Why
Haiti?
My
interest in mission work in Haiti comes from several different directions:
From
a selfish position, I see Haiti as a tangible adventure. I am an active person who likes a good
challenge and is not afraid to try something a little different if I think it
may make a difference.
When
I was first confronted with the concern that children were starving and
depending on filthy water for basic survival I felt God was reaching out to me
to try to make a difference and change a life, little did I know, that life may
be mine.
Haiti
to me, seems to be an exception to the rule.
It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the
poorest countries in the world, yet its proximity to the United States, one of
the wealthiest countries in the world, is alarmingly close. There is a part of me that just feels that
this “exception” demands our attention, just like a wound demands exception on
an otherwise healthy body. I feel the
Lord calls on the mighty to serve the weak and in some way Haiti and the people
there in need is a call to action. For
some reason Haiti has been forgotten or ignored and it is now time for us to
open our eyes.
I
was told that once you visit a third world country you will look at the world a
little differently. After my first trip
to Haiti, I in fact, see the world a little differently and feel this
perspective is a unique gift. It has
helped me need and want less and want to give a little more. I am also far more happy with the many
blessings I have.
Skeptics
like to say, “gee, why don’t you help the people across the bridge or in our
own area first?” I would suggest that to
help those close by is important as well, so we should do both. Clearly, there are local people in need. It is convenient, even easy, and by helping
someone in our own community there is the possibility that such an activity may
create a favorable change for the larger local community. I think this is a good idea and even a good
investment of time and energy. While I
can hope that over the decades the come the people of Haiti may make great
strides in climbing out of the third world, I do not think that we or I will
achieve any economic gain from our gifts of time and money to our causes
there. My gain will be in my hopes of changing
a single life for the better and gaining personal perspective that may allow me
to be a better son, husband, father, friend and Christian so that I can be
better equipped to change lives both here and away in the future.
Andy
Travers
