Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 3, 2009
- 42,293
- 33,078
In quake crisis, there were sure to be some ungodly fumbles
Fred Dufour / AFP - Getty Images file
Members of Idaho-based charity called New Life Children's Refuge are shown at a police station in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 31.
View related photos
Video
Back to court
Feb. 8: Jailed mission workers accused of child trafficking will return to court with the hopes of knowing their fate. NBCs Kerry Sanders reports from Port-au-Prince.
Today show
Video
Haitian orphans look toward new beginning
A Pennsylvania church group travels to Port-au-Prince to rescue its orphans. All 12 children are moved out of the Haitian capital to a safer surrounding. Watch their journey.
msnbc.com
Americas video
MORE VIDEO
'We have to build one world'
Father Rick Frechette, Mission Director of St. Damien's hospital in Haiti, in his own words.
Idaho 10 faces complicated legal battle
Life among Haiti's ruins
Idaho 10 to return to court in Haiti
Vancouver gets final Olympics touches
Slideshow
Haiti struggles to recover
The island is devastated by a deadly earthquake and dozens of aftershocks.
more photos
INTERACTIVE
Close-up of the devastation
View street-level destruction as well as searches and relief efforts in Port-au-Prince.
INTERACTIVE
Why Haiti?
Country's unique geology explains deadly earthquake and aftershocks.
Bloggers in Haiti
The Livesay (Haiti) Weblog
Pwoje Espwa Hope in Haiti
Rollings in Haiti
The Haitian Blogger
Real Hope for Haiti
INTERACTIVE
History of Haiti
View key dates of the Caribbean nation.
INTERACTIVE
How you can help earthquake victims
Find charitable organizations that need your support.
The horrific destruction and human suffering in Haiti exert an almost irresistible pull on U.S. Christian missionaries eager to help. But as the jailing last week of 10 missionaries from a small Baptist church in Idaho illustrates, best intentions dont always translate into good deeds in the chaotic aftermath of the monster earthquake.
Many mission groups provide essential services for Haitians indeed some have evolved into key service providers, working alongside nonprofit groups and the U.N. to fill gaps that the Haitian government cant fill.
But other missions, even when well-meaning, risk running afoul of Haitis culture and laws.
Theres an issue that is coming up a lot right now, said Laurent Dubois, a professor of history and romance studies at Duke University and an expert on Haiti. Its the difference between wanting to help and being able to do good. Most dont speak any Creole, or have the cultural knowledge. (As a result) they are going to be very surprised by what they see in Haiti.
Patrick McCormick, a spokesman for UNICEF, said that in the case of the Idaho church members, naiveté apparently blinded them to the legal implications of their actions. They were charged with kidnapping after being accused of trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic without proper documentation.
Just because theres a natural disaster, you dont start cutting corners on a serious and complicated process like international adoption, he said.
Haiti has been a popular destination for missionaries at least since 1804, when Haitians threw off French rule. Catholicism, which had been imposed on them by the colonial power, was left on an uncertain footing, and the country became a spiritual battleground. Various Christian denominations and sects aimed to win converts and prevent Haitians from reverting to Voodoo, a religion adapted from the beliefs of their African ancestors.
Every church and mission group has a presence in Haiti, said Wendy Norvelle, spokeswoman for the International Mission Board, which supports foreign missions for the Southern Baptist Church. Its very, very, very saturated with those who would want to go and share Gods love and do hands-on ministries providing humanitarian relief.
Theres no comprehensive count of missionaries in Haiti, because they are dispatched by so many different groups, and the number is always changing.
Before the earthquake, there were about 1,700 long-term, professional missionaries in Haiti, according to Bert Hickman, research associate at the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. He said that number is about average for Latin and South American countries with populations similar to Haitis 10 million.
But that count doesnt include the thousands of American missionaries who go to Haiti each year on trips that last just a few weeks or a few months, drawn by Haitis extreme poverty and its proximity, just a two-hour flight from Miami.
Some of these missionaries go on their own. Some are sponsored by churches or denominations, or through groups like Campus Crusade for Christ, which sends college students all over the world. Since the quake, there has been another wave of trips thrown together by churches to help needy Haitians and to check on mission properties supported by their churches.
What they do
Their missions vary. Some are there exclusively to evangelize and plant churches. Indeed, even small villages in Haiti will sometimes have six or seven churches built by missionaries of different denominations.
Others prefer to convey their faith though deeds rather than words: digging wells, filling teeth or teaching soil conservation, for instance.
This is the spirit espoused by members of Lifechurch, a nondenominational church profiled by msnbc.com last month when members rushed to Haiti to check on the orphanage they run in Port-au-Prince. The Allentown, Pa., church regularly sends congregation members on missions to the developing world to install water filtration systems and build school cafeterias, playgrounds and clinics.
