So it has been less than a month since we returned from our first trip to Haiti. I find that as the days go by, I miss Haiti more and more - not less and less. I continue to think about and pray for the faces I saw on the streets, the children at CHOH, and of course little Marie.
The people there have been through so much, yet they are so strong. I wonder just how much they can take. First the devastating earthquake in Jan., then the beginnings of the cholera outbreak while we were there in Nov., the total craziness and continuing choas from the elections in early Dec., and now predictions that over 650,000 Haitians will be affected by cholera.
As the people of Haiti currently suffer and pray for relief, most Americans are preparing for Christmas. What that involves varies from person to person and from family to family, but it usually means tons of money is spent buying lots of material items for people who already have more than they need....It also means preparing lavish meals and seeing just how much food can be consumed....afterall - most of us ARE in danger of not having another meal anytime soon - so we best pack it in while we can.
I am having a serious struggle with this right now. I know that we are a giving people, but it seems we give as long as we can remain comfortable. As long as it does not interfere with us getting our stuff. Nevermind that children are dying of thirst and hunger and cholera just a short 3 hr. flight from here... Keep in mind that there are no social programs for families in Haiti. There is no unemployment to draw. No medicaid for the kid's medical care. There is only the love of strangers who are willing to sacrifice their time and their resources in order to save them.
Another thing I am struggling with is what happens when people stop us to ask about our trip. Funny when we start to tell them about it, many don't really want to hear about it at all. It feels like sometimes they ask out of a polite obligation, because when we start to tell them of all we saw, and how we are raising money and working with missionary pilots to get cases of IV fluids down to the cholera victims who are DYING from dehydration. They seem to glaze over and walk away muttering something we can't quite understand.
At first I was taken aback a little, but I have decided not to take any offense at this. I chuckle sadly, because this seems to be the norm these days. People just don't quite seem to "get it." Even within the church, there are those who will never understand what motivates us to action. I think it goes to the very basic call to "love your neigbor as yourself," and as John Piper explains it, "Love your neighbor as yourself" is not a command to love yourself. It is a command to take your natural, already existing love of self and make it the measuring rod of your love for others. There is not a harder command in the Bible than this one. It means: Want to feed the hungry as much as you want to feed yourself when you get hungry...Care about what happens to others as much as you care about what happens to yourself."
This is the only explanation I know of how and why our hearts have been called to a people who are in desperate need of the light and love of Christ if they are to live.
"A heart which is acceptable to God is not one which depends on its works - but rather one which trusts so fully in God's grace that the result is a life of love." John Piper
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