The Dominican Response

This photo was taken from the following:
The Guardian, Wednesday, 13 Jan 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/13/haiti-earthquake-eyewitness-stories

“When we talk about Christ making a real difference with our hands and feet, we must come to grips with the fact that, by God’s decision, we are forceful beings. We shape this world. We impact it. We mold it. In fact, it is impossible to walk on this earth and not make a difference of some kind." --Gary Thomas

For my family who might be a bit nervous for the proximity of the natural disaster here in the Caribe,


I AM FINE. The DR was shaken up a bit with the earthquake, but we are fine, no injuries, no deaths, no tsunami. But we are struck with the fact that our days are short. There is a Psalm that says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."


Please pray for Haiti. There are Dominican brothers and sisters who are planning trips to bring relief to Haiti in the next couple of weeks. Water, food, gasoline, clothing are all urgent requests. Haitian stores are charging $30 american for a bottle of water due to the extreme scarcity. The government has completely collapsed, leaving the country in a situation not unlike Iraq or Afghanistan during military attack. There is chaos everywhere.


Dominican believers take one of two sides, compassion or indifference. Many say, "Haitians are bad. This is God judging them for their witchcraft." Others say, "If I am feeling so much pain over this disaster, I know that the Lord's heart must be breaking...so many lives lost without Christ... this is an awakening for us...will we respond with love?"


The youth are a confused bunch. One of my dearest friends showed his extreme selfishness: "This is really breaking my heart, but I know that if I go to help, I will just feel worse. So you can tell me how it went." My mouth dropped open in shock. What would Jesus do if 100,000 people were dead or missing? It is our responsibility as believers to gird up the loins of our minds and say, "Lord, I will take the lowest place, and go to where you are."


This disaster has provoked many spiritual conversations among all ages. Honest reflection of the situation is sobering for many. We realize that the DR does not have the infrastructure to handle a natural disaster of this magnitude. There are no massive relief plans, no refugee centers, no understanding of how to handle food and water distribution.


The situation of Haitian immigration into the DR is also unsettling. The popular belief among Dominicans is that the USA and the UN want to unite the two countries, which causes a major conflict of interests, and possibly another war. Many Dominicans are struggling with prejudice and lack of trust. Now is the time to work on community trust, mutual respect, and compassion.


Our youth are shaken by the disaster. In the past three days, I have participated or led three Bible Studies where we addressed the urgency of our calling as believers. Now is the time to lay aside racial barriers and walk in the sacrificial love of Jesus, who did not consider himself, yet gave His life that we would have Life.

Please pray for me as I work with Dominican nationals to gather the necessary items for distribution in Haiti in the next few weeks.


In the Love of our Risen Savior,


Allison

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