Economic doom and gloom vs. Haiti



Our camp group in Haiti

      A couple weeks ago I went to Haiti to visit our Young Life leaders there and help them run camp. When I was leaving the US every headline was about the stock market crashing, how much net worth had been lost in a day, and an awful lot of doom and gloom about the economy—quite depressing stuff----- and then I entered Haiti, a place that is well beyond what our doom and gloom can even imagine. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with an unemployment rate of over 40% and over 50% of its population living on less than $1.50 per day (the definition of abject poverty); it’s also still trying to recover from a devastating earthquake, flooding, and a cholera epidemic that hit the country in 2011. As you can imagine, much of life in Haiti is focused on trying to get enough resources to just survive. 

Our senior leaders in Haiti-- Noyo, Bouzy and Chedrick

    Haiti can be a place that seems really bereft of hope—and yet when I spend time with our Young Life leaders there, I’m struck by how clearly they live out the hope of the gospel. In a place where many others try to take whatever they can get, these YL leaders live a life of community and caring. They really are a reflection of Acts 2:42-47: when one of them has a need, the others all pitch in to help—whether that means enough food and water to get through the day, sharing homes or tents or even cars to sleep in after the earthquake, paying for medical help, or caring for the sick.  This love and care they show each other really shines like a beacon and helps teens come to know the amazing message of the gospel as they come and see and begin to ask “why does this seem so different?”

    Here are just a couple examples:



Livy and Bouzy



Livy:  Livy grew up in a Christian home and a stable family—a real blessing anywhere, but especially in Haiti. However, when she was 16 years old her Dad was killed in an accidental shooting and her mother passed away after being sick for quite some time. Livy became extremely angry with God for taking away her family, so she walked away from the church and tried to turn her back on God. The next few years were rough for Livy, but during this time she met some Young Life leaders and they began to spend time with her. Livy saw their love for each other and felt their love for her and one day realized that God was reaching out to her through them—in her words “that he had given me a new family in them”.  She recommitted herself to the Lord and has been part of Young Life ever since.  She’s now married and she and her husband Bouzy are key leaders in Port Au Prince.  They now reach out to teens and show them Christ’s love and invite them into the same family that Livy found. 

Francis (middle) with two of his leaders

Francis:  Francis grew up outside Miragoâne, a port town in western Haiti.  When he was a teenager, Young Life was invited by his school’s director to hold one of their outreach camps at the school. Francis went to the camp and was struck by the fun, the joy and the full life he felt from the Young Life leaders. As camp was ending he went to the director and told him—‘I don’t know what I need to do, but whatever it is, I want to be involved with this group of people.’ This opened the door for the director to share Christ with Francis and he became a believer. Today Francis is the leader of the team in Miragoâne and still works with his old school director. The camp I went to was held at that same school and Francis and his local team handled all the logistics to serve students at the camp. Francis says there are many times the job seems too big and too hard, but he says at those moments “I remember what others did for me and what this might mean for these teens and know I can’t give up.”  Francis is dating another leader, Wiltsa, whose father is a voodoo priest. I was really surprised her Dad wouldn’t heavily resist Wiltsa being involved in the ministry, but the leaders who know her Dad say that he’s been so impressed by the love and care she’s found among the Young Life leaders that he knows she’s found a better path than what voodoo can offer! Francis and Wiltsa love serving others through Young Life and are having a deep impact on the teens around them.   



Camp talk after a long hike

I heard and saw many other great stories during my time in Haiti—the teenager who was studying to be a voodoo priest but who came to know the Lord at camp a month ago and now just wants to tell others about God’s grace; the leaders who served as peacekeepers during a violent election year in Haiti, the female leaders who are being recognized by the government for their work in educating women in Haiti, etc.  But perhaps my favorite moment in Haiti had to do with singing. I really enjoyed singing praise and worship songs at our camp; even though I couldn’t understand many of the words, it was very easy to worship. One night though, as we sang in Creole, I realized that I knew the song and it struck me deeply. The song was “Forever”  which says  “Give thanks to the Lord, Our God and King, His love endures forever, For He is good, He is above all things, His love endures forever……. Forever God is faithful, Forever God is strong, Forever God is with us, Forever, Forever….” and later in the song we sang the words “By the grace of God, we will carry on” and I was very struck by how real these words were to my Haitian brothers and sisters. They’re reminded every day that it’s only by God’s grace they carry on and they truly praise him for it and lean on His love. Despite earthquakes and poverty and cholera and difficulties in life, they’ve seen God provide for them and show them love through his people, and they praise him for it. 


     In church the day after I returned the pastor was preaching from Matthew 6:19-21….”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…….” and the pastor at one point said “I think one of the quickest way to Christian maturity is to really understand this passage and what God is calling us to in it.”  I agree, in big part because I’ve seen its truth in these Haitian leaders. They’re a great representation of the body of Christ, they shine as a light in a very dark place, and they help kids come to know Jesus’ love because of how they live. I’m truly privileged to learn from them and thanks for helping us support them.









on the bus with 70+