By: Tim Wilson
We have essentially been in Haiti for (3) months now;
however, it feels more like 3 years. A
friend recently told me that “3” is the magic number, that he felt ready to
take his family home after 3 weeks, 3 months, and 3 years. Whatever it is, life in Haiti has not been
easy, but it has been life changing! I would not say that we have necessarily
been suffering here; we do still have many conveniences – yet, even with all of
these conveniences, things are still not the same. Being stripped away from American comforts
was initially painful, and at times, remains painful. Perhaps it is because we miss friends and
church community, hot showers, or even the ability to hop I a car run errands
quickly. In any case, living in Haiti is
producing within me a strong sense of patience, along with an awareness of just
how unimportant American conveniences really are. However, I say that while I type on my
MacBook and drink my Starbucks Christmas Blend (brought to me from the U.S.).
When you’re in Haiti, you get the sense most people are not
really in a hurry to accomplish any thing; in fact, many folks have a very
laissez faire OR live and let-live attitude.
In the beginning, this discovery was maddening to me – but then I
realized a.) This is their country and b.) There is no right or wrong way. What’s more, I have realized how unwittingly
arrogant most Americans and foreigners appear to be (including myself), while
living in or visiting Haiti. Haitians
have always dealt with outsiders coming into their lives and either forcing or
suggesting their ways upon them. The
French kidnapped Africans, shipped them to Haiti, and made them slaves – so
Haitians have always had people telling them what to do or interjecting their
way of life upon them. Even after
independence, Haiti remained largely subject to or tampered with by
foreigners. So here we are,
post-earthquake or apre tranbleman té,
and foreign intervention has never been higher here in history. In the hustle and bustle of a regular day in
Port-au-Prince, U.N. soldiers can be seen driving around, relief and
development workers are working to “fix” problems, and white missionaries are
purchasing familiar products at the various “Americanized” supermarché’s.
Many folks believe that this influx of help, aid,
assistance, or whatever you want to call it, is harmful. Some however believe that the assistance is
warranted and perpetually needed. I do
not claim to be a Haitian historian or expert on the subject, but the longer we
are here, the more I battle an attitude of cynicism towards –oddly enough –
other white folks here, and the international/foreign aid community. Whether going to the Maison Handal to purchase household goods or scurrying up the
mountain to Pétionville for various errands, we often run into other
missionaries, U.N. Soldiers, development workers, and others. Even last weekend, Aimee and I stayed at a
local hotel as a sort of “staycation”, if you will – and sat amongst other
missionary-types while eating dinner at the El Rancho Hotel restaurant. The conversation of these brief visitors was
absolutely infuriating, yet perhaps common amongst foreigners. Aimee and I wondered, “are we like this?”,
“is this how we sound in public?”… But if anything, we are painfully aware of
the possibility that, we too, have quietly invaded Haiti with our Western
banter, customs, expectations, and perhaps even arrogance. But I hope not.
This leads me to the topic of short-term Christian mission
trips. Until recently, I agreed with
other missionary blogs, resources, and research that I have come across – that
basically short-term teams and foreign aid entities are mostly harmful when
coming help in Haiti. There is
definitely some merit to this argument for sure, and it is true that many teams
coming to Haiti have probably done more harm than good. However, consider what long-timers would be
saying if the international community utterly and completely left Haiti
alone? Of course they would be saying
that the U.S. is racist or that the American Church has lost compassion, or
what have you. The fact is, though many
teams have not been helpful, does not meant that every team is unhelpful,
arrogant, or harmful. Many American
Christians simply want to help. They may
not understand how and may not even always do it in the best way, but their
desire is to share the love of Christ with others in tangible ways. How can we fault them for that? Many
Americans are sacrificing a lot to be in Haiti, either short-term or long-term
– why not encourage them… why not build them up and teach them how to serve in
such a way that actually accomplish meaningful things for the glory of
God? I have recently read missionary
blogs that seem to bash mission team efforts, but offer no clear or positive
alternative. We should be overjoyed that
there is a culture of compassion in America, particularly amongst young people,
that want to help the least of these in a tangible and empowering way. I believe that young people are grasping the
importance of helping others help themselves.
Let’s not be so quick to judge those who want to help, but rather guide
them how best to help.
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