The first night that my team and I stayed in Jimani, Miguel Shauls, AIM base director in the Dominican Republic, shared his heart for the relief effort that was already in action for those who were devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. He talked 
about seeing people come together to serve. He talked about the hearts of the Dominican people being broken for their Haitian neighbors after years of prejudice and bigotry. In the end he said, “It’s a very exciting time to be here!”
about seeing people come together to serve. He talked about the hearts of the Dominican people being broken for their Haitian neighbors after years of prejudice and bigotry. In the end he said, “It’s a very exciting time to be here!”I was a little confused. I can understand the excitement in seeing people want to serve. I even wrote a blog before the trip about my excitement to visit Hispaniola and help the people there. But it is hard to reconcile how the aftermath of a tragedy can be an exciting time for anyone.
From the time we arrived in our hotel in Santo Domingo it was apparent that people were coming from all over to write about the earthquake, to serve victims of the earthquake, even to profit from the industry resulting in the aftermath of a disaster. As we waited at the front desk to check in a young couple started talking to us about the helicopter company they represented and how great their rates were into Haiti.
As we rode in the back of our red Daihatsu truck to the border town of Jimani we got a flat tire and stopped to change it. While we were there a small SUV stopped beside us and the driver asked if we needed help. Then he said, “Hey are you guys going to Haiti?” His eyes were wide and his voice was peaked anticipating the comeradery he was sure we would feel. We told him we were indeed going to Haiti and he quickly responded “Yeah, so are we!” I half expected him to shotgun a beer and scream “Wooo! Spring Break 2010!”
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m excited people are answering the call to serve in Haiti. I’m glad people are excited to be there. But I traveled all over the world from Oct. ’08 through Aug. ’09 to see communities in dire need of help. Not once did I see so many random people falling all over themselves to get a part of the service action. I didn’t see the worst of the disaster, but as I walked the streets and spoke to some of the victims in the communities we visited, I felt like there were as many opportunities to serve in Haiti as, say, Lodwar, Kenya — a region I visited in December ’08 that has been ravaged by a drought for almost four years now.
It is true that the need is great in Haiti. It is also true that the need is great throughout our world. A January 27th article in the Philanthropy Chronicle reported $528 million donated to Haiti relief efforts. What if you were giving just ten percent of what you’ve given to Haiti on a regular basis to long-term work overseas? We would be seeing sustained efforts in needy areas on a much larger scale. Maybe when disaster struck we would have better developed infrastructure than we have in Haiti to respond quickly to natural disaster.
I am excited that there is a sense of urgency to help people in Haiti. I just wish that praying for people to be moved to help the needy around the world didn’t mean praying for a natural disaster to destroy their homes.
