A Visit To Dajabón

On November 12th, I had the opportunity to head out to Dajabón, DR, to see my husband and meet with the leader of the team he was working with. We picked her brain on some pretty interesting ministry stuff, all the way from grant-writing to tools we can give to the impoverished to help them break the vicious cycle they are in. I had a great time seeing my husband (of course) and meeting the team of Rotarians from Alberta, Canada that he was working with.
I think the thing that may have impacted me most on this trip, though, was seeing the Haitian/Dominican border crossing there in Dajabón. Rod, Darin, and I walked out on the bridge and took some pictures, and as I stared across the border into Haiti, which is considered a 4th-world country, I felt a wrenching in my gut as I realized how privileged I am just to be able to stand on the other side of the fence. The opportunities for me and my family here in the DR are endless in comparison to our neighbors in Haiti.

Looking through the guard station at the border patrol.

As I watched the Haitians standing at the gate and begging us for just one dollar, I could not imagine life where my freedom ends at the borders of my country. I could not imagine standing at the border of Canada or Mexico and knowing that I could not enter and have a shot at a better life.

Darin standing at the gate that separates the two countries. You can see two Haitian guys standing on the other side of the gate. They were begging us for money.

Here are some stats on Haiti: 1) Half the population is undernourished. 2) The infant mortality rate is 80 per 1000 live births (that's 12.5%). 3) Only 46% of the population has access to clean water. 4) Only 28% of the population has good sanitation. 5) Approximately 1/2 of the population is illiterate. 6) The unemployment rate is approximately 80%.
As Americans, we have the ability to not just put a meal on the table each day but to stock up on food for a week or a month at a time. We have access to some of the most advanced health care in the world. We can turn on our tap at any time and not only know that there will be water coming out but that we can drink it safely. We have the ability to receive not only a basic education but to attend college, as well. And although our economy is suffering right now, we still have access to jobs that can provide for our families. We have the freedom to enter just about any country we would like at any time we would like. All this that we have and we take for granted...yet the majority of us continue to live well above our means, charging up credit cards and drinking $4 cups of coffee every day (hey, I love Starbucks too!!).....and we remain oblivious to the rest of the world, many of whom struggle to even put one meal on the table each day.

Looking across the border into Haiti. The river is the dividing point between the two countries.

Growing up, I assumed the rest of the world was like the US. When I was 17, I went on a mission trip to Venezuela and began to realize that things were different in other parts of the world. It took quite a few more years and several more trips before I realized that the US is unique unto itself. And we are much more privileged than most of us realize.

The river that divides the two countries. If you look closely, you can see the line of Haitian women on the banks of the river in the distance. They are washing their clothes.

I guess the thing that I ponder the most is how I can reach out and truly make a difference. How do I sacrifice in order to give? What do I sacrifice in order to give? Will God ask me and my family to suffer in some way in order to reach out to others less fortunate? And what if He does? Will people think I'm crazy? Should I care if people think I'm crazy?
And, yes, these are all ramblings from a so-called missionary. Maybe I should already have all the answers to these questions figured out. Just goes to show that missionaries are just normal people. :-)
To round this out, I have to say that in my humble opinion (but opinion nonetheless), every teenager should be required to visit a 3rd-world country before they graduate from high school. If you've missed that age cut-off, it's never to late to go! It is a life-changing experience that will change your perspective on everything..if you allow it to.