February 01, 2010

Greetings Everyone,

Before I update you on the last few days, I am compelled to comment on the missionary group that was arrested in Port-au-Prince.  Some church groups will unfortunately use this incident to bad-mouth Haiti or the Haitian government.  My perspective is the group was incredibly naive to imagine that they could walk into any country on earth and take children out of that country without permission from anyone ~ most especially the government of that nation.  There are other words than naive that come to mind, but I’ll leave it at incredibly naive and bordering on  arrogance.  I hope and pray the best for these people.  This is, however, a perfect example of what I have been trying to communicate in my blog regarding the current crisis in Haiti.  You cannot (or the very least you should not) think you can march into any country on earth and do something like this.  Although it is extremely difficult for the government in Haiti to operate after the earthquake, they are still  a sovereign nation with a still functioning government.  And the government and the people of Haiti deserve to be treated with the same respect that we as Americans would expect to be treated in the midst of a crisis.  Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.

The only thing I can equate this to would be a group of people from Mexico driving through Texas to New Orleans after the hurricane; and them then grabbing up children off the street and taking them back to Mexico to an orphanage.  And all of this without consulting our local, state or federal government!  If people do not come here to Haiti with humility and respect, then they should stay home.  What Haiti needs is not people rushing in to “help” for the moment.  Haiti needs people who respect this country enough that they are willing to learn even the tiniest bit about Haiti before they come to offer their assistance.  And God knows Haiti needs people who are willing to come here to stay!  This country cannot be “fixed” with a few billion dollars of aid; nor can it be fixed by all the well-meaning people on earth coming here for a “one-off,” let me quickly build you a school, let me adopt a few children, or let me come move a little rubble.  A quick visit and never coming back again may make you feel like you’ve really done something;  but all of your best intentions will be washed away before the next hurricane hits Haiti.

6a00e552ed7b758833012877402187970cLast evening our first team of physicians and nurses finally arrived, after a three-day delay caused by the airline they flew through in Ft. Lauderdale.  Twenty-two doctors (including these specialists ~ general surgeon, anesthesiologist, psychiatrist, internal medicine, gynecology, neurosurgery) are working as I write this in the hospital in Fort Liberte.  Before the group arrived yesterday, our dear friend Colleen Ward (a gifted RN from New York City), cared for an woman who had escaped the  earthquake with a bad cut under her chin.  Since arriving in Fort Liberte, a terrible infection has set in and the woman’s face is badly swollen.  The hospital struggles with only a few supplies and medications, so caring for any patient is a challenge.  As the woman lay there unable to move, she suddenly had terrible diarrhea.  With the greatest care and compassion, Colleen gently helped clean the woman up and dress her again.  Unfortunately, there were no clean sheets to change the bed with.  Then Colleen hooked up her antibiotic IV while speaking gently to her in Kreyol and assuring her we will do all we can to help her recover.  This, my dear friends, is how ministry or work of any kind should be done.  I want to close with the following taken directly from Wikipedia.

Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase that means “First, do no harm.” The phrase is sometimes recorded as primum nil nocereNon-maleficence, which derives from the maxim, is one of the principle precepts of medical ethics that all medical students are taught in medical school and is a fundamental principle for emergency medical services around the world. Another way to state it is that “given an existing problem, it may be better to do nothing than to do something that risks causing more harm than good.” It reminds the physician and other health care providers that they must consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. It is invoked when debating the use of an intervention that carries an obvious risk of harm but a less certain chance of benefit. Since at least 1860, the phrase has been for physicians a hallowed expression of hope, intention, humility, and recognition that human acts with good intentions may have unwanted consequences. A closely related phrase is “Sometimes the cure is worse than the ill.”

May God grant Aslan and all those who labor here in Haiti the grace to understand the responsibility placed upon us ~ however we are trying to help the beautiful and broken people of Haiti.

I was sick . . . and you cared for me ~ Jesus

Because of Christ,

Craig

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