A new perspective on Haiti

Haiti

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Dustin Metcalf, a pastor from California, recently returned from Haiti as part of a volunteer team that worked under the direction of Rev. Walliere Pierre, National Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) Coordinator in Haiti, to gather information and photos about Nazarenes, Nazarene churches, and Nazarene schools. These are his words:

Dustin Metcalf: A New Perspective on Haiti

To get a better understanding of the life now facing the Haitian people, our team was given a seemingly simple task: Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted, stand among the ruins of their lives, and just listen to their stories. In nine days our team spent more than 30 hours on the endlessly bumpy roads of Haiti, traveling from Jacmel, located on the southern coast of Haiti, to Ti David, located a few miles from the northern coast. In just a few days' time, we gathered information from nearly 50 churches.

In the rubble of church after church, we heard how many Nazarenes had died, how many schools were damaged, how many were without homes. As the stories accumulated I felt myself growing numb. I had forgotten that part of the healing of Haiti is for the people to be able to share their loss with others. They need to know that they matter, that their hurts matter, that someone cares enough to listen.

"All for about four minutes," said Curt Luthye, Work and Witness Coordinator in the Caribbean. "It's amazing to think that these pastors made sure they could get to Gros Morne Church of the Nazarene so they could give us their four-minute reports."

These pastors spent money and time to make sure we heard their stories and their people's stories. No matter the personal cost, and no matter how little time we had together, it was essential to these men to be there. It was important that I listen.

In chaotic times like these, it is easy to get so caught up in the work that needs to be done that we forget what is most important: the relationship. We need to partner with our friends in Haiti, but we certainly do not need to be their saviors. There is no doubt that we have much to offer our Haitian friends, but what Haiti needs most of all is for us to really listen to them, to join in the hard work of relationship.

A Common Refrain: What Does the Future Hold?

Time and again, as we interviewed these pastors, I heard a common refrain. In almost every one of the 48 churches that were interviewed, someone knew a person who had died in Port-au-Prince. All too often, that someone was a university student.

While digging a trench for a new section of wall on the seminary campus, I had the opportunity to talk to the son of one of my fellow laborers. This young man was a second year college student who had been studying mechanical engineering. He is the future of Haiti. It is young men and women like him who will help to create a better Haiti, a more sustainable Haiti. Unfortunately, his school is gone. "Now I can't see the future. I trust God but it's like I'm blind," he said.

In Petit-Goave, an earthquake-ravaged community southwest of Port-au-Prince, I met another of Haiti's bright students. He had completed school and earned a degree in economics, but he does not have a job. With resignation on his face and in his voice, he said, "There is no work available."

Herein lies the real tragedy of Haiti for me. We are on the verge of losing an entire generation of future leaders because there are not enough schools and not enough jobs. Without education, the chances for success become much slimmer. And without the hope of jobs, education is wasted.

For the future of Haiti to be brighter, we need to understand that our work must go beyond giving money or building churches. As the global church, we have to remember that we have a responsibility and a calling to help make society a more just place to live. We must remember that our call to make Christlike disciples in the nations means that we care about how the disciples live.

A brighter future in Haiti will consist of an engaged church body meeting the needs of communities. We cannot afford to waste any time in beginning to meet this immense challenge.

Persons and churches wishing to make a donation for Haiti Earthquake Relief online can do so through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries at ncm.org. Checks can be marked "Haiti Earthquake Relief ACM1204" and mailed to Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3.
--Carribbean Communications Office

 

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