One More Thing about Haiti You Should See

If you're like me, you have mixed emotions when you think about Haiti these days.  I really care about the country, and I really want them to rebuild beautifully.  I pity those who have lost everything, including dear loved ones.  I lament the entrenched poverty and government corruption that allowed a natural disaster to become a social disaster.  And I want to help.  And so when there is another news report about Haiti or another plea for aid, I want to pay attention.  But at the same time I don't want to pay attention.  I am overwhelmed by the need and can hardly look at it.  I want a quick fix and a clean solution to all the problems so they can go away in a place where the problems haven't gone away since colonial slavery.  I am tired of being depressed by the endless bad news.

But if you're like me, take this from someone who is like you: if you didn't see the clip about "The Lost Children of Haiti" on 60 Minutes two Sundays ago, please watch it.  Yes, parts of it are heartbreaking.  Some of those heartbreaking parts involve the legal form of child slavery in Haiti, and I believe that the U.S. should demand that that practice be outlawed before our government sends any more aid, because it is this very kind of injustice that cements Haiti's destitution even in "good" times.  But some parts of the story are inspiring, like the pastor who can't find his child but continues caring for orphans and giving God the glory.  If there's one more thing about Haiti that you can bring yourself to watch, this clip might be it.