Conclusion..

So, in conclusion of the trip…and now that I’ve had a few days to digest the whole thing….

When I first heard about this organization and read up on what they’re all about (if you don’t know by now, I went through a Mission group called “Adventures In Missions” (AIM)… www.adventures.org ) …I was first turned off. I read certain ‘buzz’ words which didn’t “mesh” with the type of help that I wanted to offer. I read about Evangelizing and giving Testimonials, etc. I said “NO” faster than I could say anything. Yes, a complete knee-jerk reaction. You likely may figure this out by now, but I come to these situations in a very humbled way….Humbled that my brand of help might not be the ‘right’ type of help….humbled that my belief and faith could very well be wrong….but recognize that this is what strong faith can admit, and still be faithful. So, my first impression was “no way in Haiti, am I going to go to people that are malnutrition, neglected, homeless and oppressed…and start preaching to them about how great life is on the high-horse that I live on”. Then a little voice spoke to me….Some call it your “conscience” some call it “intuition”…I still don’t give myself enough credit to think it came from me….So I believe that God spoke to me while I was having my knee-jerk dismissal of this group, AIM, whom I had only just heard about. And the little voice basically said: “just do it! Get out of your comfort zone…stop looking for the million excuses to NOT do it, and…just. Do. It. Who knows, it could make you a better Christian”. I swear to you…that exact message came to my head. And, while sitting on the bed with my wife & looking at their website on the laptop – I said “let’s do it” and began to fill out the application. Moral of the story, I guess: how many times do we find ourselves criticizing things that we’ve never done or shoes that we’ve never walked in? And how many times do we discourage ourselves with the billion reasons *not* to do something? You can tell me that you want to help an old lady cross the road and I can tell you a million reasons why you shouldn’t (you could get hit!...she’s going to make you late in your schedule…what if she has a sickness?...maybe she’s a ninja disguised as an old lady and will rob you!...lol, ok, I threw the last one in to make sure you’re still awake!). But you see my point? We are so programmed to discourage action with the billion reasons NOT to do something…..but that’s easy….everyone can do that. Challenge yourself to sift through the billion “discouragements” and find the seldom seen “encouragements”. Don’t be lazy here….you will find that your life can be richer this way.

So, onto the ‘Mission’. I decided to do it. I knew, going in, that I would probably be in situations that made me a bit uncomfortable or that I was at odds with. But I was determined to not allow them to be a factor in exploring this experience. …and let me tell you: I’M GLAD I DID IT! Just like many places that I’ve been plugged in with (Uganda, Nepal, Eritrea/Ethiopia) – there is still so much to be done in Haiti. I’m hoping some good can come of the upcoming elections and they can start taking some wider action on some of the issues plaguing the area. Massive rubble pick up and a consistent waste-management systems are the biggest immediate needs right now, as far as I can see. I remember asking one of our translators, Carl, of the possibilities of a Recycling center (as we were picking up trash in the neighborhood…it’s amazing how much plastic and metal cans we picked up) and his response was “you and I should start one!” ….lol, I LOVE that attitude! Yes we should, Carl, yes we should. And who knows…perhaps we will. I think if there was a consistent waste management system from the government, people won’t be tossing their trash in the rivers, which was so depressing to see. Also, if there was a solid recycling center that perhaps offered a refund for recycling drop-offs, based on weight, we’d likely set up a wide spread grass roots efforts of Haitians recycling for extra change, and thus blasting the area with a huge cleanup effort (not sure the pigs and goats would be so happy about this effort. Lol)

The people of Haiti were incredible! Perhaps it’s because we were in Carrefour – but all the hype about crime in Haiti has been a little over-sold. There wasn’t a moment that we saw any acts of crime or ever felt unsafe or in need to watch our bags/cameras/etc that were laying out and unattended at many times. The people and their families were always welcoming and courteous…the hospitality shown across the board was incredible. The children were always so curious and honest…just as all children are…but moreso, perhaps because of their circumstances, they were so much more mature and advanced it seemed.

I left Haiti wanting to come home, scoop up my family and go right back. They gave me a new perspective on the work that needs to be done around the world. I want to be able to work with Haitians and incorporate them into the ever-growing worldwide network that I’m assembling to bridge the gaps on world problems and promote progress from the ground level. Did I leave the trip completely changed? Well perhaps not…I was still at odds with certain practices of Mission groups, but it certainly forced me to put down the broad brush and not be so jaded when I think about them working the ways that they work – as it is just as necessary and valuable as the work that I’d like to be a part of and take lead of.

So, I don’t come back with some Divine message for you – or with some smug sense of accomplishment. However, I come back to you with another reminder of how humble we must be and how our problems of bills and debt and traffic are not comparables to people who wake up working to eat for the day – or to pick up a pick-axe and continue cracking away at the endless pile of rubble that used to be ‘home’. It further humbled me that: here are people with so much less than me…so many more reasons to be angry with God or fed-up with faith…and instead they are more spiritually rich than I can dream to become. If that doesn’t speak volumes that I don’t know what does.

Moving forward, I hope to stay in touch with Michael (who had hosted us in his house), Pastor Jean-Philip (who’s church was our home away from home), and Son Of God orphanage so that I can possibly coordinate a trip with them for my wife to share in the experience early 2011. Then, I’m hoping to be able to collaborate with people (perhaps Carl, even!) to start some grass-roots solutions, starting in Carrefour, to help things progress forward.

I look forward to what the future holds! :o)