Haiti’s Holy Saturday: A Day of Waiting

Today, which we call Holy Saturday, the day after Good Friday is always a bit awkward and makes one feel somewhat disoriented. We just went through the Passion of Our Lord the day before. He is now in the tomb. What do we do now? I can appreciate the sense of confusion, sadness, disorientation, and despair the disciples must have felt on that day, for Easter had not yet come.

Haiti too is in a long Holy Saturday. Haitians just went through the greatest suffering in a long time (they are reminded of it every time there is an aftershock or every time they see rubbles all over the city or when they suddenly remember they had one more daughter or one more uncle or a father…). There are talks of reconstruction, talks of a new Haiti on the horizon, but for many it is but talk. There is no evidence. Tomorrow may bring great things, but today is hard, disorienting.

Tomorrow will come indeed, but not in the form that some may think. I am optimistic about Haiti. I believe she will indeed rise again. Yes, someday there will be plenty of electricity, good roads, clean water, competent hospitals, food, etc. We must all work hard so that Haiti will see its Easter Sunday in glory. But you know, the ultimate Rise cannot be merely material, political, nutritional or anything else earthly—not that the earthly is not good (It is), but because the earthly will never suffice. We will hunger for more peace, more justice, more goodness, more truth, more beauty, more, more, more. This thirst for more can only be satisfied by the infinite, the one who IS Peace, Justice, Goodness, Truth, Beauty and LIFE. Yes Christ alone can give any nation what it truly seeks. If our desires settle for anything less, well…we’ll know.

So, let us work to bring the poor of Haiti to a better place indeed in this world and pray that we all reach the home that has been prepared for us by our Lord where we shall live with our heavenly Father in the Spirit.

Muslims slaughter hundreds of Christians in Nigeria

Muslim gangs attacked three villages in central Nigeria and killed up to 400 Christians in pre-dawn attacks on March 7. “The shooting was just meant to bring people from their houses, and then when people came out they started cutting them with machetes,” said one witness. Another added, “We saw mainly those who are helpless, like small children and then the older men, who cannot run, these were the ones that were slaughtered.”

Continue here.

[Hold strong Fellow Christians! "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."]

Condoms over Medicine in Haiti

(From a Haitian to some Western thinkers: Please, condom distributors, keep your crap to yourself. Or better yet, throw it away. We do not need them in Haiti. That reminds me of a big condom proponent working in a village near me. She gets so frustrated because the men refuse to use condoms. She must think they are stupid, but the irony is that she is imposing her own errors upon them. You want to space out births for proper reasons? Use Natural Family Planning and please, STOP DUMPING YOUR CRAP ON US! )


http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/feb/10021812.html
Thursday February 18, 2010

Exclusive: Shipments of Medical Aid to Haiti Delayed by Massive Condom Overload


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By John-Henry Westen and Kathleen Gilbert

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 12, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The flow of medical supplies waiting to be distributed to tens of thousands of earthquake victims in Haiti was delayed for weeks by a massive supply of condoms dominating the space of the main storage facility there, an eyewitness with insider information has told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN).

The central pharmaceutical supply center, known as PROMESS (Program on Essential Medicine and Supplies), is home to the operations of the World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in the area. "Without PROMESS we would have had a second catastrophe," Dr. Alex Larsen, Haitian Minister of Health, said at the PROMESS warehouse recently.

However, the glut of condoms at that same warehouse delayed the massive influx of aid pouring in from around the world, according to an inside source, and may have cost lives. The source reported that shipping containers of medical supplies were unable to be unloaded, sorted and distributed since an enormous supply of condoms clogged the facility till early February, when the condoms could be removed. The condoms were estimated to take up about 70% of the space in the 17,000 sq. ft. warehouse.

The supplies pouring into the region are enormous. Reliefweb reports that “from 16-21 January alone, 483,091 kg of pharmaceutical supplies and 4,990 kg of non-pharmaceutical health supplies, like rubber gloves and masks, arrived at Port-au-Prince airport.”

Nicholas Reader of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said he was "not aware" of the problem, and directed LSN to the World Health Organization for more information. Paul Garwood, the communications officer for emergencies and humanitarian affairs at the World Health Organization, also said he was unaware of the issue. Garwood forwarded the request to colleagues in Haiti, who have not responded as of press time.

While WHO officials are not speaking specifically about the condom clog, they have in more general terms admitted logistical hardships in dealing with the influx of supplies.

"Trying to both respond to the massive health needs in Haiti following the quake and organize the large volume of supplies entering the country has been a great challenge," according to WHO/PAHO representative in Haiti, Dr Henriette Chamouillet.

