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Link One:
I think this post written by friends in Haiti is one you'll want to read. I'd go ahead and say "you must read it", but if you are anything like me you would rebel against being told what to do and not read it.
I like it when other people write about the things that I want to write about but cannot figure out how to address politely. I think Corrigan handled himself like a (funny) gentleman and I plan to request he write about a few other difficult topics on my behalf very soon.
Seeing some of the real life damage that short-sighted distributions and feel-good aid can cause, often make people angry and persuasive. In my experience with addressing these sorts of difficult topics there is a fine line between being perceived as a cynical jerk, and being received as informed, experienced, and gracious. I'm trying to keep my mouth shut unless I'm fairly certain I can pull off the latter.
Link Two:
Totally unrelated, I followed this link from a tweet today and found myself feeling understood (and slightly weepy). Don't ask me what that odd photo with the article has to do with anything, but the article itself hit so close to my heart. Most readers may want to skip it, but those considering raising kids abroad (or doing it) may find themselves nodding in agreement.
Prayer One:
The Harbor House: A place of refuge
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| Alloune |
Prayer Two:
Moses is coming alive. He is responding more and becoming comfortable. Hayden Hendrick found his tickle-spot and the giggles were so beautiful to listen to for all of us. The last couple of nights went a lot better and today he was a cherub and we listened to a lot of Sara Groves while we moved about the house getting things done.
Lydia went two totally different directions with the Moses situation ('sitch' as we say here). One, she reverted to requiring me to spoon feed her "like a baby" after seeing me spoon feed Moses. Two, she said she was the "mommy of Moses" for a little while and made beds for herself and him next to my desk. She then declared to Moses, "I am your mommy and I will keep the bugs off of you." A zapping bug-racket in the hands of a three year old so near a helpless child allowed me to snap just one photo before saving Moses from being treated to a little shock. We're praying for his future tonight. (Not just because of Lydia.)
15 comments:
Loved Corrigan's post. I highlighted a sentence to copy and paste here to show you how much I like it, and then it turned into like 6 sentences. And then paragraphs. Um. Never mind.
(Thank you for not telling me I HAD to read it. It's like you can see right inside my rebel-mind.)
The leaving-your-kids-in-other-countries post made me sad for you. :(
And I'm praying for Alloune and Moses.
I appreciated both links. The latter made me want to hug my mom, who sent me off to college at age 18 to join my sisters a continent away from where she and my dad continued to carry on the ministry in Chile. In those days we couldn't even telephone one another very much because international phone calls were so expensive. My parents formally met my husband when they flew home to give me away at my wedding! As I am raising my own batch of MK's, it is likely this will be my reality one day as well. Thankful that God gives grace and strength for all things ...
wow link 2 really hit home! Brought back a lot of memories/emotions!
Just sent an email to Matt @ Lifeline. I was horrified at the whole peanut butter distribution situation. Will be praying for this as well.
And praying for Moses and Alloune...
Can you explain more on the peanut butter situation? I understand the rationale but what I don't quite get is how to make it a reality. In your opinion, should churches only collect money and then provide that money to an aid group who has the connections within Haiti to buy local products? (Since most churches do not have such connections.) People love to give to something tangible (like buying peanut butter) and will stop short at giving financially for an assorted number of reasons. (It's not tangible, they can easily spend $1.50 on a tub of peanut butter but feel silly giving so little to a project but are reluctant to give more in a monetary donation, people want to feel like they are doing something not just sending their money, etc.) How do we counterbalance that? I say that as a missions team member at a church...
Kayder1996 - Thanks for asking.
Here is the thing... truthfully every org. needs money. We all (those working for non-profits) know people don't want to give money because it doesn't make it feel as tangible but it is literally THE MOST tangible ...
The cost of sending containers over the sea and getting them out of customs (with donor money) when the products are locally made and sold is actually a pretty irresponsible use of funds.
Truth be told, there are really great organizations that have to resort to doing this because the donors won't have it any other way.
For whatever reason (human nature) people prefer the way buying the peanut butter (shoes/toys/household items etc) feels and they'd rather buy the $3 PB and maybe even send $3 along to help with shipping before they would want to give the org. the $6 -- I am about to make everybody mad but really it has more to do with how it makes the donor feel ... everybody wants the pay off -- the feeling of "I did something good" and the feeling comes more easily with the tangible purchase of Jif rather than the responsible and far more impactful gift of cash. There is no counterbalance ... that is why countries like Haiti stay poor. We only want to give in the way we want to give. We create a lot of the dependency by needing that warm fuzzy feeling.
