can haiti really be saved?

Today, July 12th, 6 months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, take the time to read this article in Relevant Magazine.

READ IT HERE.  page 48. "Is there any hope for Haiti now?"

This article takes you through the history of Haiti-- how did it even get this bad in the first place? After 300 years of slavery & 10 years of war, Haiti got their independence. But they had to pay for it. 90 million dollars. Haiti was crippled from the beginning.

Today marks 6 months after the quake and people want to know where all the money is going. Why isn't Haiti fixed yet? Imogen Wall says, "This is not reconstruction- it's construction.".

More from Imogen Wall, "We would like to get as many people out of tents as possible before the hurricane season, no questions asked... But even getting people out of tents is not that simple. Building permanent homes is, in most cases, not feasible yet."

He goes on to explain that the Haitian government is responsible for approving a building code, which they haven't done yet. And until they do, no permanent structures can be legally erected. Another challenge is land rights. Very few records exist of land ownership in Haiti, so it's difficult to prove ownership. Which that's for people that owned land in the first place- which was rare. Most people rented. So what do they do? 

It's a very well written and well researched article. 

It also touches on the local church, voodoo, removing the rubble, why build transitional shelters, humanitarian diplomacy, education & planning for the future.

Please, take the time to read it.

it's all pretty much the same

Since I've been back to the States, I've been traveling a lot. 8 states to be exact. And I've realized, it's all pretty much the same. Okay, so each place does have it's own "identity"... LA is Hollywood. You think of glamor and fashion. Florida- the beach. Vacation. Where I was at in Michigan... it was all country and farming.  When I drove into Evansville Saturday evening, I looked around-- what makes up Evansville?  A lot of people associate corn fields with Indiana. There are a few in Evansville, but it's really more city. I looked around at the buildings to see what we had.... and that's when I realized it's all pretty much the same. Sure, each place looks a little different, but underneath it all, it's the same. Grocery store, clothing, jewelry, restaurant, car lot and repeat. These places all sell things to us, giving us what we need (and more) to live. People work at these stores, so they can make money so that they too can buy what they need to live. No matter where you live- whether you work on a farm or you make movies in hollywood- you or a family member has a job, so you can make money, so you can buy food and clothes and car insurance and pay for your house.  While those are not bad things, necessities mostly....is that it?? Is that all there is?  Are we left on this earth to simply live and get by?  No, of course not. And I think we all know that. But how often do we actually live like there is a greater purpose?? 

i just love that place.

The June trip for Leve Project was my first time back to Haiti for the first time since leaving on February 11th.  It was a short and busy trip... but I loved it.

When you first visit Haiti, there will be things that shock you. Things that disgust, burden, and overwhelm you. And it's those same things that you will later fall in love with.

The smell of garbage and pollution. Even after many trips there, some people still can't stand the smell. I love it.

The heat & humidity. You've already soaked your clothes in sweat by 10am.

The mosquitos. Okay, so these guys... you don't really ever fall in love with. But you get used to them. Somewhat.

The masses of people. The streets are always crowded. You wonder how there could possibly be so many people in one place.

I love the people. I love the smells. I love the heat. I just love that place.

the kitty monster

As I was looking back at pictures of my haitian cat, I remember how stinking funny it was that the orphanage kids were so scared of my cat. She was just a kitten. And even as she got older, she was just a tiny little thing. But the kids were terrified. They use to just rush into my room, swinging up the door. Oh, but not after the kitty monster came. They would slowly open the door to peek in to see if they saw her first.

They simply would not go near her. But they still wanted to hang out in my room. Apparently, they thought they were safer and out of her reach on the table. 

Walking on the floor was simply too unsafe. notice: cat- left side of pic on desk & and Justin- right side, just a little startled at this point

and from startled to scared and in stacey's arms.

I kid you not. These faces:

were all brought to you by the vicious,  

                                                                                                              dangerous, 

terrifying... 

                                                                                                     absolutely horrific

KITTY MONSTER!!!

Launching Leve

This is my blog. This is where I share things from my point of view. So that's what I'm going to do. If you want just the facts of "launching leve" minus my opinion- check out the Leve Project blog: www.leveproject.blogspot.com. 

Passion without praying and thinking things through leads to mistakes. I use the group from Idaho (that got arrested trying to take Haitian kids to the DR) as an example for this. I am not bashing them. I believe they had passion and a desire to "fix" things. But they jumped into action without knowing what they were doing. 

I wanted to be sure that wasn't what we were doing. I was excited about idea of starting a new ministry in Haiti, but also a little hesitant. What if it fails? What if I spend time and effort on this, and it never even makes it off the ground?

But I've realized the "success" of this is not up to me. It wouldn't matter how much time or effort we put into it; if God wasn't in it, it would still fail.  It's up to me to be obedient and up to God to do the rest. He uses us for His work-- but it's still His work, not ours. He is the only one that can determine the results. I believe God is in Leve Project and this is what He has called me to do.

It's not always easy. It's not always fun. It takes a lot of time, planning, paperwork, praying, seeking outside help, phone calls, travel, fundraising, and A LOT of time behind the computer. Sometimes I wonder why I'm even doing this. Why not just give up on all of this, stay in the states and get a regular job?  There is nothing wrong with living in the states and having a "regular" job. But it's wrong if I do it  when God has called me to something else.

I am excited to see what God will do with Leve Project. I'm anxious, actually. I want to get back to Haiti and really get this going. But, we're not at that point yet. It's part of that whole planning and thinking ahead thing. There is still work to be done here.

Our main focus right now is building a support system. We are looking for churches, organizations, and others to get involved who will be a regular part of Leve Project. But, we also needs some funds to jump start this whole thing. And that is why you see the chip-in meter on the side of my blog and on the Leve Project blog. Read projects blog for more information on "Launching Leve" and please consider what you can give and help us spread the word!!