The scenario of medical supply buildings in the developing world taken up mostly by condoms and severely lacking in health care supplies is not new.

When Canadian General Romeo Dallaire returned from Rwanda in the aftermath of the Rwandan Massacre he noted in a 1996 speech that military personnel referred to UN and other foreign aid as "covering the country with rubber."

Dallaire explained that tons of condoms and other contraceptives were being shipped to and distributed around the region in quantities far beyond what the population could use and in place of much more needed food, medicine and other critically needed aid. Medicine stores, he said, were filled with contraceptives and extremely short of any supplies to treat wounded Rwandans.

With business-savy ingenuity some in the developing world have turned the condom dumping by the West to their advantage. The BBC reported in 2004 that in one Indian city alone 600,000 condoms a day were used in the sari-weaving industry. Sari weavers use the lubrication in the condoms to soften the loom's shuttle making weaving faster, without risking stains to the silk.

The United Nations strategy of massive promotion of condoms as the primary solution to the AIDS crisis is reflected even in recent reports, with no sign of letting up.

For cultures which value life, and family, the condom push into their cultures is highly offensive. Carol Ugochukwu, President of United Families of Africa in Enugu, Nigeria, commented in a 2000 interview noting that Western delegations at the United Nations were trying to "exterminate the whole race" with their promotion of condoms.

Ugochukwu expressed exasperation that Canada, the US and Europe wasted most of the time at UN conferences trying to gain approval for homosexuality while the needs of African women such as food, shelter, and clean drinking water were largely ignored. "[B]ig organizations," she said, "spend so much money, but when they find out you are dealing with all that [dying children and mothers] they are not interested. You have to say you are dealing with reproductive rights before you are given support."

Ugochukwu concluded, "[Westerners] now come in with condoms - condoms are everywhere! They spend so much money on condoms and they make our children promiscuous. They say it will stop AIDS - but it is getting worse! It makes no sense to me."

The Miracle Tree!

Could this revolutionize Haiti?

Easy Way to Help Haiti and Our Mission

Hello Friends of Haiti.

Even as the cameras leave Haiti, the country is still in heavy crisis, and people are still suffering. MWTS Mission Haiti is asking your help in raising funds and awareness for Haiti. You don't even have to spend a dime!

Simply contact your wealthy or maybe not so wealthy parish or another institution that has potentials to offer financial assistance and put in a word for us to see if the pastor/director would allow me (Louis Merosne) to come speak very briefly after the masses on any given weekend. I will give a simple mission message and explain the work we are doing in Haiti to help the orphans and the surrounding village communities. You can share the information on our website (www.haiti300.org) with the pastor/director. We would not even need to do a second collection. We can simply be at the door as people exit the church.

We can cover all costs associated with my travels etc with the hopes that the funds we raise would be significantly more than what we spend.

If you would like to be our partner in this endeavor please contact our development coordinator:

Kristin Todzia:

kristin@mwts.org or 203-815-2539

We are counting on you!

Ak Jezi, Ayiti ap kanpe!

Louis

Pope's Message for Lent 2010

Message for Lent 2010

In this brief, message the Holy Father looks into the meaning of justice both natural and divine. Lastly, he exhorts us to respond by conversion to Christ and belief in the Gospel and by working to create just societies. Let's do it!

Last Minute Reminder for the Helpin' Haiti Concert THIS SATURDAY!

Join Sean Forrest and his band with special guests for an unforgettable night of music and faith to support our efforts in Haiti.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 @ 7pm

Where: Rockville High School Auditorium

70 Loveland Hill Road, Vernon, CT 06066

Click here for directions

Tickets are just $18 and all proceeds go to support the MWTS Mission Haiti Program.

Click here for more info and to buy your ticket online.

I will also lead worship in Creole while playing the conga.

A Miracle Story, A Story of Love.

A mother's futile effort to keep daughter alive

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
January 22, 2010 -- Updated 2100 GMT (0500 HKT)

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- On Wednesday, Dr. Toni Eyssallenne was walking the aisle of a small makeshift hospital in Haiti run by the University of Miami when a patient beckoned to her. "I assumed she was in pain, so I walked over and asked her what was wrong," Eyssallenne told me. "But she said she wasn't in pain. She said she just wanted to tell me what happened to her. For the next thirty minutes, I listened to her story."

A little while later, Eyssallenne, chief of medicine at this field hospital, saw me in another part of the tent and suggested I go speak with this woman.

