Hati: Day 2

Today was a day of contrast. Jen had a meeting scheduled with a member of the prime ministers cabinet, so we went to a resort. A piece of luxury in the middle of the third world. While there, I had a great conversation with our new friend Stephane, who is 19 years old and in his last year of high school. We talked about God, study, necessities in life and his dreams. It was just like a conversation I would have with a teen back home, yet for Stephane, his choice is not up to him alone. He would need sponsors to help him get here and get through university in the states, something which I so be thinking of often in the days and months to come. It was a refreshing talk.

We met with a social worker as well and discussed plans to help a family that currently lives is su piss, or as we refer to it, a tent city. We then went to see the family, walking through the thousands of tents, children running around without clothes, children with orange hair due to malnutrition...a sight not to forget. We met with the family and they agreed to let us help them, so tomorrows agenda is to go to Luly, and talk arrangements for the family to be moved out of Su Piss and onto a house. It has been an interesting and inspiring thing to watch Karen and Jen orchestrate these healing efforts thus far. After the meeting we took the mother, Philemon Daisy and her son Robinson, to the delimart and bought them groceries to last for a week. Stephane helped the family take the food back into their home while we stayed at the outskirts and drew a crowd of small children. After feeding them all of the snacks we had in the car, we took pictures of them. The saddest story from today came when we left Su Piss and a little boy ran up to our van while we were leaving. Katie gave the boy some cookies out of her window, only to see a grown man steal the food from the boy and eat it himself. A small tragedy.

My thoughts today, given the contrast of everything from the resort to the tent city, from the government issues to family connections, were on how we can usher in the peace of God in this place? How can order be established? I suppose that these people, those that fear God and worship him, know what it means to put God first, to avoid meaningless distractions. Americans are to busy. So the way to bring healing to Haiti is not to spoon feed the masses into dependency, but to make a difference out of our abundance, one person and one family at a time. That takes us assuming that responsibility, that makes us liable. Can we accept that? I want to and it is beginning to scare me. Lead me into the unknown if your will is done and your people are healed. Gen Pitiye Pou Mwen - Lord have mercy.