My View From Here

Day 5 in Haiti.   So many experiences and stories to share.   Haiti is like the places you see in a Jason Bourne movie.  Crazy traffic, congestion, kids and people everywhere.  There are dusty, dirty streets and poverty like I've never seen.  There are people standing on every corner.  Kids waiving and saying "Hey You", which is the universal "hi, how you doing" and the hidden hope of, "come and spend some time with me."   I wish we could spend time with each passing boy or girl.  I wonder where they go, and what they do.   The people of Haiti are so proud and love their freedom, even when this freedom caused many of the issues seen today for their city.   Most children are not able to attend school or anything organized which promotes their growth.   It's hard to see.  

My first stare into the lives of the Haitian people was from outside the home I'm staying.   Most homes in the neighborhood have no windows.  Just having a door and a steel roof is a privilege.   There is no green grass or sidewalks, just concrete, rocks and the smells of burning garbage.   I looked more, this time with more intention on the people and their interactions with one another.  Even with the little the Haitian people have, life goes on, and in fact, I saw laughs and smiles.   The neighbor kids love soccer.  They will play it anywhere, and on any surface.   The kids I saw have a small open gravel lot with stumps,  rocks and some garbage mixed in, but it's "game on"!   I watched and marveled at how resourceful these kids are.   No shoes, no goalposts, no grass, just a ball and a willingness to improvise.   In many ways these kids are thinking and using their God given gifts more than our American children.   They are forced to think, move, and react.   There are no electronic devises or other man made thing things pulling them into submission.  It's amazing to see.   

As I observed, I wondered what we would be doing and how we could serve this community.    I wondered how our team could make a difference.  Let me ask you to stop for a minute, and think about how you would answer these questions.   Where you live today, where do the sickest kids go?  How about the mentally and physically disabled?   How about the elderly?  Chances are you have a good answer.   As you can imagine, here in Haiti, there is a tremendous gap for serving these groups.  

Serving the sickest young people in Haiti is where my mission began and is last thought I'd like to share with you tonight.   Early in the week we visited the home for the sick and dying.   There I spent a morning holding and feeding the young kids.   I even changed a dirty diaper, something I hadn't done in a few years.   It was simple, but incredibly important work.   Two important thoughts crossed my mind while at the home of the sick and dying.  First, the place was remarkable.  24hr care for these young people in the poorest country in the world.   Without it there would be infinitely more sadness and despair.  With this place there was hope.  Yes, the four letter word that many people scoff at - HOPE.    I saw it, felt it, and know it exists.   There is great hope for Haiti and her people with places like this and the work of missionaries.  The part we play as Christ Followers is to jump in, love, and serve.   Loving these people has been our mission all week.   

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Scott Brophy