and. . .

I should mention I'm really glad to have met Mark and Rebecca here on Blogger (over our mutual love for Compassion International). I'm alienated from nearly every local friend I have right now, and it's nice to be able to be honest with you guys. Thank you.

Haiti

I've had Haiti on my heart lately. I was talking to my best friend about the extreme poverty there and he asked my why Haiti is so poor. I wasn't exactly sure how to answer. So, I asked my blogger friend Mark to write about this for me. I could have googled it, but I wanted the perspective of an insider. Not some reporter who might have spent a week there, but someone who loves and knows Haiti. 

Why is Haiti so poor?

Historically Haiti has never had a period of sustained growth. It seems that every time Haiti gets to her feet from one natural disaster, ruthless dictator or health epidemic another is waiting to knock her down. Not to mention foreign governments and businesses meddling in Haitian affairs which always ends poorly for Haiti with her landscape ravaged and her people exploited. In the last several decades Haiti has suffered massively from the brain drain that happened during Papa Doc’s regime. The Ton Ton Macoute, Duvalier’s para-military hit squad killed tens of thousands of his political detractors and there was a mass exodus of Haiti’s elite, including her writers, artists, professors etc.. There is also the reality of corruption and gang violence that keeps honest business from thriving and hard working people at the mercy of the greedy and the powermongers. Add to all of this that there are no loans for people in Haiti. Not even micro loans to help start a small business. There is an extreme lack of upward mobility in Haiti keeping her people scrambling at the bottom for limited resources and jobs. All of these factors make Haiti somewhat volatile at times which in turn keeps foreign investors wary of moving industry to Haiti.

What would it take to break the cycle of poverty?

People in Haiti want to work. They want to build very small modest homes for their family. They dream of owning small businesses to insulate themselves from the 75% un-employment rate. I feel like one of the best ways to help Haiti’s people would be to offer micro-loans with extremely low interest rates. I have seen the work ethic of Haiti’s people. I have worked these past 6 months with 140 Haitian men who are tireless, who never complain, who never find a task beneath them. I know that it is a nation of resilient people who can and will thrive if given half a chance. But they remain marginalized by their economic condition, always at the mercy of tomorrow’s tragedy. Education for children that includes sustainable economic and business models would go a long way too, so yeah, micro loans and education for sure.

What is Haiti’s greatest need right now?

I think the greatest need, as far as direct aid relief, is two-fold. There is always the need for medical supplies and medical teams. Each area of Haiti has its own set of particular needs but over all there is a shortage of preventative care and simple medicine/vitamins that could save so many lives and substantially raise the infant mortality rate. The other thing I think would be construction crews to help re-build after the 2010 quake that killed 200,000. There are still close to 400 thousand people in IDP camps. These internally displaced persons are extremely vulnerable to every natural disaster and violence crime and theft. These tent communities, literally tarps over twigs, seldom have working latrines and their over-taxed water supplies are often compromised. These two factors raise very real concerns in light of Haiti’s recent Cholera epidemic. So NGO’s that would use Haitian workforce and Haitian materials to build these families homes would be incredible.

What effects of the earthquake are still felt today?

All over Haiti’s southern region, from the capitol city of Port-au-Prince to Petit Goave buildings remain in heaps of rubble. This past month the presidential palace was finally pushed down to make way for re-building but much of the surrounding areas are still devastated. With no ability to buy materials for construction due again to high unemployment and the inability to take out a loan, Haitian people, especially her poorest, have not been able to rebuild. There have been great strides in trying to get businesses up and running but where there is no money and no NGO support buildings remain shattered just like the lives of too many of their owners.

What about Sandy?

Sandy was tough on Haiti. But only from the rain. At least 50 people died in flash flooding and mud slides. There was also a slight spike in Cholera. Sandy along with Isaac before her showcased the extreme vulnerability of Haiti’s people. When a relatively small and weak storm can do so much damage you realize just how tenuous life in Haiti is.

What would it take to put a stop to the trend of restaveks? (If you've never seen the term before, it refers to a child in forced domestic servitude. More information can be found here)

I am going to defer to my close friend Megan Boudreaux on this one. She has worked extensively with Restaveks through her organization Respire Haiti . She says it is education. Making sure that each child has an education and then in turn educating people that each life is sacred and important. She has enrolled upwards of 300 restaveks in her school in Gressier, Haiti. Personally I feel this to be so true. Obviously greed and lust play a part in every type of exploitation and Governments must make strong anti child slavery laws and enforce them. I would like to see Haiti’s president Martelly make this a top priority of his government and to give local municipalities the resources to identify these children and get them to safety. But this is such a deeply convoluted and engrained part of Haiti’s culture that these children are slaves in plain sight. Church and civic leaders need to raise their voice in an united front against this injustice. It needs to become a source of national shame and the collective conscience of Haiti must turn its will toward eradication of this despicable practice. A quarter of a million children’s lives depend on it.

What issues are there in Haitian orphanages?

Too many of Haiti’s orphanages are run for profit. Spider’s as my friend Morgan Weinberg from Little Footprints, Big Steps calls them, are opportunistic profiteers who prey on the desperation of Haiti’s impoverished families. They will take children who aren’t even orphans and post sad pictures all over the web to tug at international heartstrings attached to firstworld purses. Kids are kept on the edge of starvation in tattered clothing to keep the pictures compelling. They sleep on dirt or in crowded beds, sometimes without basic sanitation or healthcare. Although there are some amazing people who run orphanages and care deeply for these kids far too many of these homes are prisons for innocent kids.

What is being done about it?

There has been a recent effort by Haitian child services to crack down on exploitation in Haiti’s orphanages, and I have seen some good trends in that respect. But at times it seems very disjointed, half-hearted and somewhat arbitrary. And I have also experienced firsthand the corruption that greases palms to turn blind eyes. Some NGO’s on the ground are checking in on these kids too. They are building relationships with honest, kind orphanage directors and fully vetting these homes before placing kids.

