March 1, 2003

Dear Friends in Christ,

If you have had occasion in the past few months to read any news coming out of the countries of the Caribbean, it will not surprise you to learn that the people of Haiti are going through a period of restlessness. While political discord seems a permanent part of the national character here, Haitians are currently further assaulted by a time of rapidly-mounting economic distress. As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, our brothers and sisters here are also the least able to respond to shifts in the regional or world economy which impact them. When the U.S. dollar has good purchasing power in world markets, it usually means the currencies of lesser countries buy less both in their homelands and abroad. Thus it is that while 25 Haitian Gourdes bought $1 worth of goods and services when we came here a year ago, the same $1 value now requires 42 Gourdes. Put another way, a Gourde worth 4 cents a year ago is now worth 2.4 cents. Prices are up, even in the trading at the twice-weekly street market in Mombin Crochu. Times are tough.

We cannot pretend to understand the economic dynamics at work in Haiti these days, but we can testify to one truth—the poor get poorer. Small wonder that the Haitian people's unrest has been directed against their government, institutional forms, and their own society—unrest marked by civil disorder and sporadic violence all over this country. The poor get poorer, hungrier, more hopeless, more desperate.

Our housekeeper, Marie-Helene, brought the present complex socio-economics right to our doorstep with her impact analysis: "More people will die," she said sadly. More people will die. What a hard but straightforward truth. The economy in Haiti isn't just a matter of stock fluctuations and the inconvenience of a modest rise in the grocery bill. Nor is it just unrest in the streets. To the poor already living on the edge, it's a matter of living or dying.

But Jesus Christ is present here. We have seen Him. He is present as Hope in the dusty face of the farmer who chooses despite all to burn and cultivate his hillside field once again to prepare for another growth cycle. Jesus is present as Comfort when a family gathers closely around a young mother as she sheds quiet tears by the bedside of the child she birthed and now knows will die. Jesus is present as Healing in the hands of a missionary pediatrician doing a spinal tap, and a visiting surgeon removing a cancerous breast. Jesus is present as Love when the carefully packed box of medications, disinfectants, and wound dressings arrives from a Presbyterian congregation in the United States and when a work-team truck mechanic shares a grease-stained hug with his Haitian counterpart in joint recognition of a repair job well done.

And God is present in His majesty as each morning's sun runs its course through the cloud-flecked blue sky and then slips behind the mountain to throw rays of rose and gold and orange back at the waning day. And God is present as His Word sparks and kindles the life of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the Haitian people who need Him so much.

The question is reasonably asked these days—"Can Haiti survive with all its problems?" Our answer is—"Jesus Christ is here. God is here, and still is glorified."

Our warmest greetings to each of you and our thanks for your prayers and your loving support shown in so many ways. Please join us in daily prayer for the people of Haiti.

In Christ's Spirit,

Paul and Joan McLain