Our main focus is to show the people we really care about them, said church business administrator David Jones. If we have time to talk about Jesus then we do it. (But) our philosophy is that you cannot effectively evangelize if you dont show you care by dealing with peoples real needs.
The desire to help the most vulnerable of Haitis earthquake victims its children is especially strong.
U.S. churches run and support hundreds of orphanages and schools in the country.
Even before the quake, an estimated 15 percent of all children in Haiti were said to be orphaned or abandoned. About 200,000 of these children lived in institutions, and the rest were fostered, living with relatives or living on the street. That number has risen sharply since the quake, though it is not clear by how much.
The huge population of vulnerable kids makes them susceptible to abuse, including the trafficking of Haitian children into the sex trade and slavery.
Missionaries, aid workers and U.N. peacekeepers have been implicated in such crimes. In a U.S. federal court on Feb. 2, a Colorado missionary who has worked at a school for Haitian street children, faced charges of sexually abusing up to 18 boys in Haiti, luring them with cash and other rewards, and threatening them with expulsion if they did not comply.
Seeing even greater risk in the chaos after the earthquake, Haitis government issued a warning to foreigners who were working with Haitian children not to rush adoptions and not to take them out of the country without complete legal documentation. UNICEF called for measures to prevent children from disappearing and potentially falling prey to traffickers. And the U.S. State Department has warned that children could fall victim to pedophiles.
Vying for souls
In Haiti, many Christian and nondenominational groups work together, but there are rivalries as well.
Some, evangelical Protestants in particular, are in a pitched battle with Voodoo in Haiti, which they view as satanic. As evangelist Pat Robertson put it shortly after the earthquake, Haitians adherence to Voodoo was a pact with the devil that caused the disaster.
Some Protestants also are vying for the souls of Catholic Haitians. The rivalry is in part a reflection of a historical global competition between the major Christian groups. But it is heightened because many Haitian Catholics also observe Voodoo traditions.
Most Voodoo ceremonies begin with Catholic prayers, says Dubois of Duke University. At this point Catholic priests dont spend much energy trying to stop Voodoo.
That doesnt sit well with groups like Campus Crusade for Christ, which includes this description of Haitis spiritual landscape on its Web site:
An estimated 75 percent of Catholics are also increasingly involved in voodoo, spiritism and witchcraft. The steady growth of Protestant churches in the difficult economic and spiritual climate is cause for praise.
CONTINUED : Conflict between aid efforts1 | 2 | Next >
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35262608/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/
Fred Dufour / AFP - Getty Images fileMembers of Idaho-based charity called New Life Children's Refuge are shown at a police station in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 31.
View related photos
Feb. 8: Jailed mission workers accused of child trafficking will return to court with the hopes of knowing their fate. NBCs Kerry Sanders reports from Port-au-Prince.
Today show
A Pennsylvania church group travels to Port-au-Prince to rescue its orphans. All 12 children are moved out of the Haitian capital to a safer surrounding. Watch their journey.
msnbc.com
MORE VIDEO
Father Rick Frechette, Mission Director of St. Damien's hospital in Haiti, in his own words.
Idaho 10 faces complicated legal battle
Life among Haiti's ruins
Idaho 10 to return to court in Haiti
Vancouver gets final Olympics touches
The island is devastated by a deadly earthquake and dozens of aftershocks.
more photos
View street-level destruction as well as searches and relief efforts in Port-au-Prince.
Country's unique geology explains deadly earthquake and aftershocks.
Bloggers in Haiti
The Livesay (Haiti) Weblog
Pwoje Espwa Hope in Haiti
Rollings in Haiti
The Haitian Blogger
Real Hope for Haiti
View key dates of the Caribbean nation.
Find charitable organizations that need your support.
The horrific destruction and human suffering in Haiti exert an almost irresistible pull on U.S. Christian missionaries eager to help. But as the jailing last week of 10 missionaries from a small Baptist church in Idaho illustrates, best intentions dont always translate into good deeds in the chaotic aftermath of the monster earthquake.
Many mission groups provide essential services for Haitians indeed some have evolved into key service providers, working alongside nonprofit groups and the U.N. to fill gaps that the Haitian government cant fill.
But other missions, even when well-meaning, risk running afoul of Haitis culture and laws.
Theres an issue that is coming up a lot right now, said Laurent Dubois, a professor of history and romance studies at Duke University and an expert on Haiti. Its the difference between wanting to help and being able to do good. Most dont speak any Creole, or have the cultural knowledge. (As a result) they are going to be very surprised by what they see in Haiti.
Patrick McCormick, a spokesman for UNICEF, said that in the case of the Idaho church members, naiveté apparently blinded them to the legal implications of their actions. They were charged with kidnapping after being accused of trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic without proper documentation.
