I need help getting to Haiti

On February 24th, I will be accompanying a fellow St. Paul’s parishioner, Ted Cassidy, along with a group from Huntsville, Alabama on a trip to Haiti.  We will be continuing an effort to bring clean water, and fresh food to a country that has not only been desecrated by an earthquake in 2010 but also has suffered from tremendous poverty, deforestation and the occupation and enslavement by the first world (in other words us). 

Here’s a great article on why Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/01/15/haiti-a-historical-perspective.html

That's Ted planting a tree

Ted has been going to Haiti fairly regularly (a few times a year) over the last few years but do to personal reasons in his family (good things, don’t worry) he will be unable to go for a while.  So he called me (literally) and asked if I would be interested in taking over some of his roles as a trip leader.  This trip will be an educational one, where I will learn the ropes and discern if making more regular trips to Haiti is something I’m called to do.  

I think there’s something in me that is very uncomfortable with the idea of romanticizing  this trip into something theological or spiritual.  Maybe it’s white guilt or maybe it just feels exploitative.  To be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea what I’m getting myself into.  I don’t know what level of austerity and seriousness I need to have going in or even if I’m the right person for the job.  But I am willing and I never have thought it to be a bad thing to try.  

Often times we spend a lot of time theologizing, talking about serving the poor, justice, etc.  Often times we don’t take action, usually not because we are unwilling but because we have oriented our lives in a way (whether it be because we live in a neighborhood far away from actual poverty or we just don’t have time) that the opportunity simply doesn’t reveal itself.  We could probably sit around and feel guilty about it but that would be probably be unhelpful.  My point is this, here is a wonderful opportunity to do something, and I am going to accept it.  And we’ll see how it goes.  There’s this wonderful thing in our Christian ethos called grace, Jesus offers it most freely to those who are humble (1 Peter 5)... so here’s my best shot at humility and I pray this trip humbles me further.

If you would like to support St. Paul’s “Heart for Haiti” campaign (building nutritional facilities, planting gardens and trees, digging wells for clean water), you can send a check to 116 N. Academy St.  Murfreesboro, TN 37130.  All money sent to that fund from now until March 2nd, will go directly to supporting our trip in February.  To be honest I could use some financial help getting down there, so any amount of financial help to pay for my plain ticket, vaccinations, and lodging would be a tremendous gift.  

Peace to you and may grace be our guide

P.S. I'm fasting from social networking this week (for solidarity with a couple students I've challenged to unplug this week) so please leave your comments on this site...