Haiti H2O

I am reminded of the aerial bombing videos sent during the Gulf War that we watched as a family in our “living room.” The blurred buildings viewed in infrared, outlined with a set of cross hairs set along its shape. Then BOOM! A cloud of dust, lives lost, and a new target on the screen.

What I didn’t see were the children and women impacted. I didn’t see the families in pain and chaos from the devastation of lost relationships and hopes. There was a disconnect, an interruption of the backstory to what I was watching on my television screen.

What brought this to mind was my recent scanning of the Internet for new videos and coverage of the earthquakes in Haiti. I see the masses wandering and looking for help. I can even view the stories of the lives impacted. I don’t just see the ruin of buildings; I can hear and view the stories of brokenness of the Haitians on my 17-inch Mac.

But the disconnect is back. Beer, pick-up trucks, cheerleaders, stuffed burritos, Whoppers, Viagra, 4th down, what was Farv thinking! mmmm dollar menu and McD’s, more tough trucks (that they could really use to haul all that rubble in Port-au-Prince)…and “Oh, there it is!”

Text 10 bucks to Haiti. Text American Red Cross. Mission accomplished. Now back to the game.

How to keep this on the front-burner after all the lights shut down and CNN takes leave will be a challenge for many who are interested in relief to Haiti right now. It seems that the best I can do is not to “add” Haiti to the disconnected universe I live in, but rather to cut out the peripheral fluff that secretly whispers sweet nothings into my ear.

Have you ever seen the movie Jurassic Park? There’s a scene where Malcolm, the brilliant mathematician who specializes in chaos theory, reacts in horror as he is shown the dinosaurs for the theme park.

“Don’t you see the danger, John, inherent in what you’re doing here?” he asks. “You stood on the shoulders of giants to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you knew what you had, you patented it, packaged it, slapped it on a plastic lunch box, and now you want to sell it.”

Direction is everything, distance is secondary.

We just returned home from Haiti. We certainly covered a lot of distance over the past six days, but I am more encouraged than ever by the direction Haiti H2O is facing.

We have strengthened our ties with the Haitian communities in which we serve. By partnering with and depending on local communities through the leadership of their churches, we see how lasting change can happen. As we visited Bassin Caiman and St. Martin, folks asked us about our families, about churches who have visited in the past, about Luther and Carol Hansley (the missionaries who first introduced us to Haiti) and the Bradbury family (our board president who spent six weeks in Haiti with his family this past summer).

As we slowed down, sat and drank cups of coffee together, we talked about those who have gone before us. And I was reminded of that scene in Jurassic Park.

We are connected by a rich tapestry of people, experiences and a loving God who cares about justice, mercy and right relationships (Micah 6:8). Our trips to Haiti are an integral piece of giving these people a hand up and not a hand out.

In addition to the communities we are presently working with, we visited two new areas. The HCDF (Haitian Christian Development Fund) is located in Fond-des-Blancs, and a 26 year ministry of Jean and Joy Thomas, who worked with John Perkins and The Voice of Calvary. We talked not only about water, forestry and building projects, but about the quality of education once the schools were erected. In Haiti, the default method of teaching is rote memorization. We learned how they trained their teachers to create a new method which encourages independent thinking. For Haiti to dig itself out of the present economic and political abyss, they will need a generation of new thinkers and activism to lead the way.

We visited Plain Matin, a new community we are considering working with. Plain Matin is about two hours north of Les Cayes on very rough road. We saw tell-tale signs of malnutrition, bloated bellies and a red tint to the children’s hair. It is a definite area of need where the pastor receives no salary from the congregation. As we sat in his house talking, we asked about the coffin sitting in the corner. He replied, to our relief, that he makes ends meet by carpentry and was hoping to sell it.

There is so much physical need in Haiti, but the hope of the people that we have been working with for the last 12 years strengthens my own faith in the God who has the hairs on all of our heads numbered (Matthew 10:30).

The work we are doing will take time, and will not be flashy, but if God is in it, we are confident that it will succeed. Thank you for your support as we continue down the path God has set before us

Having participated and led short term mission trips for over 20 years, we realize that one thing remains the same. Impoverished nations face a reality of infrequently-met needs. Occasionally, these gaps are filled by mission groups looking to “plug the holes” that, in return, provide the participant with a sense of immediate results. Yet after years of participating in such service endeavors, we wonder if we shouldn’t be asking different questions. It seems that, in order to be part of a sustainable mission transformation, we must address issues connected not only with service, but also those relating to justice. Sadly, many organizations fail to address the systems that perpetuate the ongoing needs they seek to fill. In order to look differently at this pursuit, there must be clarity about the difference between service and justice.

Friendship Community Church will be returning to the community of Bassin Caiman with a team of 22. This is Friendship’s fourth trip in the past six years in an ongoing partnership with the church in Bassin Caiman.

Baissin Caiman is a community of 7,000 people tucked away between the hills and the Caribbean Sea in western Haiti. Like most of Haiti, the landscape is harsh. Most of the people are charcoal farmers. They cut down the trees to make charcoal, which is sold in markets. Because of infrequent rains, gardens are few.

Bassin Caiman is truly a special place. For many years, a small group of people led by a Haitian woman gathered and prayed for a church for the community. Then in 1995, at the suggestion of Sam Rice, a nurse who worked in a nearby community, Luther Hansley and numerous teams began the partnership work that has led to construction of a church building, two school buildings, and a bread oven.

The Friendship team will work alongside community members on some cement work, painting and leading some fun learning time for the school children. The group will be led by Jeff VanderMolen, Gary & Kathy Schulz, Christi-An Hansley, and Matthew Hansley.

The team will depart from Pittsburgh on April 3 and return on April 10. If you are interested in following the trip, check out  http://haitih2o.org

If you are interested in contributing to the work of Haiti H2O (Hope to Opportunity) you can find out more at http://haitih2o.org

The past month has brought four severe storms to the poorest country in the western Hemisphere. It is estimated that hundreds have lost their lives and as many as one million people have been left homeless. These storms have devastated a people who were already struggling to survive.

As you may know, much of Haiti has been deforested by farmers who cut the trees for charcoal in the cities. So when the storms hit, there is no vegetation left to capture the rain. Water quickly collects and becomes raging rivers that wash away everything. So the immediate problem is transporting food and water since many bridges and roads have been washed away. Many nations and relief organizations have begun delivering food and emergency supplies to those in the hardest hit areas. Our prayer is that much can be done to help.

Haiti H2O has worked in the villages of Basin Caiman and St Martin to provide for the essential elements of life: faith, education, water and work. We help dig wells to provide clean water; we help build schools that provide education; and we help build churches that preach the gospel. These storms have only increased the need for these essential elements.

We are taking a small group to Haiti this fall to respond to some of the immediate needs of the storm as well as to discern the direction for the next five years. We will meet with the elders and deacons and pastors of the churches and work toward a holistic plan.

We are also making plans with several churches for trips in 2009. If you would like to participate on a team, please let us know. Thank you for your prayers and support.

If you would like to contribute to this work, online gifts are administratively easier to handle:Â HYPERLINK “http://www.networkforgood.org/” http://www.networkforgood.org/Â (type in keyword Haiti H2O). You are also welcome to use the enclosed contribution envelope. Again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Sarah VanderMolen
Director Haiti H2O