Results tagged “Haiti”

I think the past few weeks will turn out to be some of the most memorable of my life. Merryn and I spent January in Peru, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and the sights, sounds and smells will not be forgotten quickly.

I find it hard to describe Haiti. Words fail me. It’s the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere with 70% unemployment and 80% of people living below the poverty line. The capital city Port-au-Prince is the size of Sydney yet has few sealed roads. Only four-wheel drives can negotiate the rubble and pot holes, and wrecks of small cars line the streets. Electricity is irregular, as is the water supply. The landscape is baron, dusty, grey. Ninety-seven percent of the trees have gone. And the houses... Most Haitians build their homes over years, buying a brick or two when they have the money. Imagine your street made completely of incomplete, unpainted besser-brick and concrete shanty homes. That gives you an idea of Haiti.

There are few public schools, and not enough teachers, so those few children who get to school attend one of three shifts—in the morning, afternoon and evening. Only 2% of Haitian children finish high school, the rest leave to help the family earn a living. I’ve visited seven developing countries now, and in Haiti I came across something I haven’t seen anywhere else—children without dreams. Even kids in Bangladesh dream of becoming doctors or engineers or singers. Some of the Haitian kids I met desperately wanted a different life, but had no idea what that might look like.

I could go on with the sorry side of Haiti’s story. But there’s another side. A paradoxical side. Amidst the destruction and destitution, Haiti has riches that we in the developed world know little of. In the midst of their hardship and pain, Haiti is undergoing a spiritual revival.

I was in Haiti visiting Compassion Australia projects where children are fed, clothed, given healthcare and education. These programs are run by local churches, and all the churches I visited had no less than 1000 members each. The Haitian Christians ‘pray-in’ every single meal and are thankful for whatever God provides, even if it’s one potato shared amongst the whole family. Even the most conservative churches run deliverance services and see Haitians released from demonic spirits and spells. The faith of the Haitians is passionate, persevering and powerful. As one pastor told me, ‘in Haiti everyday is a battle—a physical and spiritual battle. You simply cannot win that battle without Jesus.’

On the plane flight home from Haiti I flicked through one of the magazines in the seat pocket in front of me. It was one of those Sky Mall brochures, full of things to purchase with your credit card. Oh, the things you could buy! ‘Gravity-defying shoes’ with a spring-loaded heel to give you bounce. A mini microwave for your desk, saving you that laborious walk to the kitchen when your coffee goes cold. There was a luxury mattress in there for your dog, and a portable foot spa in there for you. You could even buy a full-size 80’s-style arcade game, and a mini Automatic Teller Machine that doled out money to your kids.

I read the brochure, and I winced.

Because while we buy luxury beds for our pooches, Haitian children sleep on cold cement floors. And while we fill our empty lives with trinkets, Haitian Christians are meeting God in profound ways. It was then that I realised the developing world needs our generosity and we need the developing world’s faith. We have what they want, and they have what we need.

It seems to me that a great exchange needs to take place: We give up the consumer toys for the sake of the poor, so that we might catch the faith that makes them so rich.

‘Where there is no vision, the people perish…’ It’s a famous proverb, often quoted in business texts and church growth books. But when it was originally written some 3000 years ago, the sage responsible for these words wasn’t talking about having an entrepreneurial vision, some grand business plan or strategy. A more contemporary rendering puts it this way: ‘Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild…’ (Proverbs 29:18, Living Bible). When we lose a vision of God—an understanding of his character—we lose our grip on life. We lose perspective, boundaries, and we begin to disintegrate.

A few weeks ago I started writing a book about God’s character. The research has taken a couple of years (and I’m still not finished!). This proverb has become pivotal to my findings. Throughout history, individuals, societies, and even whole nations have risen and fallen on this simple truth that where there is no vision of God people perish.

You see it clearly in the Old Testament, which is an historical record of Israel. When Israel walked with God things went well. When they lost sight of him they fell apart. There’s a poignant description of this in the book of Hosea. Israel has lost a vision of God and as result the prophets are corrupt, the judges are corrupt, and lying, stealing, cheating and murder have fallen on the nation. It even says ‘the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying’. There are even environmental ramifications to losing a vision of God. (See Hosea chapter 4 for more.)

This week I put book writing aside to start work on next year’s Compassion Day—when Australia’s Christian radio stations will join forces to release children from poverty. The event will focus on Haiti, in Latin American. As I did my research I found the truth of that proverb again ringing in my ears.

Haiti is ranked as the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, and is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world with a history of slavery and tyrannical leaders. Unemployment hovers around 70 per cent. Two out of three Haitians live below the poverty line. Basic amenities have been neglected and years of exploitation have left just 3 per cent of Haiti’s forests standing: causing desertification and flooding.

75 per cent of Haiti’s population are children. One in 14 never reaches their first birthday; another 1 in 5 wont reach the age of 4. Only 55 per cent of primary-aged children go to school; only 2 per cent finish high school. Thousands of street children join gangs to survive. Many fall prey to trafficking and prostitution.

You see, whether it’s ancient Israel or modern-day Haiti, the pattern remains:

• Where there is no vision of God leaders become corrupt, because they forget that they will one day face judgement.
• Where there is no vision of God children are exploited, because we lose a sense of God’s love for all humanity—especially the vulnerable.
• And where there is no vision of God natural resources are abused, because we forget that the earth isn’t ours—it’s God’s, given into our care, for the sake of the next generation.

On Compassion Day 2008 we will declare a New Day for Haiti’s children. I can’t wait. But let’s not lose this important truth: where there is no vision of God, people perish. It begs the question—how big is your vision of God?

© 2007 Sheridan Voysey is a writer, speaker, broadcaster and author of Unseen Footprints: Encountering the divine along the journey of life (Scripture Union, 2005). www.thethoughtfactory.net