Josh wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 5:46 pm
I would posit that Haiti is a "closed door" for these kind of organisations and "mission work" going forward.
Josh wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:53 pm
But I would ask those who think mission work is “too dangerous” to stop and think about the 900 men, women, children, and youth who are already there. They need support and encouragement. If America became a dangerous place, riven by civil war, disasters, and criminal gangs kidnapping people, I would surely want to feel the encouragement of our Haitian brethren.
It would be sad if they said, “America is just too dangerous right now to send anyone there.”
I'm confused. That's all.
I think it's closed door, and that comes from conversations I have had with Haitian brethren. It's just too difficult to get in and out of the country.
But with that said, some people are braver than I am, and decide to push open closed doors anyway - including CAM associates. Whilst I wouldn't do it myself, I cannot sit in my armchair and criticise those who are willing to go to dangerous places and get kidnapped. Nor will I criticise their amazing testimony of how they are released.
Josh wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:17 am
A rather obvious observation is that it may be time to focus more on other countries and less on Haiti. CAM and Anabaptists in general give an overwhelming amount of focus on Haiti.
A bigger question is why the focus on foreign missions at all. Are there not enough mission fields in the U.S. and Canada?
Josh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:38 am
If one wants to evangelise Haitians, I hear there are huge amounts of them on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Presumably, the US side is not in danger of kidnapping.
Josh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 4:31 pm
To give some context, ordinary Haitians get kidnapped and ransomed for amounts of hundreds of dollars, prominent businessmen thousands of dollars, and Haiti just had its own President assassinated a few months ago. This is a problem Haiti has been dealing with for the last two years.
The orphanage in question sent all its Western workers from its own denomination home two years ago. Why these other people felt they needed to visit is a very good question.
Josh wrote: ↑Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:39 am
Without going into detail, the people involved made a lot of mistakes that shouldn’t have been made. We need to be realistic about this.
Josh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:51 am
I would disagree that it's "wisdom in hindsight". The Holdeman orphanage there sent all Westerners home 2 years ago due to the violence/kidnapping problems. (The only ones who stayed were people married to native Haitians who have already been living there permanently.)
Fast forward to the present, and the orphanage in question wasn't even wanting Holdeman visitors from just 20 miles away, due to the problems of kidnapping/safety.
If one wants to go do mission work in a place like that, one needs to prepare to be kidnapped. (Maybe mission/ministry opportunities exist there, even.) The need is not for hindsight, but for foresight; anyone going to Haiti this year could easily know about the kidnapping risk, let alone people going with a large, professional, well-funded organisation like CAM.
Any reflections Josh on these comments from last year???
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The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
Ernie wrote: ↑Tue Sep 13, 2022 9:22 pmAny reflections Josh on these comments from last year???
It's been a year, and I don't think interaction with Haiti is something that should permanently cease. However, there isn't much good opportunity for travel back and forth to Haiti or within Haiti itself. A very small number of people have found ways to operate by settling in one specific town or village and staying there.
A year later, I don't think it's necessary to continue to criticise CAM or the people who got kidnapped. Mistakes have been made and learned from.
I do think the Haiti "mission machine" needs to change (particularly the mindset that what is needed is lots of fundraisers). But I think I see signs of that already happening.
Long term, when a country becomes "dangerous" eventually it is prudent to figure out how to do mission and relief work. When there is a sudden spike in active kidnappings, that is a good time for a pause.
I just read an update from a friend who is there... They need people but the country is breaking down around them and if they were not in the country they would be facing much worse. So far the hostility they have is with a neighbor who likes free ranging animals in my friend's garden.
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Soloist, but I hate singing alone Soloist, but my wife posts with me Soloist, but I believe in community Soloist, but I want God in the pilot seat
Hard to view. The U.S. Coast Guard?! Homeland Security!!
“SO it begins, U.S. starts INVASION of Haiti with military force” | Redacted with Clayton Morris / -16min
Description:
"The United States is moving forward with military missions in Haiti and Canada is considering getting involved too.
The coast guard has sent ships with machine guns, which signals some kind of special, covert operation.
Life in Haiti is in chaos and increasingly so by the day.
Protestors are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry
and are blocking imports of critical infrastructure such as gasoline imports.
Banks and grocery stores are operating on limited schedules.
What is the U.S.'s interest in this?
We break it down with independent journalist Dan Cohen from Uncaptured Media:
Found in Comments:
Narrator Mr. WROTE:
As a Serbian citizen I know what it’s like when America “spreads democracy”.
(At about 15min, they mention Ukraine, the UK, the EU, negotiating fuel.) a bit confusing.
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.
The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
temporal1 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 03, 2022 10:17 pm“SHOCKING truth in Haiti exposed as U.S. military aircraft arrive ahead of invasion” | Redacted News / 6min
Yep. Haiti continues to be a U.S. client state.
It is no wonder that lots of other countries don't want to be U.S. client states, given how they turn out and are treated. You get nonstop crime, mayhem and murder in the streets, no functional government, and rule by armed gangs.
Homeland Security!!