80% of its population live under the poverty line.
Over 54% of its people live in abject poverty.
It has been classified as a 5th world country: Not only experiencing negative growth, but showing negative potential for growth.
In other words it is seen as having no hope.
But. (a very big but)
We know better. There is always hope.
Hope found in a big God. The love of a big God.
The love that compels missionaries like Sherry Faussie and Dorothy Pearce to spend their entire lives sharing that love with the Haitian people.
Love that should compel us to always keep the "least of these" in the forefront of our hearts.
In the welcoming page of Sherry Faussies website she shares her mission statement. You'll want to check it out. Here are the highlights of what her ministry is doing:
Everything we do points people towards accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Love is not just telling, love is doing.
1. The children are hungry, so we feed them.
2. The children are sick, we give medicines.
3. The children are uneducated, so we provide education.
4. The children need churches, so we train pastors.
5. Children need good parents, so we teach parenting classes.
6. The young adults need job training, so we want to provide vocational classes.
7. The adults are illiterate, so we teach them how to read.
Dorothy Pearce runs an infant rescue and orphanage. She is taking in the children that the hospitals and other orphanages turn down. Children that suffer from incurable diseases.
I think what she is doing is best communicated by sharing the story of one of her children.
Let me introduce you to Johnny.
He has Aids and TB. He came to the Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue program in May of 2008. He showed immediate improvement at first just from receiving love and 3 meals a day.
Today though, his immune system is crashing. He cannot start his Aids medicines until he finishes his TB treatment.
He was the only Haitian child we met that did not smile. Ever.
We tried.
Despite his lack of smile, Johnny is being cared for, taken to the doctors, and loved.
Dorothy knows that there is no guarantee for Johnny to live.
She has in fact had several of the children in her care die to Aids.
But they died being held and loved and cried for.
You can read more of her story (and the other children in her care) here.
Two very different stories of ministry. One facilitates hundreds of children. The other just a dozen or so. Both being so vitally used for the glory of God.
I am convinced that nothing is gained when money is just thrown into Haiti or other poverty stricken countries. Real change. Life change. Change big enough for a whole country comes only with the heart change that Christ brings.
That need for a heart change is best communicated by telling of Gods love and doing Gods love.
Matthew 25:40
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Now, my question to you...
What are you doing?
1 comments:
What a great challenge to all of us... who can always do more, share more and certainly love others more especially in the name of Christ. I would love to meet those ladies one day....
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