2021 in Haiti

    

    I will always be an advocate for Haitians. I will always be an advocate for empowering them and creating opportunities for them. I will always advocate for promoting their health literacy and access to healthcare. I will always do my best to show others the beauty of this country and the joyful resilience of its people. I will always have their best interests at heart. It is this country and its people that captured my heart over 10 years ago and has never seemed to let go.

    It has been over 2 years since I've been on this mountainous island. COVID, medical school, and Haiti's political climate have kept me here in sweet home Alabama. Haiti has been through a lot this year and my heart aches to hug my friends and help shoulder some of the burdens they carry on a daily basis. But because I can't physically be there, the best way I can advocate for them is to share their story and ask for your prayers. People often ask me how things are going in Haiti, and that is such a loaded question. Haiti has been hit with a lot this year, so I would like to outline and give a brief summary to help guide our prayers.

    After a year of COVID-19, inflation, political corruption, protests, and kidnappings...

• July 7, 2021 - President Moise Assassinated

            Haiti's president since 2017 was shot and killed in his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince. His wife was also shot but survived. Preceding his assassination, there had been countless protests demanding his removal from office. There was debate on when his term truly expired. When Moise began his presidency in 2017, there was a lot of hope and high expectations for him to carry out his promises. By the time of his assassination, he was not very well-liked. He had been accused of embezzlement and had formed a dictatorship-like government by eliminating the role of parliament. His hunger for sole power left Haitians infuriated and feeling hopeless politically. Protests increased in frequency and intensity. Since Moise's assassination, a new prime minister took office, Ariel Henry.

• August 14, 2021 - Earthquake

              A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti's southern peninsula, killing over 2,000 and injuring thousands. Homes and buildings collapsed. People trapped under rubble. Aid was complicated by Haiti's political climate and gang violence. The location of greatest impact is one of the more rural areas of Haiti and can be very difficult to get to, further complicating victims' access to relief efforts. 

• August 17, 2021 - Hurricane Grace

            Only 3 days after a devastating earthquake, one that no doubt triggered PTSD symptoms from the horrific 2010 earthquake, a hurricane hit Haiti. Haiti is no stranger to hurricanes and seems to never catch a break from natural disasters. Just 3 days after the earthquake on the southern peninsula, people still buried underneath rubble and shelter destroyed, powerful winds and pounding rain complicated everything. With hurricanes, many cities become completely flooded and winds often knock down trees and tear off tin roofs. Crops are often destroyed, which serves as many families' sources of income and food. 

• September - Haitian Migrants in Texas 

            Around 15,000 Haitians had made the treacherous journey to Texas to seek asylum. They were met with Border Patrol agents that treated them unjustly and harshly. It was demeaning and undignified. In my personal opinion, human beings should never be treated like animals, and as humans, we should uphold ourselves to high standards of how we treat other human beings. I know immigration is politically controversial, but I am not talking about politics, I am talking about human behavior and human rights. I believe that everyone has the right to due process. Over the next several days and weeks, the majority of those Haitians were deported back to Haiti. Haiti was not equipped to receive these deportees. 

    This year of intense trauma and devastation has been compounded by the island's ongoing struggles with inflation, political unrest, inadequate healthcare, and lack of resources. I ask that you join me in praying expectantly - expectant that God will do big things, that only He can do. Pray faithfully knowing that our God is the God of the impossible. He is near to the brokenhearted and faithful to His children. 

    Specific Prayer Requests:

• Pray for government leaders as they decipher next steps and how to safely execute a presidential election.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment for government and community leaders as they work to make lasting changes. 
• Pray for gang members to have a change of heart, so that people are not walking around in constant fear. 
• Pray for the next generation to rise up in leadership and courageously disband corruption.
• Pray for pastors, lawyers, policemen, teachers, doctors, etc. to not be discouraged in their work for good.
• Pray for the perseverance of the Haitian people in these frustrating and scary times. Pray for them to never lose hope. Pray for changes that create environments that promote thriving versus merely surviving. 

    References and resources for keeping up with Haiti:

• https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/2021-haiti-earthquake-situation-report-3-september-20-2021
• https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-assassination-of-haitis-president
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/haiti-gangs-violence-poverty-moise/
• The Haitian Times: https://haitiantimes.com/
• Miami Herald: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/

2 Years Down. 2 Years To Go.

 Medical school update coming soon!!

Make Room for the King

          
          For the past few years, I have been on this self-sufficient, independent, skeptical version of autopilot. At first, it was about survival. Staying busy; never allowing myself to sit still and let my thoughts roam free (something I used to do habitually). When depression and anxiety overtake your mind, it plants this sense of fear - fear of your own thoughts. Being alone with your thoughts is where panic attacks are born when your mind is not healthy. But from a healthy place, that is also where dreams are birthed, self-awareness is gained, and learning takes place in beautiful ways. But with this fear of my own thoughts and my own emotions, unable to trust myself, I have avoided the uncomfortable opportunities of self-reflection and moments of intimacy with God. I have grown comfortable with my doubts and fears and filled my empty spaces with things of this world.

          I have felt too broken, too skeptical, too ashamed for Christ to love me and pursue me like the Bible says He does. I know the Bible to be true, so I have repeated His truths to myself, begging my heart to BELIEVE. Just believe. That’s what He asks of us. Everything He does is for His children to believe. He performed miracles, recorded in the Gospels, so that people might believe. He fulfilled prophecies so people might believe. He was crucified and rose from the dead so people might believe. He sent His disciples and apostles out so people might believe.

‘These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.’ - John 20:31

          I have spent many quiet mornings with a coffee in hand pleading with the Lord to help my unbelief. My skepticism seemed permanent. But I didn’t want it to be. I wanted to believe in the Lord. I wanted to believe that the beauty of the gospel was true for me too. I wanted my relationship with God back. I begged for belief but never provided room for Him to enter my life and mold my heart into the faith that He longs for. Belief comes when your heart is positioned in a way that optimizes your view of God’s true character and His glory. I may not know the exact position my heart should be placed in, but I don’t have to know because I can make room in my heart for the One who does. He is a mighty King that humbly enters our messy, brokenness and can miraculously mold our hearts to victoriously believe when we invite Him in.

          In Bethlehem, the innkeeper made room for Mary and Joseph, and ultimately Jesus. He didn’t offer his best suite for the expecting couple. Instead, our Savior was born into the filth of a stable for animals. Our King, our Redeemer, our Savior came into our mess. Jesus is not afraid of our mess. He is not afraid of our brokenness. He is not afraid of the extent of our shame. Instead, He modeled His fearless approach to messiness of this world by entering it in a dirty, rundown barn. He wants to heal you from the inside out. He knows firsthand how messed up the inside can be, but this is how He works. He wants to tenderly put your pieces back together. He wants to gloriously make you whole again, so that you may walk victoriously in belief.

2020. Perfect vision. This year, my focus is making room for the King; inviting Him in to my mess so that He might correct my vision and mold my heart. I'm making room in the mess, in the craziness, in the busyness of life. I know this means facing the uncomfortable of sitting still, listening for Him, and getting up close with my thoughts. But I am confident that diving into the unknown and uncomfortable will prove fruitful.