Beyond the Rubble

You can’t spend a week in Haiti without experiencing sensory overload. Trying to absorb the sights, sounds, smells, and stories is like drinking from a fire hose. There’s just too much that happened and too much that is happening to take it all in. And if you try, you’re going to get hurt.

Take a look at this picture. It says a lot about the current condition of Haiti. What were once impressive displays of architecture and engineering are now unstable piles of rubble, just waiting to buckle if you breathe too hard. In Port-au-Prince, you can’t turn your head away from that scene. Nothing was exempt, not even the Presidential Palace pictured here.

But if you look at the base of the flagpole, you’ll notice two men. They may not have caught your eye at first, and therein lies the problem. The massive, imposing piles of rubble overshadow the people. As I talked with and lived with the people last week, I realized the greatest damage caused by the earthquake was not to the buildings, but to the hearts and minds of those who are still alive.

That might sound very ethereal, but that’s coming from a former engineer with a just-fix-it attitude. Why do I say that? There are plenty of unscathed buildings. Not a single crack. Even after structural engineers deem a home structurally sound, it remains empty as families choose to live in their tents. Even if we build new buildings, the people won’t go in.

Fortunately, churches have a Ph.D. in offering hope and peace that can be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a ripe hour for the local churches in Haiti. This is a time when believers can provide a kind of relief work that no other human beings in the world can.

Progress Update: I’m thrilled at last week’s meetings with Haitian churches and organizations. We discussed how Churches Helping Churches can get behind and support them. I’ve worked with many church and business leaders in the past, and I have never seen this degree of unity and humility. So many groups are putting aside their own agendas, and saying, “We just want to help.” One of those plans is coming together very fast. After a few more details are ironed out, I’ll be the first to share with you.

Tom Kim, Executive Director of CHC

Acts 20:24

(Photos on this trip were taken by Kenny Nakai)