Just because theres a natural disaster, you dont start cutting corners on a serious and complicated process like international adoption, he said.
Haiti has been a popular destination for missionaries at least since 1804, when Haitians threw off French rule. Catholicism, which had been imposed on them by the colonial power, was left on an uncertain footing, and the country became a spiritual battleground. Various Christian denominations and sects aimed to win converts and prevent Haitians from reverting to Voodoo, a religion adapted from the beliefs of their African ancestors.
Every church and mission group has a presence in Haiti, said Wendy Norvelle, spokeswoman for the International Mission Board, which supports foreign missions for the Southern Baptist Church. Its very, very, very saturated with those who would want to go and share Gods love and do hands-on ministries providing humanitarian relief.
Theres no comprehensive count of missionaries in Haiti, because they are dispatched by so many different groups, and the number is always changing.
Before the earthquake, there were about 1,700 long-term, professional missionaries in Haiti, according to Bert Hickman, research associate at the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. He said that number is about average for Latin and South American countries with populations similar to Haitis 10 million.
But that count doesnt include the thousands of American missionaries who go to Haiti each year on trips that last just a few weeks or a few months, drawn by Haitis extreme poverty and its proximity, just a two-hour flight from Miami.
Some of these missionaries go on their own. Some are sponsored by churches or denominations, or through groups like Campus Crusade for Christ, which sends college students all over the world. Since the quake, there has been another wave of trips thrown together by churches to help needy Haitians and to check on mission properties supported by their churches.
What they do
Their missions vary. Some are there exclusively to evangelize and plant churches. Indeed, even small villages in Haiti will sometimes have six or seven churches built by missionaries of different denominations.
David Friedman / msnbc.com file
Lifechurch handyman Ramon Morales says goodbye to Roberde before the children and staff of Rescue Children orphanage evacuate their earthquake-damaged facility in Port-au-Prince and head for temporary refuge in Fond Parisien, Haiti, on Jan. 18. Others prefer to convey their faith though deeds rather than words: digging wells, filling teeth or teaching soil conservation, for instance.
This is the spirit espoused by members of Lifechurch, a nondenominational church profiled by msnbc.com last month when members rushed to Haiti to check on the orphanage they run in Port-au-Prince. The Allentown, Pa., church regularly sends congregation members on missions to the developing world to install water filtration systems and build school cafeterias, playgrounds and clinics.
Our main focus is to show the people we really care about them, said church business administrator David Jones. If we have time to talk about Jesus then we do it. (But) our philosophy is that you cannot effectively evangelize if you dont show you care by dealing with peoples real needs.
The desire to help the most vulnerable of Haitis earthquake victims its children is especially strong.
U.S. churches run and support hundreds of orphanages and schools in the country.
Even before the quake, an estimated 15 percent of all children in Haiti were said to be orphaned or abandoned. About 200,000 of these children lived in institutions, and the rest were fostered, living with relatives or living on the street. That number has risen sharply since the quake, though it is not clear by how much.
The huge population of vulnerable kids makes them susceptible to abuse, including the trafficking of Haitian children into the sex trade and slavery.
Missionaries, aid workers and U.N. peacekeepers have been implicated in such crimes. In a U.S. federal court on Feb. 2, a Colorado missionary who has worked at a school for Haitian street children, faced charges of sexually abusing up to 18 boys in Haiti, luring them with cash and other rewards, and threatening them with expulsion if they did not comply.
Seeing even greater risk in the chaos after the earthquake, Haitis government issued a warning to foreigners who were working with Haitian children not to rush adoptions and not to take them out of the country without complete legal documentation. UNICEF called for measures to prevent children from disappearing and potentially falling prey to traffickers. And the U.S. State Department has warned that children could fall victim to pedophiles.
Vying for souls
In Haiti, many Christian and nondenominational groups work together, but there are rivalries as well.
Some, evangelical Protestants in particular, are in a pitched battle with Voodoo in Haiti, which they view as satanic. As evangelist Pat Robertson put it shortly after the earthquake, Haitians adherence to Voodoo was a pact with the devil that caused the disaster.
Some Protestants also are vying for the souls of Catholic Haitians. The rivalry is in part a reflection of a historical global competition between the major Christian groups. But it is heightened because many Haitian Catholics also observe Voodoo traditions.
Most Voodoo ceremonies begin with Catholic prayers, says Dubois of Duke University. At this point Catholic priests dont spend much energy trying to stop Voodoo.
That doesnt sit well with groups like Campus Crusade for Christ, which includes this description of Haitis spiritual landscape on its Web site:
An estimated 75 percent of Catholics are also increasingly involved in voodoo, spiritism and witchcraft. The steady growth of Protestant churches in the difficult economic and spiritual climate is cause for praise.
CONTINUED : Conflict between aid efforts1 | 2 | Next >
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35262608/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/