This is Sonia Flury's story, translated by Camala Jourdain, a Miami nurse working in Haiti under the auspices of the Haitian American Nurses Association.

My name is Sonia Flury, and I'm 40 years old, and I live in the Canape Verte section of Port-au-Prince with my 20-year-old daughter, Pascale Delmas.

It was about 4:30 p.m. and I was lying in bed with my daughter when we felt the house started to shake. We felt the house cave in and all the furniture fell down around us. We yelled "Help me, help me," and then we heard cries from the people on the upper floors crying out for help, too. Three stories fell on top of us. Then we felt the roof fall in. The only thing that kept the roof from falling on top of us was that I have a dresser that has three tiers, and the dresser caught the roof.

Continue Reading here:

Fault Lines - Haiti: The politics of rebuilding

A good video about the reconstruction of Haiti. It discusses an aspect that is usually overlooked in the talk of rebuilding: Haiti is mostly a rural and agricultural country! We should tap into that life.

One Month Later

Who could not be moved by the sight of the thousands of Haitians dancing, jumping, waving their hands and praising God this day on the one-month anniversary of the disastrous quake that happened on January 12! What a beautiful sight! What hope! What resilience! Yes they were also mourning because they are in touch with reality, but they rejoiced in something greater than they and their problems. Let me assure you that this manifestation of spiritual explosion is NOT a temporary reaction to material aid, as one newscaster seemed to imply. We must remember that the electrifying faith that we saw today was at the heart of the Haitian people for a long time before the quake, but what made today so special is that they were able to rise and stare straight into the eyes of disaster and said “you cannot keep me down forever, I will stand and praise!” And so they did. They praised because their hope is Christ! They have known that despite their lack of material wealth, Christ is the greatest treasure they have always had, and Him they have not lost and cannot lose for they have chosen the better part. I experienced similar emotions on my trip—which reminds me to thank all of you, who were so sympathetic to my efforts of trying to get back home. By God’s grace, I made it!

My Trip

My trip to Haiti was on February 1-4. I went with Sean, Sam, and Uncle John, fellow missionaries (Sean is the president of MWTS Mission Haiti) with the goal of bringing supplies to our team in Miragwàn so they could better serve the refugees on our site. We went also to be with the people we love so much and to let them know that we love them and have not forgotten about them. Because there were no commercial flights to Haiti, we had to fly to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and then we took a taxi to the border—a six-hour drive—where we met up with my brother Manno, my cousin Djo, and three amazing police officers that were providing security. We were successful in delivering everything we brought to our team, but that’s not the whole story.

Pain and Frustration

Because of logistical difficulties, I had to drive one of the vehicles, on 45 minutes of sleep, through Port-au-Prince to the village. It was night. As I went through the capital, it was really emotionally tough to see some collapsed houses and yet not be able to stop and reflect at the reality of it all. Also, because I was driving I had to keep my eyes on the road. What hit me the hardest were the people sleeping in the middle of the streets, literally. On Bisantnè, a main road in the city, I was wondering why my brother put on his left turning signal going into the other direction. Then I realized that there was debris serving as a roadblock for people sleeping right on the road! They didn’t even have tents. They were exposed to the weather and even to unsuspecting cars. I was moved. Then, on a strip, toward Kafou, called “Sou Ray” I saw a line of tents right on the median of a very dusty road! That was home for many. Again, that broke my heart.

It was also difficult not being able to spend much time with each one of my family members and fellow missionaries who were already in Haiti. I also wanted to spend much more time in Port-au-Prince with the thousands living in tents. I wanted to be there just to be present to them, crying with them, praying with them, praising at insane hours of the night with them, etc.

Lastly, I came to learn of more frustrating situations from one of the police guards. He was telling us how the aid was being distributed inefficiently and unfairly, leaving many needy families still hungry and homeless. He had great ideas, which he had shared with the proper officials, but no one listened. He also pointed out to me several collapsed building which STILL buried people even as of Feb. 4^th, more than three weeks after the quake. But again the rescue workers have not even made their way there and probably never will. It made me wonder why no attention was given to so many places whereas tons of people kept at it at the Montana hotel. Something is not clicking here.

Joy and Hope

Despite the pain and frustration, my trip still gave me some joy and hope. Joy, because I was able to see and hug my family and friends. Joy, because the laughter of the many children on our site was contagious. Joy, because in the face of devastation my people were still smiling. Hope, because of Christ in them and Christ in me. Hope, because I truly believe we can move forward. Hope, because we are a chosen people, chosen by God to do a mission, to be a leader in the world. Yes, nothing less. We are His people and He is our God.

