Thank you for your interest in our experience in Haiti. If you haven't read the entries about our week, do so before reading this epilogue.
Many people have asked how they might be a part of the ongoing efforts in Haiti. First: PRAY. Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for the missionaries on the ground now. Our prayers and thanks go to people like Greg and Michelle who moved their family from Tennessee to Haiti to make our work possible there. Pray about how God might call you to be involved.
The people there don't need us to send them our stuff--just for the sake of sending our stuff. They need US there to walk alongside them for a while. There is a time and a place to send things right after a disaster, but we're moving beyond that time. Yes, there are still materialistic needs. If you have the opportunity to give something, put it directly in the hands of team members who can put it directly in the hands of the Haitian leaders. Let them be the ones to distribute it as the needs arise. The people of Haiti are now moving into a long-term recovery phase. Community development that focuses on Haitian leaders is critical at this point.
Hope for Haiti will come through the church. The UN, foreign governments, Non-Governmental Organizations and the others will continue work in Haiti. But true, sustaining hope can only come through the people of the church embodying the Hope that Christ offers. We must be His Hands, His Feet, His Presence to the people of Haiti.
The needs are real and they are deep. As Brian of Harvest Field Ministries (www.harvestfieldhaiti.org) taught me: Many children suffer from malnutrition and dehydration. Malnutrition and dehydration are polite terms for starving to death. It was bad before the earthquake. It took years to get to this point. It will take years to move beyond these great needs.
So you think you want to serve in
- PRAY this will be your guide and sustaining power throughout the experience.
- Apply for your passport NOW if you don’t already have one.
- Read When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert www.whenhelpinghurts.org. This is a thought-provoking book that is required reading for teams that I lead.
- Future teams are forming. Contact me rob.haynes@fairhopeumc.org for more information.
Great narrative on your experiences in Haiti, Rob! There is nothing more powerful than a first-hand account to help us understand the need, see how God works through His people, and share your experience. I was especially struck by your observation that Haitians don't need more of our cast-off goods, they need need us.
ReplyDeleteI'm headed to Haiti myself on June 7th with a medical mission team from a friend's church in Florida and will call you to talk before I leave. I, too, have planned to blog the trip.
You and your team have been a blessing to the Haitians and to me.
you are invited to follow my blog
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