WHY HAITI?

“Why should we spend time and money helping the people of Haiti while there are so many issues to deal with here in America?”

Recently our Director of Partner Development, Bryan McInnis, was speaking in a church about the work of Healing Haiti. After the service, a man approached him and asked the above question.

In fact, this is a question we get asked often, because, of course there are so many needs that exist in our nation (even in our own neighborhoods).

So how do we respond to this question?

First, we believe God calls each person to a unique way of loving the world. So whether God invites you to serve elders living in Cite Soleil or children struggling with hunger in Minneapolis, our responsibility is to respond to God’s unique call on our lives.

Second, Haiti remains one of the most under-resourced places on the planet. Unlike the U.S., there are virtually no social welfare programs or national infrastructure that targets the most vulnerable.

Finally (and most importantly), we believe that because of Jesus, common sources of division such as nationality, ethnicity, and socio-economic standing are of far less importance than our common identity as brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul says it this way in Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Christ there exist no national borders (or any other dividing line) that can be used to create an “us-them” dynamic. There is only Jesus, and the adventure Jesus has invited you into: to go where he calls you to go, and love the one he puts in front of you.