What Will You Do?

It has only been a month since the quake and already much of the world is already turning its eyes away from Haiti. Will you too turn away? Or will you commit, giving of yourself as much and as often as you can, to see her rise, claiming her place as the pearl of the islands?

Please help here: http://www.mwts.org/missionhaiti/Home/Home.html

First Reflections on Haiti and the Earthquake

I remember the first moment of learning about the quake and actually realizing that it was indeed bad (though I still did not realize how disastrous it really was). My first thought of concern was about my mommy. I tried to call Haiti with no success. My sister was in the same restaurant as I, but I did not want to tell her anything yet till I found out that our family was okay. I sent many text messages with no response. Finally, my brother called sobbing. My heart sank. What happened to my mom?

“Nothing. Mommy’s safe.”

What about Michel, Yvon, Freyèl?

“They’re all fine!”

Then he told me that many of my extended family members were gathered with other neighbors in an open field in fear of collapsing houses. Other family were still trying to contact their loved ones…

“Pòtoprens kraze, Tayi” (Port-au-Prince is gone, Tayi)

The reality began to sink in.

Of course I did not sleep for the next couple days, being inseparable with the television, the Internet and my phone as I tried to understand the scope of what was happening to my dear motherland. And I learned that it is an unimaginable tragedy.

Why? (2x)

One of the hardest questions about this catastrophe is WHY? Why did this happen to the most vulnerable people? Answers dealing with geology and history, though interesting do not actually even come close to satisfying the heart. WHY? I cannot answer that question without speculating so I will embrace another fact that surrounds the question, in fact it is the answer to another question: WHO is there to help carry this burden? I am not just referring to the international agencies (and other strong Haitians on the ground) that were so quick to respond; they are only able to be present to a small portion of the people affected. They can only help lift a small part of the emotional and spiritual burden. But Christ, so gentle and yet so strong, is among the suffering. The Haitians know Him very well, and they cling to Him with their tightest grip in the midst of the unbearable pain. It is comforting to know that we do not have a God who stands on the sidelines watching, wishing He could help. No, we have a God who knows how to suffer, how to die but ultimately how to rise, Rise, RISE! Yes He is able to keep the Haitian spirit soaring, baffling onlookers who do not understand why a crowd of people would gather in the midst of the rubble to lift their hands in praise! That is because Jesus is present, especially through is cross.

You may have noticed a few news clips showing destruction in the background with a cross standing right in it or next to it. The cross is the sign of the Suffering Servant being present to His suffering people. He did not abandon us, but He is most present to us in the midst of our own Calvary. And we smile because we know He is here, and that He can lift us up. Death does not have the last word for us who are in Him.

I personally asked myself another “why” question: Why am I so blessed that most of my family is safe? I know this question will resound in many survivors also. Why did God spare some and not others? It can’t just be that He loves us, for He loves those who died too. It is not because we are holier; many saints went down under the rubbles and many sinners are still standing. The only thing that makes sense in my mind is that God spared us for a purpose; He has a mission for us, and we must ask Him what it is and do it with a sense of gratitude and resolute faithfulness. I have a feeling the purpose would not lie far from the old adage: To know, to love and to serve God in this life, and to be happy with Him in the next. Let us begin now.

I mourn, of course. I consider all Haitians my family in a special way. Even closer to home, I lost my precious Nashtabie, my 10 year-old little cousin who was trapped under the rubbles of her school where she was taking tutoring lessons. Her little sister, Naomie, is normally there too, but for some reason, that day her mom asked her not to go, and thus she was spared. I have cried over Nashtabie and the thousands of dead family members several times, but I have hope. My faith allows me to hope.

These tools need to accompany those who will continue to work for the better: Faith, hope and love. Faith was demonstrated by the praying crowds who were suffering. Hope kept many alive under the rubbles. Love was displayed by the many men and women who risked their lives to save our brothers and sisters. We must continue that tradition in our lives keeping a lively faith, a strong hope and daily expressing our love for one another through service and relationships.

The Human Family

We are indeed family. I was so moved by the knowledge that there were so many people from so many countries that were so quick to fly in to help our wounded family in Haiti. This tragedy brought the best out of many people. Humans have a strong capacity to love. Imagine what a different world we would have if we could always treat the other as family just like we see in Haiti. I pray that this example of love being outpoured onto Haiti may serve as a catalyst to make us rethink how we treat each other in the world. May we have a paradigm shift. The other is not the enemy. Hatred is. Selfishness is. May we reconcile with distant family members. Let us follow the cue from the bottom of our hearts, which tells us that the other is lovable.

