The Haiti Post

Everyone and their mother is commenting on this whole Haiti bit, so much so that for a long time it seemed pointless to look it up and see what was actually going on, such was the stream of information on Facebook and the number of people who said their hearts were aching for the country.

Unless something drastic has changed in the last few years, Haiti was switching back and forth with Afghanistan for the poorest country in the world. I would guess it's back at number one. It's really high on the GINI Index, which means it has a huge income disparity. They are currently ranked number eight based on the most current information they provided (2001), so I would suppose they've gone up the list a ways. As far as I can remember, it also has a pretty high level of corruption.

I've kind of avoided looking at pictures of the tragedy, lest I have dreams about finding someone I love dead in a pile of rubble. For this reason, the heart-break I've experienced is fairly minimal, even barely existent. However, I got a chance to look at a New York Times article in which the Haitian President's palace was in ruins, and the President was quoted as saying he didn't know where he was going to sleep.

From what I remember about Haitian politics, the President is one of the wealthiest people in the country, living in splendor while the people he governs suffer because they lack the income to do anything besides feed themselves (I apologize for the generalization.) The fact that he was effected by the outcome of a devastating earthquake at a deeper level than an administrative headache seemed a small slice of justice in a situation as horrific as this one.

Prayers go out for the people in Haiti. Pray that many come to know the Lord through this catastrophe, and may those who do feel a peace that surpasses understanding as they serve others, knowing that the God of the universe will do great things through what seem to be terrible situations.