I live in Bakersfield and while it is not the big city, there is a usual rhythm to things.  When something out of the ordinary occurs, you begin to think.

 

I live in a relatively developed area covered with homes and enough open space to make things enjoyable.  

 

Yesterday morning, as I was fixing my breakfast, I looked out the kitchen window and saw something moving behind one of the bushes.  For some reason I was interested in finding out what it was (possibly one of the neighborhood cats) and so would look over toward the bush from time to time during my time in the kitchen.

 

I could see something moving, so believed that my eyes were not deceiving me.  I became more curious.  After a few moments, to my surprise, a chicken walked out from behind the bush.  (It was a hen, not a rooster!)  Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the chicken scurried out of view, somewhat like an Irish Pooka. 

 

My thoughts instantly went back to life in Haiti —the chickens, people, sights, and smells.  I have continued turn on the question “What makes the Haitian people get up in the morning and do anything other than march into the sea?”  As I have reflected more on that question, I have come to realize that while it may be a legitimate question as asked of any particular person, it is well wide of the mark and dismissive when applied to a country.  Americans are blessed (cursed?) with levels of comfort well beyond conditions in Haiti and so many other areas of the world.   Stated otherwise, the lack of basic Starbucks might cause some Americans to march into the sea. 

 

The question is dismissive of the obvious-- the depth and breadth of faith of many of the folks in Haiti .  The faith that God will bring them through yet another day—mostly unhurt, somewhat sheltered, and possibly fed.  The faith that God will provide them with the grace to meet the unknown challenges of the coming day, if not overcome such challenges.  The sure belief that God’s unmerited favor will reign in their lives.

 

It is also clear that a strong faith is not the only thing that keeps the engines of life going.  More than anything that we in America are able to achieve, there is a reservoir within the Haitian folks that we worked with, played with, sang with, and prayed with, that contains expressions of joy in the face of and following deadly earthquakes, hurricanes, and cultures of corruption.  A joy, that for some, is founded in the clear assurance and belief that God is there.

 

Done for the day.

 

A post-mission reflection from Bruce:

The time I spent in Haiti was a time of beauty, joy, excitement, confusion, anger, jealousy, and  disappointment. I went to church this morning and had to ask the pastor to announce that,  I Thank Everyone who had allowed me the opportunity to travel to Haiti and I will answer all of their question but I need some time to process my thoughts as I still have trouble putting the trip to words.

I have been home for 48 hours and still have not been able to process everything that I have seen, heard and experienced.

I think about some of the beauty, the countryside, the Baptist Mission, the agriculture  on the hillsides, the Oasis at the Vista Motel in the midst of all the kayos  and the beauty of the people of Haiti.

I think about the joy that I received in Haiti from the Haitian people. The love, kindness, warmth of the pastor even with all that He has been through and  the losses he has suffered.

The anger and resentment that I have for the Government of Haiti, the taxes and bribes to get food, equipment, and all other supplies.

I am jealous of the people of Haiti with their faith, love of God, and resilience to survive.  If I could be granted three wishes I would wish the people of the United States and other countries had the faith that I have seen with the Haitians, Africans, and other third world countries. While their churches grow we as Americans let other distractions, Sports, TV, Recreation, etc to take priority over God and church.  My second and third wishes I have to figure out how to put to words.

 I am disappointed with myself feeling that I was not able to do more for the people. I am disappointed that I feel cold hearted, and don’t seem to feel the Love and the faith I should have. I am disappointed with myself for the animosity I had towards my fellow team members, for allowing myself to judge others and not being able to face my own fears and faults.

Bruce

Dateline:  Late Friday afternoon, Chili’s Restaurant, Terminal 3, Ft. Lauderdale Airport

Sitting at Chili’s Restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale Airport enjoying food that 99% of all Haitians will never enjoy, 70% would never dream about, and XX% would never choose to eat it if they had the chance.  Most of you are already in the air and I pray that you have safe flights and travels to your homes.

I spent the last four hours reviewing and responding to 498 business e-mails and phone calls.  Turns out to have been a very poor use of time as it has blunted (but not eliminated) opportunities to reflect upon and continue the mission experience of the past nine days.  The reality of my world is clients, partners, opposing counsel, and being consumed by so many things that are so very distant from the reality of the past nine days. Somewhat akin to a dive into an icy cold lake.  Both worlds are my present realities, and as distant as they are, I do not believe that they are in tension or contrary to one another.

We talked at length about the “why’s” of our experience—Why is Haiti the way it is? Why are more people not paying attention to the Haitian condition?  Why did each of us choose to spend our time, our resources, and our energy to tend to what appears to some to be such a hopeless, forgotten, and infinitely consuming mass of human misery?

