I give hugs.
And for now, that is enough.
This week we’ll celebrate our 9th birthday at Haiti Awake, and I’m feeling rather nostalgic as I look back at old photos and think of all the highs and lows we’ve experienced since 2014.
When the ministry started, a great deal of the responsibility and work fell on me. I laugh now when I think of some of the things I did back then because I either believed I had to do it all to be a good leader or I didn’t feel empowered to ask others to help.
Beyond that, in the early days there was a lot of training going on, so yes, I “did it all” - posting to social media, building the website, writing the blog, budgeting and payroll, managing finances, writing endless schedules and checklists, and on and on and on.
Today, Hudson, Steeve, or Vorb (along with the rest of the staff), plus our team of volunteers here in the US do all of those things - and so much more.
Earlier this year I asked Steeve and Vorb, “Do you really need me in Haiti? What is my purpose these days?”
We spent weeks discussing these questions. And I spent weeks in prayer and personal reflection.
And then I realized. I was still holding onto one job that I needed to relinquish to Steeve and Vorb - setting my schedule while I am in Haiti.
And guess what? My visits to Haiti have became so much more purposeful now that Steeve and Vorb (together with input from others on staff) write my schedule (and tell me where to be and when!)
The other day, someone I didn’t know asked me, “So, what exactly do you do in Haiti?” and I paused. There were a number of things I could have said, but I settled on sharing a story.
On my most recent trip to Haiti, after English class was finished at CERMICOL, I told the boys to 1) get a snack, 2) give me a hug, and 3) go back to your cells. And one by one they did just that. But then one of the prison officials, one who’s been there for years but one I’ve rarely interacted with, 1) got a snack, 2) gave me a hug, 3) laughed, and 4) sat down to eat. And I realized, “We’ve come a long way here in developing genuine relationships.”
So that’s what I do in Haiti. I give hugs to the juvenile inmates - and sometimes I give hugs to the guards, as well.
I’ve been sitting with that answer for a few days now, and I think that’s going to be my answer going forward for the time being.
I give hugs. And for now, that is enough.
Does Anybody Hear Her?
I was taking my morning walk when a song came up I hadn’t heard in years - Does Anybody Hear Her?
And immediately my thoughts went to Haiti. I heard these lyrics, and the faces of girls in our programs at Haiti Awake went through my mind. So many of them are so vulnerable, and in many ways the center is their safe place.
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the dayAnd in walks her Prince Charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself awayDoes anybody hear her?
Can anybody see?
And I was led to pray. To pray for the girls of CCS and Kay Timoun. For the women serving their time at CERMICOL. For the newborn baby who is living at CERMICOL with her incarcerated mother.
If judgement looms under every steeple
With lofty glances from lofty people
Who can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her.Does anybody hear her?
Does anybody see?
Or does anybody even know
She's going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me.
Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see?
And then I heard these lyrics. And I was reminded of how vital the ministry of Eglise Evangélique de la Grâce de Caradeux is to the local community, and how thankful I am that each Sunday when I am there, I do not see lofty glances from lofty people. I see real people who know they need Jesus and are living out their mission:
Connecting people to people. And connecting people to God.
Once again there’s nothing to say other than, “Glwa pou Bondye.”