Haiti Reflections: Why the Agonizingly Slow Response From Christians?

It has been over 3 weeks since the earthquake in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands are homeless - millions are affected. Up to 200,000 lost their lives. People all over Haiti are incredibly open to the gospel. It is not just food and medicine that they want. They did not just lose homes and loved ones. They want hope. They want to believe that there is a God who loves them and has not forgotten them. Christian ministries are still just barely trickling in. We have been intimidated by the size of the disaster and are obsessing over security concerns and logistical problems. Meanwhile, Haitians continue to suffer while we take our cues from the UN and State Department. I know that things need to be coordinated and organized. I know that certain rules need to he followed. The mistakes of the Baptists from Idaho should be lessons for all of us. You have to have your act together. I am also not suggesting that we go over there handing out tracts and doing Back Yard Bible Clubs. The Haitians need food, water, medicine, doctors, and shelter. But, over three weeks after a massive disaster like this and we are still trying to figure things out? Have we lost our nerve? Do we want everything to be guaranteed and secure? We try to arrange things so that we can go and come back with little cost to ourselves, it seems. Or, we take a long-term view on everything before we even show up to give a cup of cold water. I don't know how to solve all of Haiti's problems. It is a desperately poor country that has had massive problems for a long time. But, I do know that right now, there are people in need who are crying out to Jesus for help. What is taking us so long? What took so long?
I think that Christians might be thinking about disaster relief the wrong way. We are taking our cues from the large disaster relief organizations and NGO's and we are trying to replicate what they are doing through sending massive amounts of supplies and aid. We also try to raise lots of money. That is great and we should do that, if possible, in the long-term. But, that should not be the first step. As Christians, the ministry of presence and the Spirit of God is what we have to offer. We are salt - we preserve and season - we are not the meat. We are light - we illuminate and give vision. We are yeast, not the dough. We make the whole thing rise. We are a small seed, dying and then growing. When we try to be the meat and the dough and the forest of trees, we end up grinding to a halt and paralyze ourselves with inactivity, trying to figure out the whole before we even engage a part. We leave little room for God's Spirit to guide us.
The Church is Different From the UN
On Thursday, January 28, I stood next to the capitol in a small, mobile medical clinic that was run by our team in Port-au-Prince. We saw a couple of hundred patients that day. We shared the gospel and prayed with a couple of hundred more. Everything ran smoothly and was in order. We conversed with and cared for the people. Around 3PM or so, a half block from where we were, the UN showed up and started distributing food. It was without warning. There was no humanity to it. People came running from all directions, fearful that the truck would leave and they would miss out. A crowd of 3,000 gathered and quickly got out of control. They came running back down the street with food in their hands. They also came back with information that 3 people had died in the melee. This event made the news, by the way. We were a half block away and were experiencing total peace while chaos erupted right down the street. I am fully confident that we could have distributed food with the same measure of peace as we distributed medical care. God was working there and it was not just us. Christians often forget the power of God.
The difference between the UN operation and what we were doing was night and day. Yet, it seems that the Christian community often takes their cues from the UN instead of just showing up and being salt, light, yeast, and seeds. We are raising lots of money but we are paralyzed in distributing it. We need to go, put people on the ground who are wise and self-sufficient, and administer grace and help in a time of need. No, we cannot feed 500,000. But, we can feed 500 and trust God to multiply that as large as He wants. Didn't Jesus show us how to do this with loaves and fishes, a little boy's lunch that God multiplied?
There is a way of Jesus, even in disaster relief. Salt, light, yeast, seed, loaves and fish. Trust God to multiply and do miracles. Do not be afraid of losing your life. Yes, be wise and work with others. Yeast has to work with the dough, remember? But, none of this can happen if we show up late or don't show up at all.
Finally, let me just say that I praise God for every ministry and Christian that is trying to help, even if they are moving slowly. This is not meant as criticism. I am not calling out anyone in particular here. My point is that I think that we are looking at a lot of this wrong, at least in the initial stages. I think that we have unknowingly adopted the world's methods for some of what we do and we are forgetting our mandate and the power of God. I am not throwing stones. But, I would not be faithful to what I have seen and the enormous need there if I did not say that I think that in the Kingdom of God, there is a better way, perhaps a way not traveled as much as it should be. I think that there is a way of Jesus, even in disaster relief, and it is imperative that we find it.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Comments

[Charles]

Alan,

It does not help when the Haitian Government charges the team from Idaho with kidnapping. If they do not release thess people and the U.S. Government does not respond and send someone down there to fight for their release it will be very difficult to encourage more people to support the efforts in Haiti. This is a colossal mistake by the Haitian government to respond in this manner these people were obviously not child traffickers but only looking to help those children.