An Ending

When I first began this blog, my plans were to spend the month of July in Haiti and then possibly return in 2011.  However, due to the earthquake and safety issues, I wasn't able to go.  As this door seems to have closed for me, at least for the time being, I won't be posting on this blog as I won't have fresh news to share.  But all is good.  As a result of my and my husband's involvement in Haiti, a large number of other people have become aware of the dire circumstances of fellow humans living there.  Lots of money was raised, children were sponsored, and the good works will continue.  

It Doesn't Have to Be That Way

Our missionary friend Brittany has posted another story on her blog, one about a sweet, beautiful little girl in Haiti - Dianise - who died as a result of lack of basic medical care.  Medical care we take for granted in this nation.  We complain about the cost of health care, but at least we have it.  And the cost doesn't prevent us from buying expensive consumer goods.  We're supposed to be in the middle of a deep recession, yet I see crowds of people with full carts at stores like Wal-Mart.  Carts full of not just food, but luxury items.  We take so much for granted in this country - food, for instance.  Please go to Brittany's blog, read her post, and DO SOMETHING to help our neighbors in Haiti.  Learn about them, feel their pain, and take action to make sure little girls like Dianise have a don't have to die from preventable diseases.  There are so many wonderful organizations that are working in Haiti to give them a brighter future.

A Little Slice of Haitian Life

Just wanted to share a post from a blog by Brittany, a missionary friend who has lived in an orphanage in Ouanaminthe for the past year.   Haiti is a hard place to live but the people are amazing.  Brittany does such a good job of describing what life is like for an ordinary Haitian - both the suffering and the joy.

The media and critics may have forgotten Haiti, but the missionaries and NGOs have not.

Another Reminder

Gwenn at the The Life and Times of the Mangine Many has posted a story about the horrendous conditions that exist in one of the refuge camps in Haiti.  People are seriously ill and dying and I know it's not an isolated case.  Read about it here and then find out ways to help Haiti.

The End of Poverty

Last night I watched a DVD titled "The End of Poverty," which traces the causes and continuation of extreme poverty in the world.  Over 500 years ago, most of the world's population lived in extreme poverty.  However, through conquests and technological advances, living conditions for most people in the western world improved dramatically.  As this occurred, the vast majority of individuals living in the southern hemisphere actually saw a decline in the quality of life.  Currently, 5% of the world's population consumes 25% of the resources and creates 70% of the pollution.  By colonization other nations, wealthy countries and corporations gained control of the world's resources.  And slavery is alive and well in much of the world.  This slavery is necessary to cheaply turn the resources into the goods that are in such demand.   This control of world resources began with colonization, continued through funding of wars for independence,  and is now solidified through the policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and the rich nations that control them.  


Although the documentary didn't mention Haiti - it highlighted the poverty in Brazil, Kenya, Venezuela, and Bolivia - all I could think about was how Haiti has been affected by history and current policy.  I felt so guilty as I watched this film.  It reminded how my lifestyle and my reluctant role as a "consumer" continue to keep people in utter misery.  I allow corporations, whose sole goal is to make profits for shareholders, to fuel my desire for bigger, better, newer, nicer.  I invite the marketeers into my life through television, magazines, and the internet.  And I try not to think about where everything comes from - who wove and sewed the fabric that are my clothes; who mined and formed the jewelry that I wear.  I forget about the slave labor required to bring those goods to me.

I watched this film on the heels of watching "What Would Jesus Buy," a docu-comedy featuring the Reverend Billy.  Its a film that's dead serious about the over-consumption in this country.  We - Americans - are not only inflicting suffering on the rest of the world; we're doing it to ourselves.  We're shopping ourselves into such debt that we may never be able to pay it back.  The sad truth is that 90% of items purchased are not even used six months later.  So what's the point? It's all about possession; once we have something, it loses it's charm and we discard it, looking to the next new acquisition.  It's like a drug.  We want more, more, more, but are never satisfied.  One woman interviewed said it took her until the fall to pay off her Christmas debt, just so her children could tell their friends they had the latest widget and so they could wear name brand clothes.  


Of course, all this consumption isn't sustainable.  Just do the math - 5% consuming 25%.  We fool ourselves when we don't accept the fact that our planet's resources are finite.  Right now, many westerners don't want to be bothered with stories about Haitian people sleeping on concrete floors, eating one meal every two or three days, and dying from preventable and treatable illnesses.  "It's depressing and I can't do anything about it anyway."  Yes, we can.  We can start saying "no" to the corporations that push their goods on us.  We can turn off the TV and stop buying magazines.  Instead, we can become vocal about our brothers and sisters on the planet.  We can take some of the money we spend on stuff and invest it in people.  We can stop allowing ourselves to be brainwashed into thinking we deserve all the trappings of an affluent life because we worked hard for it or because we're citizens in a free nation.  We need to realize two things:  1) much of what we have is an accident of birth and 2) we are just as vulnerable to extreme poverty as our neighbors to the south.

I've Forgotten

...like everyone else.  Or at least that's how it seems.  Haiti has slipped down a few notches on my list of priorities.  I've gotten busy with life - family, farm, community, church, school - and Haiti hasn't been constantly on my mind as it was a couple of months ago.  Of course, I haven't really forgotten, but I don't have the sense of urgency I had and I feel ashamed.  One reason it has lost priority in my life is that our mission trip in July had to be cancelled.  Due to safety concerns over some of the housing and the continuing aftershocks, the orphanage cancelled all mission trips for the remainder of the year.  

However, I really do continue to work from this end to help the people of Haiti.  Two weeks ago I organized a yard sale at our church to raise funds for a medical mission trip and we were able to raise $2,600.  (This event was organized before we knew the mission trip would be cancelled.)  The funds will be held for a future mission trip.  Two bonuses from the yard sale were that we were able to bring community awareness to Danita's Children and provide goods and clothing at extremely deep discounts to very needy individuals in our community.

Next weekend, I will be representing Danita's Children at a mission festival sponsored by the Danville District of the United Methodist Church.  I'm looking forward to sharing information and stories about the orphanage and the people of Haiti with church members in the area and maybe get some child sponsorships or other support as well.

And in the near future, I plan to do more blogging about Haiti and Danita's Children, as well as other organizations working to help the Haitian people.  I'll try not to forget - and to help others remember.

Video from One of the Orphanages We Support

These beautiful girls are from the House of the Lambs of God in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. It is run by Pastor Daniel Paul and his wife Clynie.