I am to a point where I avoid every distribution of any kind. If there is not an emergency (as there was for a couple of months after the EQ) I cannot stand behind distributing goods to masses ... it puts them in a bad position and it *almost* never goes well. Whether it is peanut butter or shoes or rice I won't distribute in a public space. Giving that stuff as needed to people you are in relationship with (such as the women we see weekly and can actually know what they need) makes sense. Dumping stuff on people because you sent it in on a container and want to say you distributed it feels icky to me. I only speak for me. But that is how I feel.
Maybe Moses is supposed to become a livesay? Is that even an options?
Thank you for posting thought provoking posts,like the pb link. I wouldnt have known that sending that peanut butter would have been so harmful. I would just think that they are getting more food sent in. Very interesting to learn otherwise!
good post, good links, i agree with you 100%. we don't do distributions any more either. but most stateside/westerners don't understand the rationale of it all. you've done a great job of explaining.
on another note...in this particular profile pic of your family- which i love- it looks like troy has a lip-ring. i think it's your earring, but it gave me a good laugh.
but then, he does walk around holding hands with guys, so who knows? fine with me. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Such a great link to a great post! Thanks for sharing it. I so agree with your comment above about it being about how it makes the donor feel. How sad that even in our attempts to be generous, we are still so selfish.
Just curious about the second post: Are you getting ready to send your Paige to college already? I thought she might be with you another year or two.
My daughter leaves in 3 days for Bethel and may check out White Bear's Eagle Brook church.
Thanks for sharing,
Lori
Oh Gosh! We sent a 40 ft container of Feed My Starving Children food a few years back to the orphanage. I never once thought about any other impact than filling the kids bellies. We sadly didn't trust the org we were dealing with to buy food with if we just sent the money. But, I can totally see Corrigan's point. So much to consider and think about when trying to help. Because that's just it, we want to help, not hurt Haiti. Once again, so proud of Paige's heart, loving another little guy when he needs it most. Dang Moses is a cutie! Still praying for Paige's arm. Hope she feels all better soon!
Hey E -
Want you to know that in some ways we're boxed into providing USA free rice. We so undercut the local farmer that there is no way they can compete and many have stopped trying. Haiti can no longer produce enough rice for her people here and now they must eat imported rice. It is hard to figure out what to do. "When Helping Hurts" suggests that doing food distributions should be reserved for times of famine and disaster .... and avoided at other times. Not at all sure what that looks like here in Haiti anymore but I do know that we see those packets of rice for sale on the streets - and I know that is not what FMSC intends. The whole model needs to be examined and revamped. No easy answers at all.
Much love to you and hello to Myna too!
Rob and I are just getting ready to read When Helping Hurts! I am hitting the point where my heart is with Haiti but I want to make sure that we HELP and not continue to do the kinds of things we did in the past in regards to Haiti. I never again want to do the stuff that makes me feel good, without thinking of the consequences. Just praying about the direction He wants us to go with serving the precious people of Haiti. My heart always hoped those kiddos got all that FMSC food, but you know as well as I do that there is a very good chance that didn't happen. :( We think of you guys often and pray for you regularly. You would be so shocked to see Miss Myna now, running and skipping and singing "Jesus Loves Me". Not the same girl you loved on two years ago for sure! Lots of Love Tara!
Thank you so much for posting the link about the peanut butter. It's a powerful article. I'm going to repost it myself. People are always asking me what they can send to Haiti, and answering "send donations" just makes them droop. This gives me some specifics - and I needed them. I always thought peanut butter was sort of an odd thing to send there as I practically turned into a peanut from eating so much. No shortage... Anyway, I do appreciate finding it via your blog.
MJ -
Legally Haiti will make it very very difficult to adopt Moses. He has no known parent, no paperwork, no birthdate ... the system is jacked and they don't make it easy to adopt the kids that are actually TRUE orphans. I know Troy wondered if adopting might be an option but truthfully we all feel in over our heads with what we have going on and are afraid of taking on the ginormous needs of Moses. We thought he'd be moving with 48 hours of taking him. Now that we're at the two week mark and we've all begun to bond with him it gets a bit more complicated. We're praying that God provides us such a clearly amazing place that we know we're doing the right thing putting him there.
Hi,
i was wondering if you were still looking for a loving place for Moses? I have been to Haiti 3 times in the last year and i have been doing work at the Operation Love the Children of Haiti orphanage. the children are so happy and it is a very family centered atmosphere. the orphanage is located in Leogane. the already have one child with CP who is almost 5 years old so they are well versed in caring for the needs of extra special children. maybe you would be interested in checking there? again, i am not versed in the logistics of placing Moses but i figured it was worth the try!!! :)
www.oltch.org
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