...tearing down vs building up

Last summer, while preparing to talk at a church in the States, I was struck by the reality that God is not always building up, not always planting. He also must tear down and pull up in order to right the wrongs, fix the broken, bring in a crop of righteousness.

Haiti is broken...the whole world knows that now. The hard core truth is Haiti was broken long ago, and maybe because all the efforts over so many years never seemed to "fix" it, the world in general just sort of forgot about Haiti. Everyone seems to have had an image of Haiti as the dark place that would always be dark so don't bother sending any more light bulbs.

While I've learned God has to uproot and tear down, I've also learned it's NEVER without a plan to build and to prosper His people. God has many people, many children in Haiti, so I don't doubt for a minute that He has a plan to prosper and bless, to give hope and a future to them.

I'm writing this because I don't want people to forget Haiti after this "crisis" is over. I want us to hang in there for the long haul, see it through beyond cleaning up the rubble. All the news coverage will end, and our adrenalin surge will end, but the need for planting and nurturing will still be there...long time. Haitians are people broken-down.

When driving from the bordertown of Ouanaminthe down to Petit Goave on Thursday, I was once again awed by the beauty of Haiti-- a broken beauty, but beauty nonetheless. And I saw a dogged perseverance of the people to survive, to make it through to see another day. If there's a quality I appreciate and admire in the Haitian people, this is it. I also found a sweetness and consideration in the least likely of places -- a latrine! On the road down I found this old run-down gas station that had no gasoliine anymore, but folks used the building to store things. I saw a soldier standing inside and asked him if there was any toilet nearby I could use. He started saying something that sounded to me like he was asking for money, and I said I didn't have any money to give him. He laughed and said, "No, I'm saying the latrine isn't nice enough for you." I quickly convinced him it would be FINE for me... he led me into a dark stone building and we went up some old worn stairs to a wooden door which he pried open with the butt of his rifle. This was maybe a 100-year-old pit... He walked aways away and I began to do what I needed to do to keep from falling in! As I was leaving, I tried to shut the old door and I heard a sound behind me. It scared me at first because I thought I was alone in this place. Then I saw the soldier...he'd gone to get a cup of water and a little bar of soap and he poured the water so I could wash my hands before leaving. Haitians are beautiful and gracious people.

Eleven or so hours down the road, after an amazing adventure in Port-au-Prince traffic, we arrived in Petit Goave. [the adventure was to have a ruptured water hose at sundown in a traffic jam in the middle of the city...directly in front of a UN headquarters compound manned by Sri Lankan soldiers who spent about 2 hours working together to fix my car and give us juice to drink while we waited...sending us on our way with prayers and many handshakes. Only God.] As we drove through Port-au-Prince before the breakdown, I was amazed at how much cleanup has taken place...the road was broken in places, but traffic able to pass. Every house and building had a pile of rubble in front of it, but it was not disorderly. The produce market was open and there was a lot of routine activity. However, while my car was broken down, the sun set and darkness enveloped the city. Here it was more evident that the people are living in a state of desperation. Everyone (including me) wants to sleep outside because standing structures are not safe, especially with continuing tremors. Problem is these people have no covering, no beds. It was an amazing sight to see the improvisation of the people. Haitians are resilliant people.

Ed and his "clan" waited up for us and then helped us ("us" is Jaklin Valmyre and me) set up 2 tents and get situated for a rather sleepless night! Then yesterday, as we were getting "warmed up" for the day, a group of 3 pastors arrived. Their churches were either totally collapsed or heavily damaged and not habitable/usable. It was such a blessing to be able to give them a plastic tarp... Not a long-lasting solution, but it will provide a shelter from rain and sun so they can meet and worship. We drove over to L'Acul (smaller town on coast near Petit Goave) to see Manno's church and visit some of the families there. They live right at the beach (it's SO BEAUTIFUL THERE) and during the earthquake, not only were houses collapsing and falling apart, but the earth opened up and then continued, like a knife cut, to open up for quite a distance. It was humbling to see how fragile our little planet is, how easily it can be injured. Manno has been helping families, one-by-one, to clear up rubble, and now with the plastic tarps, they're beginning to erect some structures(like the pastors with their churches). Temporary... And so now, we're looking down the road a bit to see how our teams of volunteers can help in reconstruction.

Jaklin Valmyre is from Milot, a town in northern Haiti where the Citadel and Sans Souci Palace are located. He came with me to help in any way possible and also for me to not be on the road alone. He's a wonderful brother in Christ who loves God with all his heart. Last week (I think it was last week!) I made a one-day trip into northern Haiti and together we visited Milot, where hundreds of earthquake victims have been taken for orthopoedic surgeries and amputations. While there I met the on-site director and we exchanged telephone numbers just in case we needed to communicate in the future. Well.... yesterday a young man who is translating in another clinic here in Petit Goave came to talk to Ed...it seems he was trying to find a boy who had been injured and the mother didn't know where he was. Long story short, they thought maybe he'd been sent to Milot because it looked like they'd have to amputate his leg. I was able to call the hospital in Milot and they knew exactly what boy I was talking about! AND, the surgeon who had operated already on this young Haitian boy (Jean) had made contact with Shriner's Hospital in Springfield, Mass. to see if they couldn't receive him for long-term care! But they needed a parent's consent. Praise God we were able to put the mother in touch with the hospital in Milot!! I pray it all works out for his care, but at least we know one mom who was scared she'd lost her son, sobbed with joy to hear he was being cared for and they would be reunited! Thank you, CRUDEM, for your work in Milot and for the wonderful way you have ministered to the Haitian people, not just in this crisis, but over many years.

Sometimes it's hard to know how to close out a blog.... don't want to say goodbye :) But, goodbye til tomorrow (I hope!).

SHALOM!!!