Some things I don’t quite understand here….
Some thoughts and observations – good, bad, and maybe thought provoking – from my time so far here in Haiti.
How does the person who burns garbage know to do it just when I hang out my wash to dry and the wind shifts this way? (And why did it start pouring rain just before I went to take it off the line? Rain rinse might be good, but not when respinning it isn’t really an option — see electric grid below.)
Has my hair been totally dry since arriving in Haiti 2 weeks ago? Or any other part of my body for that matter? And will my passport ever dry out and no longer be warped after I return to the US?
Why are roosters crowing associated with heralding the dawn when in actuality they crow all day long, and often at night too?
What’s with women and hats here? I have seen more hats, many fancy or elaborate, here, even on staff wearing scrubs in the clinic. My ball cap and Tilley hat just don’t make quite the same fashion statement! (more photos hopefully to follow.)
What’s with the electric system here? The public power grid is not sufficient for the house and appliances, so it’s supplemented by a diesel generator that charges car batteries, that then need an inverter (I’m lost at this point…) but that somehow is faulty and so throughout the night there are sudden bright flashes from light bulbs, usually right overhead where one is sleeping. Is this one of the CIA techniques?
Shouldn’t there be a way to take all the rubble and garbage throughout Haiti and employ people to clean it up, and convert it into something useful? This could be a way to financial independence and funding of other projects.
What makes people think that things that cannot be repaired and reused in the US can be in Haiti, where there are fewer resources and less know-how? Wheelchairs missing foot rests or without tires, biomedical equipment in need of repair, and items totally worn out are sent here. This causes a problem of storage (it is hard to find storage and a place that won’t get wet) of things that very well might never be able to be used, not to mention the cost of shipping things here. Shouldn’t we consider giving good things rather than cast offs?
Have we created a culture of dependence here (yes, I realize the irony in the juxtaposition with the last item)? Yesterday a young child walked up to me and without saying anything else demanded (in perfect English) “Give me something!” How can we start helping Haitians to do problem solving in areas such as jobs, health care/medical system, economy, etc… rather than to expect us to come with our solutions and supplies?
When will we see biomed techs and electrical engineers and such realizing the great resource they could be in mission in developing countries? The equipment that comes and does work needs to be maintained and repaired at times, but there is no one here with that capability.
How do Haitian women ride side saddle on the back of a motorcycle, with their legs crossed, not holding onto anything, and not fall off? Do they have a special gyroscopic system I’m missing that allows that as well as the ability to balance huge unwieldy loads on their heads and walk without tripping or dropping things?
And finally, why am I so blessed?
August 28, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Cindy:
You are amazing, Haiti is sad, and God is good! We were there on our first ever mission trip outside the US about 20 years ago. We did nothing comparable to what you are experiencing, but the sights, sounds, and smells were and are still unforgettable.
Tomorrow I’m putting your smiling face on the screen as I remind people of our privelege to partner with you and others. Sorry I can’t make the Novemeber trip, but maybe next year.
Glad the Lord is with you,
Brent
August 28, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Cindy,
You are so blessed because God recorgnizes those who really care.
Alan
August 28, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Cindy
Reading your blogs is a bit overwhelming on several fronts – the desperate need, the absurdity of some efforts by Americans to help, and the observations on the way people live with uncertain utilities while wearing hats and riding sidesaddle on motorcycles.
It would be easy to say that one of the reasons you are so blessed is that you have been engaged in problem solving all of your life, along with much of our culture. But it is much more complex than that. We were born into a land where education was expected and where individualism was lauded, even though it has resulted in many abuses. Teaching children to solve problems requires a certain amount of neglect once they have been supplied with the tools solve them. I am not sure how to do that with a whole country.
Carol
August 28, 2010 at 7:48 pm
You are blessed because of your trust and obedience to Jesus . God grant your observations and suggestions for others will lead to improvements on many fronts.
August 28, 2010 at 10:37 pm
We will keep you in our prayers and enjoy your updates
August 29, 2010 at 8:47 am
As several people have noted indirectly, the whole idea of “being blessed” is ambiguous. The convergence of historical circumstances that create the source of material and other blessings for us should not be confused with direct benevolence from God. Life is messy and certainly unfair. The issue at hand for those of us with greater resources (the “rich”) is not to resolve all of its sources, but to make responsible, compassionate use of them for the blessing of others. It’s an extension of the word to Abraham, Genesis 12:3 “… and all people on earth will be blessed tthrough you.”
August 30, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Thanks Dave. I think you answer the question with best faithfulness to Scripture. While I appreciate the kindness of others saying I’m faithful, etc…, I know I don’t “deserve” the blessings I have for that reason. There are many faithful here in Haiti without bare necessities, let alone niceties and luxuries that I enjoy. But when we find that God has blessed us, we need to be a funnel of that blessing, or a multiplier, or…you supply your image…so that others are blessed by our blessedness.
August 30, 2010 at 5:46 am
The image of the woman wearing the hat, smiling at you, captures the resilience I’ve seen again and again in impoverished people. While the hat, or some other equivalent in another culture, strikes me as incongruent with the surroundings, I love the spirit it suggests. It makes me ask if I could tolerate such conditions, I who have been graced by being born in this rich, functional setting. Several years ago I walked the rickety wooden walkways that connected shanties constructed over tide flats in Guyaquil, Ecuador, the tide providing the only sewage disposal, and stopped spellbound in front of one: its owner had flower boxes by her “door”. The bright and beautiful flowers contrasted sharply against the despair of the surroundings – as the hat does for me amidst the squalor. Resilience. The ability to survive – and top it off with a hat. Hats off to you, nameless woman!