The Beauty of Haiti

Many have read or heard of the events that have taken place in Haiti over the past few days. While it’s easy to watch a short news clip and make assumptions that A + B led to C, or to make a generalization that the actions of a few are representative of the population, I would encourage us to take a deeper look and try to better understand the cultural context and heart of Haiti.

While I am not a Haitian national and certainly don’t consider myself an expert on Haitian culture, I would like to highlight some of the beauty I have witnessed in this country as a reminder that God is working and present in this people group.

These are just a few of the many moments that I found very striking and beautiful within Haitian culture:  

1.) Upon receiving a pack of gum as a gift, a little boy around 8 years old opened the pack up and proceeded to pass it around and make sure each one of his friends got a piece. Within a minute, the pack was entirely empty. I remember watching this and thinking how many times I have had a pack of gum and tried to be stealthy about getting a piece when it was almost empty because I wanted to save the last piece for myself. Sad, but true! This little boy reminded me that we are to value our neighbor as much as we value ourselves.

2.) When talking with a young Haitian man about how I was struggling to figure out what I was going to do with my life and worrying about how everything would work out, he reminded me that God is faithful. Although this young man was uncertain about how he would pay for his own schooling or find work, he had peace and hope deeper than my own. He trusted God fully with the future (regardless of circumstance) and encouraged me to do the same.

3.) While visiting a pediatric hospital, a young mom who had never met me before looked at me and allowed me to hold her newborn baby. While I was a complete stranger to her, we exchanged a few words and she passed her baby to me. I found her trust and kindness to be very admirable, particularly in that she would allow me to hold something so precious to her even though she didn’t really know me.

While I could go on and share many more stories, I believe these small moments speak volumes about the people of Haiti. Although there were some violent actions and negative moments that were spotlighted this week in Haiti, I would encourage those of us whom are from a very different background and living in a different context to remember that this is not representative of Haiti. Rather, Haiti is largely a country of beautiful, inspiring people that have resilience and kindness in the face of much adversity.

As we move forward and news about Haiti settles, let us remember to pray for this country. God is working in the lives of Haitians and hope is rising. Let it be our prayer that He continues to do good work, and that restoration is found through Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

Tamara