#FreeHaiti: Why God? Why Have You Forsaken Me Now?

Earlier this week on August 24, another gang massacre occurred in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. This Miami Herald article gives a summary of the night and has some photos of the agony community members are in over losing loved ones in this horrific way. 

It's been two years since my last #FreeHaiti post discussing the Kenyan troops that were about to come at that time. These troops have since left the country in April of this year, and have been replaced by the UN appointed Gang Suppression Force (GSF), with troops coming from a few different African and Latin American countries. The summary is that Kenyan troops were much appreciated, but not able to make as much headway as they wanted. They were less troops than planned with much less money than planned, but again, the effort was appreciated. You can read a summary from the Haitian Times here. 

I still maintain that what makes the most sense to me is to build a Haitian army among Haitian men here in the Dominican Republic. Rather than treating them all pretty much like potential enemies to the DR while they largely building the wealth of the country with their hands, some should be given the opportunity of a pathway and a career in defending Haiti and the island as a whole. This should be supported largely by the Haitian diaspora and funded by France in a type of reparations. These reparations would be for the extortion of funds France did to Haiti after it gained independence, and of course the abuses toward Africans brought to Haiti before independence, whose descendants make up the current population. 

You know who else has some responsibility here? The country that sent funds to Francois Duvalier after seeing that he was a murderous dictator so that he would help defend them from Cuba, helping his dictatorship and violence to reign. When I studied U.S. law, I learned about the egg shell skull rule. This means that you are liable of damage to a victim even if you aren't the full cause of their problems, and even if they have a pre-existing condition that made them more vulnerable to harm. If I negligently throw a rock at someone's head and his skull happens to be weak and crack like an egg shell, I am liable for all of the damage caused by my reckless disregard for the safety of that person. 

But we've given so much to Haiti! Have we? I don't know the facts of course, but I do know that if we knowingly gave millions to a very dangerous man then that was not given to the people of Haiti. And I know that if I spend a ton of money to fix my car, investing in a new transmission, but the problem was actually the motor, then I still have to spend more to fix the motor. The situation is resolved when my car is running properly, regardless of how much I have previously spent. Of course I could also just get a new car, but human beings are not disposable objects. This problem is not going away until a permanent and successful solution is executed. 

Anyway, have you seen the animated movie David that came out in theaters about 8 months ago? It has a few songs that apply so well to the struggles of Haiti. Here I wrote about Jefte, a Haitian man burnt alive by a gang for doing the right thing. Here I mentioned Davy Lloyd, an American missionary kid (adult) killed by gang members after refusing to leave his community and retreat to the safety of the US, despite the dangers. I've also mentioned testimonies of sons being murdered in front of their mothers for refusing to join gangs. 

Those who flee with their families to the Dominican Republic are currently being hunted in other ways. One student that pops into my mind right away is Junior. He is perhaps 16 and was deported months ago. I was always impressed by him because he lived quite far from the school but went on foot every afternoon with his brother. They were both in the afternoon session. That was impressive on its own, but what really impressed me was that he walked his younger sister to school in the mornings as well, then went back to pick her up and take her home, only to then turn around and come back for his own schooling! His mom is saving up to get him back, and is quite worried, as he is in gang territory. I have wanted to help her with the funds, but haven't yet been able to. 

I am also reminded of a time that I found our doorwoman crying. After inquiring, she told me her son had been deported and the immigration truck went the Port-au-Prince route. She was terrified of the dangers he would encounter. As a protective mother myself, I couldn't help but to join her in shedding tears. 

With these stories in mind, I am moved by this song from the movie David where David is being hunted by King Saul and his loyalists. His mother sings in harmony from a distance as she and the rest of the family also escape to the wilderness. David cries in confusion, "Why God? Why have you forsaken me now? I'm trying to feel you somehow, as I run from the shadow of death, back to the wilderness".

His mom later faithfully cries, "My God, you have not forsaken us now. You will work it together somehow, as we run from this shadow of death, back to the wilderness". Here is a video of the song. 

People displaced by gangs literally pack up their belongings and run as David's family is seen doing there. Haitians here go sleep in the woods on nights that they get a tip that immigration will come. Some do so every night, just in case. I pray so hard for their hope and comfort. 

