Current of hope close to the surface in suffering Haiti
Reports coming out of Haiti are wrought with the themes of chaos, misery and espwa. What? Espwa. It's Creole for hope, and it's a current that is close to the surface in the sea of suffering that has washed over the Caribbean nation.
Local entrepreneurs are starting up businesses. Impromptu schools are popping up in tent villages. Groups of homeless people sing through the night. And the name of God seems to be on just about everybody's lips.
Haitians have a reputation as a resilient people, and this latest disaster is proving just how strong that will to survive and thrive really is.
Many believe this strength of character is rooted in Haiti's tumultuous history. Although the country gained its independence from France in 1804, it was saddled with a crippling debt and has been suffering from poverty, oppression and corruption ever since.
Serge Jean Baptiste, a Haitian Montrealer and church leader, says, "the Haitian people were slaves who achieved freedom. Life has not been easy. We are very determined. We are used to struggling. We persevere."
Glenn Smith, executive director of Christian Direction, has been involved in ministry in Haiti for 15 years. He says Haitians are a deeply spiritual people. And although the practice of voodoo is not predominant. Smith says the culture and language is permeated with a fatalistic worldview that comes from voodooism.
"I know of no other language with so many passive verbs," he says. "There is an underlying recognition of supernatural power."
For Haitians who have embraced the Christian faith, it is not difficult then to recognize the sovereignty of God. At Baptiste's church in Montreal, God's unmovable character and faithfulness has been a recurring theme in worship services since the earthquake.
"As long as we know God exists, there is reason to hope in a better tomorrow," he says.
The question then is, what tomorrow? Do these people believe life in Haiti is going to get better, or is the hope of believers only in the next life?
Winnipeg physician and friend of Haiti Pierre Plourde says he and the community he works and worships with in Haiti are not optimistic about the future of Haiti, but they do believe in a better future.
"They are filled with hope—hope of a future with no pain, no hunger, no earthquakes, no corruption. So no matter what is happening around them, no matter how devastating the catastrophes seem to be, all I see on their faces and in their hearts when I visit these people is joy, not happiness; and hope, not optimism."
On the other hand, optimism, however tempered by the current tragedy, is still alive and well in Baptiste's congregation.
"We want our country to change," he says. "We are realistic about the situation. And we hurt deeply. But we move on. We will stand up and move toward our hope."
For Smith, this combination of trust in the sovereignty of God, assurance of eternal redemption, and the determination to make things better will be a powerful force for change.
"I have observed a shift in the mentality of Haitian Christians in the past few years," he says. "They have become more engaged in their society."
Engagement will be needed in the months and years to come in order to rebuild their country, structurally and socially, and Smith believes the Haitian Christians are ready to take the lead.
He points to a Scripture oft-repeated by Haitian believers: "Thus far has the Lord helped us (1 Samuel 7:12).
For a people in the throes of horrible suffering, the implications of that simple statement run deep. Where God is, there is espwa.
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