Haiti Needs Specialists, Not Just Well-meaning Amateurs

Haiti Needs Specialists, not Just Well-Meaning Amateurs

Last week my wife had back surgery.  She likes her general practitioner, Dr. N.  She has confidence in his medical judgments.  Possibly, Dr. N. could have done her back surgery successfully, but the risk of failure would have been high.  So she chose a specialist; when we need a specialist, none of us will put up with an amateur.

Because Haiti has been bruised and battered by 500 years of oppression, the country is in bad shape; it needs specialists in Christian Community Development.  Well-meaning amateurs, even those who genuinely love the poor, need not apply.  Jean Thomas, a CCD specialist says that Haiti is the graveyard of many well meaning failures.  Thomas himself says that if he had returned to Haiti after traditional seminary training that he would have made many of these mistakes.  Fortunately, Jean had a four year internship in CCD under John Perkins in Mississippi where he learned the principles and strategies of CCD.

I, Lowell Noble, needed a second conversion in 1968---a conversion to social justice, Jubilee justice, kingdom justice.  Then I became keenly conscious of the human devastation oppression causes; it crushed people, humiliated them, treated them like animals, makes them poor, enslaves and kills them.  I have been on a 50 year pilgrimage to understand biblically oppression, justice and the kingdom of God.

According to Exodus 6:9, oppression breaks the human spirit, sometimes so badly people can't even hear God speak.  Haitians have been beaten and battered by oppression for 500 years; everything in society has been damaged, distorted, dysfunctional.  Please don't blame the Haitians for their many problems; blame the oppressors.

How can Haitian individuals, families and society been healed?  We need specialists, CCD'ers who understand oppression and justice, biblically, historically and sociologically.  I would not give a dollar to send Paul and Janet, Darwin and Leola to Haiti on their own.  Fortunately, they are partnering with Haitians trained in CCD, Joab and Sheslair.

Joan and Sheslair are the leaders, the specialists; Riceville volunteers work with and under their leadership.  Riceville volunteers are amateurs with specialities---farming and plumbing; they are helpful, but not dominate.

Paul and Janet, Darwin and Leola are now heavily committed to Haiti for the long-term; they need additional help for the long term---partners for the next 10 years.  500 years of Haitian oppression must end now; will you help end it?  If so, come to the Riceville Methodist Church at 4:00 for more information on how to participate.

For more, google "Lowell Noble's Writings."