We arrived at our home in Lapilla, Haiti late Tuesday night. After landing in Port-au-Prince we were picked up by a taxi and immediately began the 4 hour drive into the center of the country. It was dark and storming, and it didn't appear the driver could see on account of the condensation he was constantly wiping off the front window with his hand. And the road, if it were in America, could only have served as a jeep trail that required "Danger - Drive at Own Risk" signs. We were safe though, our driver assured us, picking up the pistol sitting in his lap and waiving it in the air as if that proved it.
We spent the last several days getting settled into the mission house that will be our home for the next several months. We came to Haiti to begin a partnership with Jean Robert, a local, who we've gotten to know quite well over the years after repeated trips to the country. We've learned to never assume anything here, and we tempered our expectations coming in accordingly, but that didn't stop me from being surprised by a realization I made early our first day.
Jean Robert and his organization, Agape International Ministries, don't need me. And they don't need Hank or Mission Kite String or any other American or American organization.
One of Jean's visions for his compound is self-sustainability. On his own he'll get there - he's that type of person that just makes things happen. It could take a while though. He makes US $1,000 a month at his insurance job. Each month he uses that money to take care of his family, a wife and two little boys, then puts the rest into the compound he's built from the ground up. Which now includes a 5-room schoolhouse, a church, a mission dorm, and acres of farmland. His goal is to quit his insurance job and work here full-time.
I started working for this Non-Profit because I wanted to feel good. Yeah I wanted to help the people of Haiti and make an impact on their lives, but only if I got to see something tangible. A number I could point to and say, "look at what I did, look how many people I helped." It's selfish but also very human I think, and American. I sat through four years of business courses at Drake University, and I left feeling certain of few things, but the make-up of a successful business was one. A successful business has a vision, and a strategy to get there. It implements a plan, ensures everyone is on the same page, and creates tangible goals that are measurable. If the numbers look good - you have success. That's an obvious oversimplification, but the general idea holds true.
So how do you measure the impact you have on a child? I can provide them shoes to get to school, a meal, or even a house so they have somewhere safe and dry to sleep at night. That's something tangible I can point to and feel good about - but it won't end the circle of poverty. If at any point you take the American (foreign aid) out of the equation, things soon return to the way they are. These kind of missions need foreigners and that's why they continue to fail. They aren't sustainable. They can make a huge impact on an individual's current situation and I'm not saying that isn't wonderful, but it will not break the cycle.
This is the reason we partnered with Jean Robert. He doesn't need us. He knows that and we know that. But through connecting him with American resources we can greatly expedite the process and allow him to reach his goal of self-sustainability. We can allow him to quit his job and run Agape International Ministries full-time. We can allow him time to build relationships and spread the gospel further than we ever could as foreigners. We can allow him more time with his family and more time pouring into the youth that work for him and attend his school. Every time he walks down the road, or into a room, there's someone following. Watching and learning, eager to soak up a little of Jeans wisdom.
Haiti will never grow out of its poverty as a result some great American idea. But if more young people like Jean Robert start deciding they've had enough and they're going to start positively influencing their own community, a movement will start. I've come to realize that I may never see the impact of the work we're doing. I may never get one of the feel good moments I set out looking for, but I'm okay with that now. Mission Kite String is going to invest in people. We're investing in Haitians. We're investing in Jean Robert. We're trusting that God has the plan, and I don't think he measures success by numbers.
-John Bloss
We spent the last several days getting settled into the mission house that will be our home for the next several months. We came to Haiti to begin a partnership with Jean Robert, a local, who we've gotten to know quite well over the years after repeated trips to the country. We've learned to never assume anything here, and we tempered our expectations coming in accordingly, but that didn't stop me from being surprised by a realization I made early our first day.
Jean Robert and his organization, Agape International Ministries, don't need me. And they don't need Hank or Mission Kite String or any other American or American organization.
One of Jean's visions for his compound is self-sustainability. On his own he'll get there - he's that type of person that just makes things happen. It could take a while though. He makes US $1,000 a month at his insurance job. Each month he uses that money to take care of his family, a wife and two little boys, then puts the rest into the compound he's built from the ground up. Which now includes a 5-room schoolhouse, a church, a mission dorm, and acres of farmland. His goal is to quit his insurance job and work here full-time.
I started working for this Non-Profit because I wanted to feel good. Yeah I wanted to help the people of Haiti and make an impact on their lives, but only if I got to see something tangible. A number I could point to and say, "look at what I did, look how many people I helped." It's selfish but also very human I think, and American. I sat through four years of business courses at Drake University, and I left feeling certain of few things, but the make-up of a successful business was one. A successful business has a vision, and a strategy to get there. It implements a plan, ensures everyone is on the same page, and creates tangible goals that are measurable. If the numbers look good - you have success. That's an obvious oversimplification, but the general idea holds true.
So how do you measure the impact you have on a child? I can provide them shoes to get to school, a meal, or even a house so they have somewhere safe and dry to sleep at night. That's something tangible I can point to and feel good about - but it won't end the circle of poverty. If at any point you take the American (foreign aid) out of the equation, things soon return to the way they are. These kind of missions need foreigners and that's why they continue to fail. They aren't sustainable. They can make a huge impact on an individual's current situation and I'm not saying that isn't wonderful, but it will not break the cycle.
This is the reason we partnered with Jean Robert. He doesn't need us. He knows that and we know that. But through connecting him with American resources we can greatly expedite the process and allow him to reach his goal of self-sustainability. We can allow him to quit his job and run Agape International Ministries full-time. We can allow him time to build relationships and spread the gospel further than we ever could as foreigners. We can allow him more time with his family and more time pouring into the youth that work for him and attend his school. Every time he walks down the road, or into a room, there's someone following. Watching and learning, eager to soak up a little of Jeans wisdom.
Haiti will never grow out of its poverty as a result some great American idea. But if more young people like Jean Robert start deciding they've had enough and they're going to start positively influencing their own community, a movement will start. I've come to realize that I may never see the impact of the work we're doing. I may never get one of the feel good moments I set out looking for, but I'm okay with that now. Mission Kite String is going to invest in people. We're investing in Haitians. We're investing in Jean Robert. We're trusting that God has the plan, and I don't think he measures success by numbers.
-John Bloss
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