Understanding Haiti

There are no words to describe the situation in Haiti. The first
adjectives that come to mind can only help paint a verbal mosaic of
what I feel—difficulty, despair, suffering, hopelessness,
impossibility,--mixed with fight, survival, singing, international
unity, strength, belief, resilience, small successes, and hope. The
emotional swing that comes from seeing the tent cities and men
fist-fighting for a bag of rice to receiving a hug and a smile from a
child at the NPH orphanage is almost too much. I have never in all of
my travels had such drastically different experiences.

As you know, I am an optimist. I love to see the silver lining in
everything. Here in Port-au-Prince the silver lining is faint. As
one long-term French NGO worker told me, “The boat is lost. It is the
individuals, the children, the small successes that make this work
worthwhile.” I don’t know. I don’t know if the nation is a lost
cause or if it can be saved. I don’t know if the people who have the
power are willing to give up their corrupt ways, if voodoo beliefs
that divide people can be mitigated, if the international community is
willing to give the nation economic opportunities to grow, and if
Haitians are willing to work their butt off to make these changes.

What I do know is that this is the last chance for Haiti. If it is
not successful in its current development effort I believe the
international community will give up and Haiti will become a failed state like Somalia or Zimbabwe.

But I do have hope. The children of Haiti can be raised and educated
to create a different nation. There is a resiliency that must be

nurtured and there are natural resources to be developed. Indeed, as
you may know I am working with a group of professionals to build a
community of 1,200-1,500 houses, a clothing manufacturing factory, two
schools, a clinic, etc. in Jacmel, about three hours south of
Port-au-Prince. It is my hope that through an NGO-resident
partnership we can create a model community that can be replicated
throughout the country. I’ll keep you up-to-date as we progress.


I have prepared a short presentation on my experience here which I
look forward to sharing both in Minnesota and in California. I will
let you know where and when so that if you are interested you can
come.

I have also uploaded a number of photos. Please feel free to browse
through the to have a better sense of the current state of Haiti.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?albumId=753164907803

ak afeksyon (with affection),
ryan

We plant the seeds that one day grow

The picture above is the bedroom of Archbishop of El Salvador Oscar Romero when he was murdered in 1981. The second picture is of a friend, Erick, a Franciscan friar standing in front of the late Archbishop's grave. Romero's story is a beautiful one of conversion and sacrifice for the poor. Indeed, activists throughout Latin America continue to call on his spirit for inspiration.

I do the same below, citing one of his most famous homilies.

“It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us…We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Rome, Italy

If you are ever in Rome, please stay at BB Roma Vaticano Bed and Breakfast (www.bbromavaticano.it) Tel: +39 338 7673180

It is located right behind the Vatican and easy walking distance to the subway and many museums.

Giovani, the owner, is an awesome guy who speaks good English and is very hospitable.