Should we bring America to Haiti?

As our airplane descended above Port au Prince (Haiti's capitol), seemingly endless urban sprawl came into view. At first it looked like any normal city, but as we descended I was taken back by what I saw: miles of shacks with random dirt paths ("roads") zig-zagging through the madness. Without thinking I blurted out "those shacks look horrible!" My lovely girlfriend, Heidi, quickly informed me that I shouldn't be loudly proclaiming what was obvious to the many Haitians that surrounded us. It's a good thing I'm learning to keep my trap shut now, I thought as we landed.

Background

Haiti is in a pretty rough situation:

• Decades of corrupt rule have robbed the people of basic needs - Haiti is one of the most corrupt nations in the world; it's often compared with Somalia and Iran.
• Coups have caused serious political instability (one of which was organized by the United States - read about this psycho we helped), causing the country to be thrown into disarray repeatedly.
• Land mismanagement is rampant due to bad governance, poverty, and just plain desperation. It has rendered the land unproductive, and has plunged millions into poverty.
• A massive earthquake destroyed much of the country's fragile infrastructure in 2010 and killed hundreds of thousands, leaving a humanitarian crisis that still hasn't ended.
• Voodoo, a cultural obsession that is a hodgepodge of West African Vodun, some Arawakian religious beliefs, and Roman Catholic Christianity. It's unique to Haiti, and it enslaves the people.

The trip I was on was a 10 day adventure organized by Mission Haiti out of Tea, SD. I went on this trip for a bunch of reasons. I wanted to understand Voodoo. I wanted to understand the cultural problems that caused poverty. I wanted to explore the country my girlfriend cared about so much. I wanted to understand a culture vastly different from my own. I wanted make a difference.

The Adventure

After landing, we spent a couple hours driving through the chaos that is Port au Prince. As we drove out of this bustling city, the countryside opened up. What a beautiful country Haiti is!

After driving for a few hours, we arrived in Ti-Riviere, a small community in the southwest corner of the country, right on the ocean and set against the mountains. The people there welcomed us right away.

Hanging with the guys.

At a Haitian market.

Spending time on Paradise Island

Haiti is a lush, green country. Heidi and I enjoyed this view, along with each other's company.

Although the place is beautiful, problems were everywhere. Drinking water is difficult to find. Very few people have jobs. Food shortages are a constant threat. Medical care is virtually non-existent in rural areas.

So we set to work helping people. We painted houses. We poured cement. We fixed stuff. We hiked into the mountains with backpacks full of medical supplies, treated patients, and prayed for them. It was incredible how grateful these people were.

The girls prepare for doing a medical clinic.

Heidi managing a medical clinic.

Digging.

Painting a new building.

After a 3-mile hike into the mountains to small village. A boy about 10 years old came into the clinic with an obvious knee wound. It had become so infected that he was unable to bend his leg. Heidi asked me to treat this wound, which I wasn't sure about. I'm not medically trained in any way, but she assured me that basic first aid was all that was needed. So I prepared my mind the best I could, put on some latex gloves, and tried to act confident as I told the boy I would be treating his wound. Treating it essentially meant that I would be pouring peroxide onto his frothing wound. I told him it would hurt, and he said he would be brave. I'll never forget the look in his eye - scared yet strong, and overall resolute. As I poured the peroxide into his wound, his face twisted in pain.

But he got through it, and after I was done wrapping up his leg, he smiled when I asked to pray for him. I'll never forget that little boy.

There were so many wonderful children there as well. They won over my heart right away.

I also spent a lot of time with the youth group. I got to know a number of guys, and their character was very impressive to me. They all had difficult paths, but they had an incredibly grounded faith. They had no idea what the "plan" for their future was (opportunities are elusive in Haiti), but they trusted God's leading in their lives. I really learned from that and admire it greatly.

Heidi and I with Olgans at the top of a Haitian mountain.

Emmanuel - A super solid guy who is going to do incredible things.

We don't have to have a plan or open doors for God to work. He will work. We don't have to stress out when the future is unclear. It's important that we don't forget that truth.

Christian people in Haiti have a wonderful, simple faith that I really admire. I realized I couldn't "fix" the country, and that no one there wanted me to. I discovered that what needs to be done in Haiti is for healthy disciples to be built. Christians there need to be encouraged, and we need to be encouraged by them.

Lessons Learned 

Soon after arriving I realized that although we have a well governed country (in comparison), have lots of money, and are a "Christian" nation, we don't have it figured out. In fact, America isn't a good example for Haiti on what to strive for. They look at our wealth and material prosperity and believe that the absence of poverty is the ticket to happiness. Sadly it just isn't. The United States well behind Bhutan in the Satisfaction Index (a measure of overall happiness). People in this little country in Asia make 10% of what we do, but they enjoy life more. If people can enjoy themselves more than us on 10% of our income, then clearly bringing the "American Dream" to Haiti is a bad idea.

I believe that the core problem in Haiti isn't a problem of corruption, land mismanagement, and poverty. It's a cultural problem that has resulted from a spiritual problem. There is an oppressive darkness in Haiti, I felt it often there. As Christians, we need to ensure we focus our greatest effort on the fundamental problem in Haiti: spiritual darkness. We need to lead with the gospel and everything we do should flow out from that goal. 

That is not to say as Christians we shouldn't care for the physical needs of the Haitians. We spent quite a bit of time bringing medicine up into the mountains and doing basic first aid and providing medications. In sharing Christ, we need to care for people as he did (ref: James 2:16).

I did an interview for my church on this topic, listen in if you're interested:





Conclusion

When our time in Haiti wrapped up, we headed back to the airport for a 24 hour day of travel home. Culture shock hit us pretty quickly - Heidi and I got upgraded to first class on our flight out of Port au Prince!

Heidi smiles as she prepares to dig into an amazing first-class breakfast.

As we sat back in American luxury again, I couldn't help but think "this is all madness". We've created a mad pursuit of wealth in America and we've forgotten that while things are nice, but they don't give meaning and they don't help us accomplish the great commission. Wealth often hinders our gospel message, and as American Christians we need to be vigilant of the cloud money and possessions can cast on our gospel focus. Haiti helped me understand and refocus my efforts here on what really counts - doing what Jesus called us to:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matt. 28:19-20

The team I went with - what a fun group!