Little By Little: The First Couple Of Days In Haiti
We arrived in Cap Haitien on Thursday around 11AM local time, after a brief refueling stop in The Bahamas. That afternoon we hiked up a mountain to investigate a series of rock terraces that a group of local men had constructed as a response to serious erosion. Their work was simply amazing, artistic, and captured the essence of something that we’re learning.
Jeremy summed it up best when reflecting on his initial thought upon arriving. “This can’t be fixed.”. Everywhere you look you see brokeness. Systems. Buildings. Roads. People. The people themselves are amazing, hospitable, and a pure delight to be with. But the layers of poverty and dissaray seem daunting when you first step onto them.
So back to the terraces and the local men who constructed them, as well as our host Dave Graffenberger who is spearheading the project. As we hiked with these men, saw their work, and the work that needs to be done we also heard a Haitian proverb. “Little by little the bird builds it’s nest”. The initial shock we experienced and ongoing problems facing this area will not be solved quickly. They will not be solved by mere policy or money. But they will be solved little by little. With men like the ones we hiked with. With partnership and collaboration at the local and daily levels. With a willngness to be friends, to learn with and to co-labor with our brothers and sisters here for the long haul.
And that is the essence of our Jesus following way. Eugene Peterson called it “A long obedience in the same direction.”. Our Haitian friends talk of “little by little…”. May we learn to see the world, one another, and our true calling as children of God and co-workers in his mission through this lens and act accordingly.
