From October 26, 2020 The more merciful you are, the more mercy you will feel. But to truly feel God’s unlimited mercy, you need to incorporate into your day moments of stillness, moments where you can climb to the inner summit of your life and see the vast horizon of God’s love.
From October 25, 2020 Late Wednesday morning, Naïve was seated alone on the back bench. She looked sad. She often sits alone. When she lived on the second floor, she often stood alone on the balcony starring into the night. I was headed back upstairs, but I decided to go sit next to Naïve.
From October 24, 2020 I offered this visual mediation these last two days to give you an impression of the milieu in which we work. The poverty is staggering and sickening. Getting anything done is near impossible. The corruption and violence are daunting.
From October 23, 2020 A few days ago, I was prompter to look at photos from my first trip to Haiti in December, 2009, just weeks before the earthquake. I also looked at photos from my three post-earthquake visits in early 2010.
From October 22, 2020 Last Sunday, one of the two toilets on the first floor was backed up. No one could unclog it. The guys tried a few remedies on Monday. No luck. On Tuesday, a crew came to clean out the sceptic tank, which was filled. It was so full it filled the truck.
From October 21, 2020 As the Journals clearly reveal, life in Haiti can be very stressful. Running a home with five dozen kids serves up its own frustrations and problems. Some days the stress, frustrations, and problems paint me into a corner of desperation. When this happens, I paint my way out.
From October 20, 2020 Community is a place where we learn to care for each other, which makes community a place of forgiveness. Community is a place where the ego dies, which makes community a place of pain. Because each of us carries our own inner conflicts into community, and so community becomes a place of conflict.
From October 19, 2020 On Saturday, the streets were so dangerous I was warned not to go out, even with my armed bodyguard. Saturday marked an historic day in Haiti. On this day, one of the slaves who led the violent overthrow of the French who had been brutalizing the slaves was killed. Not by the French, but by Haitians.
From October 18, 2020 All the pre-teen and teen girls surrounded me on Friday morning wanting to know if I were going to the market. If I was, they wanted me to get a hair production that had curls to their hair.
From October 17, 2020 Over the past few years, I’ve articulated in the pages of this Journal how bleak our financial situation was. Somehow, what needed to barely keep afloat arrived. Many donors expressed concern over the constant high credit card debt.