 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
mrsbmoo
Member
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 305 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Methodist. RCA, Presbyterian, Holiness, Wesleyan... Catholic as of June ... |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 12:05 am |
|
Now that I have spent a day (off and on) reading Rick's account of his trip to Haiti, with Food for the Poor, several years ago and looking at the numerous pictures, I had several questions come to mind:
Is your church still sponsoring Michel Archange school and how is that going?
Are you considering going back?
I noticed no items of precious metal in the churches pictured. I thought certain items had to be gold or silver. How does a poor country deal with that?
Although I recognize the overwhelming majority of the people in Haiti are poor, I saw only a few pictures of better homes. Is there no middle class or upper class at all there? How can an economy function without any production/industry?
If the economy is that depressed how does education improve chances at a job which pays enough to live on?
Do protestant and Catholic relief organizations work together 0r at odds there?
I know many people there speak Creole which bears only a vague resemblance to French but how many can actually speak French that we could understand?
How can a person go somewhere like that and still keep their blood sugar stable? My husband became diabetic 2 years ago and has difficulty traveling even in this country much less somewhere where the change in diet and food would be so extreme.
I also noted that the people, judging by their facial expressions, seem to be upbeat and intelligent. None of that dull eyed drooping refugee look. Do you credit this to their faith or the fact they have bever known a better life? or just the general resiliency of human beings?
____________________
Becky
Wife of Michael(called Moo) and stay at home mom to 5 daughters between 10 months and 17
|
|
|
CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5314 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 02:09 pm |
|
Is your church still sponsoring Michel Archange school and how is that going?
Unfortunately, no. We had a change of pastors and our new pastor has different priorities. Our former pastor is now working full-time for Food for the Poor, traveling around the U.S. and raising money for the organization. Meanwhile, their activities in Haiti have been curtailed because of the deterioration in the political situation.
However, following our interest in Haiti, several other church parishes in our diocese have become active in ministry to Haiti, and several members of our parish continue to support Food for the Poor's efforts there.
The school was never intended to be a long-term support commitment. It was intended from the beginning to be self supporting through the earnings of its graduates. It is a trade school so qualified individuals from within the community provide instruction, and donations back to the community purchase the supplies. We were able to help with funding through the opening of the school, which was our commitment.
Are you considering going back?
Yes. I am considering becoming involved in the formation of a non-profit company that would use South Louisiana oilfield technology to drill wells to provide safe drinking water to rural communities there.
I noticed no items of precious metal in the churches pictured. I thought certain items had to be gold or silver. How does a poor country deal with that?
Precious metals are not required. Certain items such as chalices and ciboria must be constructed of "noble materials" which can include such things as porcelain. However, poor countries often receive donations of these items from churches that have purchased new ones.
Although I recognize the overwhelming majority of the people in Haiti are poor, I saw only a few pictures of better homes. Is there no middle class or upper class at all there? How can an economy function without any production/industry
The economy of Haiti does not function. That's the problem. There is a middle class, but frankly, that's not what I wanted to take pictures of. The middle class area basically looked like any slum in any major city in America, with some homes a little better than others. Upper middle-class areas were, for the most part, gated and guarded. Our hotel was in an upper middle-class area and is considered a four-star hotel. By American standards, it was well below any major chain hotel, but it was safely surrounded by embassies from the United States, Israel, and another country. When we arrived, we were told to run to the Israeli embassy if there was trouble because there was better security than at the American embassy. The food was excellent, but we still didn't drink the water, the phones worked sporadically, and the electricity kept going out.
If the economy is that depressed how does education improve chances at a job which pays enough to live on?
In Haiti, 80% of the workforce is unemployed, but 80% of the jobs are unfilled. Providing skills as carpenters, plumbers, seamstresses and housekeepers allow them to take the available jobs that are currently going unfilled or going to foreign nationals. Education breaks the cycle of poverty.
Do protestant and Catholic relief organizations work together 0r at odds there?
There are Protestant groups that proselytize, but for the most part, there is so much work to be done that all of the organizations put together barely scratch the surface.
I know many people there speak Creole which bears only a vague resemblance to French but how many can actually speak French that we could understand?
I don't know, but I believe most of the population speaks French. I do not speak either, but we did have someone on our trip who speaks French and he was able to communicate. Both French and Creole are official languages.
How can a person go somewhere like that and still keep their blood sugar stable? My husband became diabetic 2 years ago and has difficulty traveling even in this country much less somewhere where the change in diet and food would be so extreme.
It actually wasn't hard. We brought our own food and drinks everywhere we went, and stayed in a decent hotel at night. We were not there to work but to observe, so we did little hands-on type ministry. Our purpose in being there was to see the conditions and then come back and tell our story. Food for the Poor calls their trips "pilgrimages." The idea is not to do things for the poor, but to raise money so the poor can do things for themselves, a hand-up not a hand-out. So the places we visited were primarily clinics to provide vaccinations, schools to provide education, and orphanages and homes for the elderly.
I also noted that the people, judging by their facial expressions, seem to be upbeat and intelligent. None of that dull eyed drooping refugee look. Do you credit this to their faith or the fact they have bever known a better life? or just the general resiliency of human beings?
Most of the people we saw were upbeat because they were "chosen". They were in the clinics and schools and orphanages. They had hope. Even the people on the streets were better off than their countrymen who lived deeper in the slums. We were not taken into the worst area where we would have likely been killed for our white faces and pocket change. Just the medication I carried for my diabetes would probably have been worth more on the black market than most Haitians earned in a year. When we did go into questionable areas, it was by prior arrangement with the street gangs and we were accompanied by armed guards (although we didn't know it at the time).
(Note that my impressions and the figures I cited were from what I experienced and was told in October, 2001. Haiti has not had a functioning government since 2004. Detailed current information on the country is available from the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency.)
Anyone interested can click here to read and see my "Retreat Into Reality".
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
|
|
|
Current time is 08:59 pm | |
|
|
|
|
|
