My View From Haiti: Can. Do.

The work in Haiti is difficult. Nearly three years after the earthquake, the magnitude of the need remains overwhelming. Staggering, even. Chris Marlow is the first to admit there are days it seems all tangled up and twisted and knotted. But let me tell you this: the work is beautiful.

I've been in Haiti less than thirty-six hours, and I am already captivated by the passion and sincerity I see whenever Chris Marlow speaks about the development work Help One Now is doing here. It's contagious.

Today, when our van groaned under the work required to make it up a steep incline in the middle of a small community, our translator hopped out and added his body weight to the back of the van. People from the community joined him, and soon we had traction. Our driver released the clutch, stepped on the gas, the wheels caught, and we were off. Just like that.

Later, I sat in the center seat of the second row as that same van bounced along a rutted road, right in the heart of Port-au-Prince. In front of us, a load of passengers leaned into the shade from a makeshift roof, covering the bed of a pickup truck. Women carried eggs, or raw chicken, or stacks of black plastic on their heads, and they didn't miss a step. It didn't matter that the road was rocky and dense with people.

In the late afternoon, I found myself sitting on a wooden bench in a school for children who live in Tent City. The day had been rich: The people of Haiti are beautiful. The country of Haiti is breathtaking. The conversations on this one day had been deep ... and had walked the thin lines without wavering or shuddering or cutting into.

And the magnitude of the need remains overwhelming.

Over the past few years, Pastor St. Cyr and Help One Now have developed a friendship. Pastor St. Cyr loves Jesus, and he loves Haiti. It's contagious.

Living in Haiti, Pastor St. Cyr serves the thousands of Haitians who live in Tent City, and standing there on the cement floor of the school, he told us about the day of the earthquake, the loss, the fear, and the enormity of the work that still lies ahead.

There is no disputing the fact that a challenge of this size is enough to make a person decide it's not worth it; or that there aren't enough resources; or that they need a bigger team, bank account, or skill set. In your ministry, your work, your vocation, your day-to-day, you may feel as if the challenge is insurmountable. If so, I'd like to share something Pastor St. Cyr shared with us today: "Don't wait to go big. Do what you can. What you can do, matters."

This week, I'm in Haiti, traveling as part of a team of bloggers with Help One Now, and with Dan King, Social Media Editor for The High Calling. Follow along for the next three afternoons, as I share updates and information about how you can help. To learn more about Help One Now, visit their website.