Rebuilding Haiti

I am writing simply as a son of Haiti who loves her dearly, who has never lost hope in her and who is committed to her so much more firmly. I will list some bullet points that I think should make a minimum of a rebuilding plan. It is not exhaustive; there are many other factors to consider. But these I think ought to be part of the bare minimum of conditions.

• We must believe that Haiti will not perish. She will rise again
• We must rebuild Haiti one village at a time. This approach is long-term; it’s not a quick fix. No quick fix can rebuild Haiti. I think it is a good thing that people are returning to their villages. My village alone has more than doubled in population, and the local leaders have already met to discuss ways to handle the changes.
• We must focus on helping to provide the necessities in the villages so that people will have enough to remain in their area and flourish from there. We should build new schools and health clinics or strengthen the ones already present.
• Education in the villages should integrate a respect for peasant life including farming. We should educate our children to be Haitians and to love and be proud of it. Creole should be taught to all and be given utmost respect.
• We MUST work with the local village leaders in targeting the needs of the area and to come to solutions together. The Catholic parishes/chapels have proven to be strong agents of positive change in whatever villages they are located, and they should be helped in their services as much as possible.
• Two of the greatest needs I have come across in the villages are the need for clean water and for IRRIGATION. So many crops are lost without rain. If there could be a constant source of water for the farmers, I think we would be able to feed ourselves again.
• Rebuilding of the National Palace and Cathedral should take some precedence in Port-au-Prince because these symbols of the state and the Church are important in providing a sense of motivation, hope and guidance for the people.
• Haiti will not rise without her children caring for her, or without their being united to and for her. Haiti, our mother, is tired. She has been wounded. It is for her children to reach out, all hands on board, to help her up. We will require the help of her friends too, not a handout but a heart out, reaching out to their brothers and sisters in strengthening the human family. We must make a COMMITMENT to Haiti so that we do not forget her after the cameras leave.
• Lastly, every plan of reconstruction must include a plan for the orphans, Haiti’s most vulnerable.

Orphans

The Haitian orphans are Haitian children who cannot be forgotten. They are persons, not just a category of people. Some principles must be in place for helping them:

• We should have a no less radical than a ZERO ORPHAN ON THE STREETS policy. Period.
• Effort should be made to help the children while in Haiti as much as possible.
• Qualified Haitian families in Haiti should be encouraged to adopt Haitian orphans.
• We should support grass roots efforts that create homes for orphans (the less institutional it feels the better) in local villages and try to integrate the orphans in a community. The small mission with which I am involved (MWTS Mission Haiti [haiti300.org]) tries to follow that model.
• Potentially all the orphans that are homeless now could easily be dispersed throughout the villages if there were structures set up for them.
• Undiscerning mass adoption of thousands of orphans is not advised for several reasons, including: The horror of taking a child that actually has family members seeking for him; the shock of those children finding themselves in a brand new place with no familiarity and no particular family to care for them, and; taking away Haiti’s greatest resource (her children) by the thousands without any commitment to help these children stay connected to the ground and roots that gave rise to them.
• Individual international adoptions should be considered with the following recommendations: The child can GAIN a new culture but not LOSE his Haitian culture; proper consideration should be given to qualified Haitian families; foreign families should make every effort to learn about Haitian history and culture to as to help instill some of that in the child; travels should be planned to Haiti with the child so he can reconnect with his culture.
• I am currently helping an American family to adopt a Haitian child, and I would recommend their model. They are trying to learn Creole. They have asked me, a Haitian, to be the godfather. They plan on traveling to Haiti with the child.

How to Help

• Pray
• Commit to stand with Haiti according to your capacity for the rest of your life.
• Hope and pass on hope for Haiti
• Cultivate a deep respect for Haiti that she deserves and realize that true help is a heart out not a hand out. In other words you are reaching out to family and friends not just to “the poorest people in the western hemisphere”.
• Support the grassroots groups already doing effective work in Haiti. My group is doing just that: www.haiti300.org
• Start new projects or fundraising events to help your village (if you are Haitian) or another village community.
• Speak to Universities trying to have them offer scholarships to bright Haitian students. This is the time to mobilize when everyone’s attention is still locked in to Haiti.
• Find other creative ways to help that is respectful of the dignity of the human person and of Haitian culture.

Ayiti cheri, mwen renmen w! M fenk koumnse kanpe avè w!

May all my thoughts be captured by Christ!

The Logos is the Way, the Truth and the Life. May my all be to Him as His all is to me.