To those of us who love Haiti, the headlines about the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake are shocking and heart-wrenching. Currently, the best estimate is nearly 1,300 people have died and many more are injured. Thousands have lost their homes and businesses.
We are extremely grateful that the earthquake’s epicenter was far from Williamson and Luly where we work. Our staff, students and families are safe and personally unaffected by the disaster.
We thank God for organizations like HERO Air Rescue, Samaritan’s Purse and the US Coast Guard for their immediate action to step in.
As I pondered the magnitude of this devastation – coming on the heels of political uprisings, gang activities in Port au Prince and the assassination of President Moise, I experienced feelings of despair and helplessness.
World Wide Village is not a disaster relief organization. We are not positioned to “swoop in” and meet medical and physical needs in this crisis.
Then this morning two things came to me:
First, I read a story about a professor who displayed an image to his class of a white paper with a small black dot in the center. He asked the class what they saw. The entire class responded, “A black dot.” He asked, “What else do you see?” They replied that they only saw the black dot. The professor said, “Think again. While you are focusing only on the black dot, you are missing the large white space surrounding it.”
Shortly after reading that story, Magdala, our nurse/midwife, texted me and said simply, “There is a lot of stress in Haiti, but we have to keep working.”
Those simple, profound words, snapped me out of my feelings of helplessness. World Wide Village will continue to focus on the “large white space” where God has placed us – keeping kids in school, feeding families in need, helping people grow their farms and businesses, and providing professional medical care for people in our rural area.
Needs may arise in the future that WWV will address to help those suffering in the south of Haiti, but for now – with your help – we will continue to pray for those suffering and support the people God has put in our path – the many in the “white space.”
Thank you for continuing to partner with us.
Pat Mortensen
World Wide Village
VP/Admin Director