Heritage Lake & Haiti

It’s rather surprising.  For a small Midwest collection of people, Heritage Lake and the surrounding area has quite a few who have served in Haiti.  Off the top of my head, I can think of three or four who have spent extended time there in educational, medical, or missions support.

I wish I could claim the same, but mine was just a brief encounter.  But it was enough to leave an indelible impression.  It was a number of years ago when I was still flying.  I was considering a job with a missions relief agency that flew regularly into Haiti.  One of the regular pilots and I were making the run.  The rugged peaks and the emerald water made a beautiful view from the air.  We made our approach into Porte-au-Prince over the beautiful bay, and then came the first hint of poverty.

My pilot companion leaned over and pointed out the right cockpit window.  “You see those houses down there?  That’s Cite Soleil.”

There was a mass of closely huddled shacks; row upon row of rusty metal roofs.  “They all have dirt floors.” He said, “And when the tide comes in, it floods the floors and turns them into muck.”

I tried to process that fact.  The tide must come in at least twice a day.  So, twice a day those people live in the mud of semi-flooded homes.  Not for a day or two, but as a standard of living! 

As I got a closer look at the way of life, it was a curious thing.  I knew I was looking at extreme poverty but at the same time; realized I wasn’t absorbing the full extent of it.  It was too far outside my scope of experience. 

Today, I try to imagine the misery after the earthquake; mud brick houses that would crumble like sandcastles; substandard buildings that would stand no chance against the heaving waves of earth.  If I couldn’t grasp the poverty of daily life, I certainly can’t imagine the depths of this disaster.

Even in our little lake community, we have a link with this place.  Not simply through the people who have served there, but in the fact we are children of the same race.  Scripture gives a challenge. “Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.” Luke 12:48

This verse refers to more than mere material possessions, but it does include them.  Justice, compassion; God Himself says, in the balance of things, we are called to help in tragedies like Haiti.  Why?  -Because we can.  It is a measure of our true humanity.  …Just some food for thought.

Here are a few places to help online:

http://www.camaservices.org/urgent/haiti-earthquake-relief.php

http://www.mtmhaiti.com

http://www.worldvision.org

Pastor Kevin