make the newspaper in your town? I'm not an especially political person, nor a stong religious person- I receive email forwards against 'foreign invaders' to our country that annoy me tremendously and use my delete button in response, I certainly don't have the answers to change the way things are but I do pray that the people with the power to do that will find a way to make those changes. There are many little people, like me and the teams for Healing Hands for Haiti, doctors and dentists, nurses and therapists that come without compensation to teach or provide care, church groups and many many others I have met during my time that come here to provide medical care, to provide food or clean water, that build schools and orphanges with compassion, grace and courage but its not enough. We see the will of the people to survive, the spiritual strength to endure but they need the power of the Obama's, the Clintons and the Haitian Government to bring hope and a future to them and their children. We have to pray for that.

People have wondered what the pull to Haiti has on me- its often too difficult to explain or maybe because I still don't know myself. Some people that come begin to understand, however, sometimes it seems the longer I'm here the less I understand. Maybe I dont' need to understand, I don't need to have all the answers- its enough when my friend Yasmine say love is very powerful.