What can people in the developed world do to help?

Ultimately Haiti needs resources, needs volunteers. Skilled professionals such as doctors, nurses , dentists, social workers and construction experts can volunteer with NGOs already deeply invested and embedded in communities. These NGOs have already won the trust of their Haitian neighbors and isolated those most at risk and in the most dire need. Also donors should not allow their wariness of corruption to stop their donating. They need only to fully vet organizations. There are so many amazing people on the ground in Haiti doing such incredible things but always in need of more resources to meet the need.

What Came in the Mail (and some link love!)

Today I received 2 packages in the mail.  I had been eagerly awaiting them, and kept asking mum if they had arrived.  Today she finally checked the mail, and today, I finally came down to see her! As soon as I got home, I tore into the packages.

Here's what came in the mail for me:

(read about Miss Rebecca's Learn a Little, Win a Little~ A Giveaway, which I won [yay!] Then subscribe to her blog)


and

(recommended to me by Mark--subscribe to his blogs here and here) 

I got it on Amazon, and plan to read it on the plane. 

1,000 Thanks

31. Vanilla. I love the smell of vanilla.

32. Danyo. my big brother. he watches out for me, and God uses him so much in my life.

33. asparagus. I love the creativity God used in making plants, especially the tasty edible ones.

34. pillows

35. blogs. I love reading the autobiographies-in-progress of people who serve God.

36. my mum. could I even begin to list what she has taught me?

37. snow. There is something so amazing about the stuff. again, God got creative.

38. baking. I love making cookies for my brothers.

39. a child's laughter. ever heard two babies laughing together? it's an amazing sound

40. the way a baby fits so comfortably in my arms. I wonder how much more amazing it will be with my own

I Try

It was at the Lyricist Lounge 3, hosted by P4CM, that my need to speak life was realised.

I gained some understanding that night, and while my fickle heart still finds ways to force emotion upon me, I know better.

When someone does something against you, it hurts. When they are an intimate friend, it does not just hurt, but it kills. It kills something inside of you. Things can never be the same. How do you forgive the one who repeatedly spit in your face? Not by your own power, that is for sure. I am afraid to say I forgive, because I still feel the hatred sometimes. Forgiveness is final, and my attempts have been anything but. It is not to be based on the recipient, but I feel so unforgiving when they are so unlovable. Quite a dilemma I have. One thing, though, I can say--I try.


"regardless of who disrespected, rejected, or neglected you, slept with you. . .spiritually or physically molested you. . .despite what they did against you, if you take two seconds and think about how you've offended God, it should make you understand how much you deserve death just as much as they do. . .so if they hurt you, let them know, speak forgiveness, let it go, cuz my brethren you should know holding a grudge is the same as holding a gun." ::ezekiel azonwu::

Reliability

I love reliable people. MANY of my friends are rather unreliable. Loan them money, don't get it back. Loan them things, never see them again.

I'm used to it. I don't part with anything I REALLY care about.

When I let J borrow my computer charger, he sent it back in well under a month. Wow. That really means a lot. Sure, if he hadn't I could have replaced it for very little money, not to mention it was an extra. But he sent it back in a timely manner. I like it!

Envision

We envision a thriving Colorado Springs in which all people can reach their full potential as human beings, free from oppression and discrimination. We envision a region where individual rights are honored, and constitutional rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are upheld for all people.

Sounds good doesn't it?

I took 3 words out of there: "including GLBT people"


We envision a thriving Colorado Springs in which all people, including GLBT people, can reach their full potential as human beings, free from oppression and discrimination. We envision a region where individual rights are honored, and constitutional rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are upheld for all people.


Does it make you angry now?

It seriously makes me so upset to see Christians getting so offended and irate about such statements. Is a homosexual somehow less of a person? No!!! Why do so many in the church treat homosexuality as the unpardonable sin? Why do Christians tell gay people they are going to hell instead of just telling them of the grace that covers our sin and theirs? Have we forgotten that we are also sinners? Have we forgotten that the law is the law, and once it's broken it's broken? It doesn't matter if you broke it once or a million times--you broke it!

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder."Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:10-13


Do we speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty--the law of Moses?
Do we forget that we have cheated, we have lied, we have lusted?
That we have put work, money, dreams & aspirations, relationships, or even sleep before our God?
Why must homosexuality cause so much more uproar than other extramarital sexual relations?
Why does it seem to be so much worse than any other sin?

What about partiality?

The ground at the foot of the cross is level--there is no superiority or inferiority there.
But there is sometimes a lack of humility in the church and some create a pedestal for themselves and a pit for others. I'm guilty of partiality.

Guess what James right before the above verses:

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:1-10.

How often do we, as Christians, create in our minds a whole character just by appearance?
We stereotype. We fit a person into our ideas instead of getting to know them as a brother or sister; a fellow child of God. And we treat them according to our perceptions. What does it matter what one has here on earth. We came into this world with nothing, and so we leave.

Are we treating the "different" as royal heirs to an eternal fortune?
How often do we "love"people to death;
driving them away from our Lord by our so-called love, which is really quite the opposite?
Should we not instead love them to Life?
Can we direct our ways so as to make a person want to have what we have?
So many regard us with disdain on account of our actions.
We make Jesus look terrible!

Brothers and sisters,
I encourage you to live your life in accordance with the gospel.
Let people see by your actions that it really is good news.


call me corny but:
I envision a thriving church in which all people (including GLBT people) can learn their value as human beings, free from partiality and discrimination. I envision a church where individuals are loved, and drawn to Christianity and want to seek true life, liberty and the pursuit of holiness for all their days.