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July 8, 2024
Dear Daniel,
This month we share a compelling message from Pastor Oris Guillaume, Haiti Cheri's founder and visionary.
A Friend From Haiti Says "I am Hungry"
I was recently talking to pastor Dennis in Haiti who mentioned that the people in the little village of Doval are hungry. Dolval is the location of the first church where I pastored and served for many years, and later I became a mission pastor in Doval. My mother used to say this is the last thing someone can say to you: “I am hungry.” When I heard that Pastor Dennis said, “I am hungry as well as the community of Dolval,” I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. After thinking for a bit, I finally came up with this question: “how can I help him find food to put on the table even if it is for a day, or a week or so?” No matter how compassionate you are, this question will hit you very hard in a country like Haiti and will test your level of generosity. That interaction made me realize that I must have a response ready for when someone says, “I’m hungry…” I believe the pastor means that people are starving; when we consider the status of politics in Haiti, a lot of people left Port-au-Prince for the countryside. When we consider it has been more than 90 days with no rain in Haiti with the heat that we are experiencing here as well… hmm, Pastor Dennis means that the people in Dolval have not eaten for several days, so they are starving and suffering with severe famine, the land of Dolval is suffering from starvation and destitution. What did it really mean by hungry? Did it mean hungry or starving? I believe from experience it meant starving.
“Starving” literally means to suffer or die from hunger. While the dictionary definition does express being hungry, it does not mean such extremes when used in casual conversations. When you speak with someone in a country like Haiti, you or someone from Haiti says, “I am hungry,” This person means “I am starving” or I am dying without food and water, or necessities.
The land of Dolval is starving for something to sustain them, to preserve their hope, to strengthen them through the moment of starvation, to help preserve their integrity as Christians. They are starving for food. The time to respond for this need is now… My doctor said to me last month, “Eat full meals. Eat snacks. Eat planned meals. Eat spontaneously…” Twenty years ago that did not apply to me… Now that I have been living in the US for more than two decades, I know what the doctor meant. My question is: can you please help someone eat a full meal for a day? A week or a month? In Haiti, when your stomach gets hungry, your heart and soul get angry.
The bible says that “Those who die by the sword are better off than those who die from starvation, who slowly waste away like those pierced through for lack of food from the fields.” [Lamentations 4:9]
Villages like Dolval have faced significant challenges, including natural disasters, political instability, poverty striking, and economic difficulties. If you’re interested in helping, consider financially supporting small organizations like ours that for years have provided aid and relief to smaller villages in Haiti.
-Pastor Oris Guillaume
A Brief Security Update
The Multinational Security Support Mission endorsed by the UN has started with the first 400 soldiers from Kenya arriving. They are currently patrolling Port-au-Prince along with Haiti's National Police. More soldiers are due to arrive soon. Please be praying that order can be restored in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas so the people can simply move on with their lives. We thank God for relative peace and calm in and near Cap-Haitien where our mission operates.
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