When Helping Helps

After reading When Helping Hurts I experienced a mission trip to Haiti about a year later. It was really difficult watching continued relief happening over a year after the crisis instead of movement toward a development vision. We were told 11,000 NGO's were in Haiti. Are you kidding me? 11,000!!!

This made me a little sick to my stomach. Were we continuing to add to the "problem" in Haiti, just by being there. But how could we do nothing. We drew together in prayer day and night after night. It was an incredible learning experience for the 7 of us. Each person has a plan birthing inside them on how to partner with people in Haiti to share the hope we have.

Our hearts were expanded. We met people. Developed relationships with those people. God gave us love for people who are suffering. There are good things happening in a corrupt nation. Incredible testimonies of lives changed, jobs created, people trained, school built and more. Hope never dies! It cannot die.

I'm wrestling with the lies in my head that doing something would only add to the problem and knowing in my heart that true helping, as a learner and partner with local Haitians will actually help. There is hope.

I recently tweeted while reading "Radical" by David Platt: I can't do everything, so I won't do anything," is straight from hell.

This truth is boiling over inside me. Do something, but not just anything. Take the time to think and learn and listen to those who've been in Haiti, live in Haiti, work in Haiti and love Haiti before making a plan.

I think back to my husband and my wedding vows. He, of course, wrote them. I was freaking out at the time over my seminary courses and didn't have time to write my own wedding vows. I just re-wrote his to match in my words - ha!

So, one line says-- I will fail you often and I will need your grace.

We heard a lot of comments about these lines. Why would you promise failure? Why would you want to bring such dark language into your wedding?

We know the truth of our depravity. We will fail. It's life. Not that we really want to fail. Believe me, as a type A, perfectionist personality I struggle so much with the possibility of failure I stay in a constant state of paralyze sometimes. God is working with me - Thank you Lord!

I say this about our wedding vows, to put them on the mission field as well. We will fail those in Haiti, but we need grace too. We're not going to go to fail. Take precautions, learn more about missiology and about cultural dynamics and good cross-cultural communication. Try to fight against enthnocentrism and partner...partner... partner.

I pray we can encourage as we pour into the people of Haiti and wherever the Lord calls us. We have seen incredible encouragement among our friends in Peru over the past 7 years. The Lord has poured down his mercy on the children and Pastor's we've been working with. He sustains. Not us. We just celebrate and walk together.

So, there are my thoughts today... sometimes - Helping does Help. Don't give up.