For the past few years, I have been focused on listening to what it is Haiti really needs. I’ve studied the multitude of problems and listened to the endless solutions. I’ve come to see that no single business plan or organization is going to suffice in pursuit of raising the quality of life and spreading … Continue reading 7 reasons why your two-week Haiti trip is NOT useless: you’re just looking at it wrong
Haiti
To know and love it still
Ever since I caught wind of Haiti, a high-octane passion has fueled my approach. I was aware of all the problems in the country, but my evangelical background and my middle-class roots fed me American idealism by the spoonful. As I’ve grown older and explored outside of my home, I have experienced bad first hand. … Continue reading To know and love it still
Ticket To Ride
The essence of my love for Haiti is the same reason you love your siblings and your first grade teacher… you just have to. And it came upon me like a sunburn. All I had to do was expose myself for too long and I am left with a burning passion… and a sunburn to … Continue reading Ticket To Ride
To The Beggar
I know what happens when heartfelt generosity meets a desperate need. I’ve seen a hundred different ways a mob can form when there is something-anything to be gained. Time after time I witness white folk with butter hearts pass out diapers and food to one desperate person who melts their soul, then another, and within seconds … Continue reading To The Beggar
Breakfast…Coffee…Political Rant
Except this isn't a political rant. Phew, right? I don’t leave my room without being dressed for the day, and when I’m dressed for the day I’m ready to go. I’m not a huge breakfast guy either, and I don’t really need caffeine. That being said, I love food and I really like coffee, so … Continue reading Breakfast…Coffee…Political Rant
Bassin Zim – Creole for Insane Waterfall
“There is a spirit that lives in the water.” By this point I’ve pretty much checked out completely. John and I are standing in front of Bassin Zim, this beautiful turquoise waterfall in the middle of Haiti. We hopped on motorcycles in the morning and traversed half the country in order to check it out … Continue reading Bassin Zim – Creole for Insane Waterfall
America, An Open Letter
America, the land of opportunity. I used to think people just said that back when the USA was first being established, way back when the American dream was to buy a house in the suburbs with a white fence and have a dog and barbecue weekly. When the statue of liberty was being built and … Continue reading America, An Open Letter
What Happened to Haiti?
Many people ask about what is happening in Haiti, but then check out of the conversation by the time I finish my third sentence. I don’t blame them; it doesn’t really affect us Americans at all. So, I usually have a short-version answer, but the problem in Haiti really is too pressing to be dumbed … Continue reading What Happened to Haiti?
Right-Now Moments
It’s hard to tell exactly what Americans have heard about hurricane Matthew because, well, I’m not in America. But news of the devastation in the south is just peeking its way up to us in Pignon. We have been listening to the death toll rise as we sit in our relative comfort. A few nights … Continue reading Right-Now Moments
Heal the Crowd
With the wake of the Saturday sun comes the wildest cultural experience I think one can absorb in the Central Plateau. Each day, hundreds of people flock from town to town in pursuit of the daily market. It’s on a rotation, each town having its market on a different day of the week, and Saturday … Continue reading Heal the Crowd
hank puckett 