2 Weeks of Peace in Haiti
Before I give an update about what is currently going on in Haiti, I wanted to let you know 2 things:
- The Fundraiser this past Friday night was incredible! Thank you to everyone who had any part in making this event a success. We gained 12 new sponsors and had a wonderful night updating everyone on what is going on with All Things New.
- We (the Bush family) have been in the America for just over a week (last Sunday night) and we are starting to get readjusted again. Thank you to everyone who helped us with Ezekyal’s Visa and we are excited to be able to spend some time here.
In Haiti, since the unrest that shut down the entire country for almost 2 weeks, there is a sense of calm and the normalcy of everyday life. People are out, the streets are crowded, and stores and markets are open. At the same time, if you ask anyone who is still there, there is a clear tension in the streets. There is a feeling that, at any moment, things could change. The opposition was unsuccessful in their attempted coup. The general population failed to receive closure and punishment for the mishandling of (and this is not an exaggeration) billions of dollars that were supposed to go toward projects for social change.
With that said, things are not over. The current government has said they will make changes and sit down with opposition leaders to talk. The US has sent diplomats to try to bring everyone to the table and move past this crisis.
At the same time, however, airlines are canceling huge numbers of flights to Haiti, Haiti is still one of only 12 countries on a Level 4 travel advisory from the State Department (joining the likes of North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.), and the economy continues to tank. Prices are rising on everything but everyone is still making the same amount of money. The Haitian Government cannot afford to pay for the gasoline and Diesel that everyone from the power company to local tap-tap drivers (taxis) need.
The bottom line is that things are a real mess. This is not one of those “happened over night” kind of scenarios. The current situation was caused by years of mismanagement, greed, and corruption in almost every aspect of life and has just come to a head recently. The truth is, I do not know what will happen next. I know there is peace in the country right now, but I also know that everyone is hurting. I also know that the average Haitian cannot make his voice heard without taking to the streets and that the opposition will use this fact to their advantage.
So for now we are just waiting to see what will happen next and we are praying that GOD will bring peace and stability to a country that so badly needs it.
At the same time, Jessica and the kids will stay in America for a while so that we can reevaluate the situation on the ground. I will go back and forth a couple of times while we wait (the first sometime towards the end of March) to see how safe it is to travel back. Having 3 kids has certainly changed our mindset on safety, so please pray for us to have wisdom and clarity during this time. Also please pray that the current peace and normalcy will remain and that tension would go away. While it seems hopeless, we know that GOD can do anything so join us in praying that He fixes the situation in Haiti.