We (Project Esperanza) are celebrating our 20 year anniversary. In May 2006, we ran the street census that started our work here. In the fall of 2006, we began paying teachers in a school in Padre Granero, an area that the majority of the Haitian kids in the census were living. It has been an honor to make this my life for the past 20 years. I have lived my entire adult life here, moving down after college in December 2006. 

I want to be a part of providing a pathway of alternates to gang life. I want to provide reward in a land where rewards seem bigger in a gang than anything else available....or perhaps where punishment for not joining is so much stronger than any reward. We know that animals of all sizes are trained to do amazing things by a simple system of reward and punishment. I think we have to be creative and provide rewards. We need to provide more alternatives. 

While the Haitian police and the UN struggle greatly to be able to deal out punishments where punishments are due, it's probably a billion times easier to provide rewards. $1,000 for the student from Port au Prince who can provide the best video speech addressing a certain topic. $1,000 to the community member voted as outstanding citizen in each town. A ball for every single child in Haiti. I truly believe that balls can save kids' lives. 

I would 100% get behind Santa Claus going to Haiti to simply provide a ball to every single child in Haiti. There's an entry in a previous blog I had that I turned into a book where I tell about explaining Santa Claus to boys in the group home. It was hilarious, as they literally knew nothing about him and commented that they would beat him up if he went in their house. Oh how they laughed when I said they were actually supposed to leave him milk and cookies. Santa may have to go in an armored vehicle in some areas rather than a sleigh, but he should surely go. 

Anyway, at the end of the movie David, the Amalekites have his family and loyalists hostage. He goes to save them and ends up with his head on the guillotine. As he sings fearless hope, he is silenced with a punch in the face. Another hostage finishes his line for him,"I will not be afraid", but she is also knocked down. Another steps in, then another, until eventually they are too many to be knocked over. 

This video clip from the movie is a vision for Haiti and how they will overcome this reign of terror. Remember, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love". -1 John 4:18

Bad Bunny Halftime Show & Forgiveness

 It's Valentine's Day. While many are on dates, I'm purging myself of built-up thoughts. It's been more than a year since I posted on this blog. Lately, I've had the desire to write about several topics, but haven't found the time. Today, whether or not I have the time, I feel a strong need to write. 

Throughout the entire week, there has been a hot topic on my news feed, which is Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show. Many loved the message of love prevailing over hate and "We are all America," listing all the countries in North, South, and Central America, including the Caribbean. Others are looking up the translations of the lyrics they didn't understand and are appalled at what they're seeing, were appalled at the dancing, and just found the whole thing offensive. Some watched Turning Point USA's alternative show instead. 

Basically, the halftime show turned into a very large political debate. Someone on a podcast I love suggested that folks leave the offensiveness of the lyrics up to Spanish-speaking families, rather than assuming online translations to be true. They argue that although some of his songs are filthy, the filth was not sung at the halftime show. That was my cue to chime in. 

My Spanish is good. I have lived in the Dominican Republic for 18 years. I don't always understand every word, especially if someone is speaking quickly or unclearly, but I can definitely communicate proficiently. My kids were all born here and have lived here their whole lives, studying in Spanish, communicating with their friends in Spanish, etc. They are the ones that have made me aware of all the bad words through their innocent kindergartener points of view. They have been my bad word police, as we know that what is acceptable among adults is not the same as what is acceptable among children. 

Although we are not in the US and I have not heard of any locals here who really watch the NFL or the Super Bowl, some of my kids had seen the halftime show by the time I was seeing the posts about the controversy. Their friends had as well. The year before was the same. Everyone seemed to know Kendrick Lamar, and you could hear kids singing, "They not like us". 

My now sixteen-year-old son thought some of the dancing was inappropriate, but the most inappropriate reference he heard in the lyrics was the word perrear, which is to twerk. Before I wrote this, I asked one of my daughters to watch the whole show carefully, since she is the best in the family at the Spanish language, always correcting her brother and me. She agreed that perrear was the most inappropriate reference, but argued that it's not a "bad word". The lyrics that stuck with her the most were those that talked about Puerto Rico's problems, such as lack of employment and power outages. The rest, she said, was just music. 

