Rich or Poor?

We were bummed this week, yet not very surprised, when we read the latest reports listing Haiti as the "POOREST" country in the world. Nothing changed here, the world was not rocked nor any instant effect at the moment that this report hit the press. However, our deepest grief at this fact was not necessarily for the Haitians, but for Christians around the world, that are missing out. Many are impoverished in different ways.

“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.” (Proverbs 21:13)

That was us, not long ago. Only through our own unexpected loss of financial stability were we SHOVED beyond ourselves to begin to develop the trust in Him that God challenges us to. Christ asked us to have the faith that moved us from the relative comfort of “gratefulness & generosity” to the seemingly reckless abandon of “sacrifice and surrender” on His behalf, for the sake of others…

Our faith is still a work in process, even now

                                …even while living in a place like Haiti.

 ”Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

‘God blesses you who are poor,
    for the Kingdom of God is yours.
God blesses you who are hungry now,
    for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
    for in due time you will laugh.’”(Luke 6:20-21)

We're not here to preach at you, we're just here to serve. However, as brothers and sisters that see daily the front line of what Christian sacrifice CAN do in and among the lives of the poorest, we cannot be silent any longer. In fact we would really like to SHOUT, some days –

“WAKE UP, GET OFF YOUR BACKSIDES, dear brothers & sisters!"

"SHINE! BE the example to a lost and fallen world."

"Grab the opportunity now!!"

"Step out in faith, live with risk, partake in the faith of the POOR."

“When Jesus heard his answer, he said, ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’

But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18:22-23)

Our greatest challenge yet, is before us still. The faith we have is miniscule to that of our Haitian brothers & sisters in Christ. They grow & LIVE & walk in their faith far better than we do on most occasions. Their faith is like a glimpse of hidden treasure here on earth! The joy of seeing their prayers answered by the obedience of others is purely SUBLIME! We are constantly blown away by the experiences of life here and the privilege of watching God’s work unfold is the ever humbling and refining power on the core of our hearts.

“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5) 

“… But you dishonor the poor!” (James 2:6)

Lord we pray that this is not the case for us or any of your Body. Make us each your instruments, and do not delay in prompting your work and provision in our lives as well as in those of the “poor”.

They see "poor"...we see JOY that only comes through faith!!

Hurricane Update

While the meteorologists are hard at work tracking the Tropical Storm Isaac, Ted has been running around to get things together and get prepared for it's arrival in Haiti late Friday night.

Please keep him in your prayers as he gathers staples, fills gas tanks, contacts each of our partner churches to spread the warning and assess needs, helping our friends at Diakonos by moving the kids to safety...and so on!

Please pray for the entire area over the next few days. There are still 300,000 people in tents that cannot withstand the winds. The projected rainfall is supposed to be anywhere from 8-20 inches. 1-2 inches is all that it usually takes to pretty much shut the city down.

And you know the rest. Haiti just isn't a place that needs any more destruction. 

On top of the situation is the fact that they really don't usually know when this type of storm is coming, so they do nothing to prepare. Little will be boarded up or tied down. Virtually NO one in the greater population will set up sand bags in anticipation of flooding or tape windows or buy extra food and water. The communication infrastructure just isn't in place for that.

Keep our Haitian co-worker, Ron in your prayers, as he travels back on Friday from the US, and for me, Rebecca, here in Florida at the moment, not much help but also watching the storm tracker for Monday.

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

Finally - a car that fits our "motto"...

...always room for one more!

One of the things we do the most in Haiti is sit in the car. Port Au Prince is traffic ridden, and we are constantly visiting one of our 12 church partners spread from one end of the city to another.

With the interns here over the summer, it became clear that our sweet little CRV was not going to do it. We were regularly carrying 1-2 people in the back cargo area, and often leaving someone at home, due to space in the car. We began praying that God would provide the perfect vehicle and a way to pay the difference between our current car and the new one. In HIS everlasting faithfulness, He did!

We found out about a 9 passenger (we have figured it to hold 11 if there are kids in the back seats!) Nissan Safari that was for sale by a family that had moved back to the US. One of the major concerns about a larger car in Haiti is the mileage & increased cost of gas. This wonderful "beast" gets the same mpg as our compact SUV - 25-26 mpg AND it is diesel, which is actually cheaper here!

The family agreed to let us put a down payment and to pay the rest off whenever we sell our current car. (only in Haiti!!) Ted was able to pick it up yesterday and says that it is the PERFECT answer to our prayers!

Heaps of summer pics...

 It has been an extremely eventful summer so far & it's not even close to over...August is still on the horizon!

We finally had a chance to get photos loaded up today so that you can take a look at some of what we've been up to since our first interns arrived in mid-May. 

Check back later, as we continue to add pics through the end of next month!

Here are some random favorite photos as a teaser...

Click here for the rest of our Picasa Haiti-Summer 2012 album! 

Post-earthquake update

 

This camp is one of several that we have seen dissipate in the past 6 months. 

Reported via our UN feed today:

As of June 2012, an estimated 390,000 individuals (or 98,000 IDP households) reside in 575 camps and camp-like settlements across the earthquake affected areas. This is a 7 per cent decrease in the number of individuals living in IDP sites compared to the previous report of April 2012. Since the height of the displacement crisis two years ago (an estimated 1.5 million individuals were living in IDP sites in July 2010), some 75 per cent of the original camp population remains. 
  
The important decrease of IDPs from camps for this period can be attributed to a number of factors including effective return and relocation projects implemented in the framework of the GoH-led through the Unité de construction de logements et de bâtiments publics (UCLBP). This is particularly apparent in the commune of Port-au-Prince this period where the population has decreased by 17% (from 25,853 households to 21,366) since April this year. 
  
The total number of open sites reduced by 27 this reporting period: from 602 in April 2012 to 575 in June. This is a 63% decrease compared to July 2010 where as many as 1,555 sites were recorded.

Majority of the displaced population (60% or 233,857 IDP individuals) continue to reside in the 40 sites (sites hosting 500 or more households). On the other hand, 79% of sites (453 sites) host less than 150 households in each site, accounting for about 19% of the IDP population (72,490 individuals). 
  
DTM provides important analysis to continue our collective efforts to identify more durable solutions for the IDPs still in tents as well as for communities of return and indicates the feasibility of scaling up return and relocations projects to favor the closing of as many sites as possible in a principled and dignified manner.  

from the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix - 28 June 2012