Recently, I was one of those "stuck" in Europe due to volcanic ash and flight interruptions. I was “forced” to spend a couple of extra days sightseeing in Bratislava and Vienna, eat well and sleep in a nice, clean hotel.
In the midst of the outcry concerning this inconvenience, I started to reflect on contrasts.
Following is first a BBC story of a traveler and second is excerpts from a World Relief article regarding people in Haiti after the earthquake (found on the World Relief website titled Undercover)
“We arrived home on Sunday after a 2,200-euro taxi ride from Courchevel in the French Alps to Birmingham. We were due to fly back from Geneva with Easyjet, but once we found out our flight was cancelled, we asked our driver to keep going. His journey then went from about four hours to three days round trip. There were eight of us - five adults and three young children. It was a tough decision to part with the extra cash, and it has put me significantly out of pocket.”
‘It has rained a few times in Port-au-Prince this week, and clouds frequently seem to be threatening more. In a city full of those displaced from their homes, it seems a desperate race against time to ensure people have temporary shelters as an initial defense against the elements that will inevitably arrive soon.
Cleromene Severe was one who received a tarp at her local church. During the earthquake, her home collapsed completely—killing a 16-month-old in her care who was trapped on the first floor. Now she sleeps on the street outside with six others—without a single covering. She worries constantly, about security while living on the road, having enough food for her family, and replacing all of her destroyed belongings. “Now that I have a tarp, it’s the beginning of change,” she said. “I’m no longer afraid of the rain. I know when it comes, we will be protected.”
As World Relief supports local churches, pastors pour themselves out to those in their care…..Pastor John August. He has been counseling those seeking meaning amidst the destruction all around them. He encourages them to continue with their normal activities, like cleaning the yard, walking with their children and talking with their friends. “I tell them, ‘We have to give a sense to our lives.’”
Every direction you look in the city and beyond, people are without homes, churches and workplaces.’
I have a suggestion. Instead of me telling you what I see in “Contrasts in Inconvenience” why not think about it, talk to your family or even discuss in a group. It can be very revealing if nothing else.
Qualifier: Let me say that I do not in any way want to diminish the difficulties that parents experienced while traveling with small children, people caught trying to get somewhere for serious reasons and those who this happened to while they had little money, etc.
Laurie Cook, C.E.O., World Relief Canada