As far as the dancing is concerned, we watched some videos of NFL cheerleaders dancing, and the kids didn't see a big difference between it and the dancing they found risqué in the halftime show. They actually thought the cheerleaders' clothing was perhaps more provacative than those in the halftime show. Remember, my kids have never gone to an American football game, and cheerleading doesn't exist where we live. Could it be that part of what made this performance uncomfortable and offensive to many was not objective vulgarity, but the foreignness of it? (Not to mention the political tie, which I'll discuss soon).   

Therefore, I conclude that there are many lies floating around about this performance. Yes, Bad Bunny has nasty lyrics, but they weren't sung at the Super Bowl. Now, my kids didn't have to give me any feedback about the first song, "Titi Me Preguntó", as it was quite popular here a few years back and everyone knew how I felt about it. I objected strongly to it probably the first fifty times I heard it, then, of course, eventually found myself singing along. It's not vulgar, but it talks about him having lots of girlfriends, and that he is a heartbreaker. By the end, he concludes that he doesn't want to be like that.  

That song is how I learned about Bad Bunny. I was a little surprised when, about a year after it became popular here, my mom knew of him. While she was visiting, my daughter asked her if she knew who an artist singing a different song was. I did not know the answer, but my mom answered correctly that it was Bad Bunny. So he had made his way to a woman from Virginia in her 60s. My mom is half Puerto Rican, but, nonetheless, that was never her music of choice, from what I've known.  

I've often wondered about the fact that people from the United States are referred to as American, when America spans the whole Western Hemisphere, not just the United States. There's not even another word for a person from the United States in English that I know of. It's no wonder that so many estadounidenses, therefore, think it's okay to even consider taking over Greenland, a constituent part of Denmark. The assumed superiority is built into the very language. Since there isn't an appropriate word for it in the English language, I think we should just adopt the Spanish word estadounidense to replace American, referring to a person from the United States. 

Therefore, I surely applauded the ending of the halftime show, where Bad Bunny made that point loud and clear by saying, "God bless America", then stating the names of all the countries in the Americas and waving their flags. And who can argue with the slogan that was written above it all? 

 

To make the message even clearer, he shared it a week before in Los Angeles as he received his Grammy. He specified, saying that before he thanked God, he wanted to say, "ICE out," and went on to say that, "We're not animals, we're not savage, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans." I have been deeply disturbed by the activity of ICE in the US, not just because of the poor treatment, but because of the disregard for the Constitution and laws that make America great. I posted about it and dialogued extensively about it here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZZSsaZda9/?mibextid=wwXIfr. 

Along with the halftime show is another event that is constantly on my news feed these days. That is the release of the rest of the Epstein files. Earlier today, I felt led to forgive Donald Trump and all of his active supporters. As I read the latest news, I just realized that I am waiting for something bad to happen to him. It's not that I think that it's necessarily wrong to feel that way. I think he should not be in the position that he is, and I am so tired of it all. The end point is that it's not good for me to be harboring hate. It is totally out of my control anyway. I finally decided that I need to forgive them and pray for them, as well as pray for God's will over it all. If there is anything I can do to support God's kingdom on the matter, may he please show me the way. 

While I forgive him, I so strongly disagree with so much of what Trump represents. The fear of diversity and the fact that he is working for expansionism, I think, directly contradicts the kingdom of God. Today I watched Senator Cory Booker interview Jeremy Carl, who Trump has nominated for Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. When asking him about comments he had made in the past about white erasure and if he has opinions about the racial makeup the U.S. should have, he said he stands with Trump, and that he prioritizes unity over diversity. 

I am a farm girl, and this is what I envision. Have you seen a chicken house with all white chickens? Have you seen a chicken house with a diverse array of chickens? One is stunningly beautiful. The other is not. 

Likewise, I think Europe is exemplary and beautiful, although I have never visited, in that it has a union of healthy nations that interact peacefully with each other. From what I hear, much of their culture and history has been preserved, not erased by consumerism. The US expanding as it did into Hawaii, for example, and trying to exert control rather than seeking unity without necessarily control is not a good idea in my book. As I write this, Cuba is suffering from their fuel being cut off. I understand that people are dying from not getting medical care. This is the same tactic Haitian gangs use in Haiti to increase their territory. It's terrorism. 

Here is what one Hawaiian got from Bad Bunny's halftime show:

In conclusion, let's all keep an open mind and look for the good. Let's listen to each other and practice forgiveness. "Don't let love and truth ever leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart". Proverbs 3:3