News from Haiti

I have been back for several days. I did not have internet available at the hotel and so, was not able to post to this blog. Can we agree to suspend that reality and pretend that I am posting this from Haiti and not from my dining room? Can we do that?

The first day always seems to be the hardest: up at 3 am and at the airport by 4:30, on the plane and in the air by 5:30. But, before that, dress and stress that I might be forgetting something important, like my passport. One fast cup of coffee and out the door and down to the church parking lot, that time honored point of departure. We meet and pray and get into the van.

All the stress of travel is available to me this morning. I imagine all that could go wrong and do my best not to let this dread show. I am smiling on the outside, nervous on the inside and as we move closer to Haiti I am trying not to snap at those who seem oblivious to my stress. In case you don't know who you are:

• The people in the ticket line
• The lady at the counter who got us on a technicality and charged us for our checked bags
• The flight attendant with an attitude
• The other passengers who could not wait their turn to file off the plane

All of this I endure with too little sleep: the people, the two plan changes, the humidity, the heat, the whole mess. And then we get to Port-au-Prince and I remember why I came. It is a mess, but somehow I see and feel and smell the beauty that Haiti could be, the Haiti that exists if we are willing to look deeper, the other Haiti.

We land, load into a car and drive for an hour north out of Port-au-Prince. Seven of us cram ourselves into a space for five and we laugh like children while our driver dodges cars, trucks, people, donkeys and tap taps. I feel the joy of my Haitian friends, my guides and mentors as they come home. The joy of being home is unique. We drove to the city of Arcahaie and stopped at a church and a school that Joshua wants us to see. I am sure Joshua wants us to fall in love with it. It is hard not to. Fifty school children standing in formation and singing: "I've got joy, joy, joy down in my heart". They sing this song in English, a gift to those of us that do not speak yet speak Creole. After the song there are speeches. Judson, Joshua, Kathy, Theresa, and I all have a little something to say. I don't have much to say, just that their joy has turned my fatigue to joy. But after all, isn't that what joy is best at?

Later, we drive back to Port-au-Prince and finally get to bed. It has been a loooooong day. There will be more of these. But that is okay. If this were easy, anybody could do it.

Sunday, We Move Closer to Haiti

This will be our second trip to Haiti. Five of us will be going as representatives of a larger group that wants to find the village that we are supposed to support and assist as we build a friendship that I hope lasts forever. Our group is a partnership of Haitians and non-Haitians. We are not equipped to make big changes in Haiti yet, but we are equipped to make small ones. But, just between us, we believe that big changes are simply a large collection of small changes. We will be visiting several villages in order to find the one that is a good match for the assets we have to offer. We intend to bring positive change, and I am confident that this village will have much to teach us. We will ask, not tell, how we can help. I hope that this becomes a model that can benefit more villages in Haiti. One of the elements of positive change that continues to be talked about in Haiti is the need to move a portion of the population out of Port-au-Prince. This will not happen unless there are attractive opportunities elsewhere. We will work to create attractive opportunities. Even if our project creates a chance for a few to move out of Port-au-Prince that will be a bit less pressure on that burdened city. We will make mistakes along the way, but we hope to make them in a small way as we learn the best ways to be helpful.

Now, this will not be easy, but it has great value. Lives will be changed. My life will be changed. I will learn more of what it is to struggle and survive with grace and dignity. I will learn better what it means to make decisions from a place of poverty and not from a position of plenty. I will learn to love better, pray harder, give more and take less. I will learn these lessons and lessons I cannot yet imagine.

Also, this will not be free. It will cost money. A word about that. We know that it will take money to help accomplish our goals. But our goals are, we believe, worthy. For those of you that would like to contribute to our effort, for those of you that want to support a small, nimble group of passionate people that want to help rebuild Haiti through relationships please, contact me: mdbuhlig@gmail.com or call 816-399-3769