I spend my days supporting and working within a system of justice that is secular in application.  Some may say that the system can lead to a perversion of justice through the use of artful argument and the exploitation of loopholes and human frailties.  The application is defended, however, with the argument (the very tool used to pervert the concept in the first place) that justice is served only if the officers of the court (the lawyers) use all available means (as controlled by legal ethics) to advocate the positions of their clients.

As intellectually challenging as that may be, there is always something more.  While a single mission experience cannot serve as the basis for defining the “meaning of life”, I can’t help but be reminded of a thought best directed to those in the secular world.  A group of scientists pondered the nature of the universe and how and why it came to be.  They worked for hundreds of years climbing the mountain of truth only to discover thousands of theologians had arrived at the top thousands of years before.

The concept of justice runs throughout the Bible.  The prophet Micah spoke of doing justice (Micah 6:8) and the prophet Amos reminded the people of Israel to let justice flow like a never ending stream (Amos X:X).  And, of course, Christ spoke of justice and acted with justice throughout his ministry.  Look to Matthew 25 (thank you Jen) for the simplest statement of Christ’s ministry of justice.

Back to Haiti:  Our past nine days in Haiti were filled with acts of Christian love in action.  This is not justice of rules, laws, advantage, and conquest.  Rather the love of Christ is based on a justice that recognizes they are those in our world who will not have advocates, who will not deserve grace, and who will not understand the power of our awesome God, but nonetheless receive God’s love—one person, one act, and one intention at a time.  We cannot fix all or even much of what is wrong with Haiti.  We can, however, help build a faith community in Haiti that will in turn spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and the justice and love that he is.

Time to catch my flight. 

Jay

What to say about our experience here in Haiti? An overwhelming mix
of tears and laughter, beauty and destruction, material poverty and an
abundance of generosity and hospitality. We went to the work site
this morning and carried out debris for a couple of hours. The work
crew has made incredible progress this week. We can only hope we
weren't in the way too much. We sang songs with the pastor and said
our goodbyes. Then headed to the Methodist Children's Home for an
afternoon party. Again, soccer, frisbee, bubble and simple games were
more than enough to bring big smiles... We hope that our presence here
lifted up spirits and helped in the reparations of the pastor's
church, but in the end the relationships we formed are the most
important. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...and
the body is not one member, but many. And when one member suffers,
all the members suffer and when one member is honored, all the members
rejoice." (1 Corinthians 12:13a, 14,26).
We will send more pictures to the blog when we return to the States
and we will also be posting spiritual reflections from team members in
the month ahead. We pray that the relationships we have formed here
and the experiences we have had will continue to transform our hearts
and minds in the weeks ahead.
Piti piti na rive...

We wanted to upload some pics of the children playing, the plumbers
on the roof, our accommodations at the Guest House and others. But,
the internet connection is still too weak. We'll keep trying. It is
an example, I think, of the challenges of life in Haiti. The mail
system has collapsed. Many phone lines are down. Garbage collection
cannot keep up with demand. There aren't enough trucks to bring
supplies in from the port. In so many ways, the communication and
access that these people need to one another and the world around them
is cut off ---
It is the beginning of our last work day -- please pray that we will
stay present, notice, enjoy, and be a blessing.

The team split into two groups again. One team stayed at the Guest
house and worked on the plumbing - almost done. The others went to
church again for a second day with the children. Singing, games,
bubbles, soccer and video and everyone had a great time. Meanwhile,
much was being accomplished at our site. The rough coat is on the
ceiling and walls, the cement block wall is almost complete, rubble
has been cleared and many new supplies have arrived. Highlights of
the day included the van getting stuck on a rubble-strewn hill, which
requried us getting out to push and resulted in a flat tire and our
favorite "McGuffin" of the trip, "Well, we are all just in the same
pothole." Now say it with a Texas accent. Life is good and we are
all in it together. The rain is falling here with flashes of
brilliant lightening to remind us that there is light within all
darkness. God is in the rain and in the earth that it nourishes. God
is in the smiles of the children and the bubbles that floated gently
around them as they played. God is in the market place and the
brightly painted tap-taps that fill the city steets. God is...We
are...and everything is already ok.....Haiti is a good teacher.
Pictures to follow in the morning.

Here's the pictures of the kids and work site for the day.  We would also ask for your prayers for Bruce, whose back has not been well.  Other than his back, we are all doing well physically.

Today our group divided into two groups. One group stayed at the
guest house and worked to repair the plumbing, while another went to
Carrefour to play with the children of the church. There were over
100 kids and it could best be described as VBS on overdrive. It may
have felt chaotic to some of the adults, but the kids seemed to have a
good time and we all had powerful showers! We saw God in the laughter
and joy of the children and the way that they cared for one another.
We'll show you pictures tomorrow, when the internet has less activity.

Here are